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Nunca colocan al ambiente en su «planilla»
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBJgJlPrJo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=es&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=800&h=450]Siempre me quedo pensando ¿quién está loco? Los CEOs, los que hablan de economía, nunca colocan en su planilla al ambiente! Si lo hicieran sería más difícil justificar que su modelo pasa por más extracción y más destrucción! Por eso ni lo nombran o, a lo sumo, te ponen crecimiento sustentable sabiendo que eso no existe!
¿ Para qué llevar a ese tipo a un programa de radio? Supongo que Bercovich comparte con él todo su panorama sobre extracción a través del fracking, de la minería, del litio y así siguiendo…No pueden colocar en su excel al ambiente, si lo hicieran verían que es un camino de muerteAlgunos de los comentarios (donde tampoco hablan del ambiente como variable!)
#bercovich #economía #fracking #litio #martino #soja #vacaMuerta«Estos tipos son los impulsan la reforma laboral 🤬. Berco te admiro….»,
«La guerrilla no empezó con Isabel,empezó con Onganía
y se agrando con Lanusse!!
Por eso trajeron a Perón
para que el general haga algo!! Y no pudo..taba
viejito y enfermo!
Si hubiese estado sano
viejo y todo hubiese hecho
cosas mejores para la sociedad en su conjunto
Que los asesinos miserables
que vinieron en el 76!!»,
«Y pero no dijo nada nuevo,si se sabe q si otro gobierno gana se derrumba la argentina,la gente no es idiota obvio van a votar a milei,,o que pretenden que voten a Kicillof con el desastre que es la provincia»,
«Que paja escuchar a la burguesía de este país entrampada en discusiones ideológicas. Me quedó claro que no tienen absolutamente nada que ofrecer. Algún día dejarán de ser gobierno (en todas sus variantes)»,
«Excelente entrevista. Existen estos tipos . 😢»,
«Te dan créditos en dólares y se te quedan con lo que compraste . Gran negocio para este Sr.»,
«que mal que envejeció esto en dos días jajajaja hablando mal de la reestatización de YPF. Que burro este hombre!!»,
«\»Lisa, hija… los vampiros son seres inventados. Como los duendes, los gremlins y los esquimales.\»»,
«Dijo \»yo no defiendo ni a Caputto ni a Guzman\» pero con el que se sienta a tomar cafe es con Caputto….que se yo»,
«Muy trucho este personaje. No sé para que le dan micrófono»,
«Dice que los servicios no subieron fuerte en el interior? Jajajaja gente salgan de la Gral. Paz»,
«Brillante este señor, le puso a la tapa a este periodista militante defensor de los más Areces delitos economico – sociales y Morales de la historia de nuestro pais»,
«No aguantae ni 2 minutos, a esta gente le falta un baño de realidad urgente»,
«Carnero HDRMP. ojalá q lo tengas a Nilei de vecino.»,
«Guzman, hizo la reorganización que pudo . el desastre lo hizo MM con 50 mil MM y Milei con 25 mil MM.»,
«Nunca en mi vida vi un sorete rojo como este empresario. Berko lo humilló!!! Cada estupidez que decía y berko le tiraba datos, el sorete rojo (imposibilitado de argumentar) decía ese tema lo hablamos otro día. Jajaja qué sorete rojo de vergüenza!!!! Son así!!! Son tan pero tan pobres que lo único que tienen es plata!!!»,
«Amigo vos tenías un vice que puede justicar de dónde saco su fortuna ( causas cuadernos , los hoteles , el piisito del NY del secretario , 58 000.millones USD ) háganse cargo»,
«Kuka.el problema no es la democracia sino la continuidad de política. Caputo no tiene más inflación q Guzmán .Guzmán se con 70 en el último año»,
«Que se quede el y sus hijos afuera del país. No los necesitamos . sobran!!!»,
«Me hizo mal cardiológicamente escuchar a este tipo!! No hay que darle micrófono anesta runfla»,
«Si tenés un invitado escúchalo. Y si piensa distinto no lo ataques. Solo dijo verdades. Que no te gusten es otra cosa»,
«A Martino lo \»amaron\» de parado. Fin.»,
«Estas son laa cosas que violentan a la gente de a pie. Sos boludo flaco? Desde 2011 que no creces y subsidiaste al maximo, jubilaste sin ingresos. Insultas la inteligencia de las personas de a pie. Por eso cada vez son menos y menos. Nunca mas que? Digan la verdad. No fueron 30000. Preguntale a Labraña quien invento ese numero insultador de gente comun!»,
«El sector inmobiliario√ y el bancario de créditos hipotecas que son el pilar de una economía fueron borrados por el kirchnerismo en 2010✓ Salvo el UVA de Macri todo fue en contra de este sector✓ Que tiene un déficit de 9.000.000 de viviendas pero el estado regala terrenos y departamentos a extranjeros con la nuestra y no te bajan impuestos√ Chile√ Uruguay√ Brasil✓ tienen un 90 % de créditos otorgados para vivienda acá gracias a Milei✓ apenas el 5%>Si terminaríamos para siempre con el marxismo populismo..tenemos..un 2000% de techo para crecer√ E una fortuna si hay estabilidad inversión privada y otra mentalidad que la zurdo garca chorro sanguijuela indispueSto alimentado a sobre✓ y con Audi encima estos progresoretes traidores✓»,
«Bercovich en vez de escuchar al entrevistado quizo convertirlo al peronismo»,
«Bercovich es siempre y en todo momento, un pelotudo. Vive en un universo lleno de ideas estúpidas y el tipo tiene el poder de elegir siempre la mas estúpida. Que tipo pelotudo»,
«Jajaja kukas llorones impresentables»,
«Un capo el chavon y este vercovich un pelotudo como siempre»,
«Que malo sos berco»,
«Hay Milei para rato😮»,
«Es falaz que el salario en dólares haya crecido. Después de la devaluación que provocó Milei a dos días de asumir, en los números reales, el salario en dólares es el más bajo de los últimos 20 años.»,
«Lo banco tiene razón… Y el mercado es la gente»,
«Quién tiene más acceso a bienes durable?»,
«Esto no es una entrevista, es un acoso.
El periodista pasa de un tema a otro sin permitir explicarse al entrevistado.
Interrumpe constantemente y entra en debate.»,
«TOTALMENTE DE ACUERDO CON EL INVITADO. EL CONDUCTOR VIVE ATRASADO Y DESEA ESE ATRASO.»,
«Minuto 19:00 empieza hablemos sin saber de dos gorilas uno le pinta subirse a la nube de izquierda y el otro a la nube de la izquierda. Los une el antiperonismo y por eso Kicillof no es peronista si lo fuera berko estaría en contra y no lo sacaría como opcion electoral 2027, recuerden que Kicillof fue opocitor a Néstor Kirchner.»,
«Un groso, tipo inteligente»,
«Cuanto se perdió al privatizar YPF .
No se produção y tivemos q importar gás y petróleo eso no se cuenta pq no semana estás perdidas.»,
«Muy bien Ale por traer a la mesa gente diversa. Lo más valioso es EXPONERLOS.»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro, no hay forma de comprar un depto en blanco para el 90% del pais. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
«a los K no les sirven los ricos que no sean ellos mismos, mantener la gente empobrecida y dependiente de planes es su estrategia, una manga de ladrones del primero al ultimo»,
«el Zurdito.. defendiendo a los TERRORISTAS / ASESINOS de los 70….»,
«Me parece que el periodista solo hace pregunta direccionales . Y no son solo pregunta. 🤔»,
«Un zurdo es un ser muy dañino»,
«No fueron 30mil y fueron Asesinos y Cobardes»,
«Alta domada le dieron al periodista kuka»,
«PD2 y me gustan estos contrapuntos porque Ale los lleva a encerrarse solitos.Solito dice cosas que son icoherentes, y falaces. Pero está bueno saber que piensa, y dejarlo que hable y que quede expuesto»,
«PD me hizo reir el que escribe (y borra) el sócalo, un capo»,
«Me encantan estos contrapuntos. Sos de los pocos que admiro Ale, sin idealizar a nadie, pero me encanta tu optica y tu forma de encarar cada entrevista»,
«🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💯💯❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💜💜❤❤❤»,
«No entiendo como bercovich puede invitar al programa a gente asi….lo vi en vivo….inaudito la verdd este tipo. Viven en una nube de pedos.»,
«Los precios en Bs As están baratos 😂😂😂😂 dijo 🤡🤡 como será de barato que a mi hijo le convenía irse a estudiar a Paris antes que a CABA y fue lo que hicimos desde ya ✈️✈️»,
«Imposible debatir con un zurdo… una lástima perder una charla con martino cuando en lugar de un periodista tenés a un militante peronista… tienen su manual de adoctrinamiento y no se salen de ahí…»,
«Gracias pero me quedé sin reliveran .. que se lo fume otro a este personaje nefasto»,
«👏👏👏»,
«Educando a zurdos se llama»,
«Muy buena entrevista.👏👏👏. Ojalá los socialistas, marxistas o comunistas escuchen y reflexionen sobre sus ideologías dañinas.»,
«Buenas entrevista???De verdad???
Sali, no vivas en un CUADRADO como este TIPO!!!»,
«Che es el de la FAMILIA DE CAPUTO!!!»,
«Martino los paseo en chota y meada»,
«EXELENTE 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇦🇷💪🏻🦁🪿🗳️ JAVIER MÍLEI»,
«Caputo tiene un jefe.. que es el presidente… Si el presidente abogado que es de izquierda o centro.. son tibios y no hacen las cosas que hay que hacer para solucionar los problemas de raíz.. por tanto guiará a su ministro de economía a hacer cosas que solamente parecen buenas…
En cambio ahora tenemos un presidente que es economista y tiene mucho más claro como solucionar el problema de raíz.. por más que haya momentos difíciles.. pero vamos por buen camino.. por eso el accionar de Caputo es y será distinto con distintos jefes..»,
«El discurso de que la gente dejó de comprar pan, leche y carne para comprar electrodomésticos, autos y casas es insultante. Cuando hay millonarios defendiendo tan ardientemente a un gobierno es evidente que se benefician»,
«Gracias por venir, fue un asco escucharte»,
«Muy lindo reportaje , lastima el zurdo de bercovich, que no es ciego es un mercenario, osea pago»,
«Para este personaje ser de clase media baja es tener un trabajo bien pago con los derechos que su gobierno quiere destruir»,
«Inmensa burbuja en la que vive Martino, sostenida por sus millones que lo alejan de la realidad.»,
«Cuando se va del país???»,
«En la década del 60 empezó la guerrilla, el conductor no sabe escuchar y quiere aplicar su ideología sin escuchar al invitado,»,
«Existio una guerra»,
«Muy bien que venga a hablar de visitante. Más allá de lo que piensa, cometió a mi entender un gran error. Dijo \»La Argentina es un mercado\», no, no. Argentina es un país. A partir de esa mirada, el resto ya no importa.»,
«Este engendro es un ejemplo clásico del por qué la argentina no puede salir de sus propias trampas.»,
«Ale, tenés que citar a gente seria. 🙏»,
«Este es un verdadero chanta…»,
«Esta gente está tan sesgada por el individualismo que no puede pensar en un proyecto común. Lo único que les preocupa es amarrocar más riqueza personal.»,
«La vida es así. Sos libre de enrolarte en la iglesia. Hay muchas.»,
«No siempre todos los soretes tienen olor . Ojaime»,
«Dice que es para clase media, media baja o media. En que pais vive? Desaparecio la clase media, el poder adquisitivo por el piso. Lo unico barato en este pais son los sueldos. El salario en dolares subio, dice que la gente ahorra. Preguntenle a un jubilado, a cualquier trabajador y vean que dice. Trabaja con hipotecas, negocio directo»,
«Tremenda domada al surdo de berkovic»,
«Esta es la burguesía argentina. Por eso ya no producen élites nativas, son tipos que no viven en el país, no tienen ninguna vinculación con el devenir del pueblo argentino. Son muy playos, están en un \»cumpleaños\», como la nobleza rusa en 1917. Lamentablemente no tenemos un Lenin que los derive al basurero de la historia. No obstante la lucha de clases es anterior al capitalismo, vamos a ver cómo se reconfigura en los próximos años»,
«Jajajajja el Amigo que vivia en Israel y Ny….culiaooooo mas vale que le va resultar barato»,
«Excelente intervención periodistica Alle❤»,
«La gente no tiene para comer como no hay en la plataforma libertad de expresión no puedo decir lo que haría con esta 🗑️ basura»,
«Que mal periodista, no dejó al entrevistado responder a ninguna de las preguntas que él mismo hizo. Mucha paciencia el entrevistado»,
«Cuál es el chiste? le escupiste el café?»,
«Berco dijo que era simpatizante de Milei y fue lo necesario para sacar el video..»,
«Siempre inviertiendo en el país,dice…
Y construye en Montevideo y Punta del Este.»,
«Te la re pusieron Berco»,
«Estos oligarcas q no tienen idea de cómo se vive con los dos mangos de salario q cobra la gente. Son la podredumbre de este país. Viven en realidades paralelas.»,
«Encontré un resentido fracasado ‼️ Tenés que ir a vivir a Cuba ❓»,
«Pero de que país habla este viejo? Yo cobro 1.200 millones y no puedo vivir !!»,
«Que chata este tipo, un garca por donde lo mires. Muy buena entrevista Berco gracias.»,
«\» este muchacho \» usted se tiene que arrepentir de lo que dijo de la cabra Fernández»,
«Claro que destruyó todo este Guzmán»,
«Garca: una de las cosas que caracterizan a cualquier país „normal“, como decís, es que ninguno tiene un presidente ignorante, bruto, corrupto, indecente, mentiroso, estafador, ladrón, psiquiátrico desquiciado, violento, irresponsable y mil veces más ocupado en defender los intereses de Estados Unidos y de Israel que los de su propio país. Entendiste? Y? Berco, no se te ocurrió a vos eso? Mirá que el periodista sos vos, no yo que vivo en Alemania y me dedico a cualquier cosa menos al periodismo. Tenés que ponerte las pilas. Le dejas pasar esa mentira barata, despreciable de decir que AHORA la Argentina es un país normal???? En serio, Berco???? Pero claro, por eso a este tipo le encanta venir a dialogar con vos.»,
«O sea que lo que hay que hacer es destruir por completo el estado como hizo China, Alemania, Holanda, Francia, Canadá, Australia y Suecia.»,
«Nueve Reinas parece como chamuya.»,
«Que miedo este tipo y todo lo que representa»,
«Hay que decir que Bercovich le da lugar a este tipo y no a Eduardo Sartelli.
Tenenbaum y su equipo reflexionando y disertando sobre eutanasia. Manguel justificando el genocidio en Gaza. En fin. Radio Con Vos.»,
«Este hdddp le dice soberbio a Guzmán pero no a Caputo ni a Sturzenegger ni a Milei. Son tremendamente caraduras estos tipos. No tienen NINGUNA vergüenza. Dan ganas de vomitar escucharlos. SOBERBIO le dice. Caputo y Milei, tipos sencillos, modestos, profesionales que solo hacen su trabajo. Reliveran urgente!!!!!»,
«Pero no da UN fundamento, es pura opinión, POR QUÉ prefiere todo eso??? Pura declamación.»,
«Me recuerda al corrupto Demian Reidel y también a colaboradores de Tony Soprano.»,
«Una semana antes de la huída de De la Rúa podías encontrar a cientos de garcas hablando como este GARCA( valga la redundancia)»,
«Le prestás guita a este individuo?»,
«FUERA MILEI, ESTA LOCO»,
«la nota es antes del fallo de la justicia gringa que le dio la razón a kicillof»,
«No discutas más!!! Es imposible hablar con esta gente!!! No perdamos más el tiempo!!!! Estos pibes son mediocres con poder. Pongamos la energía en seguir mejorando el país y estos pibes desaparecen solos. No los escucha nadie!!!»,
«Créditos en dólares para la vivienda , poder adquisitivo sustentable , pais para invertir … ???? de qué pais habla este charlatan …»,
«Pero para qué le dan micrófono a este parásito que seguro se llena de guita con créditos del estado? Me juego mi capital a que este tipo se llenó de guita gracias al Estado. Y lo único que le importa son los empresarios, no habla de salarios, no habla de solucionar la pobreza. A quien le importa lo que opine un garca así??»,
«Crack,dijo todo lo que pienso»,
«Solo tu educación y profesionalismo puede soportar a semejante gorila. Un auténtico ejemplo de como estos tipos de hacen millonarios explotando gente. Te felicito Berco, yo lo hubiera acogotado. ✌️🇦🇷✌️»,
«Me encantó Berco, le entraron todas las balas, igual el ni se enteró, pero esta entrevista de ninguna manera ayudó a la imagen de Martino y mucho menos a sus ideas.»,
«Estos son los forros que dejan al pais como esta»,
«Grande berco. Estos hay q invitarlos a charlar y dejarlos en evidencia. Con altura como haces vos.»,
«No termine de escuchar la entrevista, pero Bercovich es más duro con cualquiera de centro izquierda que se permite, por ejemplo, apoyar aspectos de la reforma laboral, que con uno de \»los dueños de la argentina\».»,
«Este está reclamando la vocería presidencial…😅»,
«Bercovich es tremendo hipócrita, al igual que R. Sietecase, M. Montenegro, C. Burgueño y E. Tenembaum.»,
«A ver . . . si entiende Bercovich o se va a seguir haciendo distraído. El mercado (y el lo sabe muy bien) gestiona riesgo, y ante la posibilidad de que llegue al gobierno un zurdo filo comunista, retira sus fichas, es decir, asigna mayor riesgo de incobrabilidad de deudas, expropiaciones, etc . . . son las reglas de juego del mundo capitalista como de la democracia, si a bercovich le gusta el durazno que se aguante la pelusa, si a Bercovich le gustan los dirigentes filo comunistas, que se banque tener un riesgo pais del 2000% , 60 % de pobreza infantil y que nadie le desee prestar dinero, como ocurrio en los gobiernos Kirchneristas, gobiernos que Bercovich defendio a capa y espada.
Yo , en lo personal y para mi familia no quiero nada de eso, es decir, yo quiero #MILEI2027 y #VLLC !!! y al que no le guste que se arme un partido politico y vaya a elecciones, pero que despues no se quejen de la peluza del durazno.»,
«Como pueden seguir diciendo que la peor decisión de Kicillof fue estatizar YPF cuando es de lo poco que está manteniendo el país a flote (sobre todo de la perspectiva de ellos mismos)»,
«Completó el álbum de figuritas G.A.R.C.A. con la teoría de los dos demonios»,
«Me encanta como Bercovich se hace el desentendido de lo desastrosas gestiones tanto de Martin Guzman como de Axel Kicillof cuando estuvieron a cargo del ministerio de economia, recordar que Bercovich es economista graduado de la UBA . . . . Pero que va, nada bueno se puede esperar de un economista filo comunista como Bercovich.»,
«Este pelotudo hizo guita con los kirchner y ahora tenemos que fumarlo diciendo que tu salario está altísimo en dólares y el riesgo kuka hasta abajo de la cama. Donde lo auditás está más sucio que una papa.»,
«Esta persona contribullo a la fuga de MILES DE MILLONES de dólares del pais via HSBC.
Sólo en Argentina, luego tal crimenz, alguien donde está calaña puede pasearse por los medios con impunidad
Triste»,
«Preguntale por la causa del HSBC… mamita… \»De acuerdo a la acusación, los integrantes del directorio del HSBC Bank Argentina, en connivencia con las sedes de Suiza y Estados Unidos, “habrían organizado su desarrollo empresarial de manera tal de habilitar un medio paralelo, clandestino y antirreglamentario de actividad bancaria, destinado a canalizar riquezas de determinados clientes de elite y a concretar operaciones en el extranjero, puntualmente en la Confederación Suiza, con lo cual se habría configurado un ámbito de administración de fondos significativos previamente ocultos a las autoridades nacionales de control, en particular la AFIP”.»,
«Empieza diciendo que subieron los salarios en dolares, y 3 mnutos despues te dice que el problema de los creditos en mora es por la \»caida del salario\»…»,
«El chiste se cuenta solo»,
«jajaj este payaso es millonario??? que carajo estamos haciendo como humanidad??? por qué permitimos que exista esa clase social?»,
«Me emcanta cómo Bercovich odia a todos los peronistas y tiene la mejor onda con los oligarcas. Típico trosko que maneja literalmente un Audi. Lo conozco desde la facultad y lamentablemente sigue siendo siempre el mismo.»,
«Son sectores diferentes, a vos te corresponde ir al sector más cabeza, ese que gusta de pelearse con troskos, donde tirás una marucha y no queda un solo peronista. Frente a los troskos, ninguno tiene altura moral para discutirles nada.»,
«Y si Milei gobierna para estos»,
«Si lo hace Adorni, son errores no forzados, si lo hizo el Kirchnerismo, es porque son unos chorros.»,
«Quien es este enfermo??»,
«Berco lo corrige y queda pedaleando en el aire»,
«Muy buenas preguntas de Berco»,
«¿ Guzmán hizo la peor reestructuracion ? No nos endeudó, dejó una ley para que le Congreso limite los préstamos. En cambio Caputo reestructuró endeudándonos y reendeudándonos… no entiendo mucho de economía, pero no hay sentido común que justifique eso.»,
«La única chance de que haya créditos hipotecarios accesibles es que vuelva el peronismo»,
«Si durante el ultimo gobierno peronista no hubo credito, de que hablas»,
«Y si este lavaba plata del narco con el HSBC, cómo no va a querer que este gobierno reelija?»,
«Que quere la LADRONA MAS GRANDE DEL MUNDO MUNDIAL no me hagan enojar.»,
«@D @DanielJerez-s9k qué tiene que ver con lo que dije yo?»,
«Cómo roban estos tipos que no le aportan nada a los argentinos de bien.»,
«Hay que dejar el pasado pero los ganadores son siempre los mismos, los elegidos del mercado»,
«Verco…xq llevas esta gente de mierda ?»,
«Un crack Martino»,
«crack hace la cartera donde la toca este delincuente poco instruido.»,
«Habría que preguntarle por la causa de evasión y lavado como directivo del Hsbc,denunciado por Afip.»,
«Un genio total Gabriel»,
«Un genio lavando guita en el hsbc decís?»,
«Este es un pelotudo q saca temas y después dice que no quiere hablar de eso. Que tipo infeliz.»,
«Dizque una guerra, memoria completa, y las bombas a la plaza de mayo, prescripción de Perón, eso no lo cuentan»,
«Habla de la entelequia denominada mercado, como si no fuesen un grupito de garcas especuladores.»,
«El mercado somos todos. Incluso vos y yo. Creer que el mercado son solo los especuladores de la bolsa, es ignorancia.»,
» @damiandmn seguramente el poder que tenes vos o yo es el mismo de los que manejan la bolsa y los mercados desde wall street»,
«O sea digamos que la puja entre oferta y demanda , el consumidor busca su propio beneficio o más bien es tipo contrato de adhesión? La solución es lo que sostenía la mamá de Lacha, camine señora, camine? Preguntale a Lacha como le va con la venta de fiambres. Somos todos libres e iguales en el mercado, en verdad lo crees? Salario en dolares creciendo y la carniceria vacía.»,
«Arreglar un país destruido por 20 años de populismo no se hace de un día para el otro…..»,
«Sin son garcas muchachis no veo que pidan por carceles o quidren slgo mas barato una soga con una bolsa de consorcio para no ensuciar el piso.»,
«Che, avísenle a este monigote, que se quede hablando de economía y finanzas (o que nisiquiera hable de eso), porque de la Historia Argentina sabe poco y nada.
19:50= \»la guerrilla empieza en el gobierno de Isabel Perón, la guerrilla no empieza antes…\»
¿Qué?
¡¡¿¿KKKHHEEEEEEEE???!!! O es un ignorante o es culiadazo mentiroso.
Para la novedad de este IGNORANTE: la guerrilla en la Argentina, tanto las de izquierda como las peronistas empiezan en 1970 (MIL NOVECIENTOS SETENTAAAA)
El acto fundacional de Montoneros fue el ajusticiamiento de Aramburu en mayo de 1970. Por las dudas aclaro y explico detalladamente algunas de los principales accionares de este sujeto que asaltó la Nación Argentina.
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu: ideológo junto con otras decenas de militares antiperonistas de los bombardeos de Plaza de Mayo, así como de ataques aéreos en otras ciudades como Córdoba; máxima figura de la llamada Revolución Libertadora, responsable del derrocamiento de Perón en 1955 y la instauración de la Proscripción del Peronismo, ideólogo de los fusilamientos de José León Suárez y el secuestro y vejación del cadáver de Evita)
Si este señor que se muestra tan hábil hablando de ministros de economía, de políticas de 100 años, de Democracia… pero no sabe la dimensión y cronología de los hechos históricos del país sobre el que pretende juzgar y criticar la economía, PUES NO LE CREO NADA.
Él es un extremista. Un extremista del Mercado. Y por culpa de su racionalidad del Mercado, la Argentina está podrida económicamente. Porque la manejan financieramente unos pares de multimillonarios presionando y haciendo lobby para que el país esté al servicio de ellos.
Es indignante, cómo han ganado poder estos pelotudos que se creen que conocen sobre el mundo, y son en el fondo, unos ventajistas y oportunistas gestores de estafas piramidales.
En donde la banca internacional y los financistas son los únicos que ganan. Una vergüenza. Les hemos dado el poder a los seres más macabros, cínicos y maquiavélicos que existen. Sólo se les cruza el billete por el cerebro. Pero no saben ni de política, ni de historia, ni de ecología, ni del clima, ni de la vida. Nos gobiernan ignorantes y elucubradores. Inútiles inservibles»,
«que sorete este tipo por favor»,
«Este tipo ocupó lugares directivos en finanzas bancarias? \»La gente aumentó sus ingresos en dólares y ahora puede comprar autos y otros bienes durables…….narnia chantunia argento»,
«Impresentable»,
«Lo blandito y obsecuente que resultó ser el triskito este. Parece que pasó un sobrecito por ahí»,
«No hizo falta que dijera más nada. En cada tema que traía, con una sola pregunta dejaba expuestas sus contradicciones, dobles varas y falacias. Gracias a que no se detuvo a discutir, pudimos ver que todo el andamiaje de argumentos son por lo menos ridículos. Quedó claro que lo único que le importa a él y al “mercado” es hacer guita fácil sin laburar»,
«cómo hacés para no irte de mano??? yo le parto la cara a los 5 minutos»,
«Justo es el pais que no quiere la mayoria, no queremos la mayoria un tipo como vos, que no tenga ni capacidad de escuchar al otro, de pensar distinto. Te juro que es tristisimo lo tuyo.»,
« @andres.giacomini Tristisimo es que defiendas un gobierno emprobecedor. Vos y este chantun del video»,
«Es tan delicada la situacion social del pais, tan detonados tenemos los cimientos culturales que al escuchar a este señor, seguramente un empresario mega exitoso,
solo siento ganas de llorar
Si las condiciones de nuestra coyuntura fuesen menos dramáticas, este personaje me causaría gracia.
Alguien podrá explicarme alguna vez porque este país produce tantos monstruos ?»,
«Berco como jodex presentado garcxs ,no ves que son una merda .»,
«lindo tipo este eh! quedate afuera de argentina papa, no te va a extrañar nadie»,
«Señor Gabriel Martino, elija un país para vivir y váyase a la mi3rda, déjenos construir el nuestro, lo queremos sin lacras como usted.»,
«Y este Martino, ¿tiene idea? ¿qué idea? ¿a quién responde este muchacho?»,
«Que ignorante, por Dios.»,
«trajo 15 temas a la charla y no pudo sostener uno… al final era todo en eso no me quiero meter jajajaja
un video para el olvido»,
«Wtf? Yo lo veo a Berco sin poder retrucar mucho.»,
» @andres.giacomini giaco seguis defendiendo a milei, caputo y adorni?? jajaja»,
« @gregorioarcaute6535 yo defiendo macroeconomía estable. Entiendan de una vez por todas que no interesan las personas si toman las decisiones correctas sensatas y no populistas/buenistas»,
«guzman un desastre dice…
logro una quita de intereses inaudito. justamente porque hasta el fondo sabia que se lo dieron por abajo de la mesa a macri para que se la fugaran los amigotes de caputo.
logro que se postergaran los pagos tambien lo cual era lo necesario para afrontar la post pandemia y encima todos tenedores aceptaron.
este flaco vive en otro planeta igual se nota que berco lo mira como diciendo: para q me voy a gastar en preguntarte jajajaja»,
«Guzmán se fue con menos inflación q la q tiene Milei en menos tiempo ….»,
«Primero dice que los sueldos subieron en dólares. Después dice que los sueldos bajaron y por eso hay deuda con los bancos. Va cambiando de acuerdo a la circunstancia.»,
«no mencionan ni borracho ladeuda que dejo macri,menemmilicos asesinos con guerra incluida,las privatizaciones que despues hubo que retornar como YPF ymuchas mas.EL PERONISMO CON CRISTINA EN 2015 DEJO AL PAIS SIN DUEDA Y CON MUY BAJA DESOCUPACION ,CONSALARIOS MAS ALTOS DE SUDAMERICA.NO SABEN COMO ESCONDER LA VERDAD…..»,
«La confirmación que necesitábamos de que Guzmán fue el mejor ministro que tuvimos desde Lavagna para acá. Este impresentable no fue capaz de dar un solo argumento para justificar su afirmación absurda»,
«Quien tiene acceso a un auto o a un inmueble. En qué realidad vive este señor?. Ah cierto, tiene mucho dinero. Hay que avisarle que la mayoría del pueblo no llega ni a fin de mes.»,
«Lo que es opinar sin entender absolutamente nada de la económia de los paises. Exceso de financierismo. Guzman dejo mejor herencia que la que van a dejar estos mamarrachos, que estan con mayor deuda pública en dolares y en pesos que no bajo prácticamente, la misma inflación de guzman, e inflación dolares record y en el medio se cargaron 10% del salario de trabajadores privados y 20% de los públicos ( para ser generosos.. si se actualiza la canasta para calculo de inflación de indec, la perdida es MAYOR)»,
«No hay que negar la realidad señor, guzman se fue en fracaso escondido en un auto con la capucha tapandose la cara. El peor final.»,
«AJAJAJAJAAJAJ mejor herencia? la Inflacion iba al 6% MENSUAL Con Guzman, perdiendo reservas y con un futuro poco prometedor y se vio con el resultado de Massa. Que ganas de decir boludeces eh.»,
«Que este señor al que le debe sobrar el dinero diga que es simpatizante de Milei no me sorprende. Pero… Un trabajador que tiene el sueldo pisado hace meses y que los servicios, el transporte, el alquiler, le aumenta no se entiende.
\»Esta vez el ajuste lo paga la casta\». Todavía no sé ve. Si se ve que lo pagaron: jubilados, discapacitados, profesionales de la salud, docentes.
Que vergüenza.»,
«😂😂😂😂»,
«Se dan de liberales y son fachos»,
«este tipo es uno de los miles de empresario que esquilman al pais y trabajadores…»,
«Jajajaja los kirchneristas se atragantaron con el choripan mirando esta entrevista 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«No creo, hoy en día el verdadero kuka está en el gobierno.»,
«Se la dan de racionales y son bien IDEOLOGIZADOS estos cargadores»,
«El esterotipo del garca. Llevado a nivel de caricatura. Q impunes q se sienten!»,
«La impunidad es hasta que los empiecen a cag4r a tromoadas por la calle.»,
«Muy buena la charla Berco queridoo!!!
seguilo invitando por favor, quedo desnudo, cuando se la veia negra \»ese tema queda para otra vuelta\», \» de eso no hablo\» .»,
«Basura»,
«😂queda claro que siempre lo mismo: necesidad de vivienda: alegría del financista..»,
«Y obvio si ellos están de fiesta.»,
«o está en su realidad, o te miente sin pudor alguno.»,
«Le bajas mucho el nivel al programa invitando invitando este pelotudo berco»,
«Un tiro en la frente»,
«A bercovich❗»,
«❤️ recuerden que ustedes son la agrupación amor»,
« @Oscargonza64 ahora reclaman amor ustedes…que reprimen chicos discapacitados…por suerte ya te queda poco»,
«Este no es el que estuvo PRESO? que manera de sumar apoyo de Delincuentes este Gobierno eh»,
«😂😂 el KÍSNERISMO no❓🤫»,
«Good termo !!! Que HDP…»,
«Este guzman es un ignorante ,un necio un tipo que no ve la realidad ,el solo vé su negocio sucio»,
«LOS CORRUPTOS DE LA DERECHA…,ESTAN LIBRES…, COMO ESTE….!!!»,
«Por suerte los corruptos de la izquierda ya tienen tobillera 😂😂😂»,
« @alejandrom4347 ESTE ES UNO DE LOS QUE TENDRIA QUE ESTAR PRESO…, JUNTO CON CAPUTO.., STUGENEZZER.., MACRI…, Y TODA LA BANDA DE MAFIOSOS…DE VERDAD….!!! CUANDO VOLVAMOS EN EL 2027…, TODOSXESTOS TIENEN QUE TERMINAR…,PRESOS…!!! Y POR SUPUESTO..,VAMOS A LIBERAR A CRISTINA…!!! CON ESTOS MAFIOSOS…NO HAY QUE TENER…COMPASION….!!!»,
» @owitt1308 los mafiosos 😂😂😂😂😂😂 y los kirchneristas son tan honestos 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«BERCO…,NO LE DES ENTIDAD…A ESTE TIPO…, ES REPRESENTAE…DE LOS CORRUOTOS…!!!»,
«Aprende a escribir KUKA»,
« @andresdellabella8723 VOS DE CORRUPTOS…, SE VE QUE SABES MUCHO….!!!»,
«MARTINO .. ERRORES NO FORZADOS ? SE PUEDE SER TAN PELOTUDO?»,
«Que desastre ese tipo negacionista,
Cuanto odio
HSBC BANCO FUGADOR
INCENDIO LOS ARCHIVOS DE ELLOS EN MOUNTAIN»,
«UN SANGANO DE EMPRESARIO … ASCO DE EMPRESARIO … ESPERO QUE SUS HIJOS NO VUELVAN NUNCA MAS AL PAIS»,
«GRACIAS A CRISTINA …Y…KICILOFF…, TENEMOS YPF…Y…VACA MUERTA….!!!! DEJA DE HABLAR….BOLUDECES….!!!!»,
«ESTE CARADURA…., CRITICA A GUZAMAN….!!!! …Y LE TOCO…A GUZMAN…, REFINANCIAR…,EL MUERTO…QUE LE DEJO…,CAPUTO, STUGENEZZER.., MACRI….!!!!»,
«A Gusman no le tocó refinanciar nada. Fué a refinanciar porque quiso. No había ninguna razón para refinanciar, más que gastarse la plata en lugar de pagar las deudas. Y encima que negoció en la refinanciación? Que esa deuda le iba a caer en su mayoría al gobierno que le seguía, o sea, al actual.»,
« @damiandmn Por eso esta Caputo..con el..IMBECIL..MILEI…?? Porque esta pagando la deuda que generó el…., con Stugenezer y con Macri….!!!…»,
«Que chanta.»,
«Este sujeto despreciable ,hace guita con la sangre y lagrimas del pueblo argentino ,y esto gracias a la ayuda del pervertido de milei»,
«Reverendisimo H de Y, Ale, te envidio el estómago para no trompearlo»,
«Este tipejo vive en un termo»,
«Este Señor es muy claro en lo que dice… Y ojalá lo escuche mucha gente… Ya que para mi, el problema que tiene Argentina, pero por lejos, el más grande; aclaro porque Argentina tiene muchos problemas, pero enserio, el más grande, es: que el capital esté en manos de gente como este señor… Un crapula…!!!!»,
«Es un asco»,
«Terrible sorete»,
«Piedad Berco. Con tipos como este hacerla más corta. Entre mentira y contradicciones se nos va el tiempo.»,
«es bastante facil hablar cuando nunca pasaste necesidad. me gusta que se saca datos del 0rt0 como 1000EY!»,
«ESTE PERSONAJE…, FUE EL CEO EN ARGENTINA DEL HSBC…, EL BANCO MAS LAVADOR DE DOLARES…EN EL PLANETA….!!!.., CON MACRI…,ESTUVO A CARGO DE LA UIF…., JUSTAMENTE EL ENTE QUE CONTROLA EL LAVADO DE DINERO….!!!.UN …DELINCUENTE…!!! …CUANTO ESTE TIPO…,HABLA DE …\» LA GENTE…GANA MAS EN DOLARES\»…, HABLA DE MENOS DEL 5% DE LA GENTE….!!!»,
«Este pelotudo cree que los kirchneristos han echo buen gobierno ROBRNDO no los elegimos para que roben porque le roban a la PATRIA»,
«Son solo impresiones que tenés porque estás intoxicado por las narrativas izquierdistas.»,
«Este va a financiar la campaña del ponzidente Milei.»,
«La que consume este pibe es muy loco… Como te como te pinturria la realidad…
Un cara dura…!!!»,
«Quién es este mencho?»,
«Créditos hipotecarios en dólares ???😢 Los únicos felices con Milei son los financistas 😅»,
«Qué buena entrevista! Da para entender, no para justificar, como piensa esta gente. En lo personal, prefiero otro modelo, al de estos tipos no accedo ni para una carpa para 2 personas 👥»,
«Exacto. Así piensan y así gobiernan.»,
«Grande berco ….!!!!!!»,
«Que asco me da este Gabriel Martino!!!»,
«Este tipo donde vive????»,
«Vive de la nuestra, lo SUBVENCIÓNAN Y LO SUBSIDIAMOS CON LA NUESTRA.POR ESO QUIEREN ES GOBIERNO!!»,
«Dios mio!!! Solo clase alta y media alta. Solo ellos tienen derecho a tener una vivienda.»,
«Tipico de persona de derecha, critica lo de la expopiación de YPF y después dice menos mal que con Vaca Muerta subieron las exportaciones….. ellos muy campantes no ven la contradicción en eso… Y elogiar a Caputo como alguien que hace las cosas bien ya es indefendible… nos endeudó por 70 mil millones solo con el FMI y en menos de 6 años…»,
«Cambio de consumo por bien durable 😂😂😂😂 no como para comprarme un auto, es un ideota»,
«Ahora tenés la posibilidad de comprarte un bm! 😆»,
«@francoestrubia6503no escuchaste al otro que antes le quemaba los pesos y se compraba 200 pares de Zapatillas y ahora se compra un auto o una Casa! Como pueden creerles esas cosas?»,
«Qué sesgado este garca. Son todos iguales de cagadores, este y Caputo se pueden ir de la mano.»,
«Un millonario Hablando de Barato! 😂😂😂😂 infumable lo delirante que es este tipo… muy en su burbuja Ricachona.»,
«Hablo, mejor dicho escribio la envidia. FIN»,
« @DanielJerez-s9k Si si si inventate otra cosa! Envidia? Naa no se puede envidiar a un decerebrado que tiene como Dios al Dinero.»,
«Está fuera de realidad igual que los que gobiernan»,
«UFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF TREMENDO PELOTUDO…
BUENO NO, ES OTRA COSA.»,
«Este pedante que habla con la papa en la boca no representa a nadie, habla de un país que desea en 1% de millonarios que no laburan.»,
«Mis respetos Bercovich. Me gusto el debate aunque no comparto la mirada de Martino la respeto, es su punto de vista.»,
«Habla por si solo de la energía. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la \»estabilidad política\». Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la dictadura. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema.
No para de recular en chancletas el gilastrun este»,
«Así que los K fueron todos un desastre de corrupción, el actual es gobierno normal y lo Adorni fue un \»error no forzado\». Jajajja, qué es Argentina? Un partido de tenis? Y ni empecemos con esta visión de ver el país desde arriba (lo importante es que sus hijos pudientes les guste la derecha, los trabajadores que se están endeudando no importan).»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET \»Miles de millones de dólares\». Ni en los terrenos patagónicos ni en Seycheles los encontraron.»,
« @LELElelec que ingenuo jaja. Como si alguna ves vas a encontrar algo. Tuvieron años para esconderlo. Muy ingenuo lo tuyo. En todas las causas quedo despues de agotar todas las instancias culpable. Y eso que los jueces los puso el peronismo y son peronistas pero hay un punto donde ya era ridículo lo burdo de la estafa.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Buscalos vos entonces…mucha suerte»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Lo de las abuelitas que financiaron con 300 palos también es de ingenuo? Jajajajjaja»,
» @LELElelec Aunque no sean MILES, si son centenas de millones (SOLO Dañiel Muñoz el secretario de los K, tenia fideicomisos por 70 millones de usd, deptos en la gran mazana, miami, villa langostura, etc). LA hij 5 Millones de usd en la caja de seguridad y aca estan jodiendo por una casa o depto de 200/300 mil usd. final DEJAME DE JODER.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET los que jugaban al fútbol con Macri? Dónde te informas vos? En la peluquería?»,
«Y yo calculo que tambien depende del nivel de MAGNITUDES, y si robo dinero el propio presidente o si armo un esquema exclusivamente para robar, etc. TODO eso y mucho mas, se hizo durante los 16 años K, en mayor o menor medida siempre habia curros»,
«Este hombre habla de un grupo selecto de personas… que camine la calle!!»,
«Me cansó…»,
«Esta es la burguesía que nos tocó y explica buena parte de los problemas que tenemos. Los dirigentes tampoco ayudan, claro.»,
«no ayudan no, son parte!!»,
«Los oligarkas q se hicieron millonarios con la Tushhha .Son les KukEs»,
«la casta en estado puro, el hsbc fue el peor banco de la historia en la argentina no se con q autoridad habla»,
«\»No me gusta el señalamiento\» pero el señala a los k y no soy kirschnerista…es una mierda de tipo»,
«El problema es que nos los cagan a trompadas como se merecen.»,
» @alvarobertolo2214 y los votan»,
«Lo peor de todo que fue y supongo que es un tipo con preeminencia en el sistema de …que estamos. Otro entre tantos que hay que sacar del sitio de las decisiones»,
«😂😂😂😂😂😂 son épocas difíciles para que los KUKA»,
«¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Por qué Berco invita a fantasmones como este?????????????????»,
«Mmmmmm…huele a mierda. Oportunistas. EN DOLARES…???. La moneda de los colonizadores tira bombas dueños de la maquinista.»,
«ALTO GARCA este muchacho…quisiera ver las tasas que cobra…»,
«Qué flor de chanta con todas las letras!»,
«este flaco es como un vendedor de autos usados… puro chamuyo»,
«Claro que no quieren la pobre democracia que tenemos. Quieren una autocracia\\dictadura porque la quieren toda para ellos. Odian lo nacional y lo popular, que somos mayoría. Los data center no generan empleo…gracias berco por exponerlo!»,
«Cuando se preguntan, quien sostiene a este loco como presidente ??? Ya ven quienes lo apoyan como este pseudo empresario que quiere que Argentina sea un pais de servicios y no industrial y no se le movio un pelo, el pais del salvense quien pueda…..»,
«Y que puede decir este delincuente.»,
«Por fin habla alguien que sabe de economía»,
«Creo que cortaron la parte, solo veo a martino, que de economía sabe menos que un almacenero.»,
«GARCA»,
«este tipo estuvo Condenado a 15 años por lavado de guita es un Delincuente»,
«No entiendo porque ese modo de expresarse..\» un pasante que solo fue ayudante de cátedra\» , más allá si te gustó o no su gestión.»,
«Porque es gente muy bruta, su argumental se reduce a eso.»,
«Otra vez lo entrevistas a este gil de goma? Para dejarlo expuesto supongo. Si Guzmán fue un desastre por lo menos se fue rápido. Imagínense ocho años de Milei adonde vamos a terminar está en pedo. La nota ni la quiero escuchar este es una máquina de hacer guita nomás lo felicito pero que no opine. Mira Milei era opinólogo y el bardo que esta haciendo»,
«Alejandro yo tampoco la escuché ,en realidad unos segundos ,garza importante»,
«No lo felicites, que sin el kirchnerismo seguía vendiendo ballenitas este mamarracho.»,
«Es un chanta éste personaje!!!!»,
«El salario en dolares ha crecido? esta loco el docente seguro que no»,
«Cuanto ganaba en 2023 vs ahora y vemos los números. Porque ustedes son 100% relatos»,
» @alejandrom4347 Con el último de cristina, el triple en dólares el salario promedio. De hecho, no sé si en pandemia llegó a estar tan por el piso como ahora. El que dependa de insumos importados te va a querer cagar a trompadas, ni hablar.»,
«@francoestrubia6503 el ultimo de cristina fue el del titere fernandez, poné datos, no relatos.»,
«Ale, mis felicitaciones por ser un señor y no saltarle a la yogular a este chanta impresentable. gran manera de preguntar y dejarlo en evidencia cuando el temita del gasoducto!!! jaja»,
«Fua! Que pedazo de sorete. No? Gracias Berco por exponerlo.»,
«Es un caradura.»,
«Dios mío»,
«Dígase \»la gente\» el 5% de los Argentinos. Eso deberían aclarar.»,
«Naa no es el 5%. Es bastante mas. Lo que pasa que hay un 40/50% de la población que es clase mediabaja que la sufre.»,
«Y la izquierda hace rato que dice \»el pueblo trabajador que representamos\» y no llegan ni al 3%.»,
« @andres.giacomini Exacto. Al pueblo trabajador lo representa el peronismo. Jaque mate.»,
« @jimmypatin1240 ya no…se olvidaron que perdieron las elecciones?»,
» @jimmypatin1240 Claro por eso hay 70% anti peronismo no? Si lo representara el pueblo, lo habria votado en mayoria las ultimas 4 elecciones, paso, generales, ballotage, legislativas, no paran de perder.»,
«Ahh, un impresentable por donde lo mires.»,
«Es despreciable»,
«Peroncho»,
» @julianormond373 Nunca; pero si se ve que sos medio nabo.»,
«EL CONDUCTOR ES ASI LAMENTABLE»,
» @claudiotepongo1894 Hablo del entrevistado……»,
«Más soberbio que usted! Mamita querida!! Caputo salió super mal del gobierno de macri y ahora mienten porque la realidad es otra cosa!! Bájate del avión y camina la calle!!»,
«Ale… Este es un chanta.»,
«El KÍSNERISMO ❓»,
«Es mileistano te das cuenta»,
«Todo un chanta»,
«Sería bueno saber de quien habla. Mi hijo esta haciendo su residencia en medicina. Cobra 900 mil y el alquiler 850 mil (en Cordoba), lo tenemos que ayudar porque no le alcanza. Imposible pensar en comprar una propiedad. El consumo bajo, Argentina esta mas caro que en España. De que sector habla? que llegan a Argentina y encuentran el pais tan accesible.»,
«Totalmente de acuerdo. No es sólo que la inflación sigue en niveles altos (más altos que los que tenía Guzmán) y los alquileres y servicios siguen aumentando de forma brusca, sino que los salarios se desplomaron. Comer un asado es un lujo. Acá en Gesell se ve la miseria y el resultado de un verano similar al anterior pero con mucho menos gasto. El otro día se me acercó un churrero pidiéndome entre lágrimas e impotencia que le compre 1/2 docena. No lo ví nunca. Es indibujable la realidad.»,
«Acá te das cuenta que viven en Narnia. Un país pensado primordialmente para y por los del poder económico.»,
» @LELElelecMe da asco y vergüenza.»,
«Que raro q en 16 años de kirchnerismo suizo no pudieron comprar un departamento al nene🤡🤡🤡»,
«Yo soy médico especialista desde 2009. Nunca cobré por la residencia ni un peso. Nunca tuve ni aguinaldo ni vacaciones pagas ni art, y fué durante el supuesto gobierno para todos ✌️»,
« @julianormond373 en que hospital trabajabas en 2009?»,
« @julianormond373 Viste, ese es el problema de financiar universidades públicas. Bastaaaaaaaa de médicos de la pública, que todos egresar de las privadas. Al igual que el resto de profesionales, el chorros de Peron cometió el error al quitar el arancelamiento.»,
«850 mil en córdoba ??? Vive en un piso en plaza España?? . Estos kukitas inventando 😂»,
« @rodriotero1559 un piso sale tan barato en córdoba? Permitime dudar»,
«Mas caro que España? JA, un alquiler en pleno centro de Barcelona o Madrid, no baja el monoambiente de 1000 euros, o sea 1.7 millon, aca tu hijo paga 850.000 y estoy seguro que podria alquilar por 600 lucas. y menos tambien.»,
«1 millón de pesos el alquiler en Cordoba? Pero qué alquila el pibe ese? Jajajajaja»,
«Hablá solo mentira, y para una sola clase….me dan asco»,
«Ex banquero. Delincuente»,
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Nunca colocan al ambiente en su «planilla»
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBJgJlPrJo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=es&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=800&h=450]Siempre me quedo pensando ¿quién está loco? Los CEOs, los que hablan de economía, nunca colocan en su planilla al ambiente! Si lo hicieran sería más difícil justificar que su modelo pasa por más extracción y más destrucción! Por eso ni lo nombran o, a lo sumo, te ponen crecimiento sustentable sabiendo que eso no existe!
¿ Para qué llevar a ese tipo a un programa de radio? Supongo que Bercovich comparte con él todo su panorama sobre extracción a través del fracking, de la minería, del litio y así siguiendo…No pueden colocar en su excel al ambiente, si lo hicieran verían que es un camino de muerteAlgunos de los comentarios (donde tampoco hablan del ambiente como variable!)
#bercovich #economía #fracking #litio #martino #soja #vacaMuerta«Estos tipos son los impulsan la reforma laboral 🤬. Berco te admiro….»,
«La guerrilla no empezó con Isabel,empezó con Onganía
y se agrando con Lanusse!!
Por eso trajeron a Perón
para que el general haga algo!! Y no pudo..taba
viejito y enfermo!
Si hubiese estado sano
viejo y todo hubiese hecho
cosas mejores para la sociedad en su conjunto
Que los asesinos miserables
que vinieron en el 76!!»,
«Y pero no dijo nada nuevo,si se sabe q si otro gobierno gana se derrumba la argentina,la gente no es idiota obvio van a votar a milei,,o que pretenden que voten a Kicillof con el desastre que es la provincia»,
«Que paja escuchar a la burguesía de este país entrampada en discusiones ideológicas. Me quedó claro que no tienen absolutamente nada que ofrecer. Algún día dejarán de ser gobierno (en todas sus variantes)»,
«Excelente entrevista. Existen estos tipos . 😢»,
«Te dan créditos en dólares y se te quedan con lo que compraste . Gran negocio para este Sr.»,
«que mal que envejeció esto en dos días jajajaja hablando mal de la reestatización de YPF. Que burro este hombre!!»,
«\»Lisa, hija… los vampiros son seres inventados. Como los duendes, los gremlins y los esquimales.\»»,
«Dijo \»yo no defiendo ni a Caputto ni a Guzman\» pero con el que se sienta a tomar cafe es con Caputto….que se yo»,
«Muy trucho este personaje. No sé para que le dan micrófono»,
«Dice que los servicios no subieron fuerte en el interior? Jajajaja gente salgan de la Gral. Paz»,
«Brillante este señor, le puso a la tapa a este periodista militante defensor de los más Areces delitos economico – sociales y Morales de la historia de nuestro pais»,
«No aguantae ni 2 minutos, a esta gente le falta un baño de realidad urgente»,
«Carnero HDRMP. ojalá q lo tengas a Nilei de vecino.»,
«Guzman, hizo la reorganización que pudo . el desastre lo hizo MM con 50 mil MM y Milei con 25 mil MM.»,
«Nunca en mi vida vi un sorete rojo como este empresario. Berko lo humilló!!! Cada estupidez que decía y berko le tiraba datos, el sorete rojo (imposibilitado de argumentar) decía ese tema lo hablamos otro día. Jajaja qué sorete rojo de vergüenza!!!! Son así!!! Son tan pero tan pobres que lo único que tienen es plata!!!»,
«Amigo vos tenías un vice que puede justicar de dónde saco su fortuna ( causas cuadernos , los hoteles , el piisito del NY del secretario , 58 000.millones USD ) háganse cargo»,
«Kuka.el problema no es la democracia sino la continuidad de política. Caputo no tiene más inflación q Guzmán .Guzmán se con 70 en el último año»,
«Que se quede el y sus hijos afuera del país. No los necesitamos . sobran!!!»,
«Me hizo mal cardiológicamente escuchar a este tipo!! No hay que darle micrófono anesta runfla»,
«Si tenés un invitado escúchalo. Y si piensa distinto no lo ataques. Solo dijo verdades. Que no te gusten es otra cosa»,
«A Martino lo \»amaron\» de parado. Fin.»,
«Estas son laa cosas que violentan a la gente de a pie. Sos boludo flaco? Desde 2011 que no creces y subsidiaste al maximo, jubilaste sin ingresos. Insultas la inteligencia de las personas de a pie. Por eso cada vez son menos y menos. Nunca mas que? Digan la verdad. No fueron 30000. Preguntale a Labraña quien invento ese numero insultador de gente comun!»,
«El sector inmobiliario√ y el bancario de créditos hipotecas que son el pilar de una economía fueron borrados por el kirchnerismo en 2010✓ Salvo el UVA de Macri todo fue en contra de este sector✓ Que tiene un déficit de 9.000.000 de viviendas pero el estado regala terrenos y departamentos a extranjeros con la nuestra y no te bajan impuestos√ Chile√ Uruguay√ Brasil✓ tienen un 90 % de créditos otorgados para vivienda acá gracias a Milei✓ apenas el 5%>Si terminaríamos para siempre con el marxismo populismo..tenemos..un 2000% de techo para crecer√ E una fortuna si hay estabilidad inversión privada y otra mentalidad que la zurdo garca chorro sanguijuela indispueSto alimentado a sobre✓ y con Audi encima estos progresoretes traidores✓»,
«Bercovich en vez de escuchar al entrevistado quizo convertirlo al peronismo»,
«Bercovich es siempre y en todo momento, un pelotudo. Vive en un universo lleno de ideas estúpidas y el tipo tiene el poder de elegir siempre la mas estúpida. Que tipo pelotudo»,
«Jajaja kukas llorones impresentables»,
«Un capo el chavon y este vercovich un pelotudo como siempre»,
«Que malo sos berco»,
«Hay Milei para rato😮»,
«Es falaz que el salario en dólares haya crecido. Después de la devaluación que provocó Milei a dos días de asumir, en los números reales, el salario en dólares es el más bajo de los últimos 20 años.»,
«Lo banco tiene razón… Y el mercado es la gente»,
«Quién tiene más acceso a bienes durable?»,
«Esto no es una entrevista, es un acoso.
El periodista pasa de un tema a otro sin permitir explicarse al entrevistado.
Interrumpe constantemente y entra en debate.»,
«TOTALMENTE DE ACUERDO CON EL INVITADO. EL CONDUCTOR VIVE ATRASADO Y DESEA ESE ATRASO.»,
«Minuto 19:00 empieza hablemos sin saber de dos gorilas uno le pinta subirse a la nube de izquierda y el otro a la nube de la izquierda. Los une el antiperonismo y por eso Kicillof no es peronista si lo fuera berko estaría en contra y no lo sacaría como opcion electoral 2027, recuerden que Kicillof fue opocitor a Néstor Kirchner.»,
«Un groso, tipo inteligente»,
«Cuanto se perdió al privatizar YPF .
No se produção y tivemos q importar gás y petróleo eso no se cuenta pq no semana estás perdidas.»,
«Muy bien Ale por traer a la mesa gente diversa. Lo más valioso es EXPONERLOS.»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro, no hay forma de comprar un depto en blanco para el 90% del pais. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
«a los K no les sirven los ricos que no sean ellos mismos, mantener la gente empobrecida y dependiente de planes es su estrategia, una manga de ladrones del primero al ultimo»,
«el Zurdito.. defendiendo a los TERRORISTAS / ASESINOS de los 70….»,
«Me parece que el periodista solo hace pregunta direccionales . Y no son solo pregunta. 🤔»,
«Un zurdo es un ser muy dañino»,
«No fueron 30mil y fueron Asesinos y Cobardes»,
«Alta domada le dieron al periodista kuka»,
«PD2 y me gustan estos contrapuntos porque Ale los lleva a encerrarse solitos.Solito dice cosas que son icoherentes, y falaces. Pero está bueno saber que piensa, y dejarlo que hable y que quede expuesto»,
«PD me hizo reir el que escribe (y borra) el sócalo, un capo»,
«Me encantan estos contrapuntos. Sos de los pocos que admiro Ale, sin idealizar a nadie, pero me encanta tu optica y tu forma de encarar cada entrevista»,
«🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💯💯❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💜💜❤❤❤»,
«No entiendo como bercovich puede invitar al programa a gente asi….lo vi en vivo….inaudito la verdd este tipo. Viven en una nube de pedos.»,
«Los precios en Bs As están baratos 😂😂😂😂 dijo 🤡🤡 como será de barato que a mi hijo le convenía irse a estudiar a Paris antes que a CABA y fue lo que hicimos desde ya ✈️✈️»,
«Imposible debatir con un zurdo… una lástima perder una charla con martino cuando en lugar de un periodista tenés a un militante peronista… tienen su manual de adoctrinamiento y no se salen de ahí…»,
«Gracias pero me quedé sin reliveran .. que se lo fume otro a este personaje nefasto»,
«👏👏👏»,
«Educando a zurdos se llama»,
«Muy buena entrevista.👏👏👏. Ojalá los socialistas, marxistas o comunistas escuchen y reflexionen sobre sus ideologías dañinas.»,
«Buenas entrevista???De verdad???
Sali, no vivas en un CUADRADO como este TIPO!!!»,
«Che es el de la FAMILIA DE CAPUTO!!!»,
«Martino los paseo en chota y meada»,
«EXELENTE 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇦🇷💪🏻🦁🪿🗳️ JAVIER MÍLEI»,
«Caputo tiene un jefe.. que es el presidente… Si el presidente abogado que es de izquierda o centro.. son tibios y no hacen las cosas que hay que hacer para solucionar los problemas de raíz.. por tanto guiará a su ministro de economía a hacer cosas que solamente parecen buenas…
En cambio ahora tenemos un presidente que es economista y tiene mucho más claro como solucionar el problema de raíz.. por más que haya momentos difíciles.. pero vamos por buen camino.. por eso el accionar de Caputo es y será distinto con distintos jefes..»,
«El discurso de que la gente dejó de comprar pan, leche y carne para comprar electrodomésticos, autos y casas es insultante. Cuando hay millonarios defendiendo tan ardientemente a un gobierno es evidente que se benefician»,
«Gracias por venir, fue un asco escucharte»,
«Muy lindo reportaje , lastima el zurdo de bercovich, que no es ciego es un mercenario, osea pago»,
«Para este personaje ser de clase media baja es tener un trabajo bien pago con los derechos que su gobierno quiere destruir»,
«Inmensa burbuja en la que vive Martino, sostenida por sus millones que lo alejan de la realidad.»,
«Cuando se va del país???»,
«En la década del 60 empezó la guerrilla, el conductor no sabe escuchar y quiere aplicar su ideología sin escuchar al invitado,»,
«Existio una guerra»,
«Muy bien que venga a hablar de visitante. Más allá de lo que piensa, cometió a mi entender un gran error. Dijo \»La Argentina es un mercado\», no, no. Argentina es un país. A partir de esa mirada, el resto ya no importa.»,
«Este engendro es un ejemplo clásico del por qué la argentina no puede salir de sus propias trampas.»,
«Ale, tenés que citar a gente seria. 🙏»,
«Este es un verdadero chanta…»,
«Esta gente está tan sesgada por el individualismo que no puede pensar en un proyecto común. Lo único que les preocupa es amarrocar más riqueza personal.»,
«La vida es así. Sos libre de enrolarte en la iglesia. Hay muchas.»,
«No siempre todos los soretes tienen olor . Ojaime»,
«Dice que es para clase media, media baja o media. En que pais vive? Desaparecio la clase media, el poder adquisitivo por el piso. Lo unico barato en este pais son los sueldos. El salario en dolares subio, dice que la gente ahorra. Preguntenle a un jubilado, a cualquier trabajador y vean que dice. Trabaja con hipotecas, negocio directo»,
«Tremenda domada al surdo de berkovic»,
«Esta es la burguesía argentina. Por eso ya no producen élites nativas, son tipos que no viven en el país, no tienen ninguna vinculación con el devenir del pueblo argentino. Son muy playos, están en un \»cumpleaños\», como la nobleza rusa en 1917. Lamentablemente no tenemos un Lenin que los derive al basurero de la historia. No obstante la lucha de clases es anterior al capitalismo, vamos a ver cómo se reconfigura en los próximos años»,
«Jajajajja el Amigo que vivia en Israel y Ny….culiaooooo mas vale que le va resultar barato»,
«Excelente intervención periodistica Alle❤»,
«La gente no tiene para comer como no hay en la plataforma libertad de expresión no puedo decir lo que haría con esta 🗑️ basura»,
«Que mal periodista, no dejó al entrevistado responder a ninguna de las preguntas que él mismo hizo. Mucha paciencia el entrevistado»,
«Cuál es el chiste? le escupiste el café?»,
«Berco dijo que era simpatizante de Milei y fue lo necesario para sacar el video..»,
«Siempre inviertiendo en el país,dice…
Y construye en Montevideo y Punta del Este.»,
«Te la re pusieron Berco»,
«Estos oligarcas q no tienen idea de cómo se vive con los dos mangos de salario q cobra la gente. Son la podredumbre de este país. Viven en realidades paralelas.»,
«Encontré un resentido fracasado ‼️ Tenés que ir a vivir a Cuba ❓»,
«Pero de que país habla este viejo? Yo cobro 1.200 millones y no puedo vivir !!»,
«Que chata este tipo, un garca por donde lo mires. Muy buena entrevista Berco gracias.»,
«\» este muchacho \» usted se tiene que arrepentir de lo que dijo de la cabra Fernández»,
«Claro que destruyó todo este Guzmán»,
«Garca: una de las cosas que caracterizan a cualquier país „normal“, como decís, es que ninguno tiene un presidente ignorante, bruto, corrupto, indecente, mentiroso, estafador, ladrón, psiquiátrico desquiciado, violento, irresponsable y mil veces más ocupado en defender los intereses de Estados Unidos y de Israel que los de su propio país. Entendiste? Y? Berco, no se te ocurrió a vos eso? Mirá que el periodista sos vos, no yo que vivo en Alemania y me dedico a cualquier cosa menos al periodismo. Tenés que ponerte las pilas. Le dejas pasar esa mentira barata, despreciable de decir que AHORA la Argentina es un país normal???? En serio, Berco???? Pero claro, por eso a este tipo le encanta venir a dialogar con vos.»,
«O sea que lo que hay que hacer es destruir por completo el estado como hizo China, Alemania, Holanda, Francia, Canadá, Australia y Suecia.»,
«Nueve Reinas parece como chamuya.»,
«Que miedo este tipo y todo lo que representa»,
«Hay que decir que Bercovich le da lugar a este tipo y no a Eduardo Sartelli.
Tenenbaum y su equipo reflexionando y disertando sobre eutanasia. Manguel justificando el genocidio en Gaza. En fin. Radio Con Vos.»,
«Este hdddp le dice soberbio a Guzmán pero no a Caputo ni a Sturzenegger ni a Milei. Son tremendamente caraduras estos tipos. No tienen NINGUNA vergüenza. Dan ganas de vomitar escucharlos. SOBERBIO le dice. Caputo y Milei, tipos sencillos, modestos, profesionales que solo hacen su trabajo. Reliveran urgente!!!!!»,
«Pero no da UN fundamento, es pura opinión, POR QUÉ prefiere todo eso??? Pura declamación.»,
«Me recuerda al corrupto Demian Reidel y también a colaboradores de Tony Soprano.»,
«Una semana antes de la huída de De la Rúa podías encontrar a cientos de garcas hablando como este GARCA( valga la redundancia)»,
«Le prestás guita a este individuo?»,
«FUERA MILEI, ESTA LOCO»,
«la nota es antes del fallo de la justicia gringa que le dio la razón a kicillof»,
«No discutas más!!! Es imposible hablar con esta gente!!! No perdamos más el tiempo!!!! Estos pibes son mediocres con poder. Pongamos la energía en seguir mejorando el país y estos pibes desaparecen solos. No los escucha nadie!!!»,
«Créditos en dólares para la vivienda , poder adquisitivo sustentable , pais para invertir … ???? de qué pais habla este charlatan …»,
«Pero para qué le dan micrófono a este parásito que seguro se llena de guita con créditos del estado? Me juego mi capital a que este tipo se llenó de guita gracias al Estado. Y lo único que le importa son los empresarios, no habla de salarios, no habla de solucionar la pobreza. A quien le importa lo que opine un garca así??»,
«Crack,dijo todo lo que pienso»,
«Solo tu educación y profesionalismo puede soportar a semejante gorila. Un auténtico ejemplo de como estos tipos de hacen millonarios explotando gente. Te felicito Berco, yo lo hubiera acogotado. ✌️🇦🇷✌️»,
«Me encantó Berco, le entraron todas las balas, igual el ni se enteró, pero esta entrevista de ninguna manera ayudó a la imagen de Martino y mucho menos a sus ideas.»,
«Estos son los forros que dejan al pais como esta»,
«Grande berco. Estos hay q invitarlos a charlar y dejarlos en evidencia. Con altura como haces vos.»,
«No termine de escuchar la entrevista, pero Bercovich es más duro con cualquiera de centro izquierda que se permite, por ejemplo, apoyar aspectos de la reforma laboral, que con uno de \»los dueños de la argentina\».»,
«Este está reclamando la vocería presidencial…😅»,
«Bercovich es tremendo hipócrita, al igual que R. Sietecase, M. Montenegro, C. Burgueño y E. Tenembaum.»,
«A ver . . . si entiende Bercovich o se va a seguir haciendo distraído. El mercado (y el lo sabe muy bien) gestiona riesgo, y ante la posibilidad de que llegue al gobierno un zurdo filo comunista, retira sus fichas, es decir, asigna mayor riesgo de incobrabilidad de deudas, expropiaciones, etc . . . son las reglas de juego del mundo capitalista como de la democracia, si a bercovich le gusta el durazno que se aguante la pelusa, si a Bercovich le gustan los dirigentes filo comunistas, que se banque tener un riesgo pais del 2000% , 60 % de pobreza infantil y que nadie le desee prestar dinero, como ocurrio en los gobiernos Kirchneristas, gobiernos que Bercovich defendio a capa y espada.
Yo , en lo personal y para mi familia no quiero nada de eso, es decir, yo quiero #MILEI2027 y #VLLC !!! y al que no le guste que se arme un partido politico y vaya a elecciones, pero que despues no se quejen de la peluza del durazno.»,
«Como pueden seguir diciendo que la peor decisión de Kicillof fue estatizar YPF cuando es de lo poco que está manteniendo el país a flote (sobre todo de la perspectiva de ellos mismos)»,
«Completó el álbum de figuritas G.A.R.C.A. con la teoría de los dos demonios»,
«Me encanta como Bercovich se hace el desentendido de lo desastrosas gestiones tanto de Martin Guzman como de Axel Kicillof cuando estuvieron a cargo del ministerio de economia, recordar que Bercovich es economista graduado de la UBA . . . . Pero que va, nada bueno se puede esperar de un economista filo comunista como Bercovich.»,
«Este pelotudo hizo guita con los kirchner y ahora tenemos que fumarlo diciendo que tu salario está altísimo en dólares y el riesgo kuka hasta abajo de la cama. Donde lo auditás está más sucio que una papa.»,
«Esta persona contribullo a la fuga de MILES DE MILLONES de dólares del pais via HSBC.
Sólo en Argentina, luego tal crimenz, alguien donde está calaña puede pasearse por los medios con impunidad
Triste»,
«Preguntale por la causa del HSBC… mamita… \»De acuerdo a la acusación, los integrantes del directorio del HSBC Bank Argentina, en connivencia con las sedes de Suiza y Estados Unidos, “habrían organizado su desarrollo empresarial de manera tal de habilitar un medio paralelo, clandestino y antirreglamentario de actividad bancaria, destinado a canalizar riquezas de determinados clientes de elite y a concretar operaciones en el extranjero, puntualmente en la Confederación Suiza, con lo cual se habría configurado un ámbito de administración de fondos significativos previamente ocultos a las autoridades nacionales de control, en particular la AFIP”.»,
«Empieza diciendo que subieron los salarios en dolares, y 3 mnutos despues te dice que el problema de los creditos en mora es por la \»caida del salario\»…»,
«El chiste se cuenta solo»,
«jajaj este payaso es millonario??? que carajo estamos haciendo como humanidad??? por qué permitimos que exista esa clase social?»,
«Me emcanta cómo Bercovich odia a todos los peronistas y tiene la mejor onda con los oligarcas. Típico trosko que maneja literalmente un Audi. Lo conozco desde la facultad y lamentablemente sigue siendo siempre el mismo.»,
«Son sectores diferentes, a vos te corresponde ir al sector más cabeza, ese que gusta de pelearse con troskos, donde tirás una marucha y no queda un solo peronista. Frente a los troskos, ninguno tiene altura moral para discutirles nada.»,
«Y si Milei gobierna para estos»,
«Si lo hace Adorni, son errores no forzados, si lo hizo el Kirchnerismo, es porque son unos chorros.»,
«Quien es este enfermo??»,
«Berco lo corrige y queda pedaleando en el aire»,
«Muy buenas preguntas de Berco»,
«¿ Guzmán hizo la peor reestructuracion ? No nos endeudó, dejó una ley para que le Congreso limite los préstamos. En cambio Caputo reestructuró endeudándonos y reendeudándonos… no entiendo mucho de economía, pero no hay sentido común que justifique eso.»,
«La única chance de que haya créditos hipotecarios accesibles es que vuelva el peronismo»,
«Si durante el ultimo gobierno peronista no hubo credito, de que hablas»,
«Y si este lavaba plata del narco con el HSBC, cómo no va a querer que este gobierno reelija?»,
«Que quere la LADRONA MAS GRANDE DEL MUNDO MUNDIAL no me hagan enojar.»,
«@D @DanielJerez-s9k qué tiene que ver con lo que dije yo?»,
«Cómo roban estos tipos que no le aportan nada a los argentinos de bien.»,
«Hay que dejar el pasado pero los ganadores son siempre los mismos, los elegidos del mercado»,
«Verco…xq llevas esta gente de mierda ?»,
«Un crack Martino»,
«crack hace la cartera donde la toca este delincuente poco instruido.»,
«Habría que preguntarle por la causa de evasión y lavado como directivo del Hsbc,denunciado por Afip.»,
«Un genio total Gabriel»,
«Un genio lavando guita en el hsbc decís?»,
«Este es un pelotudo q saca temas y después dice que no quiere hablar de eso. Que tipo infeliz.»,
«Dizque una guerra, memoria completa, y las bombas a la plaza de mayo, prescripción de Perón, eso no lo cuentan»,
«Habla de la entelequia denominada mercado, como si no fuesen un grupito de garcas especuladores.»,
«El mercado somos todos. Incluso vos y yo. Creer que el mercado son solo los especuladores de la bolsa, es ignorancia.»,
» @damiandmn seguramente el poder que tenes vos o yo es el mismo de los que manejan la bolsa y los mercados desde wall street»,
«O sea digamos que la puja entre oferta y demanda , el consumidor busca su propio beneficio o más bien es tipo contrato de adhesión? La solución es lo que sostenía la mamá de Lacha, camine señora, camine? Preguntale a Lacha como le va con la venta de fiambres. Somos todos libres e iguales en el mercado, en verdad lo crees? Salario en dolares creciendo y la carniceria vacía.»,
«Arreglar un país destruido por 20 años de populismo no se hace de un día para el otro…..»,
«Sin son garcas muchachis no veo que pidan por carceles o quidren slgo mas barato una soga con una bolsa de consorcio para no ensuciar el piso.»,
«Che, avísenle a este monigote, que se quede hablando de economía y finanzas (o que nisiquiera hable de eso), porque de la Historia Argentina sabe poco y nada.
19:50= \»la guerrilla empieza en el gobierno de Isabel Perón, la guerrilla no empieza antes…\»
¿Qué?
¡¡¿¿KKKHHEEEEEEEE???!!! O es un ignorante o es culiadazo mentiroso.
Para la novedad de este IGNORANTE: la guerrilla en la Argentina, tanto las de izquierda como las peronistas empiezan en 1970 (MIL NOVECIENTOS SETENTAAAA)
El acto fundacional de Montoneros fue el ajusticiamiento de Aramburu en mayo de 1970. Por las dudas aclaro y explico detalladamente algunas de los principales accionares de este sujeto que asaltó la Nación Argentina.
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu: ideológo junto con otras decenas de militares antiperonistas de los bombardeos de Plaza de Mayo, así como de ataques aéreos en otras ciudades como Córdoba; máxima figura de la llamada Revolución Libertadora, responsable del derrocamiento de Perón en 1955 y la instauración de la Proscripción del Peronismo, ideólogo de los fusilamientos de José León Suárez y el secuestro y vejación del cadáver de Evita)
Si este señor que se muestra tan hábil hablando de ministros de economía, de políticas de 100 años, de Democracia… pero no sabe la dimensión y cronología de los hechos históricos del país sobre el que pretende juzgar y criticar la economía, PUES NO LE CREO NADA.
Él es un extremista. Un extremista del Mercado. Y por culpa de su racionalidad del Mercado, la Argentina está podrida económicamente. Porque la manejan financieramente unos pares de multimillonarios presionando y haciendo lobby para que el país esté al servicio de ellos.
Es indignante, cómo han ganado poder estos pelotudos que se creen que conocen sobre el mundo, y son en el fondo, unos ventajistas y oportunistas gestores de estafas piramidales.
En donde la banca internacional y los financistas son los únicos que ganan. Una vergüenza. Les hemos dado el poder a los seres más macabros, cínicos y maquiavélicos que existen. Sólo se les cruza el billete por el cerebro. Pero no saben ni de política, ni de historia, ni de ecología, ni del clima, ni de la vida. Nos gobiernan ignorantes y elucubradores. Inútiles inservibles»,
«que sorete este tipo por favor»,
«Este tipo ocupó lugares directivos en finanzas bancarias? \»La gente aumentó sus ingresos en dólares y ahora puede comprar autos y otros bienes durables…….narnia chantunia argento»,
«Impresentable»,
«Lo blandito y obsecuente que resultó ser el triskito este. Parece que pasó un sobrecito por ahí»,
«No hizo falta que dijera más nada. En cada tema que traía, con una sola pregunta dejaba expuestas sus contradicciones, dobles varas y falacias. Gracias a que no se detuvo a discutir, pudimos ver que todo el andamiaje de argumentos son por lo menos ridículos. Quedó claro que lo único que le importa a él y al “mercado” es hacer guita fácil sin laburar»,
«cómo hacés para no irte de mano??? yo le parto la cara a los 5 minutos»,
«Justo es el pais que no quiere la mayoria, no queremos la mayoria un tipo como vos, que no tenga ni capacidad de escuchar al otro, de pensar distinto. Te juro que es tristisimo lo tuyo.»,
« @andres.giacomini Tristisimo es que defiendas un gobierno emprobecedor. Vos y este chantun del video»,
«Es tan delicada la situacion social del pais, tan detonados tenemos los cimientos culturales que al escuchar a este señor, seguramente un empresario mega exitoso,
solo siento ganas de llorar
Si las condiciones de nuestra coyuntura fuesen menos dramáticas, este personaje me causaría gracia.
Alguien podrá explicarme alguna vez porque este país produce tantos monstruos ?»,
«Berco como jodex presentado garcxs ,no ves que son una merda .»,
«lindo tipo este eh! quedate afuera de argentina papa, no te va a extrañar nadie»,
«Señor Gabriel Martino, elija un país para vivir y váyase a la mi3rda, déjenos construir el nuestro, lo queremos sin lacras como usted.»,
«Y este Martino, ¿tiene idea? ¿qué idea? ¿a quién responde este muchacho?»,
«Que ignorante, por Dios.»,
«trajo 15 temas a la charla y no pudo sostener uno… al final era todo en eso no me quiero meter jajajaja
un video para el olvido»,
«Wtf? Yo lo veo a Berco sin poder retrucar mucho.»,
» @andres.giacomini giaco seguis defendiendo a milei, caputo y adorni?? jajaja»,
« @gregorioarcaute6535 yo defiendo macroeconomía estable. Entiendan de una vez por todas que no interesan las personas si toman las decisiones correctas sensatas y no populistas/buenistas»,
«guzman un desastre dice…
logro una quita de intereses inaudito. justamente porque hasta el fondo sabia que se lo dieron por abajo de la mesa a macri para que se la fugaran los amigotes de caputo.
logro que se postergaran los pagos tambien lo cual era lo necesario para afrontar la post pandemia y encima todos tenedores aceptaron.
este flaco vive en otro planeta igual se nota que berco lo mira como diciendo: para q me voy a gastar en preguntarte jajajaja»,
«Guzmán se fue con menos inflación q la q tiene Milei en menos tiempo ….»,
«Primero dice que los sueldos subieron en dólares. Después dice que los sueldos bajaron y por eso hay deuda con los bancos. Va cambiando de acuerdo a la circunstancia.»,
«no mencionan ni borracho ladeuda que dejo macri,menemmilicos asesinos con guerra incluida,las privatizaciones que despues hubo que retornar como YPF ymuchas mas.EL PERONISMO CON CRISTINA EN 2015 DEJO AL PAIS SIN DUEDA Y CON MUY BAJA DESOCUPACION ,CONSALARIOS MAS ALTOS DE SUDAMERICA.NO SABEN COMO ESCONDER LA VERDAD…..»,
«La confirmación que necesitábamos de que Guzmán fue el mejor ministro que tuvimos desde Lavagna para acá. Este impresentable no fue capaz de dar un solo argumento para justificar su afirmación absurda»,
«Quien tiene acceso a un auto o a un inmueble. En qué realidad vive este señor?. Ah cierto, tiene mucho dinero. Hay que avisarle que la mayoría del pueblo no llega ni a fin de mes.»,
«Lo que es opinar sin entender absolutamente nada de la económia de los paises. Exceso de financierismo. Guzman dejo mejor herencia que la que van a dejar estos mamarrachos, que estan con mayor deuda pública en dolares y en pesos que no bajo prácticamente, la misma inflación de guzman, e inflación dolares record y en el medio se cargaron 10% del salario de trabajadores privados y 20% de los públicos ( para ser generosos.. si se actualiza la canasta para calculo de inflación de indec, la perdida es MAYOR)»,
«No hay que negar la realidad señor, guzman se fue en fracaso escondido en un auto con la capucha tapandose la cara. El peor final.»,
«AJAJAJAJAAJAJ mejor herencia? la Inflacion iba al 6% MENSUAL Con Guzman, perdiendo reservas y con un futuro poco prometedor y se vio con el resultado de Massa. Que ganas de decir boludeces eh.»,
«Que este señor al que le debe sobrar el dinero diga que es simpatizante de Milei no me sorprende. Pero… Un trabajador que tiene el sueldo pisado hace meses y que los servicios, el transporte, el alquiler, le aumenta no se entiende.
\»Esta vez el ajuste lo paga la casta\». Todavía no sé ve. Si se ve que lo pagaron: jubilados, discapacitados, profesionales de la salud, docentes.
Que vergüenza.»,
«😂😂😂😂»,
«Se dan de liberales y son fachos»,
«este tipo es uno de los miles de empresario que esquilman al pais y trabajadores…»,
«Jajajaja los kirchneristas se atragantaron con el choripan mirando esta entrevista 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«No creo, hoy en día el verdadero kuka está en el gobierno.»,
«Se la dan de racionales y son bien IDEOLOGIZADOS estos cargadores»,
«El esterotipo del garca. Llevado a nivel de caricatura. Q impunes q se sienten!»,
«La impunidad es hasta que los empiecen a cag4r a tromoadas por la calle.»,
«Muy buena la charla Berco queridoo!!!
seguilo invitando por favor, quedo desnudo, cuando se la veia negra \»ese tema queda para otra vuelta\», \» de eso no hablo\» .»,
«Basura»,
«😂queda claro que siempre lo mismo: necesidad de vivienda: alegría del financista..»,
«Y obvio si ellos están de fiesta.»,
«o está en su realidad, o te miente sin pudor alguno.»,
«Le bajas mucho el nivel al programa invitando invitando este pelotudo berco»,
«Un tiro en la frente»,
«A bercovich❗»,
«❤️ recuerden que ustedes son la agrupación amor»,
« @Oscargonza64 ahora reclaman amor ustedes…que reprimen chicos discapacitados…por suerte ya te queda poco»,
«Este no es el que estuvo PRESO? que manera de sumar apoyo de Delincuentes este Gobierno eh»,
«😂😂 el KÍSNERISMO no❓🤫»,
«Good termo !!! Que HDP…»,
«Este guzman es un ignorante ,un necio un tipo que no ve la realidad ,el solo vé su negocio sucio»,
«LOS CORRUPTOS DE LA DERECHA…,ESTAN LIBRES…, COMO ESTE….!!!»,
«Por suerte los corruptos de la izquierda ya tienen tobillera 😂😂😂»,
« @alejandrom4347 ESTE ES UNO DE LOS QUE TENDRIA QUE ESTAR PRESO…, JUNTO CON CAPUTO.., STUGENEZZER.., MACRI…, Y TODA LA BANDA DE MAFIOSOS…DE VERDAD….!!! CUANDO VOLVAMOS EN EL 2027…, TODOSXESTOS TIENEN QUE TERMINAR…,PRESOS…!!! Y POR SUPUESTO..,VAMOS A LIBERAR A CRISTINA…!!! CON ESTOS MAFIOSOS…NO HAY QUE TENER…COMPASION….!!!»,
» @owitt1308 los mafiosos 😂😂😂😂😂😂 y los kirchneristas son tan honestos 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«BERCO…,NO LE DES ENTIDAD…A ESTE TIPO…, ES REPRESENTAE…DE LOS CORRUOTOS…!!!»,
«Aprende a escribir KUKA»,
« @andresdellabella8723 VOS DE CORRUPTOS…, SE VE QUE SABES MUCHO….!!!»,
«MARTINO .. ERRORES NO FORZADOS ? SE PUEDE SER TAN PELOTUDO?»,
«Que desastre ese tipo negacionista,
Cuanto odio
HSBC BANCO FUGADOR
INCENDIO LOS ARCHIVOS DE ELLOS EN MOUNTAIN»,
«UN SANGANO DE EMPRESARIO … ASCO DE EMPRESARIO … ESPERO QUE SUS HIJOS NO VUELVAN NUNCA MAS AL PAIS»,
«GRACIAS A CRISTINA …Y…KICILOFF…, TENEMOS YPF…Y…VACA MUERTA….!!!! DEJA DE HABLAR….BOLUDECES….!!!!»,
«ESTE CARADURA…., CRITICA A GUZAMAN….!!!! …Y LE TOCO…A GUZMAN…, REFINANCIAR…,EL MUERTO…QUE LE DEJO…,CAPUTO, STUGENEZZER.., MACRI….!!!!»,
«A Gusman no le tocó refinanciar nada. Fué a refinanciar porque quiso. No había ninguna razón para refinanciar, más que gastarse la plata en lugar de pagar las deudas. Y encima que negoció en la refinanciación? Que esa deuda le iba a caer en su mayoría al gobierno que le seguía, o sea, al actual.»,
« @damiandmn Por eso esta Caputo..con el..IMBECIL..MILEI…?? Porque esta pagando la deuda que generó el…., con Stugenezer y con Macri….!!!…»,
«Que chanta.»,
«Este sujeto despreciable ,hace guita con la sangre y lagrimas del pueblo argentino ,y esto gracias a la ayuda del pervertido de milei»,
«Reverendisimo H de Y, Ale, te envidio el estómago para no trompearlo»,
«Este tipejo vive en un termo»,
«Este Señor es muy claro en lo que dice… Y ojalá lo escuche mucha gente… Ya que para mi, el problema que tiene Argentina, pero por lejos, el más grande; aclaro porque Argentina tiene muchos problemas, pero enserio, el más grande, es: que el capital esté en manos de gente como este señor… Un crapula…!!!!»,
«Es un asco»,
«Terrible sorete»,
«Piedad Berco. Con tipos como este hacerla más corta. Entre mentira y contradicciones se nos va el tiempo.»,
«es bastante facil hablar cuando nunca pasaste necesidad. me gusta que se saca datos del 0rt0 como 1000EY!»,
«ESTE PERSONAJE…, FUE EL CEO EN ARGENTINA DEL HSBC…, EL BANCO MAS LAVADOR DE DOLARES…EN EL PLANETA….!!!.., CON MACRI…,ESTUVO A CARGO DE LA UIF…., JUSTAMENTE EL ENTE QUE CONTROLA EL LAVADO DE DINERO….!!!.UN …DELINCUENTE…!!! …CUANTO ESTE TIPO…,HABLA DE …\» LA GENTE…GANA MAS EN DOLARES\»…, HABLA DE MENOS DEL 5% DE LA GENTE….!!!»,
«Este pelotudo cree que los kirchneristos han echo buen gobierno ROBRNDO no los elegimos para que roben porque le roban a la PATRIA»,
«Son solo impresiones que tenés porque estás intoxicado por las narrativas izquierdistas.»,
«Este va a financiar la campaña del ponzidente Milei.»,
«La que consume este pibe es muy loco… Como te como te pinturria la realidad…
Un cara dura…!!!»,
«Quién es este mencho?»,
«Créditos hipotecarios en dólares ???😢 Los únicos felices con Milei son los financistas 😅»,
«Qué buena entrevista! Da para entender, no para justificar, como piensa esta gente. En lo personal, prefiero otro modelo, al de estos tipos no accedo ni para una carpa para 2 personas 👥»,
«Exacto. Así piensan y así gobiernan.»,
«Grande berco ….!!!!!!»,
«Que asco me da este Gabriel Martino!!!»,
«Este tipo donde vive????»,
«Vive de la nuestra, lo SUBVENCIÓNAN Y LO SUBSIDIAMOS CON LA NUESTRA.POR ESO QUIEREN ES GOBIERNO!!»,
«Dios mio!!! Solo clase alta y media alta. Solo ellos tienen derecho a tener una vivienda.»,
«Tipico de persona de derecha, critica lo de la expopiación de YPF y después dice menos mal que con Vaca Muerta subieron las exportaciones….. ellos muy campantes no ven la contradicción en eso… Y elogiar a Caputo como alguien que hace las cosas bien ya es indefendible… nos endeudó por 70 mil millones solo con el FMI y en menos de 6 años…»,
«Cambio de consumo por bien durable 😂😂😂😂 no como para comprarme un auto, es un ideota»,
«Ahora tenés la posibilidad de comprarte un bm! 😆»,
«@francoestrubia6503no escuchaste al otro que antes le quemaba los pesos y se compraba 200 pares de Zapatillas y ahora se compra un auto o una Casa! Como pueden creerles esas cosas?»,
«Qué sesgado este garca. Son todos iguales de cagadores, este y Caputo se pueden ir de la mano.»,
«Un millonario Hablando de Barato! 😂😂😂😂 infumable lo delirante que es este tipo… muy en su burbuja Ricachona.»,
«Hablo, mejor dicho escribio la envidia. FIN»,
« @DanielJerez-s9k Si si si inventate otra cosa! Envidia? Naa no se puede envidiar a un decerebrado que tiene como Dios al Dinero.»,
«Está fuera de realidad igual que los que gobiernan»,
«UFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF TREMENDO PELOTUDO…
BUENO NO, ES OTRA COSA.»,
«Este pedante que habla con la papa en la boca no representa a nadie, habla de un país que desea en 1% de millonarios que no laburan.»,
«Mis respetos Bercovich. Me gusto el debate aunque no comparto la mirada de Martino la respeto, es su punto de vista.»,
«Habla por si solo de la energía. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la \»estabilidad política\». Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la dictadura. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema.
No para de recular en chancletas el gilastrun este»,
«Así que los K fueron todos un desastre de corrupción, el actual es gobierno normal y lo Adorni fue un \»error no forzado\». Jajajja, qué es Argentina? Un partido de tenis? Y ni empecemos con esta visión de ver el país desde arriba (lo importante es que sus hijos pudientes les guste la derecha, los trabajadores que se están endeudando no importan).»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET \»Miles de millones de dólares\». Ni en los terrenos patagónicos ni en Seycheles los encontraron.»,
« @LELElelec que ingenuo jaja. Como si alguna ves vas a encontrar algo. Tuvieron años para esconderlo. Muy ingenuo lo tuyo. En todas las causas quedo despues de agotar todas las instancias culpable. Y eso que los jueces los puso el peronismo y son peronistas pero hay un punto donde ya era ridículo lo burdo de la estafa.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Buscalos vos entonces…mucha suerte»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Lo de las abuelitas que financiaron con 300 palos también es de ingenuo? Jajajajjaja»,
» @LELElelec Aunque no sean MILES, si son centenas de millones (SOLO Dañiel Muñoz el secretario de los K, tenia fideicomisos por 70 millones de usd, deptos en la gran mazana, miami, villa langostura, etc). LA hij 5 Millones de usd en la caja de seguridad y aca estan jodiendo por una casa o depto de 200/300 mil usd. final DEJAME DE JODER.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET los que jugaban al fútbol con Macri? Dónde te informas vos? En la peluquería?»,
«Y yo calculo que tambien depende del nivel de MAGNITUDES, y si robo dinero el propio presidente o si armo un esquema exclusivamente para robar, etc. TODO eso y mucho mas, se hizo durante los 16 años K, en mayor o menor medida siempre habia curros»,
«Este hombre habla de un grupo selecto de personas… que camine la calle!!»,
«Me cansó…»,
«Esta es la burguesía que nos tocó y explica buena parte de los problemas que tenemos. Los dirigentes tampoco ayudan, claro.»,
«no ayudan no, son parte!!»,
«Los oligarkas q se hicieron millonarios con la Tushhha .Son les KukEs»,
«la casta en estado puro, el hsbc fue el peor banco de la historia en la argentina no se con q autoridad habla»,
«\»No me gusta el señalamiento\» pero el señala a los k y no soy kirschnerista…es una mierda de tipo»,
«El problema es que nos los cagan a trompadas como se merecen.»,
» @alvarobertolo2214 y los votan»,
«Lo peor de todo que fue y supongo que es un tipo con preeminencia en el sistema de …que estamos. Otro entre tantos que hay que sacar del sitio de las decisiones»,
«😂😂😂😂😂😂 son épocas difíciles para que los KUKA»,
«¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Por qué Berco invita a fantasmones como este?????????????????»,
«Mmmmmm…huele a mierda. Oportunistas. EN DOLARES…???. La moneda de los colonizadores tira bombas dueños de la maquinista.»,
«ALTO GARCA este muchacho…quisiera ver las tasas que cobra…»,
«Qué flor de chanta con todas las letras!»,
«este flaco es como un vendedor de autos usados… puro chamuyo»,
«Claro que no quieren la pobre democracia que tenemos. Quieren una autocracia\\dictadura porque la quieren toda para ellos. Odian lo nacional y lo popular, que somos mayoría. Los data center no generan empleo…gracias berco por exponerlo!»,
«Cuando se preguntan, quien sostiene a este loco como presidente ??? Ya ven quienes lo apoyan como este pseudo empresario que quiere que Argentina sea un pais de servicios y no industrial y no se le movio un pelo, el pais del salvense quien pueda…..»,
«Y que puede decir este delincuente.»,
«Por fin habla alguien que sabe de economía»,
«Creo que cortaron la parte, solo veo a martino, que de economía sabe menos que un almacenero.»,
«GARCA»,
«este tipo estuvo Condenado a 15 años por lavado de guita es un Delincuente»,
«No entiendo porque ese modo de expresarse..\» un pasante que solo fue ayudante de cátedra\» , más allá si te gustó o no su gestión.»,
«Porque es gente muy bruta, su argumental se reduce a eso.»,
«Otra vez lo entrevistas a este gil de goma? Para dejarlo expuesto supongo. Si Guzmán fue un desastre por lo menos se fue rápido. Imagínense ocho años de Milei adonde vamos a terminar está en pedo. La nota ni la quiero escuchar este es una máquina de hacer guita nomás lo felicito pero que no opine. Mira Milei era opinólogo y el bardo que esta haciendo»,
«Alejandro yo tampoco la escuché ,en realidad unos segundos ,garza importante»,
«No lo felicites, que sin el kirchnerismo seguía vendiendo ballenitas este mamarracho.»,
«Es un chanta éste personaje!!!!»,
«El salario en dolares ha crecido? esta loco el docente seguro que no»,
«Cuanto ganaba en 2023 vs ahora y vemos los números. Porque ustedes son 100% relatos»,
» @alejandrom4347 Con el último de cristina, el triple en dólares el salario promedio. De hecho, no sé si en pandemia llegó a estar tan por el piso como ahora. El que dependa de insumos importados te va a querer cagar a trompadas, ni hablar.»,
«@francoestrubia6503 el ultimo de cristina fue el del titere fernandez, poné datos, no relatos.»,
«Ale, mis felicitaciones por ser un señor y no saltarle a la yogular a este chanta impresentable. gran manera de preguntar y dejarlo en evidencia cuando el temita del gasoducto!!! jaja»,
«Fua! Que pedazo de sorete. No? Gracias Berco por exponerlo.»,
«Es un caradura.»,
«Dios mío»,
«Dígase \»la gente\» el 5% de los Argentinos. Eso deberían aclarar.»,
«Naa no es el 5%. Es bastante mas. Lo que pasa que hay un 40/50% de la población que es clase mediabaja que la sufre.»,
«Y la izquierda hace rato que dice \»el pueblo trabajador que representamos\» y no llegan ni al 3%.»,
« @andres.giacomini Exacto. Al pueblo trabajador lo representa el peronismo. Jaque mate.»,
« @jimmypatin1240 ya no…se olvidaron que perdieron las elecciones?»,
» @jimmypatin1240 Claro por eso hay 70% anti peronismo no? Si lo representara el pueblo, lo habria votado en mayoria las ultimas 4 elecciones, paso, generales, ballotage, legislativas, no paran de perder.»,
«Ahh, un impresentable por donde lo mires.»,
«Es despreciable»,
«Peroncho»,
» @julianormond373 Nunca; pero si se ve que sos medio nabo.»,
«EL CONDUCTOR ES ASI LAMENTABLE»,
» @claudiotepongo1894 Hablo del entrevistado……»,
«Más soberbio que usted! Mamita querida!! Caputo salió super mal del gobierno de macri y ahora mienten porque la realidad es otra cosa!! Bájate del avión y camina la calle!!»,
«Ale… Este es un chanta.»,
«El KÍSNERISMO ❓»,
«Es mileistano te das cuenta»,
«Todo un chanta»,
«Sería bueno saber de quien habla. Mi hijo esta haciendo su residencia en medicina. Cobra 900 mil y el alquiler 850 mil (en Cordoba), lo tenemos que ayudar porque no le alcanza. Imposible pensar en comprar una propiedad. El consumo bajo, Argentina esta mas caro que en España. De que sector habla? que llegan a Argentina y encuentran el pais tan accesible.»,
«Totalmente de acuerdo. No es sólo que la inflación sigue en niveles altos (más altos que los que tenía Guzmán) y los alquileres y servicios siguen aumentando de forma brusca, sino que los salarios se desplomaron. Comer un asado es un lujo. Acá en Gesell se ve la miseria y el resultado de un verano similar al anterior pero con mucho menos gasto. El otro día se me acercó un churrero pidiéndome entre lágrimas e impotencia que le compre 1/2 docena. No lo ví nunca. Es indibujable la realidad.»,
«Acá te das cuenta que viven en Narnia. Un país pensado primordialmente para y por los del poder económico.»,
» @LELElelecMe da asco y vergüenza.»,
«Que raro q en 16 años de kirchnerismo suizo no pudieron comprar un departamento al nene🤡🤡🤡»,
«Yo soy médico especialista desde 2009. Nunca cobré por la residencia ni un peso. Nunca tuve ni aguinaldo ni vacaciones pagas ni art, y fué durante el supuesto gobierno para todos ✌️»,
« @julianormond373 en que hospital trabajabas en 2009?»,
« @julianormond373 Viste, ese es el problema de financiar universidades públicas. Bastaaaaaaaa de médicos de la pública, que todos egresar de las privadas. Al igual que el resto de profesionales, el chorros de Peron cometió el error al quitar el arancelamiento.»,
«850 mil en córdoba ??? Vive en un piso en plaza España?? . Estos kukitas inventando 😂»,
« @rodriotero1559 un piso sale tan barato en córdoba? Permitime dudar»,
«Mas caro que España? JA, un alquiler en pleno centro de Barcelona o Madrid, no baja el monoambiente de 1000 euros, o sea 1.7 millon, aca tu hijo paga 850.000 y estoy seguro que podria alquilar por 600 lucas. y menos tambien.»,
«1 millón de pesos el alquiler en Cordoba? Pero qué alquila el pibe ese? Jajajajaja»,
«Hablá solo mentira, y para una sola clase….me dan asco»,
«Ex banquero. Delincuente»,
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Nunca colocan al ambiente en su «planilla»
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBJgJlPrJo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=es&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=800&h=450]Siempre me quedo pensando ¿quién está loco? Los CEOs, los que hablan de economía, nunca colocan en su planilla al ambiente! Si lo hicieran sería más difícil justificar que su modelo pasa por más extracción y más destrucción! Por eso ni lo nombran o, a lo sumo, te ponen crecimiento sustentable sabiendo que eso no existe!
¿ Para qué llevar a ese tipo a un programa de radio? Supongo que Bercovich comparte con él todo su panorama sobre extracción a través del fracking, de la minería, del litio y así siguiendo…No pueden colocar en su excel al ambiente, si lo hicieran verían que es un camino de muerteAlgunos de los comentarios (donde tampoco hablan del ambiente como variable!)
#bercovich #economía #fracking #litio #martino #soja #vacaMuerta«Estos tipos son los impulsan la reforma laboral 🤬. Berco te admiro….»,
«La guerrilla no empezó con Isabel,empezó con Onganía
y se agrando con Lanusse!!
Por eso trajeron a Perón
para que el general haga algo!! Y no pudo..taba
viejito y enfermo!
Si hubiese estado sano
viejo y todo hubiese hecho
cosas mejores para la sociedad en su conjunto
Que los asesinos miserables
que vinieron en el 76!!»,
«Y pero no dijo nada nuevo,si se sabe q si otro gobierno gana se derrumba la argentina,la gente no es idiota obvio van a votar a milei,,o que pretenden que voten a Kicillof con el desastre que es la provincia»,
«Que paja escuchar a la burguesía de este país entrampada en discusiones ideológicas. Me quedó claro que no tienen absolutamente nada que ofrecer. Algún día dejarán de ser gobierno (en todas sus variantes)»,
«Excelente entrevista. Existen estos tipos . 😢»,
«Te dan créditos en dólares y se te quedan con lo que compraste . Gran negocio para este Sr.»,
«que mal que envejeció esto en dos días jajajaja hablando mal de la reestatización de YPF. Que burro este hombre!!»,
«\»Lisa, hija… los vampiros son seres inventados. Como los duendes, los gremlins y los esquimales.\»»,
«Dijo \»yo no defiendo ni a Caputto ni a Guzman\» pero con el que se sienta a tomar cafe es con Caputto….que se yo»,
«Muy trucho este personaje. No sé para que le dan micrófono»,
«Dice que los servicios no subieron fuerte en el interior? Jajajaja gente salgan de la Gral. Paz»,
«Brillante este señor, le puso a la tapa a este periodista militante defensor de los más Areces delitos economico – sociales y Morales de la historia de nuestro pais»,
«No aguantae ni 2 minutos, a esta gente le falta un baño de realidad urgente»,
«Carnero HDRMP. ojalá q lo tengas a Nilei de vecino.»,
«Guzman, hizo la reorganización que pudo . el desastre lo hizo MM con 50 mil MM y Milei con 25 mil MM.»,
«Nunca en mi vida vi un sorete rojo como este empresario. Berko lo humilló!!! Cada estupidez que decía y berko le tiraba datos, el sorete rojo (imposibilitado de argumentar) decía ese tema lo hablamos otro día. Jajaja qué sorete rojo de vergüenza!!!! Son así!!! Son tan pero tan pobres que lo único que tienen es plata!!!»,
«Amigo vos tenías un vice que puede justicar de dónde saco su fortuna ( causas cuadernos , los hoteles , el piisito del NY del secretario , 58 000.millones USD ) háganse cargo»,
«Kuka.el problema no es la democracia sino la continuidad de política. Caputo no tiene más inflación q Guzmán .Guzmán se con 70 en el último año»,
«Que se quede el y sus hijos afuera del país. No los necesitamos . sobran!!!»,
«Me hizo mal cardiológicamente escuchar a este tipo!! No hay que darle micrófono anesta runfla»,
«Si tenés un invitado escúchalo. Y si piensa distinto no lo ataques. Solo dijo verdades. Que no te gusten es otra cosa»,
«A Martino lo \»amaron\» de parado. Fin.»,
«Estas son laa cosas que violentan a la gente de a pie. Sos boludo flaco? Desde 2011 que no creces y subsidiaste al maximo, jubilaste sin ingresos. Insultas la inteligencia de las personas de a pie. Por eso cada vez son menos y menos. Nunca mas que? Digan la verdad. No fueron 30000. Preguntale a Labraña quien invento ese numero insultador de gente comun!»,
«El sector inmobiliario√ y el bancario de créditos hipotecas que son el pilar de una economía fueron borrados por el kirchnerismo en 2010✓ Salvo el UVA de Macri todo fue en contra de este sector✓ Que tiene un déficit de 9.000.000 de viviendas pero el estado regala terrenos y departamentos a extranjeros con la nuestra y no te bajan impuestos√ Chile√ Uruguay√ Brasil✓ tienen un 90 % de créditos otorgados para vivienda acá gracias a Milei✓ apenas el 5%>Si terminaríamos para siempre con el marxismo populismo..tenemos..un 2000% de techo para crecer√ E una fortuna si hay estabilidad inversión privada y otra mentalidad que la zurdo garca chorro sanguijuela indispueSto alimentado a sobre✓ y con Audi encima estos progresoretes traidores✓»,
«Bercovich en vez de escuchar al entrevistado quizo convertirlo al peronismo»,
«Bercovich es siempre y en todo momento, un pelotudo. Vive en un universo lleno de ideas estúpidas y el tipo tiene el poder de elegir siempre la mas estúpida. Que tipo pelotudo»,
«Jajaja kukas llorones impresentables»,
«Un capo el chavon y este vercovich un pelotudo como siempre»,
«Que malo sos berco»,
«Hay Milei para rato😮»,
«Es falaz que el salario en dólares haya crecido. Después de la devaluación que provocó Milei a dos días de asumir, en los números reales, el salario en dólares es el más bajo de los últimos 20 años.»,
«Lo banco tiene razón… Y el mercado es la gente»,
«Quién tiene más acceso a bienes durable?»,
«Esto no es una entrevista, es un acoso.
El periodista pasa de un tema a otro sin permitir explicarse al entrevistado.
Interrumpe constantemente y entra en debate.»,
«TOTALMENTE DE ACUERDO CON EL INVITADO. EL CONDUCTOR VIVE ATRASADO Y DESEA ESE ATRASO.»,
«Minuto 19:00 empieza hablemos sin saber de dos gorilas uno le pinta subirse a la nube de izquierda y el otro a la nube de la izquierda. Los une el antiperonismo y por eso Kicillof no es peronista si lo fuera berko estaría en contra y no lo sacaría como opcion electoral 2027, recuerden que Kicillof fue opocitor a Néstor Kirchner.»,
«Un groso, tipo inteligente»,
«Cuanto se perdió al privatizar YPF .
No se produção y tivemos q importar gás y petróleo eso no se cuenta pq no semana estás perdidas.»,
«Muy bien Ale por traer a la mesa gente diversa. Lo más valioso es EXPONERLOS.»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro, no hay forma de comprar un depto en blanco para el 90% del pais. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
«a los K no les sirven los ricos que no sean ellos mismos, mantener la gente empobrecida y dependiente de planes es su estrategia, una manga de ladrones del primero al ultimo»,
«el Zurdito.. defendiendo a los TERRORISTAS / ASESINOS de los 70….»,
«Me parece que el periodista solo hace pregunta direccionales . Y no son solo pregunta. 🤔»,
«Un zurdo es un ser muy dañino»,
«No fueron 30mil y fueron Asesinos y Cobardes»,
«Alta domada le dieron al periodista kuka»,
«PD2 y me gustan estos contrapuntos porque Ale los lleva a encerrarse solitos.Solito dice cosas que son icoherentes, y falaces. Pero está bueno saber que piensa, y dejarlo que hable y que quede expuesto»,
«PD me hizo reir el que escribe (y borra) el sócalo, un capo»,
«Me encantan estos contrapuntos. Sos de los pocos que admiro Ale, sin idealizar a nadie, pero me encanta tu optica y tu forma de encarar cada entrevista»,
«🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💯💯❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💜💜❤❤❤»,
«No entiendo como bercovich puede invitar al programa a gente asi….lo vi en vivo….inaudito la verdd este tipo. Viven en una nube de pedos.»,
«Los precios en Bs As están baratos 😂😂😂😂 dijo 🤡🤡 como será de barato que a mi hijo le convenía irse a estudiar a Paris antes que a CABA y fue lo que hicimos desde ya ✈️✈️»,
«Imposible debatir con un zurdo… una lástima perder una charla con martino cuando en lugar de un periodista tenés a un militante peronista… tienen su manual de adoctrinamiento y no se salen de ahí…»,
«Gracias pero me quedé sin reliveran .. que se lo fume otro a este personaje nefasto»,
«👏👏👏»,
«Educando a zurdos se llama»,
«Muy buena entrevista.👏👏👏. Ojalá los socialistas, marxistas o comunistas escuchen y reflexionen sobre sus ideologías dañinas.»,
«Buenas entrevista???De verdad???
Sali, no vivas en un CUADRADO como este TIPO!!!»,
«Che es el de la FAMILIA DE CAPUTO!!!»,
«Martino los paseo en chota y meada»,
«EXELENTE 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇦🇷💪🏻🦁🪿🗳️ JAVIER MÍLEI»,
«Caputo tiene un jefe.. que es el presidente… Si el presidente abogado que es de izquierda o centro.. son tibios y no hacen las cosas que hay que hacer para solucionar los problemas de raíz.. por tanto guiará a su ministro de economía a hacer cosas que solamente parecen buenas…
En cambio ahora tenemos un presidente que es economista y tiene mucho más claro como solucionar el problema de raíz.. por más que haya momentos difíciles.. pero vamos por buen camino.. por eso el accionar de Caputo es y será distinto con distintos jefes..»,
«El discurso de que la gente dejó de comprar pan, leche y carne para comprar electrodomésticos, autos y casas es insultante. Cuando hay millonarios defendiendo tan ardientemente a un gobierno es evidente que se benefician»,
«Gracias por venir, fue un asco escucharte»,
«Muy lindo reportaje , lastima el zurdo de bercovich, que no es ciego es un mercenario, osea pago»,
«Para este personaje ser de clase media baja es tener un trabajo bien pago con los derechos que su gobierno quiere destruir»,
«Inmensa burbuja en la que vive Martino, sostenida por sus millones que lo alejan de la realidad.»,
«Cuando se va del país???»,
«En la década del 60 empezó la guerrilla, el conductor no sabe escuchar y quiere aplicar su ideología sin escuchar al invitado,»,
«Existio una guerra»,
«Muy bien que venga a hablar de visitante. Más allá de lo que piensa, cometió a mi entender un gran error. Dijo \»La Argentina es un mercado\», no, no. Argentina es un país. A partir de esa mirada, el resto ya no importa.»,
«Este engendro es un ejemplo clásico del por qué la argentina no puede salir de sus propias trampas.»,
«Ale, tenés que citar a gente seria. 🙏»,
«Este es un verdadero chanta…»,
«Esta gente está tan sesgada por el individualismo que no puede pensar en un proyecto común. Lo único que les preocupa es amarrocar más riqueza personal.»,
«La vida es así. Sos libre de enrolarte en la iglesia. Hay muchas.»,
«No siempre todos los soretes tienen olor . Ojaime»,
«Dice que es para clase media, media baja o media. En que pais vive? Desaparecio la clase media, el poder adquisitivo por el piso. Lo unico barato en este pais son los sueldos. El salario en dolares subio, dice que la gente ahorra. Preguntenle a un jubilado, a cualquier trabajador y vean que dice. Trabaja con hipotecas, negocio directo»,
«Tremenda domada al surdo de berkovic»,
«Esta es la burguesía argentina. Por eso ya no producen élites nativas, son tipos que no viven en el país, no tienen ninguna vinculación con el devenir del pueblo argentino. Son muy playos, están en un \»cumpleaños\», como la nobleza rusa en 1917. Lamentablemente no tenemos un Lenin que los derive al basurero de la historia. No obstante la lucha de clases es anterior al capitalismo, vamos a ver cómo se reconfigura en los próximos años»,
«Jajajajja el Amigo que vivia en Israel y Ny….culiaooooo mas vale que le va resultar barato»,
«Excelente intervención periodistica Alle❤»,
«La gente no tiene para comer como no hay en la plataforma libertad de expresión no puedo decir lo que haría con esta 🗑️ basura»,
«Que mal periodista, no dejó al entrevistado responder a ninguna de las preguntas que él mismo hizo. Mucha paciencia el entrevistado»,
«Cuál es el chiste? le escupiste el café?»,
«Berco dijo que era simpatizante de Milei y fue lo necesario para sacar el video..»,
«Siempre inviertiendo en el país,dice…
Y construye en Montevideo y Punta del Este.»,
«Te la re pusieron Berco»,
«Estos oligarcas q no tienen idea de cómo se vive con los dos mangos de salario q cobra la gente. Son la podredumbre de este país. Viven en realidades paralelas.»,
«Encontré un resentido fracasado ‼️ Tenés que ir a vivir a Cuba ❓»,
«Pero de que país habla este viejo? Yo cobro 1.200 millones y no puedo vivir !!»,
«Que chata este tipo, un garca por donde lo mires. Muy buena entrevista Berco gracias.»,
«\» este muchacho \» usted se tiene que arrepentir de lo que dijo de la cabra Fernández»,
«Claro que destruyó todo este Guzmán»,
«Garca: una de las cosas que caracterizan a cualquier país „normal“, como decís, es que ninguno tiene un presidente ignorante, bruto, corrupto, indecente, mentiroso, estafador, ladrón, psiquiátrico desquiciado, violento, irresponsable y mil veces más ocupado en defender los intereses de Estados Unidos y de Israel que los de su propio país. Entendiste? Y? Berco, no se te ocurrió a vos eso? Mirá que el periodista sos vos, no yo que vivo en Alemania y me dedico a cualquier cosa menos al periodismo. Tenés que ponerte las pilas. Le dejas pasar esa mentira barata, despreciable de decir que AHORA la Argentina es un país normal???? En serio, Berco???? Pero claro, por eso a este tipo le encanta venir a dialogar con vos.»,
«O sea que lo que hay que hacer es destruir por completo el estado como hizo China, Alemania, Holanda, Francia, Canadá, Australia y Suecia.»,
«Nueve Reinas parece como chamuya.»,
«Que miedo este tipo y todo lo que representa»,
«Hay que decir que Bercovich le da lugar a este tipo y no a Eduardo Sartelli.
Tenenbaum y su equipo reflexionando y disertando sobre eutanasia. Manguel justificando el genocidio en Gaza. En fin. Radio Con Vos.»,
«Este hdddp le dice soberbio a Guzmán pero no a Caputo ni a Sturzenegger ni a Milei. Son tremendamente caraduras estos tipos. No tienen NINGUNA vergüenza. Dan ganas de vomitar escucharlos. SOBERBIO le dice. Caputo y Milei, tipos sencillos, modestos, profesionales que solo hacen su trabajo. Reliveran urgente!!!!!»,
«Pero no da UN fundamento, es pura opinión, POR QUÉ prefiere todo eso??? Pura declamación.»,
«Me recuerda al corrupto Demian Reidel y también a colaboradores de Tony Soprano.»,
«Una semana antes de la huída de De la Rúa podías encontrar a cientos de garcas hablando como este GARCA( valga la redundancia)»,
«Le prestás guita a este individuo?»,
«FUERA MILEI, ESTA LOCO»,
«la nota es antes del fallo de la justicia gringa que le dio la razón a kicillof»,
«No discutas más!!! Es imposible hablar con esta gente!!! No perdamos más el tiempo!!!! Estos pibes son mediocres con poder. Pongamos la energía en seguir mejorando el país y estos pibes desaparecen solos. No los escucha nadie!!!»,
«Créditos en dólares para la vivienda , poder adquisitivo sustentable , pais para invertir … ???? de qué pais habla este charlatan …»,
«Pero para qué le dan micrófono a este parásito que seguro se llena de guita con créditos del estado? Me juego mi capital a que este tipo se llenó de guita gracias al Estado. Y lo único que le importa son los empresarios, no habla de salarios, no habla de solucionar la pobreza. A quien le importa lo que opine un garca así??»,
«Crack,dijo todo lo que pienso»,
«Solo tu educación y profesionalismo puede soportar a semejante gorila. Un auténtico ejemplo de como estos tipos de hacen millonarios explotando gente. Te felicito Berco, yo lo hubiera acogotado. ✌️🇦🇷✌️»,
«Me encantó Berco, le entraron todas las balas, igual el ni se enteró, pero esta entrevista de ninguna manera ayudó a la imagen de Martino y mucho menos a sus ideas.»,
«Estos son los forros que dejan al pais como esta»,
«Grande berco. Estos hay q invitarlos a charlar y dejarlos en evidencia. Con altura como haces vos.»,
«No termine de escuchar la entrevista, pero Bercovich es más duro con cualquiera de centro izquierda que se permite, por ejemplo, apoyar aspectos de la reforma laboral, que con uno de \»los dueños de la argentina\».»,
«Este está reclamando la vocería presidencial…😅»,
«Bercovich es tremendo hipócrita, al igual que R. Sietecase, M. Montenegro, C. Burgueño y E. Tenembaum.»,
«A ver . . . si entiende Bercovich o se va a seguir haciendo distraído. El mercado (y el lo sabe muy bien) gestiona riesgo, y ante la posibilidad de que llegue al gobierno un zurdo filo comunista, retira sus fichas, es decir, asigna mayor riesgo de incobrabilidad de deudas, expropiaciones, etc . . . son las reglas de juego del mundo capitalista como de la democracia, si a bercovich le gusta el durazno que se aguante la pelusa, si a Bercovich le gustan los dirigentes filo comunistas, que se banque tener un riesgo pais del 2000% , 60 % de pobreza infantil y que nadie le desee prestar dinero, como ocurrio en los gobiernos Kirchneristas, gobiernos que Bercovich defendio a capa y espada.
Yo , en lo personal y para mi familia no quiero nada de eso, es decir, yo quiero #MILEI2027 y #VLLC !!! y al que no le guste que se arme un partido politico y vaya a elecciones, pero que despues no se quejen de la peluza del durazno.»,
«Como pueden seguir diciendo que la peor decisión de Kicillof fue estatizar YPF cuando es de lo poco que está manteniendo el país a flote (sobre todo de la perspectiva de ellos mismos)»,
«Completó el álbum de figuritas G.A.R.C.A. con la teoría de los dos demonios»,
«Me encanta como Bercovich se hace el desentendido de lo desastrosas gestiones tanto de Martin Guzman como de Axel Kicillof cuando estuvieron a cargo del ministerio de economia, recordar que Bercovich es economista graduado de la UBA . . . . Pero que va, nada bueno se puede esperar de un economista filo comunista como Bercovich.»,
«Este pelotudo hizo guita con los kirchner y ahora tenemos que fumarlo diciendo que tu salario está altísimo en dólares y el riesgo kuka hasta abajo de la cama. Donde lo auditás está más sucio que una papa.»,
«Esta persona contribullo a la fuga de MILES DE MILLONES de dólares del pais via HSBC.
Sólo en Argentina, luego tal crimenz, alguien donde está calaña puede pasearse por los medios con impunidad
Triste»,
«Preguntale por la causa del HSBC… mamita… \»De acuerdo a la acusación, los integrantes del directorio del HSBC Bank Argentina, en connivencia con las sedes de Suiza y Estados Unidos, “habrían organizado su desarrollo empresarial de manera tal de habilitar un medio paralelo, clandestino y antirreglamentario de actividad bancaria, destinado a canalizar riquezas de determinados clientes de elite y a concretar operaciones en el extranjero, puntualmente en la Confederación Suiza, con lo cual se habría configurado un ámbito de administración de fondos significativos previamente ocultos a las autoridades nacionales de control, en particular la AFIP”.»,
«Empieza diciendo que subieron los salarios en dolares, y 3 mnutos despues te dice que el problema de los creditos en mora es por la \»caida del salario\»…»,
«El chiste se cuenta solo»,
«jajaj este payaso es millonario??? que carajo estamos haciendo como humanidad??? por qué permitimos que exista esa clase social?»,
«Me emcanta cómo Bercovich odia a todos los peronistas y tiene la mejor onda con los oligarcas. Típico trosko que maneja literalmente un Audi. Lo conozco desde la facultad y lamentablemente sigue siendo siempre el mismo.»,
«Son sectores diferentes, a vos te corresponde ir al sector más cabeza, ese que gusta de pelearse con troskos, donde tirás una marucha y no queda un solo peronista. Frente a los troskos, ninguno tiene altura moral para discutirles nada.»,
«Y si Milei gobierna para estos»,
«Si lo hace Adorni, son errores no forzados, si lo hizo el Kirchnerismo, es porque son unos chorros.»,
«Quien es este enfermo??»,
«Berco lo corrige y queda pedaleando en el aire»,
«Muy buenas preguntas de Berco»,
«¿ Guzmán hizo la peor reestructuracion ? No nos endeudó, dejó una ley para que le Congreso limite los préstamos. En cambio Caputo reestructuró endeudándonos y reendeudándonos… no entiendo mucho de economía, pero no hay sentido común que justifique eso.»,
«La única chance de que haya créditos hipotecarios accesibles es que vuelva el peronismo»,
«Si durante el ultimo gobierno peronista no hubo credito, de que hablas»,
«Y si este lavaba plata del narco con el HSBC, cómo no va a querer que este gobierno reelija?»,
«Que quere la LADRONA MAS GRANDE DEL MUNDO MUNDIAL no me hagan enojar.»,
«@D @DanielJerez-s9k qué tiene que ver con lo que dije yo?»,
«Cómo roban estos tipos que no le aportan nada a los argentinos de bien.»,
«Hay que dejar el pasado pero los ganadores son siempre los mismos, los elegidos del mercado»,
«Verco…xq llevas esta gente de mierda ?»,
«Un crack Martino»,
«crack hace la cartera donde la toca este delincuente poco instruido.»,
«Habría que preguntarle por la causa de evasión y lavado como directivo del Hsbc,denunciado por Afip.»,
«Un genio total Gabriel»,
«Un genio lavando guita en el hsbc decís?»,
«Este es un pelotudo q saca temas y después dice que no quiere hablar de eso. Que tipo infeliz.»,
«Dizque una guerra, memoria completa, y las bombas a la plaza de mayo, prescripción de Perón, eso no lo cuentan»,
«Habla de la entelequia denominada mercado, como si no fuesen un grupito de garcas especuladores.»,
«El mercado somos todos. Incluso vos y yo. Creer que el mercado son solo los especuladores de la bolsa, es ignorancia.»,
» @damiandmn seguramente el poder que tenes vos o yo es el mismo de los que manejan la bolsa y los mercados desde wall street»,
«O sea digamos que la puja entre oferta y demanda , el consumidor busca su propio beneficio o más bien es tipo contrato de adhesión? La solución es lo que sostenía la mamá de Lacha, camine señora, camine? Preguntale a Lacha como le va con la venta de fiambres. Somos todos libres e iguales en el mercado, en verdad lo crees? Salario en dolares creciendo y la carniceria vacía.»,
«Arreglar un país destruido por 20 años de populismo no se hace de un día para el otro…..»,
«Sin son garcas muchachis no veo que pidan por carceles o quidren slgo mas barato una soga con una bolsa de consorcio para no ensuciar el piso.»,
«Che, avísenle a este monigote, que se quede hablando de economía y finanzas (o que nisiquiera hable de eso), porque de la Historia Argentina sabe poco y nada.
19:50= \»la guerrilla empieza en el gobierno de Isabel Perón, la guerrilla no empieza antes…\»
¿Qué?
¡¡¿¿KKKHHEEEEEEEE???!!! O es un ignorante o es culiadazo mentiroso.
Para la novedad de este IGNORANTE: la guerrilla en la Argentina, tanto las de izquierda como las peronistas empiezan en 1970 (MIL NOVECIENTOS SETENTAAAA)
El acto fundacional de Montoneros fue el ajusticiamiento de Aramburu en mayo de 1970. Por las dudas aclaro y explico detalladamente algunas de los principales accionares de este sujeto que asaltó la Nación Argentina.
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu: ideológo junto con otras decenas de militares antiperonistas de los bombardeos de Plaza de Mayo, así como de ataques aéreos en otras ciudades como Córdoba; máxima figura de la llamada Revolución Libertadora, responsable del derrocamiento de Perón en 1955 y la instauración de la Proscripción del Peronismo, ideólogo de los fusilamientos de José León Suárez y el secuestro y vejación del cadáver de Evita)
Si este señor que se muestra tan hábil hablando de ministros de economía, de políticas de 100 años, de Democracia… pero no sabe la dimensión y cronología de los hechos históricos del país sobre el que pretende juzgar y criticar la economía, PUES NO LE CREO NADA.
Él es un extremista. Un extremista del Mercado. Y por culpa de su racionalidad del Mercado, la Argentina está podrida económicamente. Porque la manejan financieramente unos pares de multimillonarios presionando y haciendo lobby para que el país esté al servicio de ellos.
Es indignante, cómo han ganado poder estos pelotudos que se creen que conocen sobre el mundo, y son en el fondo, unos ventajistas y oportunistas gestores de estafas piramidales.
En donde la banca internacional y los financistas son los únicos que ganan. Una vergüenza. Les hemos dado el poder a los seres más macabros, cínicos y maquiavélicos que existen. Sólo se les cruza el billete por el cerebro. Pero no saben ni de política, ni de historia, ni de ecología, ni del clima, ni de la vida. Nos gobiernan ignorantes y elucubradores. Inútiles inservibles»,
«que sorete este tipo por favor»,
«Este tipo ocupó lugares directivos en finanzas bancarias? \»La gente aumentó sus ingresos en dólares y ahora puede comprar autos y otros bienes durables…….narnia chantunia argento»,
«Impresentable»,
«Lo blandito y obsecuente que resultó ser el triskito este. Parece que pasó un sobrecito por ahí»,
«No hizo falta que dijera más nada. En cada tema que traía, con una sola pregunta dejaba expuestas sus contradicciones, dobles varas y falacias. Gracias a que no se detuvo a discutir, pudimos ver que todo el andamiaje de argumentos son por lo menos ridículos. Quedó claro que lo único que le importa a él y al “mercado” es hacer guita fácil sin laburar»,
«cómo hacés para no irte de mano??? yo le parto la cara a los 5 minutos»,
«Justo es el pais que no quiere la mayoria, no queremos la mayoria un tipo como vos, que no tenga ni capacidad de escuchar al otro, de pensar distinto. Te juro que es tristisimo lo tuyo.»,
« @andres.giacomini Tristisimo es que defiendas un gobierno emprobecedor. Vos y este chantun del video»,
«Es tan delicada la situacion social del pais, tan detonados tenemos los cimientos culturales que al escuchar a este señor, seguramente un empresario mega exitoso,
solo siento ganas de llorar
Si las condiciones de nuestra coyuntura fuesen menos dramáticas, este personaje me causaría gracia.
Alguien podrá explicarme alguna vez porque este país produce tantos monstruos ?»,
«Berco como jodex presentado garcxs ,no ves que son una merda .»,
«lindo tipo este eh! quedate afuera de argentina papa, no te va a extrañar nadie»,
«Señor Gabriel Martino, elija un país para vivir y váyase a la mi3rda, déjenos construir el nuestro, lo queremos sin lacras como usted.»,
«Y este Martino, ¿tiene idea? ¿qué idea? ¿a quién responde este muchacho?»,
«Que ignorante, por Dios.»,
«trajo 15 temas a la charla y no pudo sostener uno… al final era todo en eso no me quiero meter jajajaja
un video para el olvido»,
«Wtf? Yo lo veo a Berco sin poder retrucar mucho.»,
» @andres.giacomini giaco seguis defendiendo a milei, caputo y adorni?? jajaja»,
« @gregorioarcaute6535 yo defiendo macroeconomía estable. Entiendan de una vez por todas que no interesan las personas si toman las decisiones correctas sensatas y no populistas/buenistas»,
«guzman un desastre dice…
logro una quita de intereses inaudito. justamente porque hasta el fondo sabia que se lo dieron por abajo de la mesa a macri para que se la fugaran los amigotes de caputo.
logro que se postergaran los pagos tambien lo cual era lo necesario para afrontar la post pandemia y encima todos tenedores aceptaron.
este flaco vive en otro planeta igual se nota que berco lo mira como diciendo: para q me voy a gastar en preguntarte jajajaja»,
«Guzmán se fue con menos inflación q la q tiene Milei en menos tiempo ….»,
«Primero dice que los sueldos subieron en dólares. Después dice que los sueldos bajaron y por eso hay deuda con los bancos. Va cambiando de acuerdo a la circunstancia.»,
«no mencionan ni borracho ladeuda que dejo macri,menemmilicos asesinos con guerra incluida,las privatizaciones que despues hubo que retornar como YPF ymuchas mas.EL PERONISMO CON CRISTINA EN 2015 DEJO AL PAIS SIN DUEDA Y CON MUY BAJA DESOCUPACION ,CONSALARIOS MAS ALTOS DE SUDAMERICA.NO SABEN COMO ESCONDER LA VERDAD…..»,
«La confirmación que necesitábamos de que Guzmán fue el mejor ministro que tuvimos desde Lavagna para acá. Este impresentable no fue capaz de dar un solo argumento para justificar su afirmación absurda»,
«Quien tiene acceso a un auto o a un inmueble. En qué realidad vive este señor?. Ah cierto, tiene mucho dinero. Hay que avisarle que la mayoría del pueblo no llega ni a fin de mes.»,
«Lo que es opinar sin entender absolutamente nada de la económia de los paises. Exceso de financierismo. Guzman dejo mejor herencia que la que van a dejar estos mamarrachos, que estan con mayor deuda pública en dolares y en pesos que no bajo prácticamente, la misma inflación de guzman, e inflación dolares record y en el medio se cargaron 10% del salario de trabajadores privados y 20% de los públicos ( para ser generosos.. si se actualiza la canasta para calculo de inflación de indec, la perdida es MAYOR)»,
«No hay que negar la realidad señor, guzman se fue en fracaso escondido en un auto con la capucha tapandose la cara. El peor final.»,
«AJAJAJAJAAJAJ mejor herencia? la Inflacion iba al 6% MENSUAL Con Guzman, perdiendo reservas y con un futuro poco prometedor y se vio con el resultado de Massa. Que ganas de decir boludeces eh.»,
«Que este señor al que le debe sobrar el dinero diga que es simpatizante de Milei no me sorprende. Pero… Un trabajador que tiene el sueldo pisado hace meses y que los servicios, el transporte, el alquiler, le aumenta no se entiende.
\»Esta vez el ajuste lo paga la casta\». Todavía no sé ve. Si se ve que lo pagaron: jubilados, discapacitados, profesionales de la salud, docentes.
Que vergüenza.»,
«😂😂😂😂»,
«Se dan de liberales y son fachos»,
«este tipo es uno de los miles de empresario que esquilman al pais y trabajadores…»,
«Jajajaja los kirchneristas se atragantaron con el choripan mirando esta entrevista 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«No creo, hoy en día el verdadero kuka está en el gobierno.»,
«Se la dan de racionales y son bien IDEOLOGIZADOS estos cargadores»,
«El esterotipo del garca. Llevado a nivel de caricatura. Q impunes q se sienten!»,
«La impunidad es hasta que los empiecen a cag4r a tromoadas por la calle.»,
«Muy buena la charla Berco queridoo!!!
seguilo invitando por favor, quedo desnudo, cuando se la veia negra \»ese tema queda para otra vuelta\», \» de eso no hablo\» .»,
«Basura»,
«😂queda claro que siempre lo mismo: necesidad de vivienda: alegría del financista..»,
«Y obvio si ellos están de fiesta.»,
«o está en su realidad, o te miente sin pudor alguno.»,
«Le bajas mucho el nivel al programa invitando invitando este pelotudo berco»,
«Un tiro en la frente»,
«A bercovich❗»,
«❤️ recuerden que ustedes son la agrupación amor»,
« @Oscargonza64 ahora reclaman amor ustedes…que reprimen chicos discapacitados…por suerte ya te queda poco»,
«Este no es el que estuvo PRESO? que manera de sumar apoyo de Delincuentes este Gobierno eh»,
«😂😂 el KÍSNERISMO no❓🤫»,
«Good termo !!! Que HDP…»,
«Este guzman es un ignorante ,un necio un tipo que no ve la realidad ,el solo vé su negocio sucio»,
«LOS CORRUPTOS DE LA DERECHA…,ESTAN LIBRES…, COMO ESTE….!!!»,
«Por suerte los corruptos de la izquierda ya tienen tobillera 😂😂😂»,
« @alejandrom4347 ESTE ES UNO DE LOS QUE TENDRIA QUE ESTAR PRESO…, JUNTO CON CAPUTO.., STUGENEZZER.., MACRI…, Y TODA LA BANDA DE MAFIOSOS…DE VERDAD….!!! CUANDO VOLVAMOS EN EL 2027…, TODOSXESTOS TIENEN QUE TERMINAR…,PRESOS…!!! Y POR SUPUESTO..,VAMOS A LIBERAR A CRISTINA…!!! CON ESTOS MAFIOSOS…NO HAY QUE TENER…COMPASION….!!!»,
» @owitt1308 los mafiosos 😂😂😂😂😂😂 y los kirchneristas son tan honestos 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«BERCO…,NO LE DES ENTIDAD…A ESTE TIPO…, ES REPRESENTAE…DE LOS CORRUOTOS…!!!»,
«Aprende a escribir KUKA»,
« @andresdellabella8723 VOS DE CORRUPTOS…, SE VE QUE SABES MUCHO….!!!»,
«MARTINO .. ERRORES NO FORZADOS ? SE PUEDE SER TAN PELOTUDO?»,
«Que desastre ese tipo negacionista,
Cuanto odio
HSBC BANCO FUGADOR
INCENDIO LOS ARCHIVOS DE ELLOS EN MOUNTAIN»,
«UN SANGANO DE EMPRESARIO … ASCO DE EMPRESARIO … ESPERO QUE SUS HIJOS NO VUELVAN NUNCA MAS AL PAIS»,
«GRACIAS A CRISTINA …Y…KICILOFF…, TENEMOS YPF…Y…VACA MUERTA….!!!! DEJA DE HABLAR….BOLUDECES….!!!!»,
«ESTE CARADURA…., CRITICA A GUZAMAN….!!!! …Y LE TOCO…A GUZMAN…, REFINANCIAR…,EL MUERTO…QUE LE DEJO…,CAPUTO, STUGENEZZER.., MACRI….!!!!»,
«A Gusman no le tocó refinanciar nada. Fué a refinanciar porque quiso. No había ninguna razón para refinanciar, más que gastarse la plata en lugar de pagar las deudas. Y encima que negoció en la refinanciación? Que esa deuda le iba a caer en su mayoría al gobierno que le seguía, o sea, al actual.»,
« @damiandmn Por eso esta Caputo..con el..IMBECIL..MILEI…?? Porque esta pagando la deuda que generó el…., con Stugenezer y con Macri….!!!…»,
«Que chanta.»,
«Este sujeto despreciable ,hace guita con la sangre y lagrimas del pueblo argentino ,y esto gracias a la ayuda del pervertido de milei»,
«Reverendisimo H de Y, Ale, te envidio el estómago para no trompearlo»,
«Este tipejo vive en un termo»,
«Este Señor es muy claro en lo que dice… Y ojalá lo escuche mucha gente… Ya que para mi, el problema que tiene Argentina, pero por lejos, el más grande; aclaro porque Argentina tiene muchos problemas, pero enserio, el más grande, es: que el capital esté en manos de gente como este señor… Un crapula…!!!!»,
«Es un asco»,
«Terrible sorete»,
«Piedad Berco. Con tipos como este hacerla más corta. Entre mentira y contradicciones se nos va el tiempo.»,
«es bastante facil hablar cuando nunca pasaste necesidad. me gusta que se saca datos del 0rt0 como 1000EY!»,
«ESTE PERSONAJE…, FUE EL CEO EN ARGENTINA DEL HSBC…, EL BANCO MAS LAVADOR DE DOLARES…EN EL PLANETA….!!!.., CON MACRI…,ESTUVO A CARGO DE LA UIF…., JUSTAMENTE EL ENTE QUE CONTROLA EL LAVADO DE DINERO….!!!.UN …DELINCUENTE…!!! …CUANTO ESTE TIPO…,HABLA DE …\» LA GENTE…GANA MAS EN DOLARES\»…, HABLA DE MENOS DEL 5% DE LA GENTE….!!!»,
«Este pelotudo cree que los kirchneristos han echo buen gobierno ROBRNDO no los elegimos para que roben porque le roban a la PATRIA»,
«Son solo impresiones que tenés porque estás intoxicado por las narrativas izquierdistas.»,
«Este va a financiar la campaña del ponzidente Milei.»,
«La que consume este pibe es muy loco… Como te como te pinturria la realidad…
Un cara dura…!!!»,
«Quién es este mencho?»,
«Créditos hipotecarios en dólares ???😢 Los únicos felices con Milei son los financistas 😅»,
«Qué buena entrevista! Da para entender, no para justificar, como piensa esta gente. En lo personal, prefiero otro modelo, al de estos tipos no accedo ni para una carpa para 2 personas 👥»,
«Exacto. Así piensan y así gobiernan.»,
«Grande berco ….!!!!!!»,
«Que asco me da este Gabriel Martino!!!»,
«Este tipo donde vive????»,
«Vive de la nuestra, lo SUBVENCIÓNAN Y LO SUBSIDIAMOS CON LA NUESTRA.POR ESO QUIEREN ES GOBIERNO!!»,
«Dios mio!!! Solo clase alta y media alta. Solo ellos tienen derecho a tener una vivienda.»,
«Tipico de persona de derecha, critica lo de la expopiación de YPF y después dice menos mal que con Vaca Muerta subieron las exportaciones….. ellos muy campantes no ven la contradicción en eso… Y elogiar a Caputo como alguien que hace las cosas bien ya es indefendible… nos endeudó por 70 mil millones solo con el FMI y en menos de 6 años…»,
«Cambio de consumo por bien durable 😂😂😂😂 no como para comprarme un auto, es un ideota»,
«Ahora tenés la posibilidad de comprarte un bm! 😆»,
«@francoestrubia6503no escuchaste al otro que antes le quemaba los pesos y se compraba 200 pares de Zapatillas y ahora se compra un auto o una Casa! Como pueden creerles esas cosas?»,
«Qué sesgado este garca. Son todos iguales de cagadores, este y Caputo se pueden ir de la mano.»,
«Un millonario Hablando de Barato! 😂😂😂😂 infumable lo delirante que es este tipo… muy en su burbuja Ricachona.»,
«Hablo, mejor dicho escribio la envidia. FIN»,
« @DanielJerez-s9k Si si si inventate otra cosa! Envidia? Naa no se puede envidiar a un decerebrado que tiene como Dios al Dinero.»,
«Está fuera de realidad igual que los que gobiernan»,
«UFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF TREMENDO PELOTUDO…
BUENO NO, ES OTRA COSA.»,
«Este pedante que habla con la papa en la boca no representa a nadie, habla de un país que desea en 1% de millonarios que no laburan.»,
«Mis respetos Bercovich. Me gusto el debate aunque no comparto la mirada de Martino la respeto, es su punto de vista.»,
«Habla por si solo de la energía. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la \»estabilidad política\». Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la dictadura. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema.
No para de recular en chancletas el gilastrun este»,
«Así que los K fueron todos un desastre de corrupción, el actual es gobierno normal y lo Adorni fue un \»error no forzado\». Jajajja, qué es Argentina? Un partido de tenis? Y ni empecemos con esta visión de ver el país desde arriba (lo importante es que sus hijos pudientes les guste la derecha, los trabajadores que se están endeudando no importan).»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET \»Miles de millones de dólares\». Ni en los terrenos patagónicos ni en Seycheles los encontraron.»,
« @LELElelec que ingenuo jaja. Como si alguna ves vas a encontrar algo. Tuvieron años para esconderlo. Muy ingenuo lo tuyo. En todas las causas quedo despues de agotar todas las instancias culpable. Y eso que los jueces los puso el peronismo y son peronistas pero hay un punto donde ya era ridículo lo burdo de la estafa.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Buscalos vos entonces…mucha suerte»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Lo de las abuelitas que financiaron con 300 palos también es de ingenuo? Jajajajjaja»,
» @LELElelec Aunque no sean MILES, si son centenas de millones (SOLO Dañiel Muñoz el secretario de los K, tenia fideicomisos por 70 millones de usd, deptos en la gran mazana, miami, villa langostura, etc). LA hij 5 Millones de usd en la caja de seguridad y aca estan jodiendo por una casa o depto de 200/300 mil usd. final DEJAME DE JODER.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET los que jugaban al fútbol con Macri? Dónde te informas vos? En la peluquería?»,
«Y yo calculo que tambien depende del nivel de MAGNITUDES, y si robo dinero el propio presidente o si armo un esquema exclusivamente para robar, etc. TODO eso y mucho mas, se hizo durante los 16 años K, en mayor o menor medida siempre habia curros»,
«Este hombre habla de un grupo selecto de personas… que camine la calle!!»,
«Me cansó…»,
«Esta es la burguesía que nos tocó y explica buena parte de los problemas que tenemos. Los dirigentes tampoco ayudan, claro.»,
«no ayudan no, son parte!!»,
«Los oligarkas q se hicieron millonarios con la Tushhha .Son les KukEs»,
«la casta en estado puro, el hsbc fue el peor banco de la historia en la argentina no se con q autoridad habla»,
«\»No me gusta el señalamiento\» pero el señala a los k y no soy kirschnerista…es una mierda de tipo»,
«El problema es que nos los cagan a trompadas como se merecen.»,
» @alvarobertolo2214 y los votan»,
«Lo peor de todo que fue y supongo que es un tipo con preeminencia en el sistema de …que estamos. Otro entre tantos que hay que sacar del sitio de las decisiones»,
«😂😂😂😂😂😂 son épocas difíciles para que los KUKA»,
«¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Por qué Berco invita a fantasmones como este?????????????????»,
«Mmmmmm…huele a mierda. Oportunistas. EN DOLARES…???. La moneda de los colonizadores tira bombas dueños de la maquinista.»,
«ALTO GARCA este muchacho…quisiera ver las tasas que cobra…»,
«Qué flor de chanta con todas las letras!»,
«este flaco es como un vendedor de autos usados… puro chamuyo»,
«Claro que no quieren la pobre democracia que tenemos. Quieren una autocracia\\dictadura porque la quieren toda para ellos. Odian lo nacional y lo popular, que somos mayoría. Los data center no generan empleo…gracias berco por exponerlo!»,
«Cuando se preguntan, quien sostiene a este loco como presidente ??? Ya ven quienes lo apoyan como este pseudo empresario que quiere que Argentina sea un pais de servicios y no industrial y no se le movio un pelo, el pais del salvense quien pueda…..»,
«Y que puede decir este delincuente.»,
«Por fin habla alguien que sabe de economía»,
«Creo que cortaron la parte, solo veo a martino, que de economía sabe menos que un almacenero.»,
«GARCA»,
«este tipo estuvo Condenado a 15 años por lavado de guita es un Delincuente»,
«No entiendo porque ese modo de expresarse..\» un pasante que solo fue ayudante de cátedra\» , más allá si te gustó o no su gestión.»,
«Porque es gente muy bruta, su argumental se reduce a eso.»,
«Otra vez lo entrevistas a este gil de goma? Para dejarlo expuesto supongo. Si Guzmán fue un desastre por lo menos se fue rápido. Imagínense ocho años de Milei adonde vamos a terminar está en pedo. La nota ni la quiero escuchar este es una máquina de hacer guita nomás lo felicito pero que no opine. Mira Milei era opinólogo y el bardo que esta haciendo»,
«Alejandro yo tampoco la escuché ,en realidad unos segundos ,garza importante»,
«No lo felicites, que sin el kirchnerismo seguía vendiendo ballenitas este mamarracho.»,
«Es un chanta éste personaje!!!!»,
«El salario en dolares ha crecido? esta loco el docente seguro que no»,
«Cuanto ganaba en 2023 vs ahora y vemos los números. Porque ustedes son 100% relatos»,
» @alejandrom4347 Con el último de cristina, el triple en dólares el salario promedio. De hecho, no sé si en pandemia llegó a estar tan por el piso como ahora. El que dependa de insumos importados te va a querer cagar a trompadas, ni hablar.»,
«@francoestrubia6503 el ultimo de cristina fue el del titere fernandez, poné datos, no relatos.»,
«Ale, mis felicitaciones por ser un señor y no saltarle a la yogular a este chanta impresentable. gran manera de preguntar y dejarlo en evidencia cuando el temita del gasoducto!!! jaja»,
«Fua! Que pedazo de sorete. No? Gracias Berco por exponerlo.»,
«Es un caradura.»,
«Dios mío»,
«Dígase \»la gente\» el 5% de los Argentinos. Eso deberían aclarar.»,
«Naa no es el 5%. Es bastante mas. Lo que pasa que hay un 40/50% de la población que es clase mediabaja que la sufre.»,
«Y la izquierda hace rato que dice \»el pueblo trabajador que representamos\» y no llegan ni al 3%.»,
« @andres.giacomini Exacto. Al pueblo trabajador lo representa el peronismo. Jaque mate.»,
« @jimmypatin1240 ya no…se olvidaron que perdieron las elecciones?»,
» @jimmypatin1240 Claro por eso hay 70% anti peronismo no? Si lo representara el pueblo, lo habria votado en mayoria las ultimas 4 elecciones, paso, generales, ballotage, legislativas, no paran de perder.»,
«Ahh, un impresentable por donde lo mires.»,
«Es despreciable»,
«Peroncho»,
» @julianormond373 Nunca; pero si se ve que sos medio nabo.»,
«EL CONDUCTOR ES ASI LAMENTABLE»,
» @claudiotepongo1894 Hablo del entrevistado……»,
«Más soberbio que usted! Mamita querida!! Caputo salió super mal del gobierno de macri y ahora mienten porque la realidad es otra cosa!! Bájate del avión y camina la calle!!»,
«Ale… Este es un chanta.»,
«El KÍSNERISMO ❓»,
«Es mileistano te das cuenta»,
«Todo un chanta»,
«Sería bueno saber de quien habla. Mi hijo esta haciendo su residencia en medicina. Cobra 900 mil y el alquiler 850 mil (en Cordoba), lo tenemos que ayudar porque no le alcanza. Imposible pensar en comprar una propiedad. El consumo bajo, Argentina esta mas caro que en España. De que sector habla? que llegan a Argentina y encuentran el pais tan accesible.»,
«Totalmente de acuerdo. No es sólo que la inflación sigue en niveles altos (más altos que los que tenía Guzmán) y los alquileres y servicios siguen aumentando de forma brusca, sino que los salarios se desplomaron. Comer un asado es un lujo. Acá en Gesell se ve la miseria y el resultado de un verano similar al anterior pero con mucho menos gasto. El otro día se me acercó un churrero pidiéndome entre lágrimas e impotencia que le compre 1/2 docena. No lo ví nunca. Es indibujable la realidad.»,
«Acá te das cuenta que viven en Narnia. Un país pensado primordialmente para y por los del poder económico.»,
» @LELElelecMe da asco y vergüenza.»,
«Que raro q en 16 años de kirchnerismo suizo no pudieron comprar un departamento al nene🤡🤡🤡»,
«Yo soy médico especialista desde 2009. Nunca cobré por la residencia ni un peso. Nunca tuve ni aguinaldo ni vacaciones pagas ni art, y fué durante el supuesto gobierno para todos ✌️»,
« @julianormond373 en que hospital trabajabas en 2009?»,
« @julianormond373 Viste, ese es el problema de financiar universidades públicas. Bastaaaaaaaa de médicos de la pública, que todos egresar de las privadas. Al igual que el resto de profesionales, el chorros de Peron cometió el error al quitar el arancelamiento.»,
«850 mil en córdoba ??? Vive en un piso en plaza España?? . Estos kukitas inventando 😂»,
« @rodriotero1559 un piso sale tan barato en córdoba? Permitime dudar»,
«Mas caro que España? JA, un alquiler en pleno centro de Barcelona o Madrid, no baja el monoambiente de 1000 euros, o sea 1.7 millon, aca tu hijo paga 850.000 y estoy seguro que podria alquilar por 600 lucas. y menos tambien.»,
«1 millón de pesos el alquiler en Cordoba? Pero qué alquila el pibe ese? Jajajajaja»,
«Hablá solo mentira, y para una sola clase….me dan asco»,
«Ex banquero. Delincuente»,
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Nunca colocan al ambiente en su «planilla»
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBJgJlPrJo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=es&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=800&h=450]Siempre me quedo pensando ¿quién está loco? Los CEOs, los que hablan de economía, nunca colocan en su planilla al ambiente! Si lo hicieran sería más difícil justificar que su modelo pasa por más extracción y más destrucción! Por eso ni lo nombran o, a lo sumo, te ponen crecimiento sustentable sabiendo que eso no existe!
¿ Para qué llevar a ese tipo a un programa de radio? Supongo que Bercovich comparte con él todo su panorama sobre extracción a través del fracking, de la minería, del litio y así siguiendo…No pueden colocar en su excel al ambiente, si lo hicieran verían que es un camino de muerteAlgunos de los comentarios (donde tampoco hablan del ambiente como variable!)
#bercovich #economía #fracking #litio #martino #soja #vacaMuerta«Estos tipos son los impulsan la reforma laboral 🤬. Berco te admiro….»,
«La guerrilla no empezó con Isabel,empezó con Onganía
y se agrando con Lanusse!!
Por eso trajeron a Perón
para que el general haga algo!! Y no pudo..taba
viejito y enfermo!
Si hubiese estado sano
viejo y todo hubiese hecho
cosas mejores para la sociedad en su conjunto
Que los asesinos miserables
que vinieron en el 76!!»,
«Y pero no dijo nada nuevo,si se sabe q si otro gobierno gana se derrumba la argentina,la gente no es idiota obvio van a votar a milei,,o que pretenden que voten a Kicillof con el desastre que es la provincia»,
«Que paja escuchar a la burguesía de este país entrampada en discusiones ideológicas. Me quedó claro que no tienen absolutamente nada que ofrecer. Algún día dejarán de ser gobierno (en todas sus variantes)»,
«Excelente entrevista. Existen estos tipos . 😢»,
«Te dan créditos en dólares y se te quedan con lo que compraste . Gran negocio para este Sr.»,
«que mal que envejeció esto en dos días jajajaja hablando mal de la reestatización de YPF. Que burro este hombre!!»,
«\»Lisa, hija… los vampiros son seres inventados. Como los duendes, los gremlins y los esquimales.\»»,
«Dijo \»yo no defiendo ni a Caputto ni a Guzman\» pero con el que se sienta a tomar cafe es con Caputto….que se yo»,
«Muy trucho este personaje. No sé para que le dan micrófono»,
«Dice que los servicios no subieron fuerte en el interior? Jajajaja gente salgan de la Gral. Paz»,
«Brillante este señor, le puso a la tapa a este periodista militante defensor de los más Areces delitos economico – sociales y Morales de la historia de nuestro pais»,
«No aguantae ni 2 minutos, a esta gente le falta un baño de realidad urgente»,
«Carnero HDRMP. ojalá q lo tengas a Nilei de vecino.»,
«Guzman, hizo la reorganización que pudo . el desastre lo hizo MM con 50 mil MM y Milei con 25 mil MM.»,
«Nunca en mi vida vi un sorete rojo como este empresario. Berko lo humilló!!! Cada estupidez que decía y berko le tiraba datos, el sorete rojo (imposibilitado de argumentar) decía ese tema lo hablamos otro día. Jajaja qué sorete rojo de vergüenza!!!! Son así!!! Son tan pero tan pobres que lo único que tienen es plata!!!»,
«Amigo vos tenías un vice que puede justicar de dónde saco su fortuna ( causas cuadernos , los hoteles , el piisito del NY del secretario , 58 000.millones USD ) háganse cargo»,
«Kuka.el problema no es la democracia sino la continuidad de política. Caputo no tiene más inflación q Guzmán .Guzmán se con 70 en el último año»,
«Que se quede el y sus hijos afuera del país. No los necesitamos . sobran!!!»,
«Me hizo mal cardiológicamente escuchar a este tipo!! No hay que darle micrófono anesta runfla»,
«Si tenés un invitado escúchalo. Y si piensa distinto no lo ataques. Solo dijo verdades. Que no te gusten es otra cosa»,
«A Martino lo \»amaron\» de parado. Fin.»,
«Estas son laa cosas que violentan a la gente de a pie. Sos boludo flaco? Desde 2011 que no creces y subsidiaste al maximo, jubilaste sin ingresos. Insultas la inteligencia de las personas de a pie. Por eso cada vez son menos y menos. Nunca mas que? Digan la verdad. No fueron 30000. Preguntale a Labraña quien invento ese numero insultador de gente comun!»,
«El sector inmobiliario√ y el bancario de créditos hipotecas que son el pilar de una economía fueron borrados por el kirchnerismo en 2010✓ Salvo el UVA de Macri todo fue en contra de este sector✓ Que tiene un déficit de 9.000.000 de viviendas pero el estado regala terrenos y departamentos a extranjeros con la nuestra y no te bajan impuestos√ Chile√ Uruguay√ Brasil✓ tienen un 90 % de créditos otorgados para vivienda acá gracias a Milei✓ apenas el 5%>Si terminaríamos para siempre con el marxismo populismo..tenemos..un 2000% de techo para crecer√ E una fortuna si hay estabilidad inversión privada y otra mentalidad que la zurdo garca chorro sanguijuela indispueSto alimentado a sobre✓ y con Audi encima estos progresoretes traidores✓»,
«Bercovich en vez de escuchar al entrevistado quizo convertirlo al peronismo»,
«Bercovich es siempre y en todo momento, un pelotudo. Vive en un universo lleno de ideas estúpidas y el tipo tiene el poder de elegir siempre la mas estúpida. Que tipo pelotudo»,
«Jajaja kukas llorones impresentables»,
«Un capo el chavon y este vercovich un pelotudo como siempre»,
«Que malo sos berco»,
«Hay Milei para rato😮»,
«Es falaz que el salario en dólares haya crecido. Después de la devaluación que provocó Milei a dos días de asumir, en los números reales, el salario en dólares es el más bajo de los últimos 20 años.»,
«Lo banco tiene razón… Y el mercado es la gente»,
«Quién tiene más acceso a bienes durable?»,
«Esto no es una entrevista, es un acoso.
El periodista pasa de un tema a otro sin permitir explicarse al entrevistado.
Interrumpe constantemente y entra en debate.»,
«TOTALMENTE DE ACUERDO CON EL INVITADO. EL CONDUCTOR VIVE ATRASADO Y DESEA ESE ATRASO.»,
«Minuto 19:00 empieza hablemos sin saber de dos gorilas uno le pinta subirse a la nube de izquierda y el otro a la nube de la izquierda. Los une el antiperonismo y por eso Kicillof no es peronista si lo fuera berko estaría en contra y no lo sacaría como opcion electoral 2027, recuerden que Kicillof fue opocitor a Néstor Kirchner.»,
«Un groso, tipo inteligente»,
«Cuanto se perdió al privatizar YPF .
No se produção y tivemos q importar gás y petróleo eso no se cuenta pq no semana estás perdidas.»,
«Muy bien Ale por traer a la mesa gente diversa. Lo más valioso es EXPONERLOS.»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro, no hay forma de comprar un depto en blanco para el 90% del pais. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
«a los K no les sirven los ricos que no sean ellos mismos, mantener la gente empobrecida y dependiente de planes es su estrategia, una manga de ladrones del primero al ultimo»,
«el Zurdito.. defendiendo a los TERRORISTAS / ASESINOS de los 70….»,
«Me parece que el periodista solo hace pregunta direccionales . Y no son solo pregunta. 🤔»,
«Un zurdo es un ser muy dañino»,
«No fueron 30mil y fueron Asesinos y Cobardes»,
«Alta domada le dieron al periodista kuka»,
«PD2 y me gustan estos contrapuntos porque Ale los lleva a encerrarse solitos.Solito dice cosas que son icoherentes, y falaces. Pero está bueno saber que piensa, y dejarlo que hable y que quede expuesto»,
«PD me hizo reir el que escribe (y borra) el sócalo, un capo»,
«Me encantan estos contrapuntos. Sos de los pocos que admiro Ale, sin idealizar a nadie, pero me encanta tu optica y tu forma de encarar cada entrevista»,
«🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💯💯❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💜💜❤❤❤»,
«No entiendo como bercovich puede invitar al programa a gente asi….lo vi en vivo….inaudito la verdd este tipo. Viven en una nube de pedos.»,
«Los precios en Bs As están baratos 😂😂😂😂 dijo 🤡🤡 como será de barato que a mi hijo le convenía irse a estudiar a Paris antes que a CABA y fue lo que hicimos desde ya ✈️✈️»,
«Imposible debatir con un zurdo… una lástima perder una charla con martino cuando en lugar de un periodista tenés a un militante peronista… tienen su manual de adoctrinamiento y no se salen de ahí…»,
«Gracias pero me quedé sin reliveran .. que se lo fume otro a este personaje nefasto»,
«👏👏👏»,
«Educando a zurdos se llama»,
«Muy buena entrevista.👏👏👏. Ojalá los socialistas, marxistas o comunistas escuchen y reflexionen sobre sus ideologías dañinas.»,
«Buenas entrevista???De verdad???
Sali, no vivas en un CUADRADO como este TIPO!!!»,
«Che es el de la FAMILIA DE CAPUTO!!!»,
«Martino los paseo en chota y meada»,
«EXELENTE 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇦🇷💪🏻🦁🪿🗳️ JAVIER MÍLEI»,
«Caputo tiene un jefe.. que es el presidente… Si el presidente abogado que es de izquierda o centro.. son tibios y no hacen las cosas que hay que hacer para solucionar los problemas de raíz.. por tanto guiará a su ministro de economía a hacer cosas que solamente parecen buenas…
En cambio ahora tenemos un presidente que es economista y tiene mucho más claro como solucionar el problema de raíz.. por más que haya momentos difíciles.. pero vamos por buen camino.. por eso el accionar de Caputo es y será distinto con distintos jefes..»,
«El discurso de que la gente dejó de comprar pan, leche y carne para comprar electrodomésticos, autos y casas es insultante. Cuando hay millonarios defendiendo tan ardientemente a un gobierno es evidente que se benefician»,
«Gracias por venir, fue un asco escucharte»,
«Muy lindo reportaje , lastima el zurdo de bercovich, que no es ciego es un mercenario, osea pago»,
«Para este personaje ser de clase media baja es tener un trabajo bien pago con los derechos que su gobierno quiere destruir»,
«Inmensa burbuja en la que vive Martino, sostenida por sus millones que lo alejan de la realidad.»,
«Cuando se va del país???»,
«En la década del 60 empezó la guerrilla, el conductor no sabe escuchar y quiere aplicar su ideología sin escuchar al invitado,»,
«Existio una guerra»,
«Muy bien que venga a hablar de visitante. Más allá de lo que piensa, cometió a mi entender un gran error. Dijo \»La Argentina es un mercado\», no, no. Argentina es un país. A partir de esa mirada, el resto ya no importa.»,
«Este engendro es un ejemplo clásico del por qué la argentina no puede salir de sus propias trampas.»,
«Ale, tenés que citar a gente seria. 🙏»,
«Este es un verdadero chanta…»,
«Esta gente está tan sesgada por el individualismo que no puede pensar en un proyecto común. Lo único que les preocupa es amarrocar más riqueza personal.»,
«La vida es así. Sos libre de enrolarte en la iglesia. Hay muchas.»,
«No siempre todos los soretes tienen olor . Ojaime»,
«Dice que es para clase media, media baja o media. En que pais vive? Desaparecio la clase media, el poder adquisitivo por el piso. Lo unico barato en este pais son los sueldos. El salario en dolares subio, dice que la gente ahorra. Preguntenle a un jubilado, a cualquier trabajador y vean que dice. Trabaja con hipotecas, negocio directo»,
«Tremenda domada al surdo de berkovic»,
«Esta es la burguesía argentina. Por eso ya no producen élites nativas, son tipos que no viven en el país, no tienen ninguna vinculación con el devenir del pueblo argentino. Son muy playos, están en un \»cumpleaños\», como la nobleza rusa en 1917. Lamentablemente no tenemos un Lenin que los derive al basurero de la historia. No obstante la lucha de clases es anterior al capitalismo, vamos a ver cómo se reconfigura en los próximos años»,
«Jajajajja el Amigo que vivia en Israel y Ny….culiaooooo mas vale que le va resultar barato»,
«Excelente intervención periodistica Alle❤»,
«La gente no tiene para comer como no hay en la plataforma libertad de expresión no puedo decir lo que haría con esta 🗑️ basura»,
«Que mal periodista, no dejó al entrevistado responder a ninguna de las preguntas que él mismo hizo. Mucha paciencia el entrevistado»,
«Cuál es el chiste? le escupiste el café?»,
«Berco dijo que era simpatizante de Milei y fue lo necesario para sacar el video..»,
«Siempre inviertiendo en el país,dice…
Y construye en Montevideo y Punta del Este.»,
«Te la re pusieron Berco»,
«Estos oligarcas q no tienen idea de cómo se vive con los dos mangos de salario q cobra la gente. Son la podredumbre de este país. Viven en realidades paralelas.»,
«Encontré un resentido fracasado ‼️ Tenés que ir a vivir a Cuba ❓»,
«Pero de que país habla este viejo? Yo cobro 1.200 millones y no puedo vivir !!»,
«Que chata este tipo, un garca por donde lo mires. Muy buena entrevista Berco gracias.»,
«\» este muchacho \» usted se tiene que arrepentir de lo que dijo de la cabra Fernández»,
«Claro que destruyó todo este Guzmán»,
«Garca: una de las cosas que caracterizan a cualquier país „normal“, como decís, es que ninguno tiene un presidente ignorante, bruto, corrupto, indecente, mentiroso, estafador, ladrón, psiquiátrico desquiciado, violento, irresponsable y mil veces más ocupado en defender los intereses de Estados Unidos y de Israel que los de su propio país. Entendiste? Y? Berco, no se te ocurrió a vos eso? Mirá que el periodista sos vos, no yo que vivo en Alemania y me dedico a cualquier cosa menos al periodismo. Tenés que ponerte las pilas. Le dejas pasar esa mentira barata, despreciable de decir que AHORA la Argentina es un país normal???? En serio, Berco???? Pero claro, por eso a este tipo le encanta venir a dialogar con vos.»,
«O sea que lo que hay que hacer es destruir por completo el estado como hizo China, Alemania, Holanda, Francia, Canadá, Australia y Suecia.»,
«Nueve Reinas parece como chamuya.»,
«Que miedo este tipo y todo lo que representa»,
«Hay que decir que Bercovich le da lugar a este tipo y no a Eduardo Sartelli.
Tenenbaum y su equipo reflexionando y disertando sobre eutanasia. Manguel justificando el genocidio en Gaza. En fin. Radio Con Vos.»,
«Este hdddp le dice soberbio a Guzmán pero no a Caputo ni a Sturzenegger ni a Milei. Son tremendamente caraduras estos tipos. No tienen NINGUNA vergüenza. Dan ganas de vomitar escucharlos. SOBERBIO le dice. Caputo y Milei, tipos sencillos, modestos, profesionales que solo hacen su trabajo. Reliveran urgente!!!!!»,
«Pero no da UN fundamento, es pura opinión, POR QUÉ prefiere todo eso??? Pura declamación.»,
«Me recuerda al corrupto Demian Reidel y también a colaboradores de Tony Soprano.»,
«Una semana antes de la huída de De la Rúa podías encontrar a cientos de garcas hablando como este GARCA( valga la redundancia)»,
«Le prestás guita a este individuo?»,
«FUERA MILEI, ESTA LOCO»,
«la nota es antes del fallo de la justicia gringa que le dio la razón a kicillof»,
«No discutas más!!! Es imposible hablar con esta gente!!! No perdamos más el tiempo!!!! Estos pibes son mediocres con poder. Pongamos la energía en seguir mejorando el país y estos pibes desaparecen solos. No los escucha nadie!!!»,
«Créditos en dólares para la vivienda , poder adquisitivo sustentable , pais para invertir … ???? de qué pais habla este charlatan …»,
«Pero para qué le dan micrófono a este parásito que seguro se llena de guita con créditos del estado? Me juego mi capital a que este tipo se llenó de guita gracias al Estado. Y lo único que le importa son los empresarios, no habla de salarios, no habla de solucionar la pobreza. A quien le importa lo que opine un garca así??»,
«Crack,dijo todo lo que pienso»,
«Solo tu educación y profesionalismo puede soportar a semejante gorila. Un auténtico ejemplo de como estos tipos de hacen millonarios explotando gente. Te felicito Berco, yo lo hubiera acogotado. ✌️🇦🇷✌️»,
«Me encantó Berco, le entraron todas las balas, igual el ni se enteró, pero esta entrevista de ninguna manera ayudó a la imagen de Martino y mucho menos a sus ideas.»,
«Estos son los forros que dejan al pais como esta»,
«Grande berco. Estos hay q invitarlos a charlar y dejarlos en evidencia. Con altura como haces vos.»,
«No termine de escuchar la entrevista, pero Bercovich es más duro con cualquiera de centro izquierda que se permite, por ejemplo, apoyar aspectos de la reforma laboral, que con uno de \»los dueños de la argentina\».»,
«Este está reclamando la vocería presidencial…😅»,
«Bercovich es tremendo hipócrita, al igual que R. Sietecase, M. Montenegro, C. Burgueño y E. Tenembaum.»,
«A ver . . . si entiende Bercovich o se va a seguir haciendo distraído. El mercado (y el lo sabe muy bien) gestiona riesgo, y ante la posibilidad de que llegue al gobierno un zurdo filo comunista, retira sus fichas, es decir, asigna mayor riesgo de incobrabilidad de deudas, expropiaciones, etc . . . son las reglas de juego del mundo capitalista como de la democracia, si a bercovich le gusta el durazno que se aguante la pelusa, si a Bercovich le gustan los dirigentes filo comunistas, que se banque tener un riesgo pais del 2000% , 60 % de pobreza infantil y que nadie le desee prestar dinero, como ocurrio en los gobiernos Kirchneristas, gobiernos que Bercovich defendio a capa y espada.
Yo , en lo personal y para mi familia no quiero nada de eso, es decir, yo quiero #MILEI2027 y #VLLC !!! y al que no le guste que se arme un partido politico y vaya a elecciones, pero que despues no se quejen de la peluza del durazno.»,
«Como pueden seguir diciendo que la peor decisión de Kicillof fue estatizar YPF cuando es de lo poco que está manteniendo el país a flote (sobre todo de la perspectiva de ellos mismos)»,
«Completó el álbum de figuritas G.A.R.C.A. con la teoría de los dos demonios»,
«Me encanta como Bercovich se hace el desentendido de lo desastrosas gestiones tanto de Martin Guzman como de Axel Kicillof cuando estuvieron a cargo del ministerio de economia, recordar que Bercovich es economista graduado de la UBA . . . . Pero que va, nada bueno se puede esperar de un economista filo comunista como Bercovich.»,
«Este pelotudo hizo guita con los kirchner y ahora tenemos que fumarlo diciendo que tu salario está altísimo en dólares y el riesgo kuka hasta abajo de la cama. Donde lo auditás está más sucio que una papa.»,
«Esta persona contribullo a la fuga de MILES DE MILLONES de dólares del pais via HSBC.
Sólo en Argentina, luego tal crimenz, alguien donde está calaña puede pasearse por los medios con impunidad
Triste»,
«Preguntale por la causa del HSBC… mamita… \»De acuerdo a la acusación, los integrantes del directorio del HSBC Bank Argentina, en connivencia con las sedes de Suiza y Estados Unidos, “habrían organizado su desarrollo empresarial de manera tal de habilitar un medio paralelo, clandestino y antirreglamentario de actividad bancaria, destinado a canalizar riquezas de determinados clientes de elite y a concretar operaciones en el extranjero, puntualmente en la Confederación Suiza, con lo cual se habría configurado un ámbito de administración de fondos significativos previamente ocultos a las autoridades nacionales de control, en particular la AFIP”.»,
«Empieza diciendo que subieron los salarios en dolares, y 3 mnutos despues te dice que el problema de los creditos en mora es por la \»caida del salario\»…»,
«El chiste se cuenta solo»,
«jajaj este payaso es millonario??? que carajo estamos haciendo como humanidad??? por qué permitimos que exista esa clase social?»,
«Me emcanta cómo Bercovich odia a todos los peronistas y tiene la mejor onda con los oligarcas. Típico trosko que maneja literalmente un Audi. Lo conozco desde la facultad y lamentablemente sigue siendo siempre el mismo.»,
«Son sectores diferentes, a vos te corresponde ir al sector más cabeza, ese que gusta de pelearse con troskos, donde tirás una marucha y no queda un solo peronista. Frente a los troskos, ninguno tiene altura moral para discutirles nada.»,
«Y si Milei gobierna para estos»,
«Si lo hace Adorni, son errores no forzados, si lo hizo el Kirchnerismo, es porque son unos chorros.»,
«Quien es este enfermo??»,
«Berco lo corrige y queda pedaleando en el aire»,
«Muy buenas preguntas de Berco»,
«¿ Guzmán hizo la peor reestructuracion ? No nos endeudó, dejó una ley para que le Congreso limite los préstamos. En cambio Caputo reestructuró endeudándonos y reendeudándonos… no entiendo mucho de economía, pero no hay sentido común que justifique eso.»,
«La única chance de que haya créditos hipotecarios accesibles es que vuelva el peronismo»,
«Si durante el ultimo gobierno peronista no hubo credito, de que hablas»,
«Y si este lavaba plata del narco con el HSBC, cómo no va a querer que este gobierno reelija?»,
«Que quere la LADRONA MAS GRANDE DEL MUNDO MUNDIAL no me hagan enojar.»,
«@D @DanielJerez-s9k qué tiene que ver con lo que dije yo?»,
«Cómo roban estos tipos que no le aportan nada a los argentinos de bien.»,
«Hay que dejar el pasado pero los ganadores son siempre los mismos, los elegidos del mercado»,
«Verco…xq llevas esta gente de mierda ?»,
«Un crack Martino»,
«crack hace la cartera donde la toca este delincuente poco instruido.»,
«Habría que preguntarle por la causa de evasión y lavado como directivo del Hsbc,denunciado por Afip.»,
«Un genio total Gabriel»,
«Un genio lavando guita en el hsbc decís?»,
«Este es un pelotudo q saca temas y después dice que no quiere hablar de eso. Que tipo infeliz.»,
«Dizque una guerra, memoria completa, y las bombas a la plaza de mayo, prescripción de Perón, eso no lo cuentan»,
«Habla de la entelequia denominada mercado, como si no fuesen un grupito de garcas especuladores.»,
«El mercado somos todos. Incluso vos y yo. Creer que el mercado son solo los especuladores de la bolsa, es ignorancia.»,
» @damiandmn seguramente el poder que tenes vos o yo es el mismo de los que manejan la bolsa y los mercados desde wall street»,
«O sea digamos que la puja entre oferta y demanda , el consumidor busca su propio beneficio o más bien es tipo contrato de adhesión? La solución es lo que sostenía la mamá de Lacha, camine señora, camine? Preguntale a Lacha como le va con la venta de fiambres. Somos todos libres e iguales en el mercado, en verdad lo crees? Salario en dolares creciendo y la carniceria vacía.»,
«Arreglar un país destruido por 20 años de populismo no se hace de un día para el otro…..»,
«Sin son garcas muchachis no veo que pidan por carceles o quidren slgo mas barato una soga con una bolsa de consorcio para no ensuciar el piso.»,
«Che, avísenle a este monigote, que se quede hablando de economía y finanzas (o que nisiquiera hable de eso), porque de la Historia Argentina sabe poco y nada.
19:50= \»la guerrilla empieza en el gobierno de Isabel Perón, la guerrilla no empieza antes…\»
¿Qué?
¡¡¿¿KKKHHEEEEEEEE???!!! O es un ignorante o es culiadazo mentiroso.
Para la novedad de este IGNORANTE: la guerrilla en la Argentina, tanto las de izquierda como las peronistas empiezan en 1970 (MIL NOVECIENTOS SETENTAAAA)
El acto fundacional de Montoneros fue el ajusticiamiento de Aramburu en mayo de 1970. Por las dudas aclaro y explico detalladamente algunas de los principales accionares de este sujeto que asaltó la Nación Argentina.
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu: ideológo junto con otras decenas de militares antiperonistas de los bombardeos de Plaza de Mayo, así como de ataques aéreos en otras ciudades como Córdoba; máxima figura de la llamada Revolución Libertadora, responsable del derrocamiento de Perón en 1955 y la instauración de la Proscripción del Peronismo, ideólogo de los fusilamientos de José León Suárez y el secuestro y vejación del cadáver de Evita)
Si este señor que se muestra tan hábil hablando de ministros de economía, de políticas de 100 años, de Democracia… pero no sabe la dimensión y cronología de los hechos históricos del país sobre el que pretende juzgar y criticar la economía, PUES NO LE CREO NADA.
Él es un extremista. Un extremista del Mercado. Y por culpa de su racionalidad del Mercado, la Argentina está podrida económicamente. Porque la manejan financieramente unos pares de multimillonarios presionando y haciendo lobby para que el país esté al servicio de ellos.
Es indignante, cómo han ganado poder estos pelotudos que se creen que conocen sobre el mundo, y son en el fondo, unos ventajistas y oportunistas gestores de estafas piramidales.
En donde la banca internacional y los financistas son los únicos que ganan. Una vergüenza. Les hemos dado el poder a los seres más macabros, cínicos y maquiavélicos que existen. Sólo se les cruza el billete por el cerebro. Pero no saben ni de política, ni de historia, ni de ecología, ni del clima, ni de la vida. Nos gobiernan ignorantes y elucubradores. Inútiles inservibles»,
«que sorete este tipo por favor»,
«Este tipo ocupó lugares directivos en finanzas bancarias? \»La gente aumentó sus ingresos en dólares y ahora puede comprar autos y otros bienes durables…….narnia chantunia argento»,
«Impresentable»,
«Lo blandito y obsecuente que resultó ser el triskito este. Parece que pasó un sobrecito por ahí»,
«No hizo falta que dijera más nada. En cada tema que traía, con una sola pregunta dejaba expuestas sus contradicciones, dobles varas y falacias. Gracias a que no se detuvo a discutir, pudimos ver que todo el andamiaje de argumentos son por lo menos ridículos. Quedó claro que lo único que le importa a él y al “mercado” es hacer guita fácil sin laburar»,
«cómo hacés para no irte de mano??? yo le parto la cara a los 5 minutos»,
«Justo es el pais que no quiere la mayoria, no queremos la mayoria un tipo como vos, que no tenga ni capacidad de escuchar al otro, de pensar distinto. Te juro que es tristisimo lo tuyo.»,
« @andres.giacomini Tristisimo es que defiendas un gobierno emprobecedor. Vos y este chantun del video»,
«Es tan delicada la situacion social del pais, tan detonados tenemos los cimientos culturales que al escuchar a este señor, seguramente un empresario mega exitoso,
solo siento ganas de llorar
Si las condiciones de nuestra coyuntura fuesen menos dramáticas, este personaje me causaría gracia.
Alguien podrá explicarme alguna vez porque este país produce tantos monstruos ?»,
«Berco como jodex presentado garcxs ,no ves que son una merda .»,
«lindo tipo este eh! quedate afuera de argentina papa, no te va a extrañar nadie»,
«Señor Gabriel Martino, elija un país para vivir y váyase a la mi3rda, déjenos construir el nuestro, lo queremos sin lacras como usted.»,
«Y este Martino, ¿tiene idea? ¿qué idea? ¿a quién responde este muchacho?»,
«Que ignorante, por Dios.»,
«trajo 15 temas a la charla y no pudo sostener uno… al final era todo en eso no me quiero meter jajajaja
un video para el olvido»,
«Wtf? Yo lo veo a Berco sin poder retrucar mucho.»,
» @andres.giacomini giaco seguis defendiendo a milei, caputo y adorni?? jajaja»,
« @gregorioarcaute6535 yo defiendo macroeconomía estable. Entiendan de una vez por todas que no interesan las personas si toman las decisiones correctas sensatas y no populistas/buenistas»,
«guzman un desastre dice…
logro una quita de intereses inaudito. justamente porque hasta el fondo sabia que se lo dieron por abajo de la mesa a macri para que se la fugaran los amigotes de caputo.
logro que se postergaran los pagos tambien lo cual era lo necesario para afrontar la post pandemia y encima todos tenedores aceptaron.
este flaco vive en otro planeta igual se nota que berco lo mira como diciendo: para q me voy a gastar en preguntarte jajajaja»,
«Guzmán se fue con menos inflación q la q tiene Milei en menos tiempo ….»,
«Primero dice que los sueldos subieron en dólares. Después dice que los sueldos bajaron y por eso hay deuda con los bancos. Va cambiando de acuerdo a la circunstancia.»,
«no mencionan ni borracho ladeuda que dejo macri,menemmilicos asesinos con guerra incluida,las privatizaciones que despues hubo que retornar como YPF ymuchas mas.EL PERONISMO CON CRISTINA EN 2015 DEJO AL PAIS SIN DUEDA Y CON MUY BAJA DESOCUPACION ,CONSALARIOS MAS ALTOS DE SUDAMERICA.NO SABEN COMO ESCONDER LA VERDAD…..»,
«La confirmación que necesitábamos de que Guzmán fue el mejor ministro que tuvimos desde Lavagna para acá. Este impresentable no fue capaz de dar un solo argumento para justificar su afirmación absurda»,
«Quien tiene acceso a un auto o a un inmueble. En qué realidad vive este señor?. Ah cierto, tiene mucho dinero. Hay que avisarle que la mayoría del pueblo no llega ni a fin de mes.»,
«Lo que es opinar sin entender absolutamente nada de la económia de los paises. Exceso de financierismo. Guzman dejo mejor herencia que la que van a dejar estos mamarrachos, que estan con mayor deuda pública en dolares y en pesos que no bajo prácticamente, la misma inflación de guzman, e inflación dolares record y en el medio se cargaron 10% del salario de trabajadores privados y 20% de los públicos ( para ser generosos.. si se actualiza la canasta para calculo de inflación de indec, la perdida es MAYOR)»,
«No hay que negar la realidad señor, guzman se fue en fracaso escondido en un auto con la capucha tapandose la cara. El peor final.»,
«AJAJAJAJAAJAJ mejor herencia? la Inflacion iba al 6% MENSUAL Con Guzman, perdiendo reservas y con un futuro poco prometedor y se vio con el resultado de Massa. Que ganas de decir boludeces eh.»,
«Que este señor al que le debe sobrar el dinero diga que es simpatizante de Milei no me sorprende. Pero… Un trabajador que tiene el sueldo pisado hace meses y que los servicios, el transporte, el alquiler, le aumenta no se entiende.
\»Esta vez el ajuste lo paga la casta\». Todavía no sé ve. Si se ve que lo pagaron: jubilados, discapacitados, profesionales de la salud, docentes.
Que vergüenza.»,
«😂😂😂😂»,
«Se dan de liberales y son fachos»,
«este tipo es uno de los miles de empresario que esquilman al pais y trabajadores…»,
«Jajajaja los kirchneristas se atragantaron con el choripan mirando esta entrevista 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«No creo, hoy en día el verdadero kuka está en el gobierno.»,
«Se la dan de racionales y son bien IDEOLOGIZADOS estos cargadores»,
«El esterotipo del garca. Llevado a nivel de caricatura. Q impunes q se sienten!»,
«La impunidad es hasta que los empiecen a cag4r a tromoadas por la calle.»,
«Muy buena la charla Berco queridoo!!!
seguilo invitando por favor, quedo desnudo, cuando se la veia negra \»ese tema queda para otra vuelta\», \» de eso no hablo\» .»,
«Basura»,
«😂queda claro que siempre lo mismo: necesidad de vivienda: alegría del financista..»,
«Y obvio si ellos están de fiesta.»,
«o está en su realidad, o te miente sin pudor alguno.»,
«Le bajas mucho el nivel al programa invitando invitando este pelotudo berco»,
«Un tiro en la frente»,
«A bercovich❗»,
«❤️ recuerden que ustedes son la agrupación amor»,
« @Oscargonza64 ahora reclaman amor ustedes…que reprimen chicos discapacitados…por suerte ya te queda poco»,
«Este no es el que estuvo PRESO? que manera de sumar apoyo de Delincuentes este Gobierno eh»,
«😂😂 el KÍSNERISMO no❓🤫»,
«Good termo !!! Que HDP…»,
«Este guzman es un ignorante ,un necio un tipo que no ve la realidad ,el solo vé su negocio sucio»,
«LOS CORRUPTOS DE LA DERECHA…,ESTAN LIBRES…, COMO ESTE….!!!»,
«Por suerte los corruptos de la izquierda ya tienen tobillera 😂😂😂»,
« @alejandrom4347 ESTE ES UNO DE LOS QUE TENDRIA QUE ESTAR PRESO…, JUNTO CON CAPUTO.., STUGENEZZER.., MACRI…, Y TODA LA BANDA DE MAFIOSOS…DE VERDAD….!!! CUANDO VOLVAMOS EN EL 2027…, TODOSXESTOS TIENEN QUE TERMINAR…,PRESOS…!!! Y POR SUPUESTO..,VAMOS A LIBERAR A CRISTINA…!!! CON ESTOS MAFIOSOS…NO HAY QUE TENER…COMPASION….!!!»,
» @owitt1308 los mafiosos 😂😂😂😂😂😂 y los kirchneristas son tan honestos 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«BERCO…,NO LE DES ENTIDAD…A ESTE TIPO…, ES REPRESENTAE…DE LOS CORRUOTOS…!!!»,
«Aprende a escribir KUKA»,
« @andresdellabella8723 VOS DE CORRUPTOS…, SE VE QUE SABES MUCHO….!!!»,
«MARTINO .. ERRORES NO FORZADOS ? SE PUEDE SER TAN PELOTUDO?»,
«Que desastre ese tipo negacionista,
Cuanto odio
HSBC BANCO FUGADOR
INCENDIO LOS ARCHIVOS DE ELLOS EN MOUNTAIN»,
«UN SANGANO DE EMPRESARIO … ASCO DE EMPRESARIO … ESPERO QUE SUS HIJOS NO VUELVAN NUNCA MAS AL PAIS»,
«GRACIAS A CRISTINA …Y…KICILOFF…, TENEMOS YPF…Y…VACA MUERTA….!!!! DEJA DE HABLAR….BOLUDECES….!!!!»,
«ESTE CARADURA…., CRITICA A GUZAMAN….!!!! …Y LE TOCO…A GUZMAN…, REFINANCIAR…,EL MUERTO…QUE LE DEJO…,CAPUTO, STUGENEZZER.., MACRI….!!!!»,
«A Gusman no le tocó refinanciar nada. Fué a refinanciar porque quiso. No había ninguna razón para refinanciar, más que gastarse la plata en lugar de pagar las deudas. Y encima que negoció en la refinanciación? Que esa deuda le iba a caer en su mayoría al gobierno que le seguía, o sea, al actual.»,
« @damiandmn Por eso esta Caputo..con el..IMBECIL..MILEI…?? Porque esta pagando la deuda que generó el…., con Stugenezer y con Macri….!!!…»,
«Que chanta.»,
«Este sujeto despreciable ,hace guita con la sangre y lagrimas del pueblo argentino ,y esto gracias a la ayuda del pervertido de milei»,
«Reverendisimo H de Y, Ale, te envidio el estómago para no trompearlo»,
«Este tipejo vive en un termo»,
«Este Señor es muy claro en lo que dice… Y ojalá lo escuche mucha gente… Ya que para mi, el problema que tiene Argentina, pero por lejos, el más grande; aclaro porque Argentina tiene muchos problemas, pero enserio, el más grande, es: que el capital esté en manos de gente como este señor… Un crapula…!!!!»,
«Es un asco»,
«Terrible sorete»,
«Piedad Berco. Con tipos como este hacerla más corta. Entre mentira y contradicciones se nos va el tiempo.»,
«es bastante facil hablar cuando nunca pasaste necesidad. me gusta que se saca datos del 0rt0 como 1000EY!»,
«ESTE PERSONAJE…, FUE EL CEO EN ARGENTINA DEL HSBC…, EL BANCO MAS LAVADOR DE DOLARES…EN EL PLANETA….!!!.., CON MACRI…,ESTUVO A CARGO DE LA UIF…., JUSTAMENTE EL ENTE QUE CONTROLA EL LAVADO DE DINERO….!!!.UN …DELINCUENTE…!!! …CUANTO ESTE TIPO…,HABLA DE …\» LA GENTE…GANA MAS EN DOLARES\»…, HABLA DE MENOS DEL 5% DE LA GENTE….!!!»,
«Este pelotudo cree que los kirchneristos han echo buen gobierno ROBRNDO no los elegimos para que roben porque le roban a la PATRIA»,
«Son solo impresiones que tenés porque estás intoxicado por las narrativas izquierdistas.»,
«Este va a financiar la campaña del ponzidente Milei.»,
«La que consume este pibe es muy loco… Como te como te pinturria la realidad…
Un cara dura…!!!»,
«Quién es este mencho?»,
«Créditos hipotecarios en dólares ???😢 Los únicos felices con Milei son los financistas 😅»,
«Qué buena entrevista! Da para entender, no para justificar, como piensa esta gente. En lo personal, prefiero otro modelo, al de estos tipos no accedo ni para una carpa para 2 personas 👥»,
«Exacto. Así piensan y así gobiernan.»,
«Grande berco ….!!!!!!»,
«Que asco me da este Gabriel Martino!!!»,
«Este tipo donde vive????»,
«Vive de la nuestra, lo SUBVENCIÓNAN Y LO SUBSIDIAMOS CON LA NUESTRA.POR ESO QUIEREN ES GOBIERNO!!»,
«Dios mio!!! Solo clase alta y media alta. Solo ellos tienen derecho a tener una vivienda.»,
«Tipico de persona de derecha, critica lo de la expopiación de YPF y después dice menos mal que con Vaca Muerta subieron las exportaciones….. ellos muy campantes no ven la contradicción en eso… Y elogiar a Caputo como alguien que hace las cosas bien ya es indefendible… nos endeudó por 70 mil millones solo con el FMI y en menos de 6 años…»,
«Cambio de consumo por bien durable 😂😂😂😂 no como para comprarme un auto, es un ideota»,
«Ahora tenés la posibilidad de comprarte un bm! 😆»,
«@francoestrubia6503no escuchaste al otro que antes le quemaba los pesos y se compraba 200 pares de Zapatillas y ahora se compra un auto o una Casa! Como pueden creerles esas cosas?»,
«Qué sesgado este garca. Son todos iguales de cagadores, este y Caputo se pueden ir de la mano.»,
«Un millonario Hablando de Barato! 😂😂😂😂 infumable lo delirante que es este tipo… muy en su burbuja Ricachona.»,
«Hablo, mejor dicho escribio la envidia. FIN»,
« @DanielJerez-s9k Si si si inventate otra cosa! Envidia? Naa no se puede envidiar a un decerebrado que tiene como Dios al Dinero.»,
«Está fuera de realidad igual que los que gobiernan»,
«UFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF TREMENDO PELOTUDO…
BUENO NO, ES OTRA COSA.»,
«Este pedante que habla con la papa en la boca no representa a nadie, habla de un país que desea en 1% de millonarios que no laburan.»,
«Mis respetos Bercovich. Me gusto el debate aunque no comparto la mirada de Martino la respeto, es su punto de vista.»,
«Habla por si solo de la energía. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la \»estabilidad política\». Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la dictadura. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema.
No para de recular en chancletas el gilastrun este»,
«Así que los K fueron todos un desastre de corrupción, el actual es gobierno normal y lo Adorni fue un \»error no forzado\». Jajajja, qué es Argentina? Un partido de tenis? Y ni empecemos con esta visión de ver el país desde arriba (lo importante es que sus hijos pudientes les guste la derecha, los trabajadores que se están endeudando no importan).»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET \»Miles de millones de dólares\». Ni en los terrenos patagónicos ni en Seycheles los encontraron.»,
« @LELElelec que ingenuo jaja. Como si alguna ves vas a encontrar algo. Tuvieron años para esconderlo. Muy ingenuo lo tuyo. En todas las causas quedo despues de agotar todas las instancias culpable. Y eso que los jueces los puso el peronismo y son peronistas pero hay un punto donde ya era ridículo lo burdo de la estafa.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Buscalos vos entonces…mucha suerte»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Lo de las abuelitas que financiaron con 300 palos también es de ingenuo? Jajajajjaja»,
» @LELElelec Aunque no sean MILES, si son centenas de millones (SOLO Dañiel Muñoz el secretario de los K, tenia fideicomisos por 70 millones de usd, deptos en la gran mazana, miami, villa langostura, etc). LA hij 5 Millones de usd en la caja de seguridad y aca estan jodiendo por una casa o depto de 200/300 mil usd. final DEJAME DE JODER.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET los que jugaban al fútbol con Macri? Dónde te informas vos? En la peluquería?»,
«Y yo calculo que tambien depende del nivel de MAGNITUDES, y si robo dinero el propio presidente o si armo un esquema exclusivamente para robar, etc. TODO eso y mucho mas, se hizo durante los 16 años K, en mayor o menor medida siempre habia curros»,
«Este hombre habla de un grupo selecto de personas… que camine la calle!!»,
«Me cansó…»,
«Esta es la burguesía que nos tocó y explica buena parte de los problemas que tenemos. Los dirigentes tampoco ayudan, claro.»,
«no ayudan no, son parte!!»,
«Los oligarkas q se hicieron millonarios con la Tushhha .Son les KukEs»,
«la casta en estado puro, el hsbc fue el peor banco de la historia en la argentina no se con q autoridad habla»,
«\»No me gusta el señalamiento\» pero el señala a los k y no soy kirschnerista…es una mierda de tipo»,
«El problema es que nos los cagan a trompadas como se merecen.»,
» @alvarobertolo2214 y los votan»,
«Lo peor de todo que fue y supongo que es un tipo con preeminencia en el sistema de …que estamos. Otro entre tantos que hay que sacar del sitio de las decisiones»,
«😂😂😂😂😂😂 son épocas difíciles para que los KUKA»,
«¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Por qué Berco invita a fantasmones como este?????????????????»,
«Mmmmmm…huele a mierda. Oportunistas. EN DOLARES…???. La moneda de los colonizadores tira bombas dueños de la maquinista.»,
«ALTO GARCA este muchacho…quisiera ver las tasas que cobra…»,
«Qué flor de chanta con todas las letras!»,
«este flaco es como un vendedor de autos usados… puro chamuyo»,
«Claro que no quieren la pobre democracia que tenemos. Quieren una autocracia\\dictadura porque la quieren toda para ellos. Odian lo nacional y lo popular, que somos mayoría. Los data center no generan empleo…gracias berco por exponerlo!»,
«Cuando se preguntan, quien sostiene a este loco como presidente ??? Ya ven quienes lo apoyan como este pseudo empresario que quiere que Argentina sea un pais de servicios y no industrial y no se le movio un pelo, el pais del salvense quien pueda…..»,
«Y que puede decir este delincuente.»,
«Por fin habla alguien que sabe de economía»,
«Creo que cortaron la parte, solo veo a martino, que de economía sabe menos que un almacenero.»,
«GARCA»,
«este tipo estuvo Condenado a 15 años por lavado de guita es un Delincuente»,
«No entiendo porque ese modo de expresarse..\» un pasante que solo fue ayudante de cátedra\» , más allá si te gustó o no su gestión.»,
«Porque es gente muy bruta, su argumental se reduce a eso.»,
«Otra vez lo entrevistas a este gil de goma? Para dejarlo expuesto supongo. Si Guzmán fue un desastre por lo menos se fue rápido. Imagínense ocho años de Milei adonde vamos a terminar está en pedo. La nota ni la quiero escuchar este es una máquina de hacer guita nomás lo felicito pero que no opine. Mira Milei era opinólogo y el bardo que esta haciendo»,
«Alejandro yo tampoco la escuché ,en realidad unos segundos ,garza importante»,
«No lo felicites, que sin el kirchnerismo seguía vendiendo ballenitas este mamarracho.»,
«Es un chanta éste personaje!!!!»,
«El salario en dolares ha crecido? esta loco el docente seguro que no»,
«Cuanto ganaba en 2023 vs ahora y vemos los números. Porque ustedes son 100% relatos»,
» @alejandrom4347 Con el último de cristina, el triple en dólares el salario promedio. De hecho, no sé si en pandemia llegó a estar tan por el piso como ahora. El que dependa de insumos importados te va a querer cagar a trompadas, ni hablar.»,
«@francoestrubia6503 el ultimo de cristina fue el del titere fernandez, poné datos, no relatos.»,
«Ale, mis felicitaciones por ser un señor y no saltarle a la yogular a este chanta impresentable. gran manera de preguntar y dejarlo en evidencia cuando el temita del gasoducto!!! jaja»,
«Fua! Que pedazo de sorete. No? Gracias Berco por exponerlo.»,
«Es un caradura.»,
«Dios mío»,
«Dígase \»la gente\» el 5% de los Argentinos. Eso deberían aclarar.»,
«Naa no es el 5%. Es bastante mas. Lo que pasa que hay un 40/50% de la población que es clase mediabaja que la sufre.»,
«Y la izquierda hace rato que dice \»el pueblo trabajador que representamos\» y no llegan ni al 3%.»,
« @andres.giacomini Exacto. Al pueblo trabajador lo representa el peronismo. Jaque mate.»,
« @jimmypatin1240 ya no…se olvidaron que perdieron las elecciones?»,
» @jimmypatin1240 Claro por eso hay 70% anti peronismo no? Si lo representara el pueblo, lo habria votado en mayoria las ultimas 4 elecciones, paso, generales, ballotage, legislativas, no paran de perder.»,
«Ahh, un impresentable por donde lo mires.»,
«Es despreciable»,
«Peroncho»,
» @julianormond373 Nunca; pero si se ve que sos medio nabo.»,
«EL CONDUCTOR ES ASI LAMENTABLE»,
» @claudiotepongo1894 Hablo del entrevistado……»,
«Más soberbio que usted! Mamita querida!! Caputo salió super mal del gobierno de macri y ahora mienten porque la realidad es otra cosa!! Bájate del avión y camina la calle!!»,
«Ale… Este es un chanta.»,
«El KÍSNERISMO ❓»,
«Es mileistano te das cuenta»,
«Todo un chanta»,
«Sería bueno saber de quien habla. Mi hijo esta haciendo su residencia en medicina. Cobra 900 mil y el alquiler 850 mil (en Cordoba), lo tenemos que ayudar porque no le alcanza. Imposible pensar en comprar una propiedad. El consumo bajo, Argentina esta mas caro que en España. De que sector habla? que llegan a Argentina y encuentran el pais tan accesible.»,
«Totalmente de acuerdo. No es sólo que la inflación sigue en niveles altos (más altos que los que tenía Guzmán) y los alquileres y servicios siguen aumentando de forma brusca, sino que los salarios se desplomaron. Comer un asado es un lujo. Acá en Gesell se ve la miseria y el resultado de un verano similar al anterior pero con mucho menos gasto. El otro día se me acercó un churrero pidiéndome entre lágrimas e impotencia que le compre 1/2 docena. No lo ví nunca. Es indibujable la realidad.»,
«Acá te das cuenta que viven en Narnia. Un país pensado primordialmente para y por los del poder económico.»,
» @LELElelecMe da asco y vergüenza.»,
«Que raro q en 16 años de kirchnerismo suizo no pudieron comprar un departamento al nene🤡🤡🤡»,
«Yo soy médico especialista desde 2009. Nunca cobré por la residencia ni un peso. Nunca tuve ni aguinaldo ni vacaciones pagas ni art, y fué durante el supuesto gobierno para todos ✌️»,
« @julianormond373 en que hospital trabajabas en 2009?»,
« @julianormond373 Viste, ese es el problema de financiar universidades públicas. Bastaaaaaaaa de médicos de la pública, que todos egresar de las privadas. Al igual que el resto de profesionales, el chorros de Peron cometió el error al quitar el arancelamiento.»,
«850 mil en córdoba ??? Vive en un piso en plaza España?? . Estos kukitas inventando 😂»,
« @rodriotero1559 un piso sale tan barato en córdoba? Permitime dudar»,
«Mas caro que España? JA, un alquiler en pleno centro de Barcelona o Madrid, no baja el monoambiente de 1000 euros, o sea 1.7 millon, aca tu hijo paga 850.000 y estoy seguro que podria alquilar por 600 lucas. y menos tambien.»,
«1 millón de pesos el alquiler en Cordoba? Pero qué alquila el pibe ese? Jajajajaja»,
«Hablá solo mentira, y para una sola clase….me dan asco»,
«Ex banquero. Delincuente»,
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Nunca colocan al ambiente en su «planilla»
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBBJgJlPrJo?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=es&autohide=2&wmode=transparent&w=800&h=450]Siempre me quedo pensando ¿quién está loco? Los CEOs, los que hablan de economía, nunca colocan en su planilla al ambiente! Si lo hicieran sería más difícil justificar que su modelo pasa por más extracción y más destrucción! Por eso ni lo nombran o, a lo sumo, te ponen crecimiento sustentable sabiendo que eso no existe!
¿ Para qué llevar a ese tipo a un programa de radio? Supongo que Bercovich comparte con él todo su panorama sobre extracción a través del fracking, de la minería, del litio y así siguiendo…No pueden colocar en su excel al ambiente, si lo hicieran verían que es un camino de muerteAlgunos de los comentarios (donde tampoco hablan del ambiente como variable!)
#bercovich #economía #fracking #litio #martino #soja #vacaMuerta«Estos tipos son los impulsan la reforma laboral 🤬. Berco te admiro….»,
«La guerrilla no empezó con Isabel,empezó con Onganía
y se agrando con Lanusse!!
Por eso trajeron a Perón
para que el general haga algo!! Y no pudo..taba
viejito y enfermo!
Si hubiese estado sano
viejo y todo hubiese hecho
cosas mejores para la sociedad en su conjunto
Que los asesinos miserables
que vinieron en el 76!!»,
«Y pero no dijo nada nuevo,si se sabe q si otro gobierno gana se derrumba la argentina,la gente no es idiota obvio van a votar a milei,,o que pretenden que voten a Kicillof con el desastre que es la provincia»,
«Que paja escuchar a la burguesía de este país entrampada en discusiones ideológicas. Me quedó claro que no tienen absolutamente nada que ofrecer. Algún día dejarán de ser gobierno (en todas sus variantes)»,
«Excelente entrevista. Existen estos tipos . 😢»,
«Te dan créditos en dólares y se te quedan con lo que compraste . Gran negocio para este Sr.»,
«que mal que envejeció esto en dos días jajajaja hablando mal de la reestatización de YPF. Que burro este hombre!!»,
«\»Lisa, hija… los vampiros son seres inventados. Como los duendes, los gremlins y los esquimales.\»»,
«Dijo \»yo no defiendo ni a Caputto ni a Guzman\» pero con el que se sienta a tomar cafe es con Caputto….que se yo»,
«Muy trucho este personaje. No sé para que le dan micrófono»,
«Dice que los servicios no subieron fuerte en el interior? Jajajaja gente salgan de la Gral. Paz»,
«Brillante este señor, le puso a la tapa a este periodista militante defensor de los más Areces delitos economico – sociales y Morales de la historia de nuestro pais»,
«No aguantae ni 2 minutos, a esta gente le falta un baño de realidad urgente»,
«Carnero HDRMP. ojalá q lo tengas a Nilei de vecino.»,
«Guzman, hizo la reorganización que pudo . el desastre lo hizo MM con 50 mil MM y Milei con 25 mil MM.»,
«Nunca en mi vida vi un sorete rojo como este empresario. Berko lo humilló!!! Cada estupidez que decía y berko le tiraba datos, el sorete rojo (imposibilitado de argumentar) decía ese tema lo hablamos otro día. Jajaja qué sorete rojo de vergüenza!!!! Son así!!! Son tan pero tan pobres que lo único que tienen es plata!!!»,
«Amigo vos tenías un vice que puede justicar de dónde saco su fortuna ( causas cuadernos , los hoteles , el piisito del NY del secretario , 58 000.millones USD ) háganse cargo»,
«Kuka.el problema no es la democracia sino la continuidad de política. Caputo no tiene más inflación q Guzmán .Guzmán se con 70 en el último año»,
«Que se quede el y sus hijos afuera del país. No los necesitamos . sobran!!!»,
«Me hizo mal cardiológicamente escuchar a este tipo!! No hay que darle micrófono anesta runfla»,
«Si tenés un invitado escúchalo. Y si piensa distinto no lo ataques. Solo dijo verdades. Que no te gusten es otra cosa»,
«A Martino lo \»amaron\» de parado. Fin.»,
«Estas son laa cosas que violentan a la gente de a pie. Sos boludo flaco? Desde 2011 que no creces y subsidiaste al maximo, jubilaste sin ingresos. Insultas la inteligencia de las personas de a pie. Por eso cada vez son menos y menos. Nunca mas que? Digan la verdad. No fueron 30000. Preguntale a Labraña quien invento ese numero insultador de gente comun!»,
«El sector inmobiliario√ y el bancario de créditos hipotecas que son el pilar de una economía fueron borrados por el kirchnerismo en 2010✓ Salvo el UVA de Macri todo fue en contra de este sector✓ Que tiene un déficit de 9.000.000 de viviendas pero el estado regala terrenos y departamentos a extranjeros con la nuestra y no te bajan impuestos√ Chile√ Uruguay√ Brasil✓ tienen un 90 % de créditos otorgados para vivienda acá gracias a Milei✓ apenas el 5%>Si terminaríamos para siempre con el marxismo populismo..tenemos..un 2000% de techo para crecer√ E una fortuna si hay estabilidad inversión privada y otra mentalidad que la zurdo garca chorro sanguijuela indispueSto alimentado a sobre✓ y con Audi encima estos progresoretes traidores✓»,
«Bercovich en vez de escuchar al entrevistado quizo convertirlo al peronismo»,
«Bercovich es siempre y en todo momento, un pelotudo. Vive en un universo lleno de ideas estúpidas y el tipo tiene el poder de elegir siempre la mas estúpida. Que tipo pelotudo»,
«Jajaja kukas llorones impresentables»,
«Un capo el chavon y este vercovich un pelotudo como siempre»,
«Que malo sos berco»,
«Hay Milei para rato😮»,
«Es falaz que el salario en dólares haya crecido. Después de la devaluación que provocó Milei a dos días de asumir, en los números reales, el salario en dólares es el más bajo de los últimos 20 años.»,
«Lo banco tiene razón… Y el mercado es la gente»,
«Quién tiene más acceso a bienes durable?»,
«Esto no es una entrevista, es un acoso.
El periodista pasa de un tema a otro sin permitir explicarse al entrevistado.
Interrumpe constantemente y entra en debate.»,
«TOTALMENTE DE ACUERDO CON EL INVITADO. EL CONDUCTOR VIVE ATRASADO Y DESEA ESE ATRASO.»,
«Minuto 19:00 empieza hablemos sin saber de dos gorilas uno le pinta subirse a la nube de izquierda y el otro a la nube de la izquierda. Los une el antiperonismo y por eso Kicillof no es peronista si lo fuera berko estaría en contra y no lo sacaría como opcion electoral 2027, recuerden que Kicillof fue opocitor a Néstor Kirchner.»,
«Un groso, tipo inteligente»,
«Cuanto se perdió al privatizar YPF .
No se produção y tivemos q importar gás y petróleo eso no se cuenta pq no semana estás perdidas.»,
«Muy bien Ale por traer a la mesa gente diversa. Lo más valioso es EXPONERLOS.»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro, no hay forma de comprar un depto en blanco para el 90% del pais. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
«a los K no les sirven los ricos que no sean ellos mismos, mantener la gente empobrecida y dependiente de planes es su estrategia, una manga de ladrones del primero al ultimo»,
«el Zurdito.. defendiendo a los TERRORISTAS / ASESINOS de los 70….»,
«Me parece que el periodista solo hace pregunta direccionales . Y no son solo pregunta. 🤔»,
«Un zurdo es un ser muy dañino»,
«No fueron 30mil y fueron Asesinos y Cobardes»,
«Alta domada le dieron al periodista kuka»,
«PD2 y me gustan estos contrapuntos porque Ale los lleva a encerrarse solitos.Solito dice cosas que son icoherentes, y falaces. Pero está bueno saber que piensa, y dejarlo que hable y que quede expuesto»,
«PD me hizo reir el que escribe (y borra) el sócalo, un capo»,
«Me encantan estos contrapuntos. Sos de los pocos que admiro Ale, sin idealizar a nadie, pero me encanta tu optica y tu forma de encarar cada entrevista»,
«🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💯💯❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤💜💜💜❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤💜💜❤❤❤»,
«No entiendo como bercovich puede invitar al programa a gente asi….lo vi en vivo….inaudito la verdd este tipo. Viven en una nube de pedos.»,
«Los precios en Bs As están baratos 😂😂😂😂 dijo 🤡🤡 como será de barato que a mi hijo le convenía irse a estudiar a Paris antes que a CABA y fue lo que hicimos desde ya ✈️✈️»,
«Imposible debatir con un zurdo… una lástima perder una charla con martino cuando en lugar de un periodista tenés a un militante peronista… tienen su manual de adoctrinamiento y no se salen de ahí…»,
«Gracias pero me quedé sin reliveran .. que se lo fume otro a este personaje nefasto»,
«👏👏👏»,
«Educando a zurdos se llama»,
«Muy buena entrevista.👏👏👏. Ojalá los socialistas, marxistas o comunistas escuchen y reflexionen sobre sus ideologías dañinas.»,
«Buenas entrevista???De verdad???
Sali, no vivas en un CUADRADO como este TIPO!!!»,
«Che es el de la FAMILIA DE CAPUTO!!!»,
«Martino los paseo en chota y meada»,
«EXELENTE 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🇦🇷💪🏻🦁🪿🗳️ JAVIER MÍLEI»,
«Caputo tiene un jefe.. que es el presidente… Si el presidente abogado que es de izquierda o centro.. son tibios y no hacen las cosas que hay que hacer para solucionar los problemas de raíz.. por tanto guiará a su ministro de economía a hacer cosas que solamente parecen buenas…
En cambio ahora tenemos un presidente que es economista y tiene mucho más claro como solucionar el problema de raíz.. por más que haya momentos difíciles.. pero vamos por buen camino.. por eso el accionar de Caputo es y será distinto con distintos jefes..»,
«El discurso de que la gente dejó de comprar pan, leche y carne para comprar electrodomésticos, autos y casas es insultante. Cuando hay millonarios defendiendo tan ardientemente a un gobierno es evidente que se benefician»,
«Gracias por venir, fue un asco escucharte»,
«Muy lindo reportaje , lastima el zurdo de bercovich, que no es ciego es un mercenario, osea pago»,
«Para este personaje ser de clase media baja es tener un trabajo bien pago con los derechos que su gobierno quiere destruir»,
«Inmensa burbuja en la que vive Martino, sostenida por sus millones que lo alejan de la realidad.»,
«Cuando se va del país???»,
«En la década del 60 empezó la guerrilla, el conductor no sabe escuchar y quiere aplicar su ideología sin escuchar al invitado,»,
«Existio una guerra»,
«Muy bien que venga a hablar de visitante. Más allá de lo que piensa, cometió a mi entender un gran error. Dijo \»La Argentina es un mercado\», no, no. Argentina es un país. A partir de esa mirada, el resto ya no importa.»,
«Este engendro es un ejemplo clásico del por qué la argentina no puede salir de sus propias trampas.»,
«Ale, tenés que citar a gente seria. 🙏»,
«Este es un verdadero chanta…»,
«Esta gente está tan sesgada por el individualismo que no puede pensar en un proyecto común. Lo único que les preocupa es amarrocar más riqueza personal.»,
«La vida es así. Sos libre de enrolarte en la iglesia. Hay muchas.»,
«No siempre todos los soretes tienen olor . Ojaime»,
«Dice que es para clase media, media baja o media. En que pais vive? Desaparecio la clase media, el poder adquisitivo por el piso. Lo unico barato en este pais son los sueldos. El salario en dolares subio, dice que la gente ahorra. Preguntenle a un jubilado, a cualquier trabajador y vean que dice. Trabaja con hipotecas, negocio directo»,
«Tremenda domada al surdo de berkovic»,
«Esta es la burguesía argentina. Por eso ya no producen élites nativas, son tipos que no viven en el país, no tienen ninguna vinculación con el devenir del pueblo argentino. Son muy playos, están en un \»cumpleaños\», como la nobleza rusa en 1917. Lamentablemente no tenemos un Lenin que los derive al basurero de la historia. No obstante la lucha de clases es anterior al capitalismo, vamos a ver cómo se reconfigura en los próximos años»,
«Jajajajja el Amigo que vivia en Israel y Ny….culiaooooo mas vale que le va resultar barato»,
«Excelente intervención periodistica Alle❤»,
«La gente no tiene para comer como no hay en la plataforma libertad de expresión no puedo decir lo que haría con esta 🗑️ basura»,
«Que mal periodista, no dejó al entrevistado responder a ninguna de las preguntas que él mismo hizo. Mucha paciencia el entrevistado»,
«Cuál es el chiste? le escupiste el café?»,
«Berco dijo que era simpatizante de Milei y fue lo necesario para sacar el video..»,
«Siempre inviertiendo en el país,dice…
Y construye en Montevideo y Punta del Este.»,
«Te la re pusieron Berco»,
«Estos oligarcas q no tienen idea de cómo se vive con los dos mangos de salario q cobra la gente. Son la podredumbre de este país. Viven en realidades paralelas.»,
«Encontré un resentido fracasado ‼️ Tenés que ir a vivir a Cuba ❓»,
«Pero de que país habla este viejo? Yo cobro 1.200 millones y no puedo vivir !!»,
«Que chata este tipo, un garca por donde lo mires. Muy buena entrevista Berco gracias.»,
«\» este muchacho \» usted se tiene que arrepentir de lo que dijo de la cabra Fernández»,
«Claro que destruyó todo este Guzmán»,
«Garca: una de las cosas que caracterizan a cualquier país „normal“, como decís, es que ninguno tiene un presidente ignorante, bruto, corrupto, indecente, mentiroso, estafador, ladrón, psiquiátrico desquiciado, violento, irresponsable y mil veces más ocupado en defender los intereses de Estados Unidos y de Israel que los de su propio país. Entendiste? Y? Berco, no se te ocurrió a vos eso? Mirá que el periodista sos vos, no yo que vivo en Alemania y me dedico a cualquier cosa menos al periodismo. Tenés que ponerte las pilas. Le dejas pasar esa mentira barata, despreciable de decir que AHORA la Argentina es un país normal???? En serio, Berco???? Pero claro, por eso a este tipo le encanta venir a dialogar con vos.»,
«O sea que lo que hay que hacer es destruir por completo el estado como hizo China, Alemania, Holanda, Francia, Canadá, Australia y Suecia.»,
«Nueve Reinas parece como chamuya.»,
«Que miedo este tipo y todo lo que representa»,
«Hay que decir que Bercovich le da lugar a este tipo y no a Eduardo Sartelli.
Tenenbaum y su equipo reflexionando y disertando sobre eutanasia. Manguel justificando el genocidio en Gaza. En fin. Radio Con Vos.»,
«Este hdddp le dice soberbio a Guzmán pero no a Caputo ni a Sturzenegger ni a Milei. Son tremendamente caraduras estos tipos. No tienen NINGUNA vergüenza. Dan ganas de vomitar escucharlos. SOBERBIO le dice. Caputo y Milei, tipos sencillos, modestos, profesionales que solo hacen su trabajo. Reliveran urgente!!!!!»,
«Pero no da UN fundamento, es pura opinión, POR QUÉ prefiere todo eso??? Pura declamación.»,
«Me recuerda al corrupto Demian Reidel y también a colaboradores de Tony Soprano.»,
«Una semana antes de la huída de De la Rúa podías encontrar a cientos de garcas hablando como este GARCA( valga la redundancia)»,
«Le prestás guita a este individuo?»,
«FUERA MILEI, ESTA LOCO»,
«la nota es antes del fallo de la justicia gringa que le dio la razón a kicillof»,
«No discutas más!!! Es imposible hablar con esta gente!!! No perdamos más el tiempo!!!! Estos pibes son mediocres con poder. Pongamos la energía en seguir mejorando el país y estos pibes desaparecen solos. No los escucha nadie!!!»,
«Créditos en dólares para la vivienda , poder adquisitivo sustentable , pais para invertir … ???? de qué pais habla este charlatan …»,
«Pero para qué le dan micrófono a este parásito que seguro se llena de guita con créditos del estado? Me juego mi capital a que este tipo se llenó de guita gracias al Estado. Y lo único que le importa son los empresarios, no habla de salarios, no habla de solucionar la pobreza. A quien le importa lo que opine un garca así??»,
«Crack,dijo todo lo que pienso»,
«Solo tu educación y profesionalismo puede soportar a semejante gorila. Un auténtico ejemplo de como estos tipos de hacen millonarios explotando gente. Te felicito Berco, yo lo hubiera acogotado. ✌️🇦🇷✌️»,
«Me encantó Berco, le entraron todas las balas, igual el ni se enteró, pero esta entrevista de ninguna manera ayudó a la imagen de Martino y mucho menos a sus ideas.»,
«Estos son los forros que dejan al pais como esta»,
«Grande berco. Estos hay q invitarlos a charlar y dejarlos en evidencia. Con altura como haces vos.»,
«No termine de escuchar la entrevista, pero Bercovich es más duro con cualquiera de centro izquierda que se permite, por ejemplo, apoyar aspectos de la reforma laboral, que con uno de \»los dueños de la argentina\».»,
«Este está reclamando la vocería presidencial…😅»,
«Bercovich es tremendo hipócrita, al igual que R. Sietecase, M. Montenegro, C. Burgueño y E. Tenembaum.»,
«A ver . . . si entiende Bercovich o se va a seguir haciendo distraído. El mercado (y el lo sabe muy bien) gestiona riesgo, y ante la posibilidad de que llegue al gobierno un zurdo filo comunista, retira sus fichas, es decir, asigna mayor riesgo de incobrabilidad de deudas, expropiaciones, etc . . . son las reglas de juego del mundo capitalista como de la democracia, si a bercovich le gusta el durazno que se aguante la pelusa, si a Bercovich le gustan los dirigentes filo comunistas, que se banque tener un riesgo pais del 2000% , 60 % de pobreza infantil y que nadie le desee prestar dinero, como ocurrio en los gobiernos Kirchneristas, gobiernos que Bercovich defendio a capa y espada.
Yo , en lo personal y para mi familia no quiero nada de eso, es decir, yo quiero #MILEI2027 y #VLLC !!! y al que no le guste que se arme un partido politico y vaya a elecciones, pero que despues no se quejen de la peluza del durazno.»,
«Como pueden seguir diciendo que la peor decisión de Kicillof fue estatizar YPF cuando es de lo poco que está manteniendo el país a flote (sobre todo de la perspectiva de ellos mismos)»,
«Completó el álbum de figuritas G.A.R.C.A. con la teoría de los dos demonios»,
«Me encanta como Bercovich se hace el desentendido de lo desastrosas gestiones tanto de Martin Guzman como de Axel Kicillof cuando estuvieron a cargo del ministerio de economia, recordar que Bercovich es economista graduado de la UBA . . . . Pero que va, nada bueno se puede esperar de un economista filo comunista como Bercovich.»,
«Este pelotudo hizo guita con los kirchner y ahora tenemos que fumarlo diciendo que tu salario está altísimo en dólares y el riesgo kuka hasta abajo de la cama. Donde lo auditás está más sucio que una papa.»,
«Esta persona contribullo a la fuga de MILES DE MILLONES de dólares del pais via HSBC.
Sólo en Argentina, luego tal crimenz, alguien donde está calaña puede pasearse por los medios con impunidad
Triste»,
«Preguntale por la causa del HSBC… mamita… \»De acuerdo a la acusación, los integrantes del directorio del HSBC Bank Argentina, en connivencia con las sedes de Suiza y Estados Unidos, “habrían organizado su desarrollo empresarial de manera tal de habilitar un medio paralelo, clandestino y antirreglamentario de actividad bancaria, destinado a canalizar riquezas de determinados clientes de elite y a concretar operaciones en el extranjero, puntualmente en la Confederación Suiza, con lo cual se habría configurado un ámbito de administración de fondos significativos previamente ocultos a las autoridades nacionales de control, en particular la AFIP”.»,
«Empieza diciendo que subieron los salarios en dolares, y 3 mnutos despues te dice que el problema de los creditos en mora es por la \»caida del salario\»…»,
«El chiste se cuenta solo»,
«jajaj este payaso es millonario??? que carajo estamos haciendo como humanidad??? por qué permitimos que exista esa clase social?»,
«Me emcanta cómo Bercovich odia a todos los peronistas y tiene la mejor onda con los oligarcas. Típico trosko que maneja literalmente un Audi. Lo conozco desde la facultad y lamentablemente sigue siendo siempre el mismo.»,
«Son sectores diferentes, a vos te corresponde ir al sector más cabeza, ese que gusta de pelearse con troskos, donde tirás una marucha y no queda un solo peronista. Frente a los troskos, ninguno tiene altura moral para discutirles nada.»,
«Y si Milei gobierna para estos»,
«Si lo hace Adorni, son errores no forzados, si lo hizo el Kirchnerismo, es porque son unos chorros.»,
«Quien es este enfermo??»,
«Berco lo corrige y queda pedaleando en el aire»,
«Muy buenas preguntas de Berco»,
«¿ Guzmán hizo la peor reestructuracion ? No nos endeudó, dejó una ley para que le Congreso limite los préstamos. En cambio Caputo reestructuró endeudándonos y reendeudándonos… no entiendo mucho de economía, pero no hay sentido común que justifique eso.»,
«La única chance de que haya créditos hipotecarios accesibles es que vuelva el peronismo»,
«Si durante el ultimo gobierno peronista no hubo credito, de que hablas»,
«Y si este lavaba plata del narco con el HSBC, cómo no va a querer que este gobierno reelija?»,
«Que quere la LADRONA MAS GRANDE DEL MUNDO MUNDIAL no me hagan enojar.»,
«@D @DanielJerez-s9k qué tiene que ver con lo que dije yo?»,
«Cómo roban estos tipos que no le aportan nada a los argentinos de bien.»,
«Hay que dejar el pasado pero los ganadores son siempre los mismos, los elegidos del mercado»,
«Verco…xq llevas esta gente de mierda ?»,
«Un crack Martino»,
«crack hace la cartera donde la toca este delincuente poco instruido.»,
«Habría que preguntarle por la causa de evasión y lavado como directivo del Hsbc,denunciado por Afip.»,
«Un genio total Gabriel»,
«Un genio lavando guita en el hsbc decís?»,
«Este es un pelotudo q saca temas y después dice que no quiere hablar de eso. Que tipo infeliz.»,
«Dizque una guerra, memoria completa, y las bombas a la plaza de mayo, prescripción de Perón, eso no lo cuentan»,
«Habla de la entelequia denominada mercado, como si no fuesen un grupito de garcas especuladores.»,
«El mercado somos todos. Incluso vos y yo. Creer que el mercado son solo los especuladores de la bolsa, es ignorancia.»,
» @damiandmn seguramente el poder que tenes vos o yo es el mismo de los que manejan la bolsa y los mercados desde wall street»,
«O sea digamos que la puja entre oferta y demanda , el consumidor busca su propio beneficio o más bien es tipo contrato de adhesión? La solución es lo que sostenía la mamá de Lacha, camine señora, camine? Preguntale a Lacha como le va con la venta de fiambres. Somos todos libres e iguales en el mercado, en verdad lo crees? Salario en dolares creciendo y la carniceria vacía.»,
«Arreglar un país destruido por 20 años de populismo no se hace de un día para el otro…..»,
«Sin son garcas muchachis no veo que pidan por carceles o quidren slgo mas barato una soga con una bolsa de consorcio para no ensuciar el piso.»,
«Che, avísenle a este monigote, que se quede hablando de economía y finanzas (o que nisiquiera hable de eso), porque de la Historia Argentina sabe poco y nada.
19:50= \»la guerrilla empieza en el gobierno de Isabel Perón, la guerrilla no empieza antes…\»
¿Qué?
¡¡¿¿KKKHHEEEEEEEE???!!! O es un ignorante o es culiadazo mentiroso.
Para la novedad de este IGNORANTE: la guerrilla en la Argentina, tanto las de izquierda como las peronistas empiezan en 1970 (MIL NOVECIENTOS SETENTAAAA)
El acto fundacional de Montoneros fue el ajusticiamiento de Aramburu en mayo de 1970. Por las dudas aclaro y explico detalladamente algunas de los principales accionares de este sujeto que asaltó la Nación Argentina.
Pedro Eugenio Aramburu: ideológo junto con otras decenas de militares antiperonistas de los bombardeos de Plaza de Mayo, así como de ataques aéreos en otras ciudades como Córdoba; máxima figura de la llamada Revolución Libertadora, responsable del derrocamiento de Perón en 1955 y la instauración de la Proscripción del Peronismo, ideólogo de los fusilamientos de José León Suárez y el secuestro y vejación del cadáver de Evita)
Si este señor que se muestra tan hábil hablando de ministros de economía, de políticas de 100 años, de Democracia… pero no sabe la dimensión y cronología de los hechos históricos del país sobre el que pretende juzgar y criticar la economía, PUES NO LE CREO NADA.
Él es un extremista. Un extremista del Mercado. Y por culpa de su racionalidad del Mercado, la Argentina está podrida económicamente. Porque la manejan financieramente unos pares de multimillonarios presionando y haciendo lobby para que el país esté al servicio de ellos.
Es indignante, cómo han ganado poder estos pelotudos que se creen que conocen sobre el mundo, y son en el fondo, unos ventajistas y oportunistas gestores de estafas piramidales.
En donde la banca internacional y los financistas son los únicos que ganan. Una vergüenza. Les hemos dado el poder a los seres más macabros, cínicos y maquiavélicos que existen. Sólo se les cruza el billete por el cerebro. Pero no saben ni de política, ni de historia, ni de ecología, ni del clima, ni de la vida. Nos gobiernan ignorantes y elucubradores. Inútiles inservibles»,
«que sorete este tipo por favor»,
«Este tipo ocupó lugares directivos en finanzas bancarias? \»La gente aumentó sus ingresos en dólares y ahora puede comprar autos y otros bienes durables…….narnia chantunia argento»,
«Impresentable»,
«Lo blandito y obsecuente que resultó ser el triskito este. Parece que pasó un sobrecito por ahí»,
«No hizo falta que dijera más nada. En cada tema que traía, con una sola pregunta dejaba expuestas sus contradicciones, dobles varas y falacias. Gracias a que no se detuvo a discutir, pudimos ver que todo el andamiaje de argumentos son por lo menos ridículos. Quedó claro que lo único que le importa a él y al “mercado” es hacer guita fácil sin laburar»,
«cómo hacés para no irte de mano??? yo le parto la cara a los 5 minutos»,
«Justo es el pais que no quiere la mayoria, no queremos la mayoria un tipo como vos, que no tenga ni capacidad de escuchar al otro, de pensar distinto. Te juro que es tristisimo lo tuyo.»,
« @andres.giacomini Tristisimo es que defiendas un gobierno emprobecedor. Vos y este chantun del video»,
«Es tan delicada la situacion social del pais, tan detonados tenemos los cimientos culturales que al escuchar a este señor, seguramente un empresario mega exitoso,
solo siento ganas de llorar
Si las condiciones de nuestra coyuntura fuesen menos dramáticas, este personaje me causaría gracia.
Alguien podrá explicarme alguna vez porque este país produce tantos monstruos ?»,
«Berco como jodex presentado garcxs ,no ves que son una merda .»,
«lindo tipo este eh! quedate afuera de argentina papa, no te va a extrañar nadie»,
«Señor Gabriel Martino, elija un país para vivir y váyase a la mi3rda, déjenos construir el nuestro, lo queremos sin lacras como usted.»,
«Y este Martino, ¿tiene idea? ¿qué idea? ¿a quién responde este muchacho?»,
«Que ignorante, por Dios.»,
«trajo 15 temas a la charla y no pudo sostener uno… al final era todo en eso no me quiero meter jajajaja
un video para el olvido»,
«Wtf? Yo lo veo a Berco sin poder retrucar mucho.»,
» @andres.giacomini giaco seguis defendiendo a milei, caputo y adorni?? jajaja»,
« @gregorioarcaute6535 yo defiendo macroeconomía estable. Entiendan de una vez por todas que no interesan las personas si toman las decisiones correctas sensatas y no populistas/buenistas»,
«guzman un desastre dice…
logro una quita de intereses inaudito. justamente porque hasta el fondo sabia que se lo dieron por abajo de la mesa a macri para que se la fugaran los amigotes de caputo.
logro que se postergaran los pagos tambien lo cual era lo necesario para afrontar la post pandemia y encima todos tenedores aceptaron.
este flaco vive en otro planeta igual se nota que berco lo mira como diciendo: para q me voy a gastar en preguntarte jajajaja»,
«Guzmán se fue con menos inflación q la q tiene Milei en menos tiempo ….»,
«Primero dice que los sueldos subieron en dólares. Después dice que los sueldos bajaron y por eso hay deuda con los bancos. Va cambiando de acuerdo a la circunstancia.»,
«no mencionan ni borracho ladeuda que dejo macri,menemmilicos asesinos con guerra incluida,las privatizaciones que despues hubo que retornar como YPF ymuchas mas.EL PERONISMO CON CRISTINA EN 2015 DEJO AL PAIS SIN DUEDA Y CON MUY BAJA DESOCUPACION ,CONSALARIOS MAS ALTOS DE SUDAMERICA.NO SABEN COMO ESCONDER LA VERDAD…..»,
«La confirmación que necesitábamos de que Guzmán fue el mejor ministro que tuvimos desde Lavagna para acá. Este impresentable no fue capaz de dar un solo argumento para justificar su afirmación absurda»,
«Quien tiene acceso a un auto o a un inmueble. En qué realidad vive este señor?. Ah cierto, tiene mucho dinero. Hay que avisarle que la mayoría del pueblo no llega ni a fin de mes.»,
«Lo que es opinar sin entender absolutamente nada de la económia de los paises. Exceso de financierismo. Guzman dejo mejor herencia que la que van a dejar estos mamarrachos, que estan con mayor deuda pública en dolares y en pesos que no bajo prácticamente, la misma inflación de guzman, e inflación dolares record y en el medio se cargaron 10% del salario de trabajadores privados y 20% de los públicos ( para ser generosos.. si se actualiza la canasta para calculo de inflación de indec, la perdida es MAYOR)»,
«No hay que negar la realidad señor, guzman se fue en fracaso escondido en un auto con la capucha tapandose la cara. El peor final.»,
«AJAJAJAJAAJAJ mejor herencia? la Inflacion iba al 6% MENSUAL Con Guzman, perdiendo reservas y con un futuro poco prometedor y se vio con el resultado de Massa. Que ganas de decir boludeces eh.»,
«Que este señor al que le debe sobrar el dinero diga que es simpatizante de Milei no me sorprende. Pero… Un trabajador que tiene el sueldo pisado hace meses y que los servicios, el transporte, el alquiler, le aumenta no se entiende.
\»Esta vez el ajuste lo paga la casta\». Todavía no sé ve. Si se ve que lo pagaron: jubilados, discapacitados, profesionales de la salud, docentes.
Que vergüenza.»,
«😂😂😂😂»,
«Se dan de liberales y son fachos»,
«este tipo es uno de los miles de empresario que esquilman al pais y trabajadores…»,
«Jajajaja los kirchneristas se atragantaron con el choripan mirando esta entrevista 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«No creo, hoy en día el verdadero kuka está en el gobierno.»,
«Se la dan de racionales y son bien IDEOLOGIZADOS estos cargadores»,
«El esterotipo del garca. Llevado a nivel de caricatura. Q impunes q se sienten!»,
«La impunidad es hasta que los empiecen a cag4r a tromoadas por la calle.»,
«Muy buena la charla Berco queridoo!!!
seguilo invitando por favor, quedo desnudo, cuando se la veia negra \»ese tema queda para otra vuelta\», \» de eso no hablo\» .»,
«Basura»,
«😂queda claro que siempre lo mismo: necesidad de vivienda: alegría del financista..»,
«Y obvio si ellos están de fiesta.»,
«o está en su realidad, o te miente sin pudor alguno.»,
«Le bajas mucho el nivel al programa invitando invitando este pelotudo berco»,
«Un tiro en la frente»,
«A bercovich❗»,
«❤️ recuerden que ustedes son la agrupación amor»,
« @Oscargonza64 ahora reclaman amor ustedes…que reprimen chicos discapacitados…por suerte ya te queda poco»,
«Este no es el que estuvo PRESO? que manera de sumar apoyo de Delincuentes este Gobierno eh»,
«😂😂 el KÍSNERISMO no❓🤫»,
«Good termo !!! Que HDP…»,
«Este guzman es un ignorante ,un necio un tipo que no ve la realidad ,el solo vé su negocio sucio»,
«LOS CORRUPTOS DE LA DERECHA…,ESTAN LIBRES…, COMO ESTE….!!!»,
«Por suerte los corruptos de la izquierda ya tienen tobillera 😂😂😂»,
« @alejandrom4347 ESTE ES UNO DE LOS QUE TENDRIA QUE ESTAR PRESO…, JUNTO CON CAPUTO.., STUGENEZZER.., MACRI…, Y TODA LA BANDA DE MAFIOSOS…DE VERDAD….!!! CUANDO VOLVAMOS EN EL 2027…, TODOSXESTOS TIENEN QUE TERMINAR…,PRESOS…!!! Y POR SUPUESTO..,VAMOS A LIBERAR A CRISTINA…!!! CON ESTOS MAFIOSOS…NO HAY QUE TENER…COMPASION….!!!»,
» @owitt1308 los mafiosos 😂😂😂😂😂😂 y los kirchneristas son tan honestos 😂😂😂😂😂»,
«BERCO…,NO LE DES ENTIDAD…A ESTE TIPO…, ES REPRESENTAE…DE LOS CORRUOTOS…!!!»,
«Aprende a escribir KUKA»,
« @andresdellabella8723 VOS DE CORRUPTOS…, SE VE QUE SABES MUCHO….!!!»,
«MARTINO .. ERRORES NO FORZADOS ? SE PUEDE SER TAN PELOTUDO?»,
«Que desastre ese tipo negacionista,
Cuanto odio
HSBC BANCO FUGADOR
INCENDIO LOS ARCHIVOS DE ELLOS EN MOUNTAIN»,
«UN SANGANO DE EMPRESARIO … ASCO DE EMPRESARIO … ESPERO QUE SUS HIJOS NO VUELVAN NUNCA MAS AL PAIS»,
«GRACIAS A CRISTINA …Y…KICILOFF…, TENEMOS YPF…Y…VACA MUERTA….!!!! DEJA DE HABLAR….BOLUDECES….!!!!»,
«ESTE CARADURA…., CRITICA A GUZAMAN….!!!! …Y LE TOCO…A GUZMAN…, REFINANCIAR…,EL MUERTO…QUE LE DEJO…,CAPUTO, STUGENEZZER.., MACRI….!!!!»,
«A Gusman no le tocó refinanciar nada. Fué a refinanciar porque quiso. No había ninguna razón para refinanciar, más que gastarse la plata en lugar de pagar las deudas. Y encima que negoció en la refinanciación? Que esa deuda le iba a caer en su mayoría al gobierno que le seguía, o sea, al actual.»,
« @damiandmn Por eso esta Caputo..con el..IMBECIL..MILEI…?? Porque esta pagando la deuda que generó el…., con Stugenezer y con Macri….!!!…»,
«Que chanta.»,
«Este sujeto despreciable ,hace guita con la sangre y lagrimas del pueblo argentino ,y esto gracias a la ayuda del pervertido de milei»,
«Reverendisimo H de Y, Ale, te envidio el estómago para no trompearlo»,
«Este tipejo vive en un termo»,
«Este Señor es muy claro en lo que dice… Y ojalá lo escuche mucha gente… Ya que para mi, el problema que tiene Argentina, pero por lejos, el más grande; aclaro porque Argentina tiene muchos problemas, pero enserio, el más grande, es: que el capital esté en manos de gente como este señor… Un crapula…!!!!»,
«Es un asco»,
«Terrible sorete»,
«Piedad Berco. Con tipos como este hacerla más corta. Entre mentira y contradicciones se nos va el tiempo.»,
«es bastante facil hablar cuando nunca pasaste necesidad. me gusta que se saca datos del 0rt0 como 1000EY!»,
«ESTE PERSONAJE…, FUE EL CEO EN ARGENTINA DEL HSBC…, EL BANCO MAS LAVADOR DE DOLARES…EN EL PLANETA….!!!.., CON MACRI…,ESTUVO A CARGO DE LA UIF…., JUSTAMENTE EL ENTE QUE CONTROLA EL LAVADO DE DINERO….!!!.UN …DELINCUENTE…!!! …CUANTO ESTE TIPO…,HABLA DE …\» LA GENTE…GANA MAS EN DOLARES\»…, HABLA DE MENOS DEL 5% DE LA GENTE….!!!»,
«Este pelotudo cree que los kirchneristos han echo buen gobierno ROBRNDO no los elegimos para que roben porque le roban a la PATRIA»,
«Son solo impresiones que tenés porque estás intoxicado por las narrativas izquierdistas.»,
«Este va a financiar la campaña del ponzidente Milei.»,
«La que consume este pibe es muy loco… Como te como te pinturria la realidad…
Un cara dura…!!!»,
«Quién es este mencho?»,
«Créditos hipotecarios en dólares ???😢 Los únicos felices con Milei son los financistas 😅»,
«Qué buena entrevista! Da para entender, no para justificar, como piensa esta gente. En lo personal, prefiero otro modelo, al de estos tipos no accedo ni para una carpa para 2 personas 👥»,
«Exacto. Así piensan y así gobiernan.»,
«Grande berco ….!!!!!!»,
«Que asco me da este Gabriel Martino!!!»,
«Este tipo donde vive????»,
«Vive de la nuestra, lo SUBVENCIÓNAN Y LO SUBSIDIAMOS CON LA NUESTRA.POR ESO QUIEREN ES GOBIERNO!!»,
«Dios mio!!! Solo clase alta y media alta. Solo ellos tienen derecho a tener una vivienda.»,
«Tipico de persona de derecha, critica lo de la expopiación de YPF y después dice menos mal que con Vaca Muerta subieron las exportaciones….. ellos muy campantes no ven la contradicción en eso… Y elogiar a Caputo como alguien que hace las cosas bien ya es indefendible… nos endeudó por 70 mil millones solo con el FMI y en menos de 6 años…»,
«Cambio de consumo por bien durable 😂😂😂😂 no como para comprarme un auto, es un ideota»,
«Ahora tenés la posibilidad de comprarte un bm! 😆»,
«@francoestrubia6503no escuchaste al otro que antes le quemaba los pesos y se compraba 200 pares de Zapatillas y ahora se compra un auto o una Casa! Como pueden creerles esas cosas?»,
«Qué sesgado este garca. Son todos iguales de cagadores, este y Caputo se pueden ir de la mano.»,
«Un millonario Hablando de Barato! 😂😂😂😂 infumable lo delirante que es este tipo… muy en su burbuja Ricachona.»,
«Hablo, mejor dicho escribio la envidia. FIN»,
« @DanielJerez-s9k Si si si inventate otra cosa! Envidia? Naa no se puede envidiar a un decerebrado que tiene como Dios al Dinero.»,
«Está fuera de realidad igual que los que gobiernan»,
«UFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF TREMENDO PELOTUDO…
BUENO NO, ES OTRA COSA.»,
«Este pedante que habla con la papa en la boca no representa a nadie, habla de un país que desea en 1% de millonarios que no laburan.»,
«Mis respetos Bercovich. Me gusto el debate aunque no comparto la mirada de Martino la respeto, es su punto de vista.»,
«Habla por si solo de la energía. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la \»estabilidad política\». Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema. Habla por si solo de la dictadura. Berco le responde y arruga, cambia de tema.
No para de recular en chancletas el gilastrun este»,
«Así que los K fueron todos un desastre de corrupción, el actual es gobierno normal y lo Adorni fue un \»error no forzado\». Jajajja, qué es Argentina? Un partido de tenis? Y ni empecemos con esta visión de ver el país desde arriba (lo importante es que sus hijos pudientes les guste la derecha, los trabajadores que se están endeudando no importan).»,
«Las escalas muchachos, en uno estan hablando de un depto que si en argentina te pones fino nadie puede justificar si no agrega dolares que uno va comprando en negro. Eso es para la gilada. Otra es miles de millones de dolares. No jodamos, podemos ser tan Kischneristas como queramos, pero tampoco hablemos pabadas.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET \»Miles de millones de dólares\». Ni en los terrenos patagónicos ni en Seycheles los encontraron.»,
« @LELElelec que ingenuo jaja. Como si alguna ves vas a encontrar algo. Tuvieron años para esconderlo. Muy ingenuo lo tuyo. En todas las causas quedo despues de agotar todas las instancias culpable. Y eso que los jueces los puso el peronismo y son peronistas pero hay un punto donde ya era ridículo lo burdo de la estafa.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Buscalos vos entonces…mucha suerte»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET Lo de las abuelitas que financiaron con 300 palos también es de ingenuo? Jajajajjaja»,
» @LELElelec Aunque no sean MILES, si son centenas de millones (SOLO Dañiel Muñoz el secretario de los K, tenia fideicomisos por 70 millones de usd, deptos en la gran mazana, miami, villa langostura, etc). LA hij 5 Millones de usd en la caja de seguridad y aca estan jodiendo por una casa o depto de 200/300 mil usd. final DEJAME DE JODER.»,
« @TheLAMARQUENET los que jugaban al fútbol con Macri? Dónde te informas vos? En la peluquería?»,
«Y yo calculo que tambien depende del nivel de MAGNITUDES, y si robo dinero el propio presidente o si armo un esquema exclusivamente para robar, etc. TODO eso y mucho mas, se hizo durante los 16 años K, en mayor o menor medida siempre habia curros»,
«Este hombre habla de un grupo selecto de personas… que camine la calle!!»,
«Me cansó…»,
«Esta es la burguesía que nos tocó y explica buena parte de los problemas que tenemos. Los dirigentes tampoco ayudan, claro.»,
«no ayudan no, son parte!!»,
«Los oligarkas q se hicieron millonarios con la Tushhha .Son les KukEs»,
«la casta en estado puro, el hsbc fue el peor banco de la historia en la argentina no se con q autoridad habla»,
«\»No me gusta el señalamiento\» pero el señala a los k y no soy kirschnerista…es una mierda de tipo»,
«El problema es que nos los cagan a trompadas como se merecen.»,
» @alvarobertolo2214 y los votan»,
«Lo peor de todo que fue y supongo que es un tipo con preeminencia en el sistema de …que estamos. Otro entre tantos que hay que sacar del sitio de las decisiones»,
«😂😂😂😂😂😂 son épocas difíciles para que los KUKA»,
«¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿Por qué Berco invita a fantasmones como este?????????????????»,
«Mmmmmm…huele a mierda. Oportunistas. EN DOLARES…???. La moneda de los colonizadores tira bombas dueños de la maquinista.»,
«ALTO GARCA este muchacho…quisiera ver las tasas que cobra…»,
«Qué flor de chanta con todas las letras!»,
«este flaco es como un vendedor de autos usados… puro chamuyo»,
«Claro que no quieren la pobre democracia que tenemos. Quieren una autocracia\\dictadura porque la quieren toda para ellos. Odian lo nacional y lo popular, que somos mayoría. Los data center no generan empleo…gracias berco por exponerlo!»,
«Cuando se preguntan, quien sostiene a este loco como presidente ??? Ya ven quienes lo apoyan como este pseudo empresario que quiere que Argentina sea un pais de servicios y no industrial y no se le movio un pelo, el pais del salvense quien pueda…..»,
«Y que puede decir este delincuente.»,
«Por fin habla alguien que sabe de economía»,
«Creo que cortaron la parte, solo veo a martino, que de economía sabe menos que un almacenero.»,
«GARCA»,
«este tipo estuvo Condenado a 15 años por lavado de guita es un Delincuente»,
«No entiendo porque ese modo de expresarse..\» un pasante que solo fue ayudante de cátedra\» , más allá si te gustó o no su gestión.»,
«Porque es gente muy bruta, su argumental se reduce a eso.»,
«Otra vez lo entrevistas a este gil de goma? Para dejarlo expuesto supongo. Si Guzmán fue un desastre por lo menos se fue rápido. Imagínense ocho años de Milei adonde vamos a terminar está en pedo. La nota ni la quiero escuchar este es una máquina de hacer guita nomás lo felicito pero que no opine. Mira Milei era opinólogo y el bardo que esta haciendo»,
«Alejandro yo tampoco la escuché ,en realidad unos segundos ,garza importante»,
«No lo felicites, que sin el kirchnerismo seguía vendiendo ballenitas este mamarracho.»,
«Es un chanta éste personaje!!!!»,
«El salario en dolares ha crecido? esta loco el docente seguro que no»,
«Cuanto ganaba en 2023 vs ahora y vemos los números. Porque ustedes son 100% relatos»,
» @alejandrom4347 Con el último de cristina, el triple en dólares el salario promedio. De hecho, no sé si en pandemia llegó a estar tan por el piso como ahora. El que dependa de insumos importados te va a querer cagar a trompadas, ni hablar.»,
«@francoestrubia6503 el ultimo de cristina fue el del titere fernandez, poné datos, no relatos.»,
«Ale, mis felicitaciones por ser un señor y no saltarle a la yogular a este chanta impresentable. gran manera de preguntar y dejarlo en evidencia cuando el temita del gasoducto!!! jaja»,
«Fua! Que pedazo de sorete. No? Gracias Berco por exponerlo.»,
«Es un caradura.»,
«Dios mío»,
«Dígase \»la gente\» el 5% de los Argentinos. Eso deberían aclarar.»,
«Naa no es el 5%. Es bastante mas. Lo que pasa que hay un 40/50% de la población que es clase mediabaja que la sufre.»,
«Y la izquierda hace rato que dice \»el pueblo trabajador que representamos\» y no llegan ni al 3%.»,
« @andres.giacomini Exacto. Al pueblo trabajador lo representa el peronismo. Jaque mate.»,
« @jimmypatin1240 ya no…se olvidaron que perdieron las elecciones?»,
» @jimmypatin1240 Claro por eso hay 70% anti peronismo no? Si lo representara el pueblo, lo habria votado en mayoria las ultimas 4 elecciones, paso, generales, ballotage, legislativas, no paran de perder.»,
«Ahh, un impresentable por donde lo mires.»,
«Es despreciable»,
«Peroncho»,
» @julianormond373 Nunca; pero si se ve que sos medio nabo.»,
«EL CONDUCTOR ES ASI LAMENTABLE»,
» @claudiotepongo1894 Hablo del entrevistado……»,
«Más soberbio que usted! Mamita querida!! Caputo salió super mal del gobierno de macri y ahora mienten porque la realidad es otra cosa!! Bájate del avión y camina la calle!!»,
«Ale… Este es un chanta.»,
«El KÍSNERISMO ❓»,
«Es mileistano te das cuenta»,
«Todo un chanta»,
«Sería bueno saber de quien habla. Mi hijo esta haciendo su residencia en medicina. Cobra 900 mil y el alquiler 850 mil (en Cordoba), lo tenemos que ayudar porque no le alcanza. Imposible pensar en comprar una propiedad. El consumo bajo, Argentina esta mas caro que en España. De que sector habla? que llegan a Argentina y encuentran el pais tan accesible.»,
«Totalmente de acuerdo. No es sólo que la inflación sigue en niveles altos (más altos que los que tenía Guzmán) y los alquileres y servicios siguen aumentando de forma brusca, sino que los salarios se desplomaron. Comer un asado es un lujo. Acá en Gesell se ve la miseria y el resultado de un verano similar al anterior pero con mucho menos gasto. El otro día se me acercó un churrero pidiéndome entre lágrimas e impotencia que le compre 1/2 docena. No lo ví nunca. Es indibujable la realidad.»,
«Acá te das cuenta que viven en Narnia. Un país pensado primordialmente para y por los del poder económico.»,
» @LELElelecMe da asco y vergüenza.»,
«Que raro q en 16 años de kirchnerismo suizo no pudieron comprar un departamento al nene🤡🤡🤡»,
«Yo soy médico especialista desde 2009. Nunca cobré por la residencia ni un peso. Nunca tuve ni aguinaldo ni vacaciones pagas ni art, y fué durante el supuesto gobierno para todos ✌️»,
« @julianormond373 en que hospital trabajabas en 2009?»,
« @julianormond373 Viste, ese es el problema de financiar universidades públicas. Bastaaaaaaaa de médicos de la pública, que todos egresar de las privadas. Al igual que el resto de profesionales, el chorros de Peron cometió el error al quitar el arancelamiento.»,
«850 mil en córdoba ??? Vive en un piso en plaza España?? . Estos kukitas inventando 😂»,
« @rodriotero1559 un piso sale tan barato en córdoba? Permitime dudar»,
«Mas caro que España? JA, un alquiler en pleno centro de Barcelona o Madrid, no baja el monoambiente de 1000 euros, o sea 1.7 millon, aca tu hijo paga 850.000 y estoy seguro que podria alquilar por 600 lucas. y menos tambien.»,
«1 millón de pesos el alquiler en Cordoba? Pero qué alquila el pibe ese? Jajajajaja»,
«Hablá solo mentira, y para una sola clase….me dan asco»,
«Ex banquero. Delincuente»,
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Wednesday Reads: Iran Dominates the News; Epstein Still Breaks Through
Good Afternoon!!
Yesterday I tried to watch a press conference on Trump’s Iran conflict by Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine, but it was unwatchable. Hegseth waved his arms around and yelled over-the-top threats, and Caine sort of tried to sound reasonable; but none of it made sense. No one in the Trump administration has a clue why we’re in this “war.” I really do think it’s another distraction from the Epstein files.
So this morning I enjoyed reading this description by John Ganz at Unpopular Front: Command-Shift-War. War as Cliché.
This war is notable not for its use of Artificial Intelligence, but for the fact that it is the first war that feels like it’s been launched by A.I: It’s all been done on a level less than thought. Trump’s remarks, Hegseth’s speeches; they all sound like autocompletes or snippets of half-remembered things. When Trump bellows, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” he knows not what it means; he just heard it somewhere, probably on TV.
The barrage of clichés from Hegseth’s mouth is astonishing—“Flying over their capital. Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We’re playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it. This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be….” Then General Caine (what a name) joins in the fusillade: “Profound sadness and gratitude….wounded warriors…standing shoulder to shoulder…making steady progress…clear-eyed…quiet professionals…call balls and strikes.” Clear-eyed, quiet professionals are making steady progress calling balls and strikes on our wounded warriors, to whom we feel eternal gratitude. We may run out of interceptors, but we are well-stocked with hackneyed phrases. And the munitions may be “precision guided,” but the language is necessarily vague. Too bad they can’t bore the enemy to death.
Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine try to make sense of the Iran war.
The images, too, are familiar and shopworn for anyone who can remember as far back as the First Persian Gulf War. The grainy footage of “precision strikes” (another cliché) on “key targets.” The night sky of a Middle Eastern metropolis illuminated with fire and smoke—we’ve all seen Shock and Awe (2002), dir. George W. Bush and Michael Bay—Tomahawks streaking into the sky. The jets screaming off the decks of carriers; The video edits using “the Macarena” or “Fortunate Son,” meant to recall Forrest Gump, itself already a pastiche of Vietnam movies. I’m sure something is reassuring about it all to a Fox viewer approaching senescence. But also for the young who have processed everything through video games. They’ve seen this movie before. (That’s another one, in case you didn’t notice.) It’s a kind of medley of America’s wars; the themes come and go: oil crisis…Iran…Kuwait…boots on the ground…Patriot missiles…Scuds. Even the sinking of an apparently unarmed Iranian warship by a submarine was a callback: Hegseth reminded us it was the first time a US sub had sunk an enemy vessel with a torpedo since WWII. It had no strategic or tactical purpose; it was just meant to generate an image: a ship going down viewed through the crosshairs of a periscope. Something out of Run Silent Run Deep, watched on a Sunday afternoon. Or the Victory at Sea doc,not for nothing, a movie that Trump obsesses over. Of course, “unrestricted submarine warfare” and abandoning survivors at sea recalls a coldhearted U-Boat skipper more than Clark Gable, but no matter.
In the past, propaganda served the purposes of war; now war serves the purposes of propaganda. But the blood remains real.
A.I. will supposedly give us fully automated wars in the future, but it’s here, right now. There’s a blind automatism to this war; It’s a war without thought or deliberation, public or private. It’s war as autocomplete. Of course, we were gonna “do” Iran. It was just what was next. Another barrage of clichés: “American blood on their hands…theocratic lunatics…the mullahs…We’ve been at war with Iran for 47 years.” The last one is particularly Orwellian: We’ve always been at war with West Asia.
Read more at the Substack link above.
Here’s the latest news and opinion about Trump’s “war.”
The Pentagon tried to hide the number of U.S. injuries in the war until Reuters did an independent investigation. Now they say there are 140 wounded.
Reuters: Exclusive: As many as 150 US troops wounded so far in Iran war, sources say.
As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the 10-day-old war with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
The casualty figure has not been previously reported. Prior to Reuters’ publication of the figure, the Pentagon had only disclosed eight U.S. personnel seriously injured.
In a statement after Reuters published its report, the Pentagon estimated the figure to be approximately 140 wounded and said the vast majority of them were minor.
“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” said chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
He said 108 of the wounded service members had already returned to duty.
Parnell said the eight seriously wounded service members were receiving the highest level of medical care.
Reuters could not determine the types of injuries and whether they include traumatic brain injuries, which are common after exposure to blasts.
Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28. It has also struck diplomatic missions in Arab Gulf states as well as hotels and airports and damaged oil infrastructure.
The New York Times: At Least 3 Ships Are Struck In and Around a Key Gulf Oil Passage.
At least three ships were hit on Wednesday in and around the vital oil route of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a British maritime monitoring group, as the Middle East war chokes off one of the key conduits for the global oil trade.
An image released by the Royal Thai Navy shows a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz that was attacked on Wednesday. Iran claimed responsibility. Credit…Royal Thai Navy, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Iran appeared to claim responsibility for at least one of the attacks. Alireza Tangsiri, the naval commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, named one of the ships that was struck, the Mayuree Naree, in a post on social media, saying they had “ignored the warnings” from Iran, and “ended up getting caught.”
He added: “Any vessel that intends to pass must obtain permission from Iran.”
The incidents came after the U.S. military said it struck 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz — though it remained unclear whether any Iranian mines had actually been deployed there.
There were three separate reports, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British monitoring agency. Iran fired at targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, but did not explicitly claim responsibility for the strikes on the ships.
Three strikes on ships in a single morning appeared to represent an unusual uptick: The U.K.M.T.O. said it had received reports of 13 attacks in total since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28.
One cargo vessel was struck “by an unknown projectile” north of Oman in the Straits of Hormuz, resulting in a fire onboard, the agency said. The Oman News Agency said the country’s Maritime Security Center received a report indicating that the Mayuree Naree, a commercial vessel flying the flag of Thailand, was hit off the Omani coast.
Mark Mazzetti, Tyler Pager, and Edward Wong at The New York Times: How Trump and His Advisers Miscalculated Iran’s Response to War.
On Feb. 18, as President Trump weighed whether to launch military attacks on Iran, Chris Wright, the energy secretary, told an interviewer he was not concerned that the looming war might disrupt oil supplies in the Middle East and wreak havoc in energy markets.
Even during the Israeli and U.S. strikes against Iran last June, Mr. Wright said, there had been little disruption in the markets. “Oil prices blipped up and then went back down,” he said. Some of Mr. Trump’s other advisers shared similar views in private, dismissing warnings that — the second time around — Iran might wage economic warfare by closing shipping lanes carrying roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply.
The extent of that miscalculation was laid bare in recent days, as Iran threatened to fire at commercial oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic choke point through which all ships must pass on their way out of the Persian Gulf. In response to the Iranian threats, commercial shipping has come to a standstill in the Gulf, oil prices have spiked, and the Trump administration has scrambled to find ways to tamp down an economic crisis that has triggered higher gasoline prices for Americans.
The episode is emblematic of how much Mr. Trump and his advisers misjudged how Iran would respond to a conflict that the government in Tehran sees as an existential threat. Iran has responded far more aggressively than it did during last June’s 12-day war, firing barrages of missiles and drones at U.S. military bases, cities in Arab nations across the Middle East, and on Israeli population centers.
U.S. officials have had to adjust plans on the fly, from hastily ordering the evacuation of embassies to developing policy proposals to reduce gas prices.
The Daily Beast: Senator Torches Trump’s ‘Incoherent’ War Plans After Secret Briefing.
President Trump’s closed-door meeting about his long-term plan in Iran and overall justification for the war has been blasted as “incoherent” by a senator who attended.
Chris Murphy, a Democrat representing Connecticut, unloaded on the White House in a troubling X thread after the secret briefing on “Operation Epic Fury.”
Sen. Chris Murphy warned about the lack of a plan in a worrying X thread.
He said there doesn’t seem to be a clear goal apart from “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories.”
“I obviously can’t disclose classified info, but you deserve to know how incoherent and incomplete these war plans are,” he said.
Several of the White House’s stated reasons for the war didn’t even come up, Murphy said, with not a single mention of plans to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “This is, uh…surprising…since Trump says over and over this is a key goal,” he said.
The Trump administration also now claims that regime change is not the goal of the operation, despite the president initially framing it that way for the public.
Murphy suggested that if the goal is not to ensure a transition of power, the U.S. will just face more issues further down the line. He said: “So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime – probably a MORE anti-American hardline regime – will still be in charge.”
He said there didn’t seem to be a clear goal apart from “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories.”
“But the question that stumped them: what happens when you stop bombing and they restart production? They hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war,” he said.
Barak Ravid at Axios: Trump tells Axios there’s “practically nothing left” to target in Iran.
President Trump told Axios in a brief phone interview Wednesday that the war with Iran will end “soon” because there is “practically nothing left to target.”
“Little this and that… Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump said during the five-minute call.
Why it matters: Even as Trump publicly signals his operation has largely accomplished its objectives, U.S. and Israeli officials say there has been no internal directive on when fighting might stop.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday the war will continue “without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decisively win the campaign.”Israeli and
U.S. officials say they are preparing for at least two more weeks of strikes in Iran.
It sounds like Israel is actually going to decide when the war ends.
On Tuesday, the U.S. received intelligence that suggested Iran has started laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for oil supply.
Officials say it’s unclear how many mines Iran has deployed, but the assessment is that the number is very small.
Trump confirmed to Axios that U.S. strikes on Tuesday destroyed 16 mine-laying boats and disrupted Iranian plans….
What he’s [Trump] saying: “The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period,” Trump told Axios.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
One more on Iran from Judd Legum at Popular Information: UPDATE: Trump says Kushner helped convince him to go to war with Iran. The disclosure highlights Kushner’s massive financial conflicts.
At a press conference on Monday evening, President Trump said his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was one of a handful of top advisers who convinced him to launch major combat operations in Iran. The disclosure raises additional questions about the role of Kushner, who is being paid tens of millions of dollars annually by Middle Eastern governments that were reportedly lobbying Trump to attack Iran.
Jared Kushner is acknowledged during the State of the Union on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee,Getty Images)
“The situation was very quickly approaching the point of no return… based on what Steve and Jared and Pete and others were telling me, Marco is so involved, I thought they were going to attack us,” Trump said, referring to Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Kushner, who has no formal title.
“Within a week, [Iran was] going to attack us, 100 percent. They were ready,” Trump said at a different event Monday. “They had all these missiles, far more than anyone thought, and they were going to attack us.”
Witkoff and Kushner were dispatched by Trump to Geneva to participate in mediation with their Iranian counterparts, in what was described as a last-ditch effort to avoid war. Kushner’s participation violated his pledge not to be involved in foreign policy in a second Trump administration. Instead, Kushner had said he was focused on running his private equity fund, Affinity Partners, which has raised billions of dollars from foreign governments.
Kushner’s largest investor is the Saudi Arabian government, which provided Kushner with $2 billion in funding in 2021. Each year, Saudi Arabia pays Kushner 1.25% of its investment, $25 million, as a “management fee.” Meaning he has received in excess of $100 million from the Saudi government over the last few years.
And Witkoff is a Russian asset. I will never forgive the idiots who voted for Trump because they just didn’t want a Black woman to be president.
Trump’s fear of the Epstein files is behind this idiotic war. No one will ever convince me otherwise. Here’s the latest on the Epstein story.
NBC News: Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch searched by state investigators.
State investigators in New Mexico on Monday searched a 7,600-acre property that once belonged to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The search came after documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act showed no record of federal investigators ever searching the property, known as Zorro Ranch, despite a number of years-old civil suits that accused Epstein of sexually assaulting girls there — allegations over which he was never charged.
“This search is part of the criminal investigation announced by the New Mexico Department of Justice on February 19th into allegations of illegal activity at Epstein’s ranch prior to Epstein’s 2019 death,” the state agency said in a statement.
“The New Mexico Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners in granting access for the search and extends its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism,” the statement said, and will “continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead.”
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, ordered the search. His office announced its probe into Epstein last month, days after state lawmakers passed legislation to begin their own investigation into Epstein’s activities in the state.
The Legislature’s $2.5 million investigation, which has subpoena power, aims to close gaps in state law that may have allowed Epstein to operate in New Mexico with impunity. The committee is expected to release interim findings in July and a final report by the end of the year.
The bill’s co-sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Andrea Romero, said when the legislation passed last month that Epstein “was basically doing anything he wanted in this state without any accountability whatsoever.”
From Epstein expert Julie K. Brown at The Epstein files: Dead bodies and a long missing 300-year-old church bell: What will they find on Zorro Ranch?
The reach of the mysteries involving Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico now span several centuries — as new documents reveal that the FBI’s Albuquerque office was investigating whether Epstein had a stolen historical artifact that dates back hundreds of years stored on his sprawling NM property.
Zorro Ranch
The artifact was a “death bell” that was once housed at the San Jose de Gracia Mission Church in Las Trampas, a village in Northern New Mexico between Sante Fe and Taos. The church was built in 1760 and is considered one of the best examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in the Southwest U.S. It is also a National Historic Landmark.
The lore about the missing church bell only adds to the questions about why the Justice Department never searched Epstein’s ranch back in 2019 — when at least two victims alleged they were sexually assaulted there, and another tipster claimed that two girls’ bodies are possibly buried there….
The “Death bell,” as it came to be called, was smaller than the other bell. During the church’s restoration in the 1930s, the bell was stolen.
In November 2019, Timothy Lopez told the FBI in Albuquerque, New Mexico that he recalled seeing Epstein’s ranch featured in a local real estate magazine in 2014 or 2015. In the photos accompanying the article, he said he noticed a room filed with Spanish Colonial art — and noticed a bell he thought might be the Death bell that had been stolen more than 80 years earlier.
The 7,400-ace property, which Epstein called “Zorro Ranch,” was purchased by Epstein from former New Mexico Governor Bruce King in 1993. The disgraced financier built a hilltop mansion with a private runway on the property, which was sold after Epstein’s death to the family of former Texas state Sen. Don Huffines, who won the Republican primary for Texas state comptroller last week.
After Epstein’s arrest in July 2019, the FBI search Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, but did not immediately search Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean until after his August 2019 death. They never searched his New Mexico compound, despite having evidence of crimes that occurred there, including the tip about the stolen church bell….
the documents about the sexual assaults that were reported to have occurred on the property led to public outcry in recent weeks. That that led to New Mexico authorities finally on Monday beginning a long overdue search of the property. Of course, by now, any evidence of any sex crimes committed there has likely disappeared just like the long-vanished death bell.
The FBI claimed they abandoned the investigation of Zorro Ranch because they lacked enough evidence to get a search warrant. It will be interesting to see what New Mexico authorities find.
Two more significant stories:
The Washington Post (gift link): Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to new job.
The Social Security Administration’s internal watchdog is investigating a complaint that alleges a former U.S. DOGE Service employee claimed he had access to two highly sensitive agency databases and planned to share the information with his private employer — a claim that, if true, would constitute an unprecedented breach of security protocols at an agency that serves more than 70 million Americans.
The agency’s inspector general is investigating the disclosure and has alerted members of Congress of its existence, according to a letter by the acting inspector general to top members of four congressional committees reviewed by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations. The inspector general’s office has also shared the disclosure with the Government Accountability Office, which has been conducting its own audit of DOGE’s access to data, according to one of the people. The Post has reviewed the complaint and spoken with the whistleblower, who issued the complaint anonymously for fear of retaliation.
According to the disclosure, the former DOGE software engineer, who worked at the Social Security Administration last year before starting a job at a government contractor in October, allegedly told several co-workers that he possessed two tightly restricted databases of U.S. citizens’ information, and had at least one on a thumb drive. The databases, called “Numident” and the “Master Death File,” include records for more than 500 million living and dead Americans, including Social Security numbers, places and dates of birth, citizenship, race and ethnicity, and parents’ names. The complaint does not include specific dates of when he is said to have told colleagues this information, but at least one of the alleged events unfolded around early January, according to the complaint. While working at DOGE, the engineer had approved access to Social Security data.
According to the complaint, he allegedly told the whistleblower that he needed help transferring data from a thumb drive “to his personal computer so that he could ‘sanitize’ the data before using it at [the company.]” The engineer told colleagues that once he had removed personal details from the data, he wanted to upload it into the company’s systems. He told another colleague, who refused to help him upload the data because of legal concerns, that he expected to receive a presidential pardon if his actions were deemed to be illegal, according to the complaint.
The complaint does not allege that the engineer was successful in uploading the data to the company’s system.
The Post is not naming the former DOGE member or company because it has not independently confirmed the accusations in the complaint.
Use the gift link to read more.
Kristi Noem in one of her cosplay costumes
The Daily Beast: Insiders Reveal ICE Barbie Is Leaving DHS With a Major Problem.
Kristi Noem is apparently leaving the Department of Homeland Security with dozens of unsigned contracts on her desk—including payments owed to a facility holding migrant children.
The backlog is the fallout from a policy Noem, 54, imposed that required every DHS contract worth $100,000 or more—which covers nearly all of the agency’s agreements—to receive her personal sign-off before taking effect. The rule proved so disruptive that some vendors began billing the department in chunks of $99,999 each just to get paid.
“There’s a mountain of backed-up contracts and invoices on her desk that the new guy will just have to deal with,” a source familiar with the situation at DHS told Axios.
“From everything that I’ve heard, it’s still a giant s–t show up there,” a source familiar with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delays told the outlet, referring to DHS leadership.
“The ramifications of her tenure are going to be felt for years and years and years and years,” the source added. “We’re not really going to know exactly how bad it is until we have a major hurricane that unfortunately impacts someplace in the United States.”
The disruption, Axios says, is already reaching real facilities. At the family detention center in Dilley, Texas—the only long-term immigration facility in the country holding migrants’ children—government payments lapsed in early March, with roughly 700 people detained there as of mid-February.
That’s it for me today. As you can tell, the Iran situation is freezing out other stories.
Take care, everyone. #DanCaine #DOGESocialSecurityAttacks #DonaldTrump #IranWar #JaredKusher #KristiNoem #PeteHegseth #SenChrisMurphy #SteveWitkoff #StraitOfHormuz -
Wednesday Reads: Iran Dominates the News; Epstein Still Breaks Through
Good Afternoon!!
Yesterday I tried to watch a press conference on Trump’s Iran conflict by Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine, but it was unwatchable. Hegseth waved his arms around and yelled over-the-top threats, and Caine sort of tried to sound reasonable; but none of it made sense. No one in the Trump administration has a clue why we’re in this “war.” I really do think it’s another distraction from the Epstein files.
So this morning I enjoyed reading this description by John Ganz at Unpopular Front: Command-Shift-War. War as Cliché.
This war is notable not for its use of Artificial Intelligence, but for the fact that it is the first war that feels like it’s been launched by A.I: It’s all been done on a level less than thought. Trump’s remarks, Hegseth’s speeches; they all sound like autocompletes or snippets of half-remembered things. When Trump bellows, “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,” he knows not what it means; he just heard it somewhere, probably on TV.
The barrage of clichés from Hegseth’s mouth is astonishing—“Flying over their capital. Death and destruction from the sky all day long. We’re playing for keeps. Our warfighters have maximum authorities granted personally by the president and yours truly. Our rules of engagement are bold, precise, and designed to unleash American power, not shackle it. This was never meant to be a fair fight, and it is not a fair fight. We are punching them while they’re down, which is exactly how it should be….” Then General Caine (what a name) joins in the fusillade: “Profound sadness and gratitude….wounded warriors…standing shoulder to shoulder…making steady progress…clear-eyed…quiet professionals…call balls and strikes.” Clear-eyed, quiet professionals are making steady progress calling balls and strikes on our wounded warriors, to whom we feel eternal gratitude. We may run out of interceptors, but we are well-stocked with hackneyed phrases. And the munitions may be “precision guided,” but the language is necessarily vague. Too bad they can’t bore the enemy to death.
Pete Hegseth and Dan Caine try to make sense of the Iran war.
The images, too, are familiar and shopworn for anyone who can remember as far back as the First Persian Gulf War. The grainy footage of “precision strikes” (another cliché) on “key targets.” The night sky of a Middle Eastern metropolis illuminated with fire and smoke—we’ve all seen Shock and Awe (2002), dir. George W. Bush and Michael Bay—Tomahawks streaking into the sky. The jets screaming off the decks of carriers; The video edits using “the Macarena” or “Fortunate Son,” meant to recall Forrest Gump, itself already a pastiche of Vietnam movies. I’m sure something is reassuring about it all to a Fox viewer approaching senescence. But also for the young who have processed everything through video games. They’ve seen this movie before. (That’s another one, in case you didn’t notice.) It’s a kind of medley of America’s wars; the themes come and go: oil crisis…Iran…Kuwait…boots on the ground…Patriot missiles…Scuds. Even the sinking of an apparently unarmed Iranian warship by a submarine was a callback: Hegseth reminded us it was the first time a US sub had sunk an enemy vessel with a torpedo since WWII. It had no strategic or tactical purpose; it was just meant to generate an image: a ship going down viewed through the crosshairs of a periscope. Something out of Run Silent Run Deep, watched on a Sunday afternoon. Or the Victory at Sea doc,not for nothing, a movie that Trump obsesses over. Of course, “unrestricted submarine warfare” and abandoning survivors at sea recalls a coldhearted U-Boat skipper more than Clark Gable, but no matter.
In the past, propaganda served the purposes of war; now war serves the purposes of propaganda. But the blood remains real.
A.I. will supposedly give us fully automated wars in the future, but it’s here, right now. There’s a blind automatism to this war; It’s a war without thought or deliberation, public or private. It’s war as autocomplete. Of course, we were gonna “do” Iran. It was just what was next. Another barrage of clichés: “American blood on their hands…theocratic lunatics…the mullahs…We’ve been at war with Iran for 47 years.” The last one is particularly Orwellian: We’ve always been at war with West Asia.
Read more at the Substack link above.
Here’s the latest news and opinion about Trump’s “war.”
The Pentagon tried to hide the number of U.S. injuries in the war until Reuters did an independent investigation. Now they say there are 140 wounded.
Reuters: Exclusive: As many as 150 US troops wounded so far in Iran war, sources say.
As many as 150 U.S. troops have been wounded in the 10-day-old war with Iran, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
The casualty figure has not been previously reported. Prior to Reuters’ publication of the figure, the Pentagon had only disclosed eight U.S. personnel seriously injured.
In a statement after Reuters published its report, the Pentagon estimated the figure to be approximately 140 wounded and said the vast majority of them were minor.
“Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, approximately 140 U.S. service members have been wounded over 10 days of sustained attacks,” said chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
He said 108 of the wounded service members had already returned to duty.
Parnell said the eight seriously wounded service members were receiving the highest level of medical care.
Reuters could not determine the types of injuries and whether they include traumatic brain injuries, which are common after exposure to blasts.
Iran has launched retaliatory strikes against U.S. military bases since the start of the conflict on Feb. 28. It has also struck diplomatic missions in Arab Gulf states as well as hotels and airports and damaged oil infrastructure.
The New York Times: At Least 3 Ships Are Struck In and Around a Key Gulf Oil Passage.
At least three ships were hit on Wednesday in and around the vital oil route of the Strait of Hormuz, according to a British maritime monitoring group, as the Middle East war chokes off one of the key conduits for the global oil trade.
An image released by the Royal Thai Navy shows a tanker near the Strait of Hormuz that was attacked on Wednesday. Iran claimed responsibility. Credit…Royal Thai Navy, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Iran appeared to claim responsibility for at least one of the attacks. Alireza Tangsiri, the naval commander in Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, named one of the ships that was struck, the Mayuree Naree, in a post on social media, saying they had “ignored the warnings” from Iran, and “ended up getting caught.”
He added: “Any vessel that intends to pass must obtain permission from Iran.”
The incidents came after the U.S. military said it struck 16 Iranian mine-laying vessels near the Strait of Hormuz — though it remained unclear whether any Iranian mines had actually been deployed there.
There were three separate reports, according to United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British monitoring agency. Iran fired at targets across the Middle East on Wednesday, but did not explicitly claim responsibility for the strikes on the ships.
Three strikes on ships in a single morning appeared to represent an unusual uptick: The U.K.M.T.O. said it had received reports of 13 attacks in total since the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran began on Feb. 28.
One cargo vessel was struck “by an unknown projectile” north of Oman in the Straits of Hormuz, resulting in a fire onboard, the agency said. The Oman News Agency said the country’s Maritime Security Center received a report indicating that the Mayuree Naree, a commercial vessel flying the flag of Thailand, was hit off the Omani coast.
Mark Mazzetti, Tyler Pager, and Edward Wong at The New York Times: How Trump and His Advisers Miscalculated Iran’s Response to War.
On Feb. 18, as President Trump weighed whether to launch military attacks on Iran, Chris Wright, the energy secretary, told an interviewer he was not concerned that the looming war might disrupt oil supplies in the Middle East and wreak havoc in energy markets.
Even during the Israeli and U.S. strikes against Iran last June, Mr. Wright said, there had been little disruption in the markets. “Oil prices blipped up and then went back down,” he said. Some of Mr. Trump’s other advisers shared similar views in private, dismissing warnings that — the second time around — Iran might wage economic warfare by closing shipping lanes carrying roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply.
The extent of that miscalculation was laid bare in recent days, as Iran threatened to fire at commercial oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic choke point through which all ships must pass on their way out of the Persian Gulf. In response to the Iranian threats, commercial shipping has come to a standstill in the Gulf, oil prices have spiked, and the Trump administration has scrambled to find ways to tamp down an economic crisis that has triggered higher gasoline prices for Americans.
The episode is emblematic of how much Mr. Trump and his advisers misjudged how Iran would respond to a conflict that the government in Tehran sees as an existential threat. Iran has responded far more aggressively than it did during last June’s 12-day war, firing barrages of missiles and drones at U.S. military bases, cities in Arab nations across the Middle East, and on Israeli population centers.
U.S. officials have had to adjust plans on the fly, from hastily ordering the evacuation of embassies to developing policy proposals to reduce gas prices.
The Daily Beast: Senator Torches Trump’s ‘Incoherent’ War Plans After Secret Briefing.
President Trump’s closed-door meeting about his long-term plan in Iran and overall justification for the war has been blasted as “incoherent” by a senator who attended.
Chris Murphy, a Democrat representing Connecticut, unloaded on the White House in a troubling X thread after the secret briefing on “Operation Epic Fury.”
Sen. Chris Murphy warned about the lack of a plan in a worrying X thread.
He said there doesn’t seem to be a clear goal apart from “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories.”
“I obviously can’t disclose classified info, but you deserve to know how incoherent and incomplete these war plans are,” he said.
Several of the White House’s stated reasons for the war didn’t even come up, Murphy said, with not a single mention of plans to destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. “This is, uh…surprising…since Trump says over and over this is a key goal,” he said.
The Trump administration also now claims that regime change is not the goal of the operation, despite the president initially framing it that way for the public.
Murphy suggested that if the goal is not to ensure a transition of power, the U.S. will just face more issues further down the line. He said: “So, they are going to spend hundreds of billions of your taxpayer dollars, get a whole bunch of Americans killed, and a hardline regime – probably a MORE anti-American hardline regime – will still be in charge.”
He said there didn’t seem to be a clear goal apart from “destroying lots of missiles and boats and drone factories.”
“But the question that stumped them: what happens when you stop bombing and they restart production? They hinted at more bombing. Which is, of course, endless war,” he said.
Barak Ravid at Axios: Trump tells Axios there’s “practically nothing left” to target in Iran.
President Trump told Axios in a brief phone interview Wednesday that the war with Iran will end “soon” because there is “practically nothing left to target.”
“Little this and that… Any time I want it to end, it will end,” Trump said during the five-minute call.
Why it matters: Even as Trump publicly signals his operation has largely accomplished its objectives, U.S. and Israeli officials say there has been no internal directive on when fighting might stop.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday the war will continue “without any time limit, for as long as necessary, until we achieve all the objectives and decisively win the campaign.”Israeli and
U.S. officials say they are preparing for at least two more weeks of strikes in Iran.
It sounds like Israel is actually going to decide when the war ends.
On Tuesday, the U.S. received intelligence that suggested Iran has started laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most critical chokepoints for oil supply.
Officials say it’s unclear how many mines Iran has deployed, but the assessment is that the number is very small.
Trump confirmed to Axios that U.S. strikes on Tuesday destroyed 16 mine-laying boats and disrupted Iranian plans….
What he’s [Trump] saying: “The war is going great. We are way ahead of the timetable. We have done more damage than we thought possible, even in the original six-week period,” Trump told Axios.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
One more on Iran from Judd Legum at Popular Information: UPDATE: Trump says Kushner helped convince him to go to war with Iran. The disclosure highlights Kushner’s massive financial conflicts.
At a press conference on Monday evening, President Trump said his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was one of a handful of top advisers who convinced him to launch major combat operations in Iran. The disclosure raises additional questions about the role of Kushner, who is being paid tens of millions of dollars annually by Middle Eastern governments that were reportedly lobbying Trump to attack Iran.
Jared Kushner is acknowledged during the State of the Union on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee,Getty Images)
“The situation was very quickly approaching the point of no return… based on what Steve and Jared and Pete and others were telling me, Marco is so involved, I thought they were going to attack us,” Trump said, referring to Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Kushner, who has no formal title.
“Within a week, [Iran was] going to attack us, 100 percent. They were ready,” Trump said at a different event Monday. “They had all these missiles, far more than anyone thought, and they were going to attack us.”
Witkoff and Kushner were dispatched by Trump to Geneva to participate in mediation with their Iranian counterparts, in what was described as a last-ditch effort to avoid war. Kushner’s participation violated his pledge not to be involved in foreign policy in a second Trump administration. Instead, Kushner had said he was focused on running his private equity fund, Affinity Partners, which has raised billions of dollars from foreign governments.
Kushner’s largest investor is the Saudi Arabian government, which provided Kushner with $2 billion in funding in 2021. Each year, Saudi Arabia pays Kushner 1.25% of its investment, $25 million, as a “management fee.” Meaning he has received in excess of $100 million from the Saudi government over the last few years.
And Witkoff is a Russian asset. I will never forgive the idiots who voted for Trump because they just didn’t want a Black woman to be president.
Trump’s fear of the Epstein files is behind this idiotic war. No one will ever convince me otherwise. Here’s the latest on the Epstein story.
NBC News: Jeffrey Epstein’s New Mexico ranch searched by state investigators.
State investigators in New Mexico on Monday searched a 7,600-acre property that once belonged to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The search came after documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act showed no record of federal investigators ever searching the property, known as Zorro Ranch, despite a number of years-old civil suits that accused Epstein of sexually assaulting girls there — allegations over which he was never charged.
“This search is part of the criminal investigation announced by the New Mexico Department of Justice on February 19th into allegations of illegal activity at Epstein’s ranch prior to Epstein’s 2019 death,” the state agency said in a statement.
“The New Mexico Department of Justice appreciates the cooperation of the current property owners in granting access for the search and extends its thanks to the ranch staff for their professionalism,” the statement said, and will “continue to keep the public appropriately informed, support the survivors, and follow the facts wherever they lead.”
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, ordered the search. His office announced its probe into Epstein last month, days after state lawmakers passed legislation to begin their own investigation into Epstein’s activities in the state.
The Legislature’s $2.5 million investigation, which has subpoena power, aims to close gaps in state law that may have allowed Epstein to operate in New Mexico with impunity. The committee is expected to release interim findings in July and a final report by the end of the year.
The bill’s co-sponsor, Democratic state Rep. Andrea Romero, said when the legislation passed last month that Epstein “was basically doing anything he wanted in this state without any accountability whatsoever.”
From Epstein expert Julie K. Brown at The Epstein files: Dead bodies and a long missing 300-year-old church bell: What will they find on Zorro Ranch?
The reach of the mysteries involving Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico now span several centuries — as new documents reveal that the FBI’s Albuquerque office was investigating whether Epstein had a stolen historical artifact that dates back hundreds of years stored on his sprawling NM property.
Zorro Ranch
The artifact was a “death bell” that was once housed at the San Jose de Gracia Mission Church in Las Trampas, a village in Northern New Mexico between Sante Fe and Taos. The church was built in 1760 and is considered one of the best examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in the Southwest U.S. It is also a National Historic Landmark.
The lore about the missing church bell only adds to the questions about why the Justice Department never searched Epstein’s ranch back in 2019 — when at least two victims alleged they were sexually assaulted there, and another tipster claimed that two girls’ bodies are possibly buried there….
The “Death bell,” as it came to be called, was smaller than the other bell. During the church’s restoration in the 1930s, the bell was stolen.
In November 2019, Timothy Lopez told the FBI in Albuquerque, New Mexico that he recalled seeing Epstein’s ranch featured in a local real estate magazine in 2014 or 2015. In the photos accompanying the article, he said he noticed a room filed with Spanish Colonial art — and noticed a bell he thought might be the Death bell that had been stolen more than 80 years earlier.
The 7,400-ace property, which Epstein called “Zorro Ranch,” was purchased by Epstein from former New Mexico Governor Bruce King in 1993. The disgraced financier built a hilltop mansion with a private runway on the property, which was sold after Epstein’s death to the family of former Texas state Sen. Don Huffines, who won the Republican primary for Texas state comptroller last week.
After Epstein’s arrest in July 2019, the FBI search Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, but did not immediately search Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean until after his August 2019 death. They never searched his New Mexico compound, despite having evidence of crimes that occurred there, including the tip about the stolen church bell….
the documents about the sexual assaults that were reported to have occurred on the property led to public outcry in recent weeks. That that led to New Mexico authorities finally on Monday beginning a long overdue search of the property. Of course, by now, any evidence of any sex crimes committed there has likely disappeared just like the long-vanished death bell.
The FBI claimed they abandoned the investigation of Zorro Ranch because they lacked enough evidence to get a search warrant. It will be interesting to see what New Mexico authorities find.
Two more significant stories:
The Washington Post (gift link): Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE member says he took Social Security data to new job.
The Social Security Administration’s internal watchdog is investigating a complaint that alleges a former U.S. DOGE Service employee claimed he had access to two highly sensitive agency databases and planned to share the information with his private employer — a claim that, if true, would constitute an unprecedented breach of security protocols at an agency that serves more than 70 million Americans.
The agency’s inspector general is investigating the disclosure and has alerted members of Congress of its existence, according to a letter by the acting inspector general to top members of four congressional committees reviewed by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive deliberations. The inspector general’s office has also shared the disclosure with the Government Accountability Office, which has been conducting its own audit of DOGE’s access to data, according to one of the people. The Post has reviewed the complaint and spoken with the whistleblower, who issued the complaint anonymously for fear of retaliation.
According to the disclosure, the former DOGE software engineer, who worked at the Social Security Administration last year before starting a job at a government contractor in October, allegedly told several co-workers that he possessed two tightly restricted databases of U.S. citizens’ information, and had at least one on a thumb drive. The databases, called “Numident” and the “Master Death File,” include records for more than 500 million living and dead Americans, including Social Security numbers, places and dates of birth, citizenship, race and ethnicity, and parents’ names. The complaint does not include specific dates of when he is said to have told colleagues this information, but at least one of the alleged events unfolded around early January, according to the complaint. While working at DOGE, the engineer had approved access to Social Security data.
According to the complaint, he allegedly told the whistleblower that he needed help transferring data from a thumb drive “to his personal computer so that he could ‘sanitize’ the data before using it at [the company.]” The engineer told colleagues that once he had removed personal details from the data, he wanted to upload it into the company’s systems. He told another colleague, who refused to help him upload the data because of legal concerns, that he expected to receive a presidential pardon if his actions were deemed to be illegal, according to the complaint.
The complaint does not allege that the engineer was successful in uploading the data to the company’s system.
The Post is not naming the former DOGE member or company because it has not independently confirmed the accusations in the complaint.
Use the gift link to read more.
Kristi Noem in one of her cosplay costumes
The Daily Beast: Insiders Reveal ICE Barbie Is Leaving DHS With a Major Problem.
Kristi Noem is apparently leaving the Department of Homeland Security with dozens of unsigned contracts on her desk—including payments owed to a facility holding migrant children.
The backlog is the fallout from a policy Noem, 54, imposed that required every DHS contract worth $100,000 or more—which covers nearly all of the agency’s agreements—to receive her personal sign-off before taking effect. The rule proved so disruptive that some vendors began billing the department in chunks of $99,999 each just to get paid.
“There’s a mountain of backed-up contracts and invoices on her desk that the new guy will just have to deal with,” a source familiar with the situation at DHS told Axios.
“From everything that I’ve heard, it’s still a giant s–t show up there,” a source familiar with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) delays told the outlet, referring to DHS leadership.
“The ramifications of her tenure are going to be felt for years and years and years and years,” the source added. “We’re not really going to know exactly how bad it is until we have a major hurricane that unfortunately impacts someplace in the United States.”
The disruption, Axios says, is already reaching real facilities. At the family detention center in Dilley, Texas—the only long-term immigration facility in the country holding migrants’ children—government payments lapsed in early March, with roughly 700 people detained there as of mid-February.
That’s it for me today. As you can tell, the Iran situation is freezing out other stories.
Take care, everyone. #DanCaine #DOGESocialSecurityAttacks #DonaldTrump #IranWar #JaredKusher #KristiNoem #PeteHegseth #SenChrisMurphy #SteveWitkoff #StraitOfHormuz -
Finally Friday Reads: We have a Kakistocracy* coming. Let’s not keep it!
“Make America Garbage Again,” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
After sleeping through last week, I have finally decided that PTSD has kicked in, and I’m in survival mode. At least I woke up to find the word that best describes what we’re watching unfold. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
kak·is·toc·ra·cy ˌkakə̇ˈstäkrəsē
plural kakistocracies
:government by the worst people
Greek kakistos (superlative of kakos bad) + English -cracy
The Cambridge Dictionary is more blunt. It evidently was coined sometime in the 17th century. Now we know how far we’re going to fall back.
A government that is ruled by the least suitable, able, or experienced people in a state or country: Who rules in a kakistocracy? We are living in a new era of kakistocracy.
Fewer examples:
- Kakistocracies are governments ruled by the stupid and ignorant.
- What we have here is the world’s only kakistocracy.
- The total lack of integrity of the administration is proof that we now live in a kakistocracy.
This is what we will have after January 20,2025, which is, ironically enough, not only the inauguration of the first felon to ever hold office but also the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King. Somewhere, the Greek Muses have entered the realm of Greek Tragedy. All we need is a chorus.
I turned to some TV news last night to watch the faces of the political class chatter about the proposed cabinet members with the look of teenagers stuck in a summer camp horror film. Yes, this all does feel like a very bad movie or dream that you want to be over when you awaken. However, it is more like the idea of the tyranny of the masses that Alexis de Tocqueville dreamed of while writing his book Democracy in America. He was very afraid of the unwashed masses, and now we know why.
The greatest danger Tocqueville saw was that public opinion would become an all-powerful force, and that the majority could tyrannize unpopular minorities and marginal individuals. In Volume 1, Part 2, Chapter 7, “Of the Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and Its Effects,” he lays out his argument with a variety of well-chosen constitutional, historical, and sociological examples.
I love that last part because it comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is a history class curriculum prepared for teachers on the topic. Quick, go read it or get your copy of the book before both are banned and defunded. It’s an independent agency, like the Fed, and we’ll see how long into the kakistocracy that remains to be true for both. I imagine I would never get grants to be funded as I did in 1982 to bring Kate Millet and Betty Friedan to Omaha and funds to expand our Women’s Festival to include black women presenters. That was even during the Reagan years. He must have been damned woke or completely asleep, drooling on the Resolute desk to miss that opportunity.
“Matt is the man selected to hide all the criming, appropriate.” John Buss, @repeat1968
Okay, so let me really depress you now with some headlines. This is from Public Notice‘s Lisa Needham. “Trump moves to burn down the rule of law. His cabinet nominations are obscene and augur dark days to come.” And you thought I was being a bummer!
When the sordid history of the second Trump administration is written, should we all survive that long, it will be difficult to sort out which of his early cabinet picks were the most atrocious. And while handing over control of the military to a weekend Fox News host or putting an anti-vax creep in charge of America’s top public health agency are really bad, it will be hard to sink lower than Matt Gaetz being nominated as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Let’s pretend, for just a moment, that Gaetz isn’t just being given this job because he’s a lib-triggering Trump crony and evaluate him on the merits. Gaetz’s legal experience, such as it is, seems to consist of a stint at a small firm in Florida, Anchors Garden, where he worked after graduating from law school in 2007. The firm currently has only nine attorneys, and Gaetz devotes precisely one line to the experience in his self-servingly weird House bio, saying, “Prior to serving in Congress, Matt worked as an attorney in Northwest Florida with the Keefe, Anchors & Gordon law firm, where he advocated for a more open and transparent government.”
Advocating for a more open and transparent government sounds pretty important, right? But while the firm does have a government affairs and public records practice, when Mother Jones did a deep dive into Gaetz’s experience there, what they turned up instead was that he working on things like debt collection and representing a homeowners’ association over a dispute about a beach volleyball net. It isn’t even entirely clear when Gaetz stopped working at the firm. His House bio skips ahead to his 2010 election to the Florida House, and his legal work is never mentioned again.
This is not the biography of someone you would hire to be an assistant district attorney in a mid-size American city, much less the head of the entire Department of Justice.
Compare Gaetz to Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general pick during his previous term. Sure, Sessions was so racist that he couldn’t get confirmed as a judge. But he also spent 12 years as the US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and two years as the Alabama attorney general before being elected to four consecutive Senate terms. During his time in the Senate, he served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, becoming its ranking member in 2009. Sessions was a repulsive and retrograde choice for AG, but he wasn’t a demonstrably unqualified one.
That’s a sunny note to start your weekend on. Wait, there’s more! If you want to see real pearl-clutching, you must go to WAPO or NYT. But they’re a little too late for me. Here’s something from The Bulwark. I’ve suddenly gone all in for the alt-press like I did in 1970 when I started writing for Omaha’s underground Newspaper, The Aardvark, to write terrible things about Richard Nixon. “Gaetz Begins Lobbying Lawmakers, Hoping He Hasn’t Burned All the Bridges/ The congressman and his team are trying to convince Senators to overlook a potentially damning ethics report and his history of political histrionics.” This analysis is coauthored by Mark Caputo and Joe Perticone.
Though Trump has made a slew of controversial picks (the latest being Thursday’s nomination of anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services), Gaetz stands out as a singularly polarizing figure because of the investigations into his conduct, the accusations against him, and his strained personal relationship with fellow Republican members of Congress he has torched, including allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster he masterminded.
“We have 53 senators and we might not have 50 votes to confirm right now. It’s really up in the air,” said a member of Trump’s team briefed on its preliminary vote-counting. “Gaetz can be a real asshole. But he can be a great guy. The senators need to see the great guy and kind of hear the asshole apologize and tell them why all this stuff about sex crimes isn’t true.”
The push to confirm Gaetz is the latest test of his ability to survive crises that would have ruined any other politician. It also will provide an early indication of Trump’s ability to bend the Senate to his will. The president-elect has quickly moved to force votes on high-profile nominees that no other person in his position would have dared put forward. And as a fallback, he is pressuring incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune into giving him the right to bypass the Senate to make temporary appointments.
Doing so would get Trump’s cabinet in place. But it could come at a political cost if it perceived that the president is jamming through highly-controversial nominees. On Thursday, ABC reported that the woman at the center of the sex-crimes case had told House investigators that Gaetz had paid to have sex with her in 2017 when she was a minor. Gaetz was also allegedly implicated in paying other women for sex, which he has denied, and in illicit drug use.
The succession of nominations and reporting left Republican senators in an uncomfortable spot. Some, including those on the Senate Judiciary Committee—which would first vote on Gaetz’s nomination—said they wanted to see the House ethics report into Gaetz.
A quick look at several of the appointments finds quite a few rapists and serial adulterers. Trump obviously wants mini-mes. The BBC has this list up to date and is waiting for more. “Who has joined Trump’s team so far?” Some of the appointees are not getting sanguine coverage.’
This article is specific to Gaetz and was written by North American Correspondent Anthony Zurcher. “Trump picking Gaetz to head justice sends shockwaves – and a strong message.”
Donald Trump’s nomination of congressman Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general has arrived like a thunderclap in Washington.
Of all the president-elect’s picks for his administration so far, this is easily the most controversial – and sends a clear message that Trump intends to shake up the establishment when he returns to power.
The shockwaves were still being felt on Thursday morning as focus shifted to a looming fight in the Senate over his nomination.
Trump is assembling his team before he begins his term on 20 January, and his choice of defence secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and intelligence chief, former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, have also raised eyebrows.
But it is Gaetz making most headlines. The Florida firebrand is perhaps best known for spearheading the effort to unseat then-Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. But he has a history of being a flamethrower in the staid halls of Congress.
In 2018, he brought a right-wing Holocaust denier to the State of the Union, and later tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control.
His bombastic approach means he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party. And so Trump’s choice of Gaetz for this crucial role is a signal to those Republicans, too – his second administration will be staffed by loyalists who he trusts to enact his agenda, conventional political opinion be damned.
Gasps were heard during a meeting of Republican lawmakers when the nomination for America’s top US prosecutor was announced, Axios reported, citing sources in the room.
Republican congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho reportedly responded with an expletive.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said. “This one was not on my bingo card.”
Gaetz is playing Rocky and is already running up and down the Capitol stairs trying to find the few people that like him. But even the New York Post is taking on the RFK appointment to HHS. I know, I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s even it’s Editorial Board. “Putting RFK Jr. in charge of health breaks the first rule of medicine.”
The overriding rule of medicine is: First, do no harm.
We’re certain installing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services breaks this rule.
Maybe he’s sworn to focus narrowly on areas where he clearly can help — inspiring Americans to embrace healthier diets and more exercise, etc.
I wonder where eating roadkill and fish laded with mercury comes into that equation?
But wait! There are reasons to question every one of his appointments. This is from The Guardian. “Trump defense secretary nominee involved in 2017 sexual assault investigation, no charges filed – report.”
Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who Donald Trump nominated to be defense secretary, was involved in a sexual assault investigation in California seven years ago, but no charges were filed against him, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The incident happened in 2017 at a hotel and golf course in the city of Monterey, but there were few details of how Hegseth was involved, or what happened. Here’s more, from the Chronicle:
In a brief statement late Thursday, the city manager’s office in Monterey confirmed the sexual assault investigation, but provided few details.
The city said the incident was reported to have happened between almost midnight on Oct. 7, 2017, and 7 a.m. the next morning at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, less than a mile from Monterey Bay and across Highway 1 from the Naval Postgraduate School.
“The Monterey Police Department investigated an alleged sexual assault at 1 Old Golf Course Road,” the city said. It said the victim’s name was confidential and that the alleged assault was reported on Oct. 12, 2017. The city said no weapons were involved, but that there was a report of “contusions to right thigh.”
The city declined to release the police report, saying it was exempt from public disclosure, and said it would not make any further remarks on the probe.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office did not reply to a request for comment late Thursday, but an online database indicated no criminal charges had been filed against Hegseth in that county.
Vanity Fair reports that news of the allegation sent Trump’s transition team scrambling over the past few days:
Donald Trump’s transition team scrambled Thursday after Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles was presented with an allegation that former Fox & Friends cohost Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, had engaged in sexual misconduct. According to two sources, Wiles was briefed Wednesday night about an allegation that Hegseth had acted inappropriately with a woman. One of the sources said the alleged incident took place in Monterey, California in 2017.
According to the transition source, the allegation is serious enough that Wiles and Trump’s lawyers spoke to Hegseth about it on Thursday. A source with knowledge of the meeting said that Hegseth said the allegation stemmed from a consensual encounter and characterized the episode as he-said, she-said.
On Thursday evening, Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore said: “This allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”
Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said: “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.”
That guy puts the sleaze in sleazy. Plus, he was investigated for war crimes and would be in charge of dealing with war criminals. This is from Time Magazine. “Pete Hegseth’s Role in Trump’s Controversial Pardons of Men Accused of War Crimes.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he would nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense in his second term has already stirred controversy.
Hegseth, a military veteran, staunch defender of Trump’s “America First” agenda, and an outspoken critic of what he calls the military’s “woke” culture, has built a career around challenging the military establishment. He held an influential role in advocating for Trump to intervene on behalf of service members in three cases involving war crime accusations in 2019—cases that divided the military and ignited fierce debates over the limits of executive power and military accountability.
Now, if he is confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense, Hegseth will oversee 1.3 million active-duty service members and manage military strategy at a time of global instability, raising questions about how his past approach towards accused war criminals will impact his military leadership and discipline.
During Trump’s first term in office, Hegseth lobbied for the pardons of Army Lieutenant Clint Lorance and Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, and pushed to support Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, each of whom were facing charges or convictions related to alleged war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth’s advocacy on behalf of the three service members appeared to pay off: in Nov. 2019, Trump granted pardons to Lorance and Golsteyn, and reversed a demotion of Gallagher, citing Hegseth and Fox News when he tweeted about his decision to review one of the cases.
Hegseth’s vocal defense of these men as victims of overzealous prosecution raised eyebrows in the military community, where such interventions by civilians are seen by some as a threat to the integrity of the justice system. “These are men who went into the most dangerous places on earth with a job to defend us and made tough calls on a moment’s notice,” Hegseth said on Fox & Friends in May 2019. “They’re not war criminals, they’re warriors.”
Lorance had been convicted by a military court in 2013 for the murder of two Afghan men during a military operation in 2012 in which he ordered his soldiers to open fire on a group of unarmed Afghan civilians he suspected of being insurgents. Lorance served six years of a 19-year sentence before Trump, after lobbying from Hegseth and others, granted him a pardon in Nov. 2019, arguing that he was unfairly targeted by military prosecutors and that his actions were justified in a combat environment where split-second decisions were often necessary for survival.
This is from Military.com. ‘He’s Going to Have to Explain It’: Surprise Defense Secretary Pick’s History Takes Center Stage.”
He has repeatedly called to ban women from serving in combat roles in the military.
He advocated extensively to gain pardons for troops accused and convicted of war crimes.
And he was one of a dozen troops turned away from serving on the National Guard mission to defend the Capitol, allegedly over tattoos that are popular with neo-Nazi and far-right groups.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of combat in the culture wars that have been brewing over the military for the past decade.
Prior to Trump’s announcement Tuesday evening that he was nominating Hegseth, the National Guard veteran was most known as a co-host on the weekend edition of “Fox and Friends,” one of Trump’s favorite TV shows. But in choosing Hegseth, Trump landed on a defense secretary nominee with a record of public statements that line up with the promises Trump made on the campaign trail to root out alleged “wokeness” within the military.
Senators from both parties tasked with considering his nomination responded Wednesday by saying that they have a lot of questions about Hegseth’s history and those past statements, but broadly insisted they were reserving judgment.
“I’m going to have to visit with him about those remarks,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate’s first female combat veteran who was rumored to be in the running for Trump’s defense secretary, told reporters Wednesday when asked about Hegseth’s opposition to women in combat.
“Even a staff member of mine, she is an infantry officer. She’s back in Iowa now. She is a tumble. So he’s going to have to explain it,” Ernst added, though she did not answer when Military.com asked whether she would vote against Hegseth over the issue.
So, this is basically a band of misfits and less than mediocre wipipo. But I’ll just let Muse tell it like it is. Yes, there are a lot of f-bombs in the lyrics!
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
#Repeat1968 #JohnBuss #MattGaetzWeirdo #PeteHegsethWeirdoSexualAssaulter #RFKJrWeirdo #TrumpSCabinetPicksBandOfMisfits #WeAreFuckingFucked
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Finally Friday Reads: We have a Kakistocracy* coming. Let’s not keep it!
“Make America Garbage Again,” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
After sleeping through last week, I have finally decided that PTSD has kicked in, and I’m in survival mode. At least I woke up to find the word that best describes what we’re watching unfold. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
kak·is·toc·ra·cy ˌkakə̇ˈstäkrəsē
plural kakistocracies
:government by the worst people
Greek kakistos (superlative of kakos bad) + English -cracy
The Cambridge Dictionary is more blunt. It evidently was coined sometime in the 17th century. Now we know how far we’re going to fall back.
A government that is ruled by the least suitable, able, or experienced people in a state or country: Who rules in a kakistocracy? We are living in a new era of kakistocracy.
Fewer examples:
- Kakistocracies are governments ruled by the stupid and ignorant.
- What we have here is the world’s only kakistocracy.
- The total lack of integrity of the administration is proof that we now live in a kakistocracy.
This is what we will have after January 20,2025, which is, ironically enough, not only the inauguration of the first felon to ever hold office but also the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King. Somewhere, the Greek Muses have entered the realm of Greek Tragedy. All we need is a chorus.
I turned to some TV news last night to watch the faces of the political class chatter about the proposed cabinet members with the look of teenagers stuck in a summer camp horror film. Yes, this all does feel like a very bad movie or dream that you want to be over when you awaken. However, it is more like the idea of the tyranny of the masses that Alexis de Tocqueville dreamed of while writing his book Democracy in America. He was very afraid of the unwashed masses, and now we know why.
The greatest danger Tocqueville saw was that public opinion would become an all-powerful force, and that the majority could tyrannize unpopular minorities and marginal individuals. In Volume 1, Part 2, Chapter 7, “Of the Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and Its Effects,” he lays out his argument with a variety of well-chosen constitutional, historical, and sociological examples.
I love that last part because it comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is a history class curriculum prepared for teachers on the topic. Quick, go read it or get your copy of the book before both are banned and defunded. It’s an independent agency, like the Fed, and we’ll see how long into the kakistocracy that remains to be true for both. I imagine I would never get grants to be funded as I did in 1982 to bring Kate Millet and Betty Friedan to Omaha and funds to expand our Women’s Festival to include black women presenters. That was even during the Reagan years. He must have been damned woke or completely asleep, drooling on the Resolute desk to miss that opportunity.
“Matt is the man selected to hide all the criming, appropriate.” John Buss, @repeat1968
Okay, so let me really depress you now with some headlines. This is from Public Notice‘s Lisa Needham. “Trump moves to burn down the rule of law. His cabinet nominations are obscene and augur dark days to come.” And you thought I was being a bummer!
When the sordid history of the second Trump administration is written, should we all survive that long, it will be difficult to sort out which of his early cabinet picks were the most atrocious. And while handing over control of the military to a weekend Fox News host or putting an anti-vax creep in charge of America’s top public health agency are really bad, it will be hard to sink lower than Matt Gaetz being nominated as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Let’s pretend, for just a moment, that Gaetz isn’t just being given this job because he’s a lib-triggering Trump crony and evaluate him on the merits. Gaetz’s legal experience, such as it is, seems to consist of a stint at a small firm in Florida, Anchors Garden, where he worked after graduating from law school in 2007. The firm currently has only nine attorneys, and Gaetz devotes precisely one line to the experience in his self-servingly weird House bio, saying, “Prior to serving in Congress, Matt worked as an attorney in Northwest Florida with the Keefe, Anchors & Gordon law firm, where he advocated for a more open and transparent government.”
Advocating for a more open and transparent government sounds pretty important, right? But while the firm does have a government affairs and public records practice, when Mother Jones did a deep dive into Gaetz’s experience there, what they turned up instead was that he working on things like debt collection and representing a homeowners’ association over a dispute about a beach volleyball net. It isn’t even entirely clear when Gaetz stopped working at the firm. His House bio skips ahead to his 2010 election to the Florida House, and his legal work is never mentioned again.
This is not the biography of someone you would hire to be an assistant district attorney in a mid-size American city, much less the head of the entire Department of Justice.
Compare Gaetz to Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general pick during his previous term. Sure, Sessions was so racist that he couldn’t get confirmed as a judge. But he also spent 12 years as the US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and two years as the Alabama attorney general before being elected to four consecutive Senate terms. During his time in the Senate, he served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, becoming its ranking member in 2009. Sessions was a repulsive and retrograde choice for AG, but he wasn’t a demonstrably unqualified one.
That’s a sunny note to start your weekend on. Wait, there’s more! If you want to see real pearl-clutching, you must go to WAPO or NYT. But they’re a little too late for me. Here’s something from The Bulwark. I’ve suddenly gone all in for the alt-press like I did in 1970 when I started writing for Omaha’s underground Newspaper, The Aardvark, to write terrible things about Richard Nixon. “Gaetz Begins Lobbying Lawmakers, Hoping He Hasn’t Burned All the Bridges/ The congressman and his team are trying to convince Senators to overlook a potentially damning ethics report and his history of political histrionics.” This analysis is coauthored by Mark Caputo and Joe Perticone.
Though Trump has made a slew of controversial picks (the latest being Thursday’s nomination of anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services), Gaetz stands out as a singularly polarizing figure because of the investigations into his conduct, the accusations against him, and his strained personal relationship with fellow Republican members of Congress he has torched, including allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster he masterminded.
“We have 53 senators and we might not have 50 votes to confirm right now. It’s really up in the air,” said a member of Trump’s team briefed on its preliminary vote-counting. “Gaetz can be a real asshole. But he can be a great guy. The senators need to see the great guy and kind of hear the asshole apologize and tell them why all this stuff about sex crimes isn’t true.”
The push to confirm Gaetz is the latest test of his ability to survive crises that would have ruined any other politician. It also will provide an early indication of Trump’s ability to bend the Senate to his will. The president-elect has quickly moved to force votes on high-profile nominees that no other person in his position would have dared put forward. And as a fallback, he is pressuring incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune into giving him the right to bypass the Senate to make temporary appointments.
Doing so would get Trump’s cabinet in place. But it could come at a political cost if it perceived that the president is jamming through highly-controversial nominees. On Thursday, ABC reported that the woman at the center of the sex-crimes case had told House investigators that Gaetz had paid to have sex with her in 2017 when she was a minor. Gaetz was also allegedly implicated in paying other women for sex, which he has denied, and in illicit drug use.
The succession of nominations and reporting left Republican senators in an uncomfortable spot. Some, including those on the Senate Judiciary Committee—which would first vote on Gaetz’s nomination—said they wanted to see the House ethics report into Gaetz.
A quick look at several of the appointments finds quite a few rapists and serial adulterers. Trump obviously wants mini-mes. The BBC has this list up to date and is waiting for more. “Who has joined Trump’s team so far?” Some of the appointees are not getting sanguine coverage.’
This article is specific to Gaetz and was written by North American Correspondent Anthony Zurcher. “Trump picking Gaetz to head justice sends shockwaves – and a strong message.”
Donald Trump’s nomination of congressman Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general has arrived like a thunderclap in Washington.
Of all the president-elect’s picks for his administration so far, this is easily the most controversial – and sends a clear message that Trump intends to shake up the establishment when he returns to power.
The shockwaves were still being felt on Thursday morning as focus shifted to a looming fight in the Senate over his nomination.
Trump is assembling his team before he begins his term on 20 January, and his choice of defence secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and intelligence chief, former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, have also raised eyebrows.
But it is Gaetz making most headlines. The Florida firebrand is perhaps best known for spearheading the effort to unseat then-Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. But he has a history of being a flamethrower in the staid halls of Congress.
In 2018, he brought a right-wing Holocaust denier to the State of the Union, and later tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control.
His bombastic approach means he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party. And so Trump’s choice of Gaetz for this crucial role is a signal to those Republicans, too – his second administration will be staffed by loyalists who he trusts to enact his agenda, conventional political opinion be damned.
Gasps were heard during a meeting of Republican lawmakers when the nomination for America’s top US prosecutor was announced, Axios reported, citing sources in the room.
Republican congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho reportedly responded with an expletive.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said. “This one was not on my bingo card.”
Gaetz is playing Rocky and is already running up and down the Capitol stairs trying to find the few people that like him. But even the New York Post is taking on the RFK appointment to HHS. I know, I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s even it’s Editorial Board. “Putting RFK Jr. in charge of health breaks the first rule of medicine.”
The overriding rule of medicine is: First, do no harm.
We’re certain installing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services breaks this rule.
Maybe he’s sworn to focus narrowly on areas where he clearly can help — inspiring Americans to embrace healthier diets and more exercise, etc.
I wonder where eating roadkill and fish laded with mercury comes into that equation?
But wait! There are reasons to question every one of his appointments. This is from The Guardian. “Trump defense secretary nominee involved in 2017 sexual assault investigation, no charges filed – report.”
Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who Donald Trump nominated to be defense secretary, was involved in a sexual assault investigation in California seven years ago, but no charges were filed against him, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The incident happened in 2017 at a hotel and golf course in the city of Monterey, but there were few details of how Hegseth was involved, or what happened. Here’s more, from the Chronicle:
In a brief statement late Thursday, the city manager’s office in Monterey confirmed the sexual assault investigation, but provided few details.
The city said the incident was reported to have happened between almost midnight on Oct. 7, 2017, and 7 a.m. the next morning at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, less than a mile from Monterey Bay and across Highway 1 from the Naval Postgraduate School.
“The Monterey Police Department investigated an alleged sexual assault at 1 Old Golf Course Road,” the city said. It said the victim’s name was confidential and that the alleged assault was reported on Oct. 12, 2017. The city said no weapons were involved, but that there was a report of “contusions to right thigh.”
The city declined to release the police report, saying it was exempt from public disclosure, and said it would not make any further remarks on the probe.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office did not reply to a request for comment late Thursday, but an online database indicated no criminal charges had been filed against Hegseth in that county.
Vanity Fair reports that news of the allegation sent Trump’s transition team scrambling over the past few days:
Donald Trump’s transition team scrambled Thursday after Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles was presented with an allegation that former Fox & Friends cohost Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, had engaged in sexual misconduct. According to two sources, Wiles was briefed Wednesday night about an allegation that Hegseth had acted inappropriately with a woman. One of the sources said the alleged incident took place in Monterey, California in 2017.
According to the transition source, the allegation is serious enough that Wiles and Trump’s lawyers spoke to Hegseth about it on Thursday. A source with knowledge of the meeting said that Hegseth said the allegation stemmed from a consensual encounter and characterized the episode as he-said, she-said.
On Thursday evening, Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore said: “This allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”
Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said: “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.”
That guy puts the sleaze in sleazy. Plus, he was investigated for war crimes and would be in charge of dealing with war criminals. This is from Time Magazine. “Pete Hegseth’s Role in Trump’s Controversial Pardons of Men Accused of War Crimes.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he would nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense in his second term has already stirred controversy.
Hegseth, a military veteran, staunch defender of Trump’s “America First” agenda, and an outspoken critic of what he calls the military’s “woke” culture, has built a career around challenging the military establishment. He held an influential role in advocating for Trump to intervene on behalf of service members in three cases involving war crime accusations in 2019—cases that divided the military and ignited fierce debates over the limits of executive power and military accountability.
Now, if he is confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense, Hegseth will oversee 1.3 million active-duty service members and manage military strategy at a time of global instability, raising questions about how his past approach towards accused war criminals will impact his military leadership and discipline.
During Trump’s first term in office, Hegseth lobbied for the pardons of Army Lieutenant Clint Lorance and Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, and pushed to support Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, each of whom were facing charges or convictions related to alleged war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth’s advocacy on behalf of the three service members appeared to pay off: in Nov. 2019, Trump granted pardons to Lorance and Golsteyn, and reversed a demotion of Gallagher, citing Hegseth and Fox News when he tweeted about his decision to review one of the cases.
Hegseth’s vocal defense of these men as victims of overzealous prosecution raised eyebrows in the military community, where such interventions by civilians are seen by some as a threat to the integrity of the justice system. “These are men who went into the most dangerous places on earth with a job to defend us and made tough calls on a moment’s notice,” Hegseth said on Fox & Friends in May 2019. “They’re not war criminals, they’re warriors.”
Lorance had been convicted by a military court in 2013 for the murder of two Afghan men during a military operation in 2012 in which he ordered his soldiers to open fire on a group of unarmed Afghan civilians he suspected of being insurgents. Lorance served six years of a 19-year sentence before Trump, after lobbying from Hegseth and others, granted him a pardon in Nov. 2019, arguing that he was unfairly targeted by military prosecutors and that his actions were justified in a combat environment where split-second decisions were often necessary for survival.
This is from Military.com. ‘He’s Going to Have to Explain It’: Surprise Defense Secretary Pick’s History Takes Center Stage.”
He has repeatedly called to ban women from serving in combat roles in the military.
He advocated extensively to gain pardons for troops accused and convicted of war crimes.
And he was one of a dozen troops turned away from serving on the National Guard mission to defend the Capitol, allegedly over tattoos that are popular with neo-Nazi and far-right groups.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of combat in the culture wars that have been brewing over the military for the past decade.
Prior to Trump’s announcement Tuesday evening that he was nominating Hegseth, the National Guard veteran was most known as a co-host on the weekend edition of “Fox and Friends,” one of Trump’s favorite TV shows. But in choosing Hegseth, Trump landed on a defense secretary nominee with a record of public statements that line up with the promises Trump made on the campaign trail to root out alleged “wokeness” within the military.
Senators from both parties tasked with considering his nomination responded Wednesday by saying that they have a lot of questions about Hegseth’s history and those past statements, but broadly insisted they were reserving judgment.
“I’m going to have to visit with him about those remarks,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate’s first female combat veteran who was rumored to be in the running for Trump’s defense secretary, told reporters Wednesday when asked about Hegseth’s opposition to women in combat.
“Even a staff member of mine, she is an infantry officer. She’s back in Iowa now. She is a tumble. So he’s going to have to explain it,” Ernst added, though she did not answer when Military.com asked whether she would vote against Hegseth over the issue.
So, this is basically a band of misfits and less than mediocre wipipo. But I’ll just let Muse tell it like it is. Yes, there are a lot of f-bombs in the lyrics!
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
#Repeat1968 #JohnBuss #MattGaetzWeirdo #PeteHegsethWeirdoSexualAssaulter #RFKJrWeirdo #TrumpSCabinetPicksBandOfMisfits #WeAreFuckingFucked
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Finally Friday Reads: We have a Kakistocracy* coming. Let’s not keep it!
“Make America Garbage Again,” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
After sleeping through last week, I have finally decided that PTSD has kicked in, and I’m in survival mode. At least I woke up to find the word that best describes what we’re watching unfold. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
kak·is·toc·ra·cy ˌkakə̇ˈstäkrəsē
plural kakistocracies
:government by the worst people
Greek kakistos (superlative of kakos bad) + English -cracy
The Cambridge Dictionary is more blunt. It evidently was coined sometime in the 17th century. Now we know how far we’re going to fall back.
A government that is ruled by the least suitable, able, or experienced people in a state or country: Who rules in a kakistocracy? We are living in a new era of kakistocracy.
Fewer examples:
- Kakistocracies are governments ruled by the stupid and ignorant.
- What we have here is the world’s only kakistocracy.
- The total lack of integrity of the administration is proof that we now live in a kakistocracy.
This is what we will have after January 20,2025, which is, ironically enough, not only the inauguration of the first felon to ever hold office but also the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King. Somewhere, the Greek Muses have entered the realm of Greek Tragedy. All we need is a chorus.
I turned to some TV news last night to watch the faces of the political class chatter about the proposed cabinet members with the look of teenagers stuck in a summer camp horror film. Yes, this all does feel like a very bad movie or dream that you want to be over when you awaken. However, it is more like the idea of the tyranny of the masses that Alexis de Tocqueville dreamed of while writing his book Democracy in America. He was very afraid of the unwashed masses, and now we know why.
The greatest danger Tocqueville saw was that public opinion would become an all-powerful force, and that the majority could tyrannize unpopular minorities and marginal individuals. In Volume 1, Part 2, Chapter 7, “Of the Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and Its Effects,” he lays out his argument with a variety of well-chosen constitutional, historical, and sociological examples.
I love that last part because it comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is a history class curriculum prepared for teachers on the topic. Quick, go read it or get your copy of the book before both are banned and defunded. It’s an independent agency, like the Fed, and we’ll see how long into the kakistocracy that remains to be true for both. I imagine I would never get grants to be funded as I did in 1982 to bring Kate Millet and Betty Friedan to Omaha and funds to expand our Women’s Festival to include black women presenters. That was even during the Reagan years. He must have been damned woke or completely asleep, drooling on the Resolute desk to miss that opportunity.
“Matt is the man selected to hide all the criming, appropriate.” John Buss, @repeat1968
Okay, so let me really depress you now with some headlines. This is from Public Notice‘s Lisa Needham. “Trump moves to burn down the rule of law. His cabinet nominations are obscene and augur dark days to come.” And you thought I was being a bummer!
When the sordid history of the second Trump administration is written, should we all survive that long, it will be difficult to sort out which of his early cabinet picks were the most atrocious. And while handing over control of the military to a weekend Fox News host or putting an anti-vax creep in charge of America’s top public health agency are really bad, it will be hard to sink lower than Matt Gaetz being nominated as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Let’s pretend, for just a moment, that Gaetz isn’t just being given this job because he’s a lib-triggering Trump crony and evaluate him on the merits. Gaetz’s legal experience, such as it is, seems to consist of a stint at a small firm in Florida, Anchors Garden, where he worked after graduating from law school in 2007. The firm currently has only nine attorneys, and Gaetz devotes precisely one line to the experience in his self-servingly weird House bio, saying, “Prior to serving in Congress, Matt worked as an attorney in Northwest Florida with the Keefe, Anchors & Gordon law firm, where he advocated for a more open and transparent government.”
Advocating for a more open and transparent government sounds pretty important, right? But while the firm does have a government affairs and public records practice, when Mother Jones did a deep dive into Gaetz’s experience there, what they turned up instead was that he working on things like debt collection and representing a homeowners’ association over a dispute about a beach volleyball net. It isn’t even entirely clear when Gaetz stopped working at the firm. His House bio skips ahead to his 2010 election to the Florida House, and his legal work is never mentioned again.
This is not the biography of someone you would hire to be an assistant district attorney in a mid-size American city, much less the head of the entire Department of Justice.
Compare Gaetz to Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general pick during his previous term. Sure, Sessions was so racist that he couldn’t get confirmed as a judge. But he also spent 12 years as the US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and two years as the Alabama attorney general before being elected to four consecutive Senate terms. During his time in the Senate, he served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, becoming its ranking member in 2009. Sessions was a repulsive and retrograde choice for AG, but he wasn’t a demonstrably unqualified one.
That’s a sunny note to start your weekend on. Wait, there’s more! If you want to see real pearl-clutching, you must go to WAPO or NYT. But they’re a little too late for me. Here’s something from The Bulwark. I’ve suddenly gone all in for the alt-press like I did in 1970 when I started writing for Omaha’s underground Newspaper, The Aardvark, to write terrible things about Richard Nixon. “Gaetz Begins Lobbying Lawmakers, Hoping He Hasn’t Burned All the Bridges/ The congressman and his team are trying to convince Senators to overlook a potentially damning ethics report and his history of political histrionics.” This analysis is coauthored by Mark Caputo and Joe Perticone.
Though Trump has made a slew of controversial picks (the latest being Thursday’s nomination of anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services), Gaetz stands out as a singularly polarizing figure because of the investigations into his conduct, the accusations against him, and his strained personal relationship with fellow Republican members of Congress he has torched, including allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster he masterminded.
“We have 53 senators and we might not have 50 votes to confirm right now. It’s really up in the air,” said a member of Trump’s team briefed on its preliminary vote-counting. “Gaetz can be a real asshole. But he can be a great guy. The senators need to see the great guy and kind of hear the asshole apologize and tell them why all this stuff about sex crimes isn’t true.”
The push to confirm Gaetz is the latest test of his ability to survive crises that would have ruined any other politician. It also will provide an early indication of Trump’s ability to bend the Senate to his will. The president-elect has quickly moved to force votes on high-profile nominees that no other person in his position would have dared put forward. And as a fallback, he is pressuring incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune into giving him the right to bypass the Senate to make temporary appointments.
Doing so would get Trump’s cabinet in place. But it could come at a political cost if it perceived that the president is jamming through highly-controversial nominees. On Thursday, ABC reported that the woman at the center of the sex-crimes case had told House investigators that Gaetz had paid to have sex with her in 2017 when she was a minor. Gaetz was also allegedly implicated in paying other women for sex, which he has denied, and in illicit drug use.
The succession of nominations and reporting left Republican senators in an uncomfortable spot. Some, including those on the Senate Judiciary Committee—which would first vote on Gaetz’s nomination—said they wanted to see the House ethics report into Gaetz.
A quick look at several of the appointments finds quite a few rapists and serial adulterers. Trump obviously wants mini-mes. The BBC has this list up to date and is waiting for more. “Who has joined Trump’s team so far?” Some of the appointees are not getting sanguine coverage.’
This article is specific to Gaetz and was written by North American Correspondent Anthony Zurcher. “Trump picking Gaetz to head justice sends shockwaves – and a strong message.”
Donald Trump’s nomination of congressman Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general has arrived like a thunderclap in Washington.
Of all the president-elect’s picks for his administration so far, this is easily the most controversial – and sends a clear message that Trump intends to shake up the establishment when he returns to power.
The shockwaves were still being felt on Thursday morning as focus shifted to a looming fight in the Senate over his nomination.
Trump is assembling his team before he begins his term on 20 January, and his choice of defence secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and intelligence chief, former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, have also raised eyebrows.
But it is Gaetz making most headlines. The Florida firebrand is perhaps best known for spearheading the effort to unseat then-Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. But he has a history of being a flamethrower in the staid halls of Congress.
In 2018, he brought a right-wing Holocaust denier to the State of the Union, and later tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control.
His bombastic approach means he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party. And so Trump’s choice of Gaetz for this crucial role is a signal to those Republicans, too – his second administration will be staffed by loyalists who he trusts to enact his agenda, conventional political opinion be damned.
Gasps were heard during a meeting of Republican lawmakers when the nomination for America’s top US prosecutor was announced, Axios reported, citing sources in the room.
Republican congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho reportedly responded with an expletive.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said. “This one was not on my bingo card.”
Gaetz is playing Rocky and is already running up and down the Capitol stairs trying to find the few people that like him. But even the New York Post is taking on the RFK appointment to HHS. I know, I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s even it’s Editorial Board. “Putting RFK Jr. in charge of health breaks the first rule of medicine.”
The overriding rule of medicine is: First, do no harm.
We’re certain installing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services breaks this rule.
Maybe he’s sworn to focus narrowly on areas where he clearly can help — inspiring Americans to embrace healthier diets and more exercise, etc.
I wonder where eating roadkill and fish laded with mercury comes into that equation?
But wait! There are reasons to question every one of his appointments. This is from The Guardian. “Trump defense secretary nominee involved in 2017 sexual assault investigation, no charges filed – report.”
Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who Donald Trump nominated to be defense secretary, was involved in a sexual assault investigation in California seven years ago, but no charges were filed against him, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The incident happened in 2017 at a hotel and golf course in the city of Monterey, but there were few details of how Hegseth was involved, or what happened. Here’s more, from the Chronicle:
In a brief statement late Thursday, the city manager’s office in Monterey confirmed the sexual assault investigation, but provided few details.
The city said the incident was reported to have happened between almost midnight on Oct. 7, 2017, and 7 a.m. the next morning at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, less than a mile from Monterey Bay and across Highway 1 from the Naval Postgraduate School.
“The Monterey Police Department investigated an alleged sexual assault at 1 Old Golf Course Road,” the city said. It said the victim’s name was confidential and that the alleged assault was reported on Oct. 12, 2017. The city said no weapons were involved, but that there was a report of “contusions to right thigh.”
The city declined to release the police report, saying it was exempt from public disclosure, and said it would not make any further remarks on the probe.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office did not reply to a request for comment late Thursday, but an online database indicated no criminal charges had been filed against Hegseth in that county.
Vanity Fair reports that news of the allegation sent Trump’s transition team scrambling over the past few days:
Donald Trump’s transition team scrambled Thursday after Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles was presented with an allegation that former Fox & Friends cohost Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, had engaged in sexual misconduct. According to two sources, Wiles was briefed Wednesday night about an allegation that Hegseth had acted inappropriately with a woman. One of the sources said the alleged incident took place in Monterey, California in 2017.
According to the transition source, the allegation is serious enough that Wiles and Trump’s lawyers spoke to Hegseth about it on Thursday. A source with knowledge of the meeting said that Hegseth said the allegation stemmed from a consensual encounter and characterized the episode as he-said, she-said.
On Thursday evening, Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore said: “This allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”
Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said: “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.”
That guy puts the sleaze in sleazy. Plus, he was investigated for war crimes and would be in charge of dealing with war criminals. This is from Time Magazine. “Pete Hegseth’s Role in Trump’s Controversial Pardons of Men Accused of War Crimes.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he would nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense in his second term has already stirred controversy.
Hegseth, a military veteran, staunch defender of Trump’s “America First” agenda, and an outspoken critic of what he calls the military’s “woke” culture, has built a career around challenging the military establishment. He held an influential role in advocating for Trump to intervene on behalf of service members in three cases involving war crime accusations in 2019—cases that divided the military and ignited fierce debates over the limits of executive power and military accountability.
Now, if he is confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense, Hegseth will oversee 1.3 million active-duty service members and manage military strategy at a time of global instability, raising questions about how his past approach towards accused war criminals will impact his military leadership and discipline.
During Trump’s first term in office, Hegseth lobbied for the pardons of Army Lieutenant Clint Lorance and Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, and pushed to support Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, each of whom were facing charges or convictions related to alleged war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth’s advocacy on behalf of the three service members appeared to pay off: in Nov. 2019, Trump granted pardons to Lorance and Golsteyn, and reversed a demotion of Gallagher, citing Hegseth and Fox News when he tweeted about his decision to review one of the cases.
Hegseth’s vocal defense of these men as victims of overzealous prosecution raised eyebrows in the military community, where such interventions by civilians are seen by some as a threat to the integrity of the justice system. “These are men who went into the most dangerous places on earth with a job to defend us and made tough calls on a moment’s notice,” Hegseth said on Fox & Friends in May 2019. “They’re not war criminals, they’re warriors.”
Lorance had been convicted by a military court in 2013 for the murder of two Afghan men during a military operation in 2012 in which he ordered his soldiers to open fire on a group of unarmed Afghan civilians he suspected of being insurgents. Lorance served six years of a 19-year sentence before Trump, after lobbying from Hegseth and others, granted him a pardon in Nov. 2019, arguing that he was unfairly targeted by military prosecutors and that his actions were justified in a combat environment where split-second decisions were often necessary for survival.
This is from Military.com. ‘He’s Going to Have to Explain It’: Surprise Defense Secretary Pick’s History Takes Center Stage.”
He has repeatedly called to ban women from serving in combat roles in the military.
He advocated extensively to gain pardons for troops accused and convicted of war crimes.
And he was one of a dozen troops turned away from serving on the National Guard mission to defend the Capitol, allegedly over tattoos that are popular with neo-Nazi and far-right groups.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of combat in the culture wars that have been brewing over the military for the past decade.
Prior to Trump’s announcement Tuesday evening that he was nominating Hegseth, the National Guard veteran was most known as a co-host on the weekend edition of “Fox and Friends,” one of Trump’s favorite TV shows. But in choosing Hegseth, Trump landed on a defense secretary nominee with a record of public statements that line up with the promises Trump made on the campaign trail to root out alleged “wokeness” within the military.
Senators from both parties tasked with considering his nomination responded Wednesday by saying that they have a lot of questions about Hegseth’s history and those past statements, but broadly insisted they were reserving judgment.
“I’m going to have to visit with him about those remarks,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate’s first female combat veteran who was rumored to be in the running for Trump’s defense secretary, told reporters Wednesday when asked about Hegseth’s opposition to women in combat.
“Even a staff member of mine, she is an infantry officer. She’s back in Iowa now. She is a tumble. So he’s going to have to explain it,” Ernst added, though she did not answer when Military.com asked whether she would vote against Hegseth over the issue.
So, this is basically a band of misfits and less than mediocre wipipo. But I’ll just let Muse tell it like it is. Yes, there are a lot of f-bombs in the lyrics!
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
#Repeat1968 #JohnBuss #MattGaetzWeirdo #PeteHegsethWeirdoSexualAssaulter #RFKJrWeirdo #TrumpSCabinetPicksBandOfMisfits #WeAreFuckingFucked
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Finally Friday Reads: We have a Kakistocracy* coming. Let’s not keep it!
“Make America Garbage Again,” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
After sleeping through last week, I have finally decided that PTSD has kicked in, and I’m in survival mode. At least I woke up to find the word that best describes what we’re watching unfold. From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
kak·is·toc·ra·cy ˌkakə̇ˈstäkrəsē
plural kakistocracies
:government by the worst people
Greek kakistos (superlative of kakos bad) + English -cracy
The Cambridge Dictionary is more blunt. It evidently was coined sometime in the 17th century. Now we know how far we’re going to fall back.
A government that is ruled by the least suitable, able, or experienced people in a state or country: Who rules in a kakistocracy? We are living in a new era of kakistocracy.
Fewer examples:
- Kakistocracies are governments ruled by the stupid and ignorant.
- What we have here is the world’s only kakistocracy.
- The total lack of integrity of the administration is proof that we now live in a kakistocracy.
This is what we will have after January 20,2025, which is, ironically enough, not only the inauguration of the first felon to ever hold office but also the holiday celebrating Martin Luther King. Somewhere, the Greek Muses have entered the realm of Greek Tragedy. All we need is a chorus.
I turned to some TV news last night to watch the faces of the political class chatter about the proposed cabinet members with the look of teenagers stuck in a summer camp horror film. Yes, this all does feel like a very bad movie or dream that you want to be over when you awaken. However, it is more like the idea of the tyranny of the masses that Alexis de Tocqueville dreamed of while writing his book Democracy in America. He was very afraid of the unwashed masses, and now we know why.
The greatest danger Tocqueville saw was that public opinion would become an all-powerful force, and that the majority could tyrannize unpopular minorities and marginal individuals. In Volume 1, Part 2, Chapter 7, “Of the Omnipotence of the Majority in the United States and Its Effects,” he lays out his argument with a variety of well-chosen constitutional, historical, and sociological examples.
I love that last part because it comes from the National Endowment for the Humanities and is a history class curriculum prepared for teachers on the topic. Quick, go read it or get your copy of the book before both are banned and defunded. It’s an independent agency, like the Fed, and we’ll see how long into the kakistocracy that remains to be true for both. I imagine I would never get grants to be funded as I did in 1982 to bring Kate Millet and Betty Friedan to Omaha and funds to expand our Women’s Festival to include black women presenters. That was even during the Reagan years. He must have been damned woke or completely asleep, drooling on the Resolute desk to miss that opportunity.
“Matt is the man selected to hide all the criming, appropriate.” John Buss, @repeat1968
Okay, so let me really depress you now with some headlines. This is from Public Notice‘s Lisa Needham. “Trump moves to burn down the rule of law. His cabinet nominations are obscene and augur dark days to come.” And you thought I was being a bummer!
When the sordid history of the second Trump administration is written, should we all survive that long, it will be difficult to sort out which of his early cabinet picks were the most atrocious. And while handing over control of the military to a weekend Fox News host or putting an anti-vax creep in charge of America’s top public health agency are really bad, it will be hard to sink lower than Matt Gaetz being nominated as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
Let’s pretend, for just a moment, that Gaetz isn’t just being given this job because he’s a lib-triggering Trump crony and evaluate him on the merits. Gaetz’s legal experience, such as it is, seems to consist of a stint at a small firm in Florida, Anchors Garden, where he worked after graduating from law school in 2007. The firm currently has only nine attorneys, and Gaetz devotes precisely one line to the experience in his self-servingly weird House bio, saying, “Prior to serving in Congress, Matt worked as an attorney in Northwest Florida with the Keefe, Anchors & Gordon law firm, where he advocated for a more open and transparent government.”
Advocating for a more open and transparent government sounds pretty important, right? But while the firm does have a government affairs and public records practice, when Mother Jones did a deep dive into Gaetz’s experience there, what they turned up instead was that he working on things like debt collection and representing a homeowners’ association over a dispute about a beach volleyball net. It isn’t even entirely clear when Gaetz stopped working at the firm. His House bio skips ahead to his 2010 election to the Florida House, and his legal work is never mentioned again.
This is not the biography of someone you would hire to be an assistant district attorney in a mid-size American city, much less the head of the entire Department of Justice.
Compare Gaetz to Jeff Sessions, Trump’s first attorney general pick during his previous term. Sure, Sessions was so racist that he couldn’t get confirmed as a judge. But he also spent 12 years as the US Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and two years as the Alabama attorney general before being elected to four consecutive Senate terms. During his time in the Senate, he served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, becoming its ranking member in 2009. Sessions was a repulsive and retrograde choice for AG, but he wasn’t a demonstrably unqualified one.
That’s a sunny note to start your weekend on. Wait, there’s more! If you want to see real pearl-clutching, you must go to WAPO or NYT. But they’re a little too late for me. Here’s something from The Bulwark. I’ve suddenly gone all in for the alt-press like I did in 1970 when I started writing for Omaha’s underground Newspaper, The Aardvark, to write terrible things about Richard Nixon. “Gaetz Begins Lobbying Lawmakers, Hoping He Hasn’t Burned All the Bridges/ The congressman and his team are trying to convince Senators to overlook a potentially damning ethics report and his history of political histrionics.” This analysis is coauthored by Mark Caputo and Joe Perticone.
Though Trump has made a slew of controversial picks (the latest being Thursday’s nomination of anti-vaccine activist Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services), Gaetz stands out as a singularly polarizing figure because of the investigations into his conduct, the accusations against him, and his strained personal relationship with fellow Republican members of Congress he has torched, including allies of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose ouster he masterminded.
“We have 53 senators and we might not have 50 votes to confirm right now. It’s really up in the air,” said a member of Trump’s team briefed on its preliminary vote-counting. “Gaetz can be a real asshole. But he can be a great guy. The senators need to see the great guy and kind of hear the asshole apologize and tell them why all this stuff about sex crimes isn’t true.”
The push to confirm Gaetz is the latest test of his ability to survive crises that would have ruined any other politician. It also will provide an early indication of Trump’s ability to bend the Senate to his will. The president-elect has quickly moved to force votes on high-profile nominees that no other person in his position would have dared put forward. And as a fallback, he is pressuring incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune into giving him the right to bypass the Senate to make temporary appointments.
Doing so would get Trump’s cabinet in place. But it could come at a political cost if it perceived that the president is jamming through highly-controversial nominees. On Thursday, ABC reported that the woman at the center of the sex-crimes case had told House investigators that Gaetz had paid to have sex with her in 2017 when she was a minor. Gaetz was also allegedly implicated in paying other women for sex, which he has denied, and in illicit drug use.
The succession of nominations and reporting left Republican senators in an uncomfortable spot. Some, including those on the Senate Judiciary Committee—which would first vote on Gaetz’s nomination—said they wanted to see the House ethics report into Gaetz.
A quick look at several of the appointments finds quite a few rapists and serial adulterers. Trump obviously wants mini-mes. The BBC has this list up to date and is waiting for more. “Who has joined Trump’s team so far?” Some of the appointees are not getting sanguine coverage.’
This article is specific to Gaetz and was written by North American Correspondent Anthony Zurcher. “Trump picking Gaetz to head justice sends shockwaves – and a strong message.”
Donald Trump’s nomination of congressman Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general has arrived like a thunderclap in Washington.
Of all the president-elect’s picks for his administration so far, this is easily the most controversial – and sends a clear message that Trump intends to shake up the establishment when he returns to power.
The shockwaves were still being felt on Thursday morning as focus shifted to a looming fight in the Senate over his nomination.
Trump is assembling his team before he begins his term on 20 January, and his choice of defence secretary, Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and intelligence chief, former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, have also raised eyebrows.
But it is Gaetz making most headlines. The Florida firebrand is perhaps best known for spearheading the effort to unseat then-Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy last year. But he has a history of being a flamethrower in the staid halls of Congress.
In 2018, he brought a right-wing Holocaust denier to the State of the Union, and later tried to expel two fathers who lost children in a mass shooting from a hearing after they objected to a claim he made about gun control.
His bombastic approach means he has no shortage of enemies, including within his own party. And so Trump’s choice of Gaetz for this crucial role is a signal to those Republicans, too – his second administration will be staffed by loyalists who he trusts to enact his agenda, conventional political opinion be damned.
Gasps were heard during a meeting of Republican lawmakers when the nomination for America’s top US prosecutor was announced, Axios reported, citing sources in the room.
Republican congressman Mike Simpson of Idaho reportedly responded with an expletive.
“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said. “This one was not on my bingo card.”
Gaetz is playing Rocky and is already running up and down the Capitol stairs trying to find the few people that like him. But even the New York Post is taking on the RFK appointment to HHS. I know, I can’t believe I’m doing this. It’s even it’s Editorial Board. “Putting RFK Jr. in charge of health breaks the first rule of medicine.”
The overriding rule of medicine is: First, do no harm.
We’re certain installing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head Health and Human Services breaks this rule.
Maybe he’s sworn to focus narrowly on areas where he clearly can help — inspiring Americans to embrace healthier diets and more exercise, etc.
I wonder where eating roadkill and fish laded with mercury comes into that equation?
But wait! There are reasons to question every one of his appointments. This is from The Guardian. “Trump defense secretary nominee involved in 2017 sexual assault investigation, no charges filed – report.”
Fox News host Pete Hegseth, who Donald Trump nominated to be defense secretary, was involved in a sexual assault investigation in California seven years ago, but no charges were filed against him, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The incident happened in 2017 at a hotel and golf course in the city of Monterey, but there were few details of how Hegseth was involved, or what happened. Here’s more, from the Chronicle:
In a brief statement late Thursday, the city manager’s office in Monterey confirmed the sexual assault investigation, but provided few details.
The city said the incident was reported to have happened between almost midnight on Oct. 7, 2017, and 7 a.m. the next morning at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa on Del Monte Golf Course, less than a mile from Monterey Bay and across Highway 1 from the Naval Postgraduate School.
“The Monterey Police Department investigated an alleged sexual assault at 1 Old Golf Course Road,” the city said. It said the victim’s name was confidential and that the alleged assault was reported on Oct. 12, 2017. The city said no weapons were involved, but that there was a report of “contusions to right thigh.”
The city declined to release the police report, saying it was exempt from public disclosure, and said it would not make any further remarks on the probe.
The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office did not reply to a request for comment late Thursday, but an online database indicated no criminal charges had been filed against Hegseth in that county.
Vanity Fair reports that news of the allegation sent Trump’s transition team scrambling over the past few days:
Donald Trump’s transition team scrambled Thursday after Trump’s incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles was presented with an allegation that former Fox & Friends cohost Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee to be Defense Secretary, had engaged in sexual misconduct. According to two sources, Wiles was briefed Wednesday night about an allegation that Hegseth had acted inappropriately with a woman. One of the sources said the alleged incident took place in Monterey, California in 2017.
According to the transition source, the allegation is serious enough that Wiles and Trump’s lawyers spoke to Hegseth about it on Thursday. A source with knowledge of the meeting said that Hegseth said the allegation stemmed from a consensual encounter and characterized the episode as he-said, she-said.
On Thursday evening, Hegseth’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore said: “This allegation was already investigated by the Monterey police department and they found no evidence for it.”
Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung said: “President Trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his Administration. Mr. Hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations, and no charges were filed. We look forward to his confirmation as United States Secretary of Defense so he can get started on Day One to Make America Safe and Great Again.”
That guy puts the sleaze in sleazy. Plus, he was investigated for war crimes and would be in charge of dealing with war criminals. This is from Time Magazine. “Pete Hegseth’s Role in Trump’s Controversial Pardons of Men Accused of War Crimes.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that he would nominate Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense in his second term has already stirred controversy.
Hegseth, a military veteran, staunch defender of Trump’s “America First” agenda, and an outspoken critic of what he calls the military’s “woke” culture, has built a career around challenging the military establishment. He held an influential role in advocating for Trump to intervene on behalf of service members in three cases involving war crime accusations in 2019—cases that divided the military and ignited fierce debates over the limits of executive power and military accountability.
Now, if he is confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense, Hegseth will oversee 1.3 million active-duty service members and manage military strategy at a time of global instability, raising questions about how his past approach towards accused war criminals will impact his military leadership and discipline.
During Trump’s first term in office, Hegseth lobbied for the pardons of Army Lieutenant Clint Lorance and Army Major Mathew Golsteyn, and pushed to support Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, each of whom were facing charges or convictions related to alleged war crimes committed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hegseth’s advocacy on behalf of the three service members appeared to pay off: in Nov. 2019, Trump granted pardons to Lorance and Golsteyn, and reversed a demotion of Gallagher, citing Hegseth and Fox News when he tweeted about his decision to review one of the cases.
Hegseth’s vocal defense of these men as victims of overzealous prosecution raised eyebrows in the military community, where such interventions by civilians are seen by some as a threat to the integrity of the justice system. “These are men who went into the most dangerous places on earth with a job to defend us and made tough calls on a moment’s notice,” Hegseth said on Fox & Friends in May 2019. “They’re not war criminals, they’re warriors.”
Lorance had been convicted by a military court in 2013 for the murder of two Afghan men during a military operation in 2012 in which he ordered his soldiers to open fire on a group of unarmed Afghan civilians he suspected of being insurgents. Lorance served six years of a 19-year sentence before Trump, after lobbying from Hegseth and others, granted him a pardon in Nov. 2019, arguing that he was unfairly targeted by military prosecutors and that his actions were justified in a combat environment where split-second decisions were often necessary for survival.
This is from Military.com. ‘He’s Going to Have to Explain It’: Surprise Defense Secretary Pick’s History Takes Center Stage.”
He has repeatedly called to ban women from serving in combat roles in the military.
He advocated extensively to gain pardons for troops accused and convicted of war crimes.
And he was one of a dozen troops turned away from serving on the National Guard mission to defend the Capitol, allegedly over tattoos that are popular with neo-Nazi and far-right groups.
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise pick to be the next defense secretary, has an extensive history of combat in the culture wars that have been brewing over the military for the past decade.
Prior to Trump’s announcement Tuesday evening that he was nominating Hegseth, the National Guard veteran was most known as a co-host on the weekend edition of “Fox and Friends,” one of Trump’s favorite TV shows. But in choosing Hegseth, Trump landed on a defense secretary nominee with a record of public statements that line up with the promises Trump made on the campaign trail to root out alleged “wokeness” within the military.
Senators from both parties tasked with considering his nomination responded Wednesday by saying that they have a lot of questions about Hegseth’s history and those past statements, but broadly insisted they were reserving judgment.
“I’m going to have to visit with him about those remarks,” Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the Senate’s first female combat veteran who was rumored to be in the running for Trump’s defense secretary, told reporters Wednesday when asked about Hegseth’s opposition to women in combat.
“Even a staff member of mine, she is an infantry officer. She’s back in Iowa now. She is a tumble. So he’s going to have to explain it,” Ernst added, though she did not answer when Military.com asked whether she would vote against Hegseth over the issue.
So, this is basically a band of misfits and less than mediocre wipipo. But I’ll just let Muse tell it like it is. Yes, there are a lot of f-bombs in the lyrics!
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
#Repeat1968 #JohnBuss #MattGaetzWeirdo #PeteHegsethWeirdoSexualAssaulter #RFKJrWeirdo #TrumpSCabinetPicksBandOfMisfits #WeAreFuckingFucked
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Boiling the Wort and Cooking the Books: the thread about the Great Edinburgh Beer Duty Fraud
It was 3AM on Christmas morning 1933 when – after a long and cold stakeout – not Santa but three agents of His Majesty’s Customs & Excise entered the renowned Bell’s Brewery on the Pleasance and caught the brewers in the act of working illicitly. They didn’t yet know it but the trio had just uncovered the UK’s largest ever duty fraud, one with a record that would not be broken for decades to come. So ended the Great Edinburgh Beer Duty Fraud, and so also begins its story.
The Pleasance. 1959, but little changed since 1933. The entrance to Bell’s Brewery was by the low garage building in the middle distance. It was in this vicinity that the agents of HM Customs & Excise would stake out the brewery in December that year. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.A deliberate, systematic and wicked fraud, carried out with great cunning
Lord Aitchison, Lord Justice Clerk, summing up after the trial of the Fraud’s perpetratorsEdinburgh has a long association with the brewing trade and by the latter 19th century had come to totally dominate the Scottish industry; it one third of all breweries in the country (thirty-two); 45% of all men employed in the trade and produced over 80% of all beer by volume. This supplied not just the city or the Scottish market but England too (particularly the northeast) and all corners of the British Empire, in which it can be considered third only to Burton-on-Trent and London as a brewing centre. There were a number of reasons why this had come to be; the Lothians provided ample supplies of malting barley and coal; the Port of Leith’s provided ready access to east coast trade in Newcastle and London; but primarily it came down to water. The city sits atop a geological feature called the Charmed Circle, a fault giving esay access to both soft water well suited to old-fashioned Scotch Ales but also hard water, chemically similar to that of Burton-on-Trent, which was perfect for brewing the Pale Ales then much in vogue. This explains why so many breweries came to be concentrated in the south and east of the Old Town.
1890, W. & A. K. Johnston town plan overlaid with the 24 breweries in central Edinburgh at that time (there were more at Gorgie, Roseburn and Craigmillar). Those in red are the subject of this story. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandThe decade of the 1880s was a time of rapid change in the industry and beer production in Scotland (and therefore mainly Edinburgh) almost doubled. Practices were modernising and commercial competition was increasing; the big players were getting bigger and the smaller and provincial operators were being squeezed out. It was a time of growing investment speculation around brewers with big names listing as limited companies on the stock exchange. One of the Edinburgh’s biggest, William McEwan & Co., floated in July 1889 with a capital of £1,000,000 (about £112 million in 2025). With average annual profits of £92k (£10.4 million in 2025) it offered investors a five percent dividend and provided a Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) of 9.2%.
Advertising poster by J. G. Rennie for McEwan’s beer, 1925. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.But most of Edinburgh’s breweries were much smaller than McEwans and many were old and antiquated. And so later that same year four of those smaller, older breweries decided to seek strength in numbers with a merger and hop on the stock market bandwagon. The idea seemed sensible on paper, as the prospectus put it “material economies in the expenses should be effected, both of production and distribution“. Brian Glover, in “The Lost Beers & Breweries of Britain“, calls it however “an Alcoholic Haze of Ambition“! With a market capitalisation of £454k (£50.9 million in 2025) and an annual output of 110,000 barrels, the new Edinburgh United Breweries Ltd became the third largest brewer in Scotland (although still only half the size of the mighty McEwan’s).
Heading of the abridged prospectus of EUB in the Edinburgh Evening Dispatch, 19th December 1889The four weel kent names that were joining together were:
Robert Disher & Co., Edinburgh & Leith Brewery, Canongate. Formally known as The Edinburgh & Leith Brewing Co., an old established name from the 18th century. They were well known for a very strong ale, the in(famous) Disher’s Ten Guinea; The Burgundy of Scotland. The name refers to an old Scottish practice of naming beers after the nominal duty on a barrel, therefore equating to their strength. The usual range was from 40 shillings for weak beers up to 90 shillings for strong beers; at 210 shillings Ten Guinea was therefore over twice as strong again and would be close to 11% ABV. It was sold in wee heavy bottles but astonishingly also came on draught in pints; possibly the strongest draught beer that you could buy in the UK at that time?
1893, OS Town Plan centred on the Edinburgh & Leith Brewery. Note that the adjacent plots marked “Brewery” and “St. Mary’s Brewery” are two separate concerns. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandRobin, McMillan & Co., Summerhall Brewery. An old established firm first set up in 1705 and purchased from his successors in 1862 by Robert Robin and Robert McMillan who greatly expanded the business, increasing the workforce tenfold in twenty years. Like its stablemates in the new company it did much trade in northeast England, but also as far off as the West Indies.
1893, OS Town Plan centred on the Summerhall Brewery. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandDavid Nicolson & Sons, Palace Brewery, Abbeymount. A newcomer on the Edinburgh scene only built in 1865 and was also the smallest of the grouping. It was known for its Palace Pale Ale but it seems the brewery’s capacity greatly exceeded its output. It had been purchased in 1870 by a Canongate wine and spirit merchant, David Nicolson, whose wholesale business was included and expected to “yield large additional profits”.
1893, OS Town Plan centred on the Palace Brewery at Abbeymount. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandGeorge Ritchie & Sons, Bell’s Brewery, Pleasance. Established by John & Hugh Bell in the mid-18th century and purchased from their successors by George Ritchie in 1835, it was the largest in the group. Once known for an old-fashioned, dark and hoppy Scotch Ale called Black Cork, the recipe for this died along with its brewer early in the 19th century. They alone in the group seem to have had “tied houses” (i.e. they owned their own pubs) and did much trade across central Scotland and also in northeast England.
1893, OS Town Plan centred on the Bell’s Brewery at the Pleasance. Reproduced with the permission of the National Library of ScotlandWith combined average profits of £28.4k (£3.1 million in 2025) the Return on Invested Capital was 6.3%, significantly lower than McEwan’s and therefore a less sound financial bet. The prospectus talked up the “rapidly increasing” sales and great benefits to be wrought from amalgamation but the new company was also notably less efficient than McEwan’s by another measure – the latter was making twice the profits per unit of brewery space. The merger was a speculative venture driven by H. Osborne O’Hagan of the London Contract Corporation and the London brokerage of Messrs J. R. Ellerman, who between them were responsible for multiple brewery mergers and listings. It was mainly funded by English investors and three of the seven seats on the Board were initially allocated to English brewery directors, one assumes to keep one watchful eye over the English money and the other on the Scottish brewers.
The financial arrangements were somewhat unusual. £200,000 – 45% – of the company’s capital was not in shares but a type of secured loan known as a Mortgage Debenture. These paid a fixed 5% per annum interest and unlike the dividends on shares could not be reduced or stopped in lean times. They were good for investors but bad news for any company like Edinburgh United that found itself lumbered with a fixed £10,000 interest payment on them every year. The trustees for these debentures were The Commercial Union Brewery Investment Corporation, London; an investment trust formed the previous year by Ellerman. This trust did very well for itself out of such deals, appreciating in value by over 1,000 percent in just nine years. Ellerman would go on to become (probably) the richest man in England.
John Reeves Ellerman, an undated photo, the financial mover behind the creation of Edinburgh United Breweries. Credit: John Ellerman FoundationThe whole deal was therefore a sophisticated piece of Victorian venture capitalism and one stacked in the interests of distant investors! Also unusual was the convoluted manner in which the breweries were acquired, purchased through an intermediary, Mr W. H. Dunn, at a higher price than he had paid for them; the £8,000 difference being his fee. Dunn handled all four sales in this manner from which his cumulative fees would equated to £3,600,000 in 2025, sucking valuable cash out of the new company before it even got going. This arrangement would very soon come back to haunt them.
1919 Edinburgh United Breweries trade advert in an Edinburgh industrial promotion book. Note that at this time neither the Palace or Edinburgh and Leith (Disher’s) were producing (and never would again).Within eighteen months things had started to go wrong when it became apparent that the profits of the Palace Brewery had been overstated and it was actually loss-making. It had been acquired of of Mr Dunn for £28,500, a valuation based on its profitability and assets. In 1891 Edinburgh United decided to sue the brewery Trustee who had signed the sale to Dunn – James Alexander Molleson – for a reduction in this amount. The case started off badly when the first attempt was thrown out and Edinburgh United Breweries Ltd. v. Molleson did not come before Lord Kyllachy at the Court of Session until 1892. The judge found that because Edinburgh United had no contract with Molleson, only intermediary Dunn, they had no title to sue him. They also found that because Dunn had sold all interest to Edinburgh United he also had no title to sue. There was never any implication that Molleson was involved in mis-stating the profits or had reason to believe they were not accurate, but this fact did not come into it. The decision was appealed in 1894 but this failed and as a result £4868 17s 1d (c. £550k in 2025) was written off not to mention the fact they still had on their hands an unprofitable brewery. To this day it remains a case study in “Reduction impossible after sale to third party” in almost every textbook on Scottish contract law.
It wasn’t just the Palace Brewery that was causing the company problems. At its second AGM, the Chairman’s reported the financial position “was not so good as they could have wished” on account of their important north of England trade suffering badly due to the 1892 Durham Miners Strike. Further strikes in the next few years and an increase in beer duty further depressed trade, profits in 1893 were barely up on the pre-merger position at £29,385 12s. The Chairman remained optimistic however and told that year’s AGM that the transfer of most of the shares from English to Scottish investors was a sign of confidence in them. An alternative interpretation would be that the smart money was getting out…
“At the Gates of Bear Park Colliery: Discussing The Situation”, scene from the Illustrated London News of the 1892 Durham Miners’ Strike, 26th MarchA good year was finally had in 1895 with reported profits of £36,694 8s 9d (c. £4.2 million in 2025) and the directors were able to tell the AGM that they were “in as good a financial position as any brewery in the country“. The following year brought further cause for cheer with a gold medal award from the Exposition International of Liberal Arts etc. in Paris for the excellence of their beer and dividends of 8% being paid on the ordinary shares. But economic clouds were gathering on the horizon and after 1897 they would be repeatedly hit with increasing costs of labour, coal, rail transport, malt, hops and duty while all the time facing increased competition in the north of England. Profits would slide for eight consecutive years and dividend payments were repeatedly reduced. These tough trading conditions were not unique to them, it was a bad time all round for brewers, but the Chairman told the 1902 AGM that the company “as a policy” refused to follow the industry trend of lowering the quality of either the raw ingredients or the final product. Ironically they would later use a slogan “Rich In Name And Quality“, as they certainly didn’t find themselves rich in any other way!
“Rich in Name & Quality”. Advert for the “EUB” brand Rich Brown Ale, Edinburgh Evening News, 17th October 1931By 1903 seemingly endless strikes and wage cuts had badly affected the spending power of the working class man (the key beer-drinking demographic), the Temperance movement was making great advances, new entertainments such as music halls and later cinemas were enticing people away from pubs and a Shilling increase on beer duty as a result of the Second Anglo-Boer War cost them £3,000 (£320k in 2025). The share dividends were now suspended entirely – but the interest on those debentures still had to be paid. Having never really grown since its inception, the company found itself greatly over-capitalised and with debenture interest absorbing what little remained of the gross profits. It was therefore decided in 1907 to start buying some of them back. More radical restructuring action had to be taken in 1910 by deciding to buy them back in their entirety and to reduce the share capital to just £110,000 – a three quarters reduction in total overall. A cost-cutting plan was implemented that saw the Summerhall Brewery closed and sold, later becoming the new home of the Royal (Dick’s) Veterinary College.
The closed Summerhall Brewery in 1911, photograph by A. H. Baird of the Edinburgh Photographic Society before demolition to make way for the veterinary college. The brewery buildings are on the left, the stables on the right of the entrance lane, looking towards the west end of The Meadows. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.In 1912 the Chairman told the AGM that he had discussed a potential general price increase across the trade to ease the financial pressure but that this “seemed impossible” due over-supply and the ferocity of competition. But still the company remained wedded to not reducing the quality of the beer and instead invested in the plant at Bell’s Brewery to improve it. Sales in the first half of 1914 were promising but of course World War 1 intervened, precipitating a large slump in beer drinking, and the Exchequer upped the beer duty again. War brought the likelihood of a reduction in the quality, availability and affordability of ingredients and a scarcity of manpower as men went off to fight; in 1915 fifty employees joined up when Sir George McCrae of McCrae’s Battallion – the 16th Royal Scots – had a recruitment drive in the brewery.
WW1 recruitment poster targeting civilian workers of all classes to join up as infantrymen. Credit IWM (Art.IWM PST 0318)In 1916 a Government economy drive saw the forced closure of the Dishers and Palace breweries. The reduction in capacity resulted in a struggle to meet customer demand but closing these inefficient facilities had the unintended upside of improving the overall financial position so much that the company was able to clear off much of the debenture debt and even pay a small dividend on the preference shares.
WW1 left behind a much reduced Edinburgh United Breweries. Of the 122 of its workforce who had joined up, eighteen were killed or missing and twenty-two invalided out. They made no move to re-open the mothballed breweries and instead used it as an opportunity for much-needed rationalisation. The maltings and cooperage of the Palace at Abbeymount were sold in 1919 and the remainder kept only as a hops store. In 1921 an attempt was made to sell the Disher’s to the city Corporation as part of a slum clearance scheme but before this could happen it burned down in a disastrous fire in April 1922 that caused £20,000-30,000 of damage. Instead it was sold to the neighbouring brewery of John Aitchison & Co. who demolished the remains to give themselves room to expand. In 1925 the Palace site was sold to the cinema pioneer F. R. Graham-Yooll who converted it into The Regent picture house.
The Regent cinema in the 1930s. Take away the signs and the entrance doors, and the outline of a Victorian brewery is unmissable. Picture credit Edinphoto.org.ukThis meant that the “united” breweries were that in name only now and were actually a single brewery; Bell’s at the Pleasance. In 1920 a £13,000 investment was been made to expand it further and the product range was slimmed down to a smaller number of lines. They concentrated on a core offering of Pale ales around 3% ABV for the domestic Scottish draught beer market, Brown or Scotch ales around 5% ABV for the north of England and their trademark Disher’s strong ales between 7.5-11.2% ABV.
Alterations and additions for Edinburgh United Breweries Ltd. at Bell’s Brewery, 1919 © HES (Cowie and Seaton Collection ) via Trove.Scot SC1381491The concerted effort to modernise kept the company in the black despite an increasingly adverse national economic situation and finally cleared off all its old debenture debt. And so it was in 1925, after four decades of near constant struggle, Edinburgh United Breweries could finally tell its AGM that it found itself on a solid financial footing. It must therefore have been with some good cheer that dividends of 5% on the preference and 10% on the ordinary shares were approved.
The rear of Bell’s Brewery in 1927, looking east towards Dumbiedykes. This seems to be a loading bank as well as a store for miscelanneous barrels. From the files of “Origin, nomenclature and location of various houses and streets in Edinburgh” by John Smith, Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.But any such optimism would have been severely misplaced as the economic situation was only going to get worse from now on. By mid-1926, with the General Strike recently failed and thousands of minders still unemployed, Edinburgh United Breweries was in financial crisis. In 1927 the Chairman told the Scottish Board of Health that Scottish brewers had lost 25 to 30% of their trade in just two years and most were now barely breaking even. His own share price over the 1920s reflected the dire situation; in 1920 preference shares were trading at 17s 6d but by 1929 they were going for only 7s 6d. He told his shareholders that fully two thirds of the company’s gross earnings were going to service beer duty – £5 a barrel in 1926 – and it was to duty that the company would turn to try and keep themselves in the black. They began the Great Edinburgh Beer Fraud to avoid paying it!
Macpherson’s at 165 Pleasance in 1927 shortly before demolition in a slum clearance scheme. The closest pub to Bell’s Brewery, one of their best customers and allegedly one of the finest establishments the Southside ever knew. The windows advertise Disher’s legendary 10 Guinea Ale in bottles. Edinburgh and Scottish Collection, Edinburgh City Libraries.Several factors make this swindle quite exceptional.
- The scale of it;
- How long it would go undetected;
- That it was carried out under the very noses of the Excise;
- That the Excise would catch them at it but let them slip through their fingers;
- And that everyone in the entire brewery seemed to be in on it!
To perpetrate it they would exploit weaknesses in the duty regime; the Inland Revenue Act 1880 (also known as the Free Mash Tun Act). This legislation had changed duty to a system based on the volume of alcohol that it was estimated brewers had produced. At the time there was no reliable way to directly test for the alcohol, so instead officers of HM Commissioners of Excise would “dip” the wort (the sugary liquid that is fermented into beer) to measure its volume and would test its gravity: the sugar content. From these two values a reference table was used to calculate how much alcohol would result from fermentation and therefore how much duty was to be levied.
Testing the gravity (left) and “taking the dip” to measure volume (left) by Excise officers. Facsimile copy from John R. Pink, 2005, The Edinburgh Beer Duty Fraud: The Full StoryTwo methods of fraud were employed. The first, which ran for longest and would be responsible for two thirds of the value, was known as Abstraction of Wort. In the brewery the wort was produced in a vessel known as the mash tun from water and fermented barley. It was run through a series of processes until it reached the fermentation vessels where yeast would be added and it would be fermented into beer. By abstracting (removing) some of this wort between the mash tun and the fermentation vessel, the brewer so reduced the volume that the Exciseman would read when making his “dip” and therefore the amount of duty he would levy. This was achieved by simply siphoning quantities into boxes or barrels which would be hidden elsewhere in the brewery; sometimes literally under piles of sacks in the corner, only to add them to the fermenting vessels later once the Exciseman had finished.
The Mashing Room at T. & J. Bernard’s New Edinburgh Brewery in 1891. The mash tuns are on the first level, to the left, and the copper kettles for boiling the wort after mashing and before fermenting are on the lower level to the right. Engraving from “The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. III“This was of course prohibited by law but there were insufficient controls in place to prevent it should the brewer choose to act dishonestly. Edinburgh United were able to exploit the fact that Excisemen were regular and predictable in their visits and not familiar enough with the brewing process to be able to spot, by eye, when the contents of a vessel had been tampered with. The deception was completed by falsifying entries in the Brewing Journal, a statutory record of all brewing activities. In theory, this book had to be kept in the brewing plant at all times and be on display and available to the Excise at all times. Not having the journal available at any time was in itself an offence carrying a fine of £100. Edinburgh United however kept the actual details of each brew in a secret book and would write-up the official record with fraudulent entries to appear as if all was in order. They successfully got away with this from mid-1926 all the way through to August 1932 during which period it was calculated they had done it 231 times and avoided duty of £22,049 as a result (about £1.3 million in 2025).
Newspaper advert for Disher’s Ten Guinea Ale, late 1920s/ early 1930s, beer that was brewed while the company was busy defrauding the Excise.Abstraction stopped abruptly on 24th August 1932 when the brewery was caught in the act! Performing an early morning inspection Excise Officer William Cochrane, their usual visitor, found the brewer siphoning the wort from the Copper (the huge kettle in which the wort was boiled with hops to flavour and sterlise it) and into barrels in the cellar. This of course was strictly prohibited and the brewer fobbed him off with excuses about quality control. Cochrane next found that the Brewing Journal was absent only for it to miraculously re-appear with all its entries present and correct. On testing the mash tun he noticed the sugar levels were suspiciously high and found a boy in the yard brushing a “frothy, beery liquid” which he suspected to be the remains of a brew down a drain, even though the Journal stated that brewing had yet to commence.
Banbury Brew, 1950, W. G. Miller. A brewery worker siphons beer into a barrel (legitimately!) Oxfordshire County Museums via ArtUK.orgCochrane suspected foul play and wrote this in a memo to his superior, the Surveyor, that in his opinion it was “fraud“. The Surveyor wasn’t satisfied either and escalated the matter up to the Collector, R. D. Ryall, the most senior Exciseman in Edinburgh. Ryall passed the matter to Head Office in London, who went so far as to agree with the men in Edinburgh only to inexplicably take legal advice not to follow up and prosecute. Rather, they decided the best course of action was a warning shot to “really put the fear of God into their head brewer” – Collector Ryall was ordered to have a good chat with the brewery Chairman, ask him if he wouldn’t mind awfully making sure that the head brewer was “behaving properly” and issue his company a paltry £50 fine. With this slap on the wrist, London considered the case closed, filed it away and forgot about it.
The Commissioners direct you to add that the Chairman will appreciate that in the event of any further irregularities in the future they would feel very great difficulty in withholding a public prosecution.
Letter from London to the Collector of Excise in Edinburgh, November 1932 (86948/1932)By this time Edinburgh United Breweries’ financial circumstances meant that fraud was all that was keeping them in the black and so they had to find another method to continue it. They did not have to look far as they already possessed one! In April 1931 they had started to carry out Run Brews, conducting a brew entirely in secret and off the record from beginning to end. This began due to the effect ever greater Abstraction of Wort was having on the beer; it made it overly “fresh” and the customers were complaining. For a company known for the quality of its beer, and which publicly prided itself on it to the point of allowing it to impact their profitability, there was therefore a bitter irony that they had chosen a path to maintain the quality which had ended up reducing it anyway.
The Tun Room at T. & J. Bernard’s New Edinburgh Brewery in 1891. The fermenting vessels (or tuns) are the large, barrel-like containers lining the room where yeast will be added to the wort to ferment it into beer. Engraving from “The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland, Vol. III“Run Brews required more coordination and subterfuge to carry out but once again they were able to get away with them – 56 times – because of the predictable behaviour of The Excise. A brewery was required by law to give twenty-four hours notice, in writing, that they intended to brew. Edinburgh United knew that if they didn’t give the notice the Excise never turned up to check that they weren’t indeed brewing. They also knew that in Edinburgh they never, ever, inspected breweries between Saturday lunch time and Monday mornings. They thus had a 36 hour window in which they were completely unmonitored, sufficient to conclude the parts of the Brew that they couldn’t otherwise hide from The Excise. Once again their true brewing activities were covered up with falsified entries in the Brewing Journal.
The swindle was back on and once again the authorities were blissfully ignorant about it. This would remain the case until December 6th 1933 when a man called Peter Sinclair, until recently the head cellarman at Bell’s Brewery for eleven years, stepped into the Excise Office at 3 South Bridge and asked to speak to Officer Cochrane. Much aggrieved at the loss of his livelihood, he spilled the beans about the goings on in his former workplace.
1-3 South Bridge in 1992. The Excise Office at number 3 is the black door on the very far right of the shot, the offices were above the British Linen Bank branch. Trove.Scot, SC 763610Sinclair’s claim report made its way into the Collector’s in-tray a few days later. Except this wasn’t Collector Ryall, who had recently retired, this was Collector Hugh. R. M. Pollard, an altogether more proactive and industrious man. He brought Sinclair in for an interview during which the man shared a notebook containing records of six and a half years of illicit brewing. From this notebook it was estimated the totality of the fraud might amount to “about £3,500” (about £219k in 2025). Little did they know this was only the tip of the iceberg. The cellarman produced another colleague – Joseph Tudor – who had recently been laid off as witness to corroborate his story. This man had been a watchman and part of his duties included identifying any known Excisemen or unknown visitors to the Brewery at which point he pressed a hidden button that would sound a buzzer in the Head Brewer’s office to make him aware. This bought enough time to clear up anything that shouldn’t be happening and to amend the Brewing Journal as necessary. Signed and witnessed statements from both were taken on the spot, lest the brewery get wind of their disloyalty and try and buy them off, and they agreed to find out when the next Run Brew was to happen.
Pollard took charge of the case personally. In the meantime Officer Cochrane continued his scheduled inspection routine and was directed to keep an eye out but to ask no questions and do nothing that might show he had suspicions. Sinclair came through with a tip-off which was how the three Excisemen came to be outside Bell’s Brewery at 3AM on Christmas morning 1933. On Friday 22nd December, Officer Cochrane made his usual visit to Bell’s Brewery and inspected the Brewing Journal, finding no notice to brew entered in it. Pollard picked a trusted Officer – a man called McLachlan – who would be unknown to the Brewery and had him watch the gate from Saturday 23rd. He and Cochrane joined him at 11PM but saw no signs of suspicious activity. The trio entered the brewery at 3:30AM, finding it deserted. They inspected the Brewing Journal, found it was was still blank for that day and left. The watch was kept up until the following evening when the three assembled again at 11PM and waited again. At 3AM it was the metallic sound of a Mash Tun lid clanging within the brewery followed by the unmistakable warm, sweet, malty smell of boiling wort that confirmed to them that an illicit brew was on. And so was the sting!
An illustration of the Bell’s Brewery later shown in the EUB court case. The dotted line, highlighted red, shows the route the Excisemen took during their sting operation that ended on Christmas Day. After facsimile copy from John R. Pink, 2005, The Edinburgh Beer Duty Fraud: The Full StoryHeading straight for the Fermenting Room, they found brewing in progress and the workmen unconcerned by their sudden appearance. Directed to inspect the Brewing Journal they found it correctly made out with entries for 23rd December, but having secretly inspected it early the previous morning when it had been blank, they knew that it had been falsely backdated. Making a search of the Head Brewer’s office they found his private brewing journal which, when compared to the the official version, contained multiple discrepancies that confirmed many brews had taken place “off the record“. Realising he had a damning black book in his possession, Pollard decided to take it back to 3 South Bridge for a closer inspection, even though he was without a Warrant to do so.
He spent the best part of Christmas and Boxing Day going through the book line-by-line, cross-referencing it with the official duty records and Sinclair’s notebook. He must have been horrified at the scale of the illicit activities this uncovered; Sinclair’s notebook was accurate but just the tip of the iceberg. There were 18 illegal Run Brews in 1933 alone, almost one a fortnight. For the rest of the year Pollard officially absented himself from the office, but was secretly at work there with his staff briefed to diplomatically rebuff the efforts of the brewery to get the Head Brewer’s book – taken without a warrant – back. This was a calculated gamble; Pollard knew he really shouldn’t have the book but also knew that the brewery were in the dark as to how much he really knew. He suspected that they would eventually give up trying to get it back lest their persistence drew too much attention to it. This proved correct and indeed they gave up. Unsurprisingly the Chairman of Edinburgh United Breweries, himself a Solicitor to the Supreme Court, proved reluctant to voluntarily release the rest of the company’s books for inspection. Pollard therefore returned to Bell’s Brewery on January 11th with a Detective Inspector of Police in tow and removed them under warrant as evidence.
The Excise engaged Professor William Annan, Emeritus Chair of Accounting at Edinburgh University, as an expert witness to establish the true scale of the deception. Annan’s forensic accounting would calculate that £51,901 17s 3d in unpaid duty going back to June 1926 was owed (c. £3.2 million in 2025). He also provided evidence that the brewery:
- purchased more brewing malt that were ever entered as being consumed in the brewing books and sold more beer than they had paid duty on;
- paid dividends amounting to £17,894 (£1.1 million in 2025) which would not have been possible from the legitimate earnings alone;
- avoided, as a result of the fraud, trading losses in the 1931 financial year of £4,410, in 1932 of £4,848 and in 1933 of £6,817.
On February 19th 1934 an immediate demand for full payment of all the avoided duty was issued. When the company could not pay its its assets were placed in distraint (all the brewing materials, equipment and beer stocks were seized). Even the Managing Director’s Rolls Royce was taken, although it was soon returned with an apology when it was found out his wife (who out shopping in it at the time) was the legal owner.
The Director’s Wife, from a set of Happy Families gaming cards issued by Watney’s Brewery in the 1930sOn the 21st, the brewery’s Board of Directors issued a statement denying any knowledge of wrongdoing and that they were applying for a voluntary winding-up order because they could not make the duty payment. The story was now picked up by the press and adorned the headlines from Edinburgh to London and from Liverpool to Belfast.
Headline and subheadlines run by the Liverpool Echo, 21st February 1934The court appointed John M. Geoghagan as liquidator, who faced the immediate problem that with all the company’s brewing assets and stocks in distraint, he could neither carry on business nor liquidate! Fortunately he was able to persuade the courts to turn these back over to him and he restarted brewing, putting some men back in work (for now) and thereby reducing the outstanding debt by £20,000 and getting shareholders back 10s 8d in the pound.
After a number of delays and false starts the case finally came to trial in the High Court before the Lord Justice-Clerk (the second senior-most judge in Scotland) on March 5th 1935. On trial were the Managing Director William Lawrie and the Head Brewer John Archibald Clark, accused of defrauding Customs & Excise of £31,291 (the balance minus what been recovered by the liquidator). Other more junior members of staff avoided standing alongside them by turning King’s evidence. The indictment related to evading duty on 40,104 bulk gallons of beer; over 320 thousand pints!
The Brewer and The Director, from a set of Happy Families gaming cards issued by Watney’s Brewery in the 1930sOver eight days the prosecution called a total of 71 witnesses including Professor Annan as their principal expert. Head Brewer Clark made a statement implicating Lawrie as the head of the fraud but did not testify in his own defence and the only witness called on his behalf was his wife. Numerous subordinates testified against him that he had told them the scheme “would help the company. It would also keep us in our jobs“. Managing Director Lawrie had already given Pollard a statement that “if there had been any irregularities they must have been entirely the action of the Head Brewer” and flat out denied any involvement in – or knowledge of – fraud. He maintained his ignorance throughout the trial, trying to portray himself as being uninvolved with the day-to-day running of the brewery and having no actual understanding of the process. His case foundered on the testimony of Clark’s wife about numerous secretive, phone calls to the house from Lawrie on Saturday nights about which her husband was evasive and of assistant brewer David Smith, who told the court he was paid £5 bonus per illicit brew and that he would be given a key to retrieve the Black Book from the Managing Director’s desk where it was usually kept. His damning was completed by the company’s bookkeeper who was keen to testify that Lawrie “took an active supervision in the business” and that he had highlighted irregularities in the accounts to him on numerous occasions which were always rebuffed with “I’ll speak to Mr Clark“.
Daily Record headlines of the court case, March 8th 1935.The court was told that because Managing Director Lawrie held 1,318 and Head Brewer Clark 820 shares in the company they had financially benefited from the scheme as a result of the dividends payments made. In addition Lawrie had earned £1,000 in “fees” during the period on top of his annual salary. Presented with overwhelming evidence as to the men’s guilt, they were found guilty and Lawrie was sentenced to 21 months and Clark to 12 months imprisonment. Clark accepted this, meaning he lost his 28s a week war pension for having lost his right hand and forearm, but Lawrie maintained his innocence and appealed. This was rejected on the grounds there was clear evidence provided that he had been made aware of the irregularities in his company and that there had been “ample and sufficient reason for the jury to reach the verdict they did.”
Customs & Excise were thoroughly humiliated for their part in having allowed the Great Edinburgh Beer Fraud to go on for so long under their very noses, just an 8 minute walk from the Collector’s office, and for having been “within an ace of discovering [it]” in 1932. Internal reaction was swift. Collector Pollard briefed every Officer in Edinburgh on the details and set them to thoroughly inspecting every single other brewery in the city for any signs of further chicanery. Although he defended the honesty and integrity of his men, he also concluded that there was “a lack of observation, imagination, energy, and initiative” on their part which had contributed to failing to detect the fraud. His predecessor, the recently retired Collector Ryall, had part of his pension clawed back; the local Surveyor, Dowswell, was forcibly retired on a reduced pension; Officer Cochrane reportedly spent the rest of his working career sidelined to a beer warehouse; others Officers found their prospects for pay rises and career advancement severely limited. In retrospect, these punishments were perhaps overly harsh and unfair, all three men had explicitly used the word “fraud” in reference to detecting the Abstraction of Wort in 1932 and had escalated it to London, only for London to decide a slap on the wrist be the end of it. Perhaps London had a vested interest in making scapegoats of these men to protect their own reputations… Hugh Pollard retired in 1943 after 42 years of service to take up a position in the Ministry of Fuel and Power. He was awarded the OBE in 1951 and died in Edinburgh in 1963, aged 82.
“Jeffrey’s Brewery, Edinburgh”, oil on board by Samuel Peploe, c. 1900. This brewery later became the home of Disher’s Ale after Jeffrey’s bought the brands of EUB from the liquidator. Credit, Aberdeen Archives, Gallery & Museum, ABDGA010714London undertook a “root and branch” nationwide review of the work and responsibility of Collectors and issued a long series of amendments to operating instructions to strengthen the controls around assessing beer duty.
The object aimed at is the prevention or detection of irregularity or calculated fraud by brewers, through visits made more frequently at unexpected times by the surveying officers.
Board of Customs & Excise circular to Collectors, 1934These controls lasted until 1993 when the Beer Regulations 1993 act introduced “end product duty“, charging based on the actual measured alcohol content of the final product rather than the century-old system based on extrapolating it from the sugar content of the wort.
Facsimile copy of a further circular to Collectors from London in 1935 in the aftermath of the EUB caseAnd at Bell’s Brewery, brewing ceased for the final time after over a century of operation in March 1935 when the liquidator laid off all but two watchmen. Over the next few months anything that wasn’t physically nailed down was auctioned off anything and the tied houses, brands and goodwill were sold to another Edinburgh brewer, John Jeffrey & Co. of the New Heriot Brewery in Roseburn, who would continue to brew Disher’s Strong Ale using the same label design as the old Ten Guinea Ale until the 1960s.
Notice of auction of the effects at Bell’s Brewery, Scotsman, June 29th 1935The buildings of Bell’s Brewery were sold, a covenant of the transaction preventing the site from ever being used for brewing in the future – the Excise were clearly bloody-minded to make sure the place never darkened their door again! It was in turn sold to Dr J. Donald Pollock OBE and gifted to Edinburgh University in 1937 as a future site for a sports and athletics training centre, one it retains to this day. Sinclair, the whistleblower without whom the case may never have been successfully exposed and tried, was officially unrewarded for his efforts and remained unemployed; no Edinburgh brewer would have taken him on as so much as a toilet cleaner. A later Collector allegedly tried to represent on his behalf for a reward on his behalf, but a watchman’s job was all that was offered and it was turned down in disgust.
46 Pleasance, now the Centre for Sports and Exercise of Edinburgh University. The brewery offices were housed in the building with the bay window on the left. Google StreetviewNote to readers: unfortunately in April 2026, a third-party plug-in more than exceeded its authority and broke many of the image links on this site. No images were lost but I will have to restore them page-by-page, which may take some time. In the meantime please bear with me while I go about rectifying this issue.
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Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: December 25, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Voltage Inc.
Publishers: Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)STORY
Kumyo: The land of neon lights and fleeting pleasures.
A land where if you don’t step on others to get to the top, you’ll only sink to the bottom. Effort means nothing. Charity? Forget about it.
Kroa is an underground courier at the bottom of the barrel. In order to survive life in Kumyo, the youth have turned to the mafia life to fight for power. The mafia is a violent criminal organization shunned by the public. However, there was one family both respected by fellow mafioso, and adored by the general public.
Their name was the Liu family.
11 years ago, the Liu family was exterminated.But once the sole surviving member, Gante Lowd, crosses paths with the rightful heir, Liu Kroa, the wheel of fate begins to turn once more.
ART AND MUSIC
Director:Ichika ShiinaArtist:Takao (Overall character design), Kuroyoki(Chibi)BG Artist:Studio COCOLOScenario:Ririka YoshimuraOST:Shihoko Hirata (OP & ED theme, lyrics)BGM/Soundtrack:Shunsuke Tsuchiya (BGM, OP Composer)Concept, Producer:Satoshi NoharaI love Neon Clash’s overall visual aesthetic. The artwork is beyond beautiful and I am completely enamored with the game’s art style. The CGs especially, are insanely pretty! All the while being very emotional and very impactful! On top of that, the LIs have multiple sprite variations, and their outfits are really stunning. We have none other than the Japanese illustrator, Takao to thank for all of Neon Clash’s gorgeous glory, which appears to be their first full otome game project. I sincerely hope they’ll have more otome projects in the future because their art style to me, is crazy gorgeous!
As for the game’s staff, the writing team is led by Ririka Yoshimura, who is widely known for also being the lead scenario writer for Cupid Parasite and Despera Drops. The game’s overall director is Ichika Shina, an in-house director for Voltage Inc.
Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost also has one of the most banger OPs this year. The OP theme, Shangri-La, was by far one of my favorite otome OST of 2025. I also really enjoyed how vibrant the BGMs are in this game; I think they mesh pretty well with the neon Chinese aesthetic of this title, which I’m really loving btw. The game’s BGMs are by Shunsuke Tsuchiya of Procyon Studio, who also composed for Even if Tempest, Black Wolves Saga, KgK, and a few other otome game OSTs in the past.
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Gante Lowd” – Alfred (Mistonia’s Hope), Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Shunichi Toki as “Sun Maslo” – Hibiki (9RIP), Dahut (Virche Evermore), Leo (Piofiore), Yakumo (Dairoku), Hibie (Winters Wish), Matsui Go (Touken Ranbu), Mousse Atlas (IkeRev), Yuki Rurikawa (A3!)
Jun Fukuyama as “Sodyk Mun” – Ascot (Mistonia’s Hope), Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Zhang Hiyok” – Lucas (Mistonia’s Hope), Ash (Despera Drops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Takeo Otsuka as “Mazho Meqrin” – Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries), Elbert Greetia (IkeVil), Sunday (HSR), Luke (Chaos Zero Nightmare), Miyabi (UN:Logical), Katsu (Shinjuku Rashoumon), Yuen Hu (Shinjuku Soumei), Kanata (Angelique Lumenarise), Remnan (Gnosia), Joshua Rosfield (FF16)
Yusuke Kobayashi as “Shelby Zhiho” – Flynn (The Red Bell’s Lament), Tomonari (Winters Wish), Hira (Dairoku), Byleth (FE Engage, 3H), Shinano Toushiro (Touken Ranbu), Suwon (Yona of the Dawn), Yuli Norbert (MidCin), Manai Tomoki (Sweet Clown), Xavier (Love and Deepspace), Ugetso (Utakata no Uchronia), Kiyoshi Kurotani (Persona 5), Senku Ishigami (Dr. Stone)
Hana Shimano as “Shelby Zhia” – Himari Kino (Whisper Me a Love Song), Mako Kawai (Food for the Soul)
Kazuyuki Okitsu as “Yuan Gonglu” – Ankou (Virche Evermore), Yoji Kobase (Sympathy Kiss), Atsushi Daikoku (B-PROJECT), Tsukuyomi (Olympia Soiree), Epilogi (Café Enchanté), Hachisuka Kotetsu (Touken Ranbu), Dante (Jack Jeanne), Ray (EPHEMERAL), Kuya (NU Carnival), Kyrie (Ozmafia!!), Keith Knight (Iris School of Wizardry)
Shinnosuke Tachibana as “Shao Feng” – Himeutsugi (Hana Awase), Seiya (9RIP), Koizumi Yakumo (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Camu (Despera Drops), Xiaolei (Battlefield Waltz), Henri (Piofiore), White Mask (Bad Apple Wars), Kousei (Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku), William Rex (IkeVil), Koryu Kagemitsu (Touken Ranbu), Rafayel (Love and Deepspace)
Eiji Takeuchi as “R” – Riley Randolph (Mistonia’s Hope), Hitoya Amaguni (Hypnosis Mic), Sumio (Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master), Rafa (Borderlands 4), Hide (Nioh 2), Nobutaka Osanai (Tokyo Revengers), Takefumi Kawada (The Devil is a Part-timer)
Kazuhiro Yoshimura as “Xiadun Jue” – Shioji (Illusion of Itehari), Oleander (The Red Bell’s Lament), Alest (Radiant Tale), Minegeshi (Collar x Malice), Ten (Cafe Enchante), Maki (Side Kicks!), Souji Kamishiro (Suika Niritsu), Pepe (Bustafellows)
Haruki Ishiya as “Yunzi Yulong” – Toichi Nagayama (Jack Jeanne), Jiro (Hypnosis Mic), Roger Ward (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Toru (Slow Damage), Louis (FE Engage), Sebek Zigvolt (TWST), Makoto Shizuo (Prince of Stride), Haku (Gunka o Haita Neko), Mikado (On Air!)
Taishi Murata as “Kyochu Yona” – Kaina (Olympia Soire), Idaeus Glodell (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Tokugawa Iemitsu (Ken ga Kimi), Takeshi Efuku (Prince of Stride), Seth Hyde (IkePri),
CAST AND CHARACTERS
With Neon Clash being AmuLit’s third otome console game installment, it has become clearer to me that the studio really does have its own distinct narrative formula. If you’ve played their previous two titles, Even if Tempest and The Red Bell’s Lament, you’ll notice a similar structure shared with Neon Clash, where in the story progresses in a largely linear fashion, and the romance endings only unlock after the main story has been cleared.
That said, this title does not have any branching individual routes in the way conventional console otome games do. Instead, the romance endings only become available after you’ve completed the TRUE Ending of the game. Each chapter has the heroine spending time with a specific love interest:
- Chapter 2: Lowd
- Chapter 3: Maslo
- Chapter 4: Mun
- Chapter 5: Hiyok
- Chapter 6: is the final chapter that wraps up the story and leads into the endings.
In a way, this format kinda plays out similarly to how Chinese mobile otome games structure their stories (think Tears of Themis, LaDs, MLQC, etc.), where there’s one overarching main story and each chapter is dedicated to a particular love interest.
As for how the story benefits from this type of formula, it certainly depends on the kind of narrative the writers present in the main game. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of how it played out in The Red Bell’s Lament, but I did enjoy the same formula in Even if Tempest. With Neon Clash, I think this approach works well here too, especially given how impressively fast-paced and eventful the main story is. I’ll save more of my detailed thoughts for my “overall impressions” section below, so please keep reading!😁
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, gun violence, public shooting, murder, mass murder, death, blood, decapitation, discrimination against other nationalities, class system, marginalization, poverty, sexual assault, manipulation, gaslighting, drug abuse, drug addiction, kidnapping, abduction, alcohol abuse.GANTE LOWD
- god bless the hot loyal mafioso priest 🙏📿
- Lowd in a nutshell… 🤭🤭🤭
A mafioso through and through who was adopted and raised by the original Liu family. He works as a priest in a church in Taozhe, with hopes to one day rebuild the Liu family.
I love Lowd! And Umehara seems to have nailed this character down to a T. What a perfect match! Lowd also became one of my fav LIs in the game, and one I’ll probably think of fondly from now on.🥺 He was such a great character and love interest. The man stayed steadfast and loyal until the very end. It actually hurts how unwavering his devotion to the heroine is.😭 Through all the hardships, he remained by her side, for better or worse. I really don’t have any qualms or complaints about this LI.
After finishing all the romance endings in this title, I also think Lowd had the best romantic relationship with Kroa. Personally, I found their chemistry as a couple the most convincing and satisfying. I’m still brainrotting over his romance ending as we speak! I needed more chapters!
⬇️ SpoilersOH MAAAHH LOWWWD!🥵🥵🥵 I am down bad for this man.
I think out of everyone’s romance endings, Lowd’s felt the most natural and intimate. And perhaps this is because of how closely he and Kroa bonded during Chapter Two. It was also the only chapter where the heroine openly admits that she’s in love with someone before entrusting her feelings to her gun, Dilu. While she does something similar with the other LIs, she usually refers to those emotions as “budding feelings.” With Lowd, however, she literally jumped in front of a bullet for this man.
With Dilu nullifying at the end, it makes sense that the most impactful “romantic” feelings she carries are tied to Lowd. After all, he was the very first man she ever developed genuine feelings for. And let’s be real, among everyone Lowd was the one who remained steadfastly by her side the entire time. He never strayed, never did anything to hurt her (whether intentionally or accidentally), never manipulated her, and never forced her feelings. He was also never intrusive, and consistently respected her both as a woman and as the head of the Liu family.
Also, the love endings were all so random, dumb, and silly…but I absolutely ate all the fluff up. After everything they’ve been through, they deserve to just lay back and be dumb and silly for once. 😭
On a different note, I was reading Umechan’s commentary about Lowd, and was kinda shocked that he’s also a Romance of the 3Kingdoms nerd and was even basing Lowd’s character on Guan Yu from the series. He mustve felt giddy having to voice a character inspired by his own fav character from the show.lol So that was a nice little fun fact. I also felt like he did such an amazing job as Lowd, and I really couldn’t imagine anyone more suitable for the role.
SUN MASLO
- not a shota 👀😏🤭
- when that maslo beat drops…
Maslo is the boss of a small-time mafia from the countryside. He’s a friendly guy, and the last sort of person you’d expect to be leading a criminal organization. Aside from being part of the mob, he’s active as a popular DJ and song-writer.
Oh my beautiful pink boy! I am also down bad for Maslo… him, his character design and his designated BGM. (laughs) 🤣 Sometimes I intentionally leave the game idle just to listen to his dj vice track, lmao. But on a more serious note, Maslo was a really interesting character, no? And I can’t help but feel like the game could have done so much more with him if he had a proper individual route. In fact, this applies to all of the LIs. There was just so much untapped potential for us to explore more of them in greater depth, if their routes were longer.
Maslo and Kroa’s interactions in chapter three, I have also really enjoyed,🥹and his romance ending had one of the most beautiful CGs in the game. Although, I have to say, it’s his sad ending that completely cemented him as my new oshi.👀
⬇️ SpoilersI just feel like the writers probably had Maslo’s route skeletally structured around him being the designated yandere of the story. However, because of the game’s linear storyline, they scrapped this off and held back! My poor boy! 😭 I really think he didn’t get to shine as much as he deserved because of “plot”. As much as I’m enjoying the game overall, this is kind of the downside of games having linear plotlines; the character depth usually gets shoehorned.
Regardless, I still absolutely love Maslo. I was a bit miffed that his romance ending felt like an exposition dump of his backstory, but that beautiful kiss CG under the sakura tree compensated for it, so I guess its’ all good.(cackles) 😂 I also wanted to get a spicy CG of him and Kroa, making out backstage of his club and I can’t help but feel like we were really robbed of that visually!😭😭😭 His happy end was the only one that did not get a “bed ending” lmao although his sad ending compensated for that!😂 PLS I NEED A FANDISK! I BEG!
SODYK MUN
- the cleavage is doing crimes
- manipulation never looked this good
The boss of a huge mafia, Mun is considered the only one capable of competing with Biying. The public knows him as the young president of a big company, thanks to his many media appearances. Mun’s natural charisma tends to win him a lot of admirers.
Oh, Sodyk Mun… the man that you are… This is yet another straight-up “I can fix him” FukuJun character fresh outa the oven! Damn, what a smooooth guy. I was grinning the whole time playing Mun’s chapter (Chapter 4) in the game. The dude was just seductive, entrancing, smooth like butter. Though, I have to admit, playing his chapter also made me really nervous. It’s one of those instances where everything feels so right, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is… just off. Ha!🤣🤣🤣
I think Mun’s chapter was probably my favorite in the story. I can’t even allow myself to put the game down, his persuasive nature was literally working its way like cancer. The way his character was written, and how Fukuyama played this out was chef kiss, I have no words! I think Mun is going to be a fan favorite because, man oh man, how could anyone resist being completely swayed by this guy?
⬇️ SpoilersThe instant Mun suggested segregation with his class system BS, alarm bells started ringing in my head from all directions. My dude, NO!😭 How could anyone think segregation was a good idea? Even if he was preaching that it was the “best way” to maintain order in Kumyo, NO, NO, NO!!
Mun’s chapter I have to say was probably the one I had enjoyed the most because you can clearly see how deceptive and exceedingly manipulative he is, and I loved how vulnerable Kroa was here as well. She knew the man was making her dance around his palm, but she bit into the trap anyway. Her realization later that something was seriously wrong and that she needed to break free before Mun completely devours her whole and successfully makes her his pawn was such a good story climax.
I also loved the part where she starts noticing herself becoming like Mun while interacting with the Liu capos, and it takes Rin confronting her to snap her back to reality and see Mun’s true colors. That scene was absolutely peak!
If you think about it, Mun was the most dangerous and formidable enemy of the Liu family. The dude was a master manipulator! He manipulated everyone around him: his capos, the entire Sodyk family, the government officials in Kumyo, the police, and law enforcement. They all really believed he was the righteous man he made himself out to be. He even manipulated R, sending him to an early grave, and Zhiho, who ended up betraying the heroine and throwing a wrench into their infiltration plan.
On a side note, I can’t help but think that Mun and Kroa’s dynamic leans into the “lovers to enemies” trope where they start off as close, almost like lovers, and then fate throws them at each other’s throats. I’m really loving this trope in otome games lately! I usually only see it in reverse harem manga/manhwas so having this here was a nice touch.
ZHANG HIYOK
- resident himbo genki🥺
- golden retriever energy
A gangster from Taozhe. Hiyok is determined to protect the same Taozhe he was born and raised in, but in reality, his gang was only capable of recklessly, but unsuccessfully lashing back against the Zhuo family. When he downs a particularly strong alcohol, he becomes a whole different person, capable of taking down multiple men at once.
This game is now making a hako-oshi, because I also love Hiyok. The first time you’ll meet him, you can immediately sense just how precious and likable he is.🥺 Hiyok is another trusted and sworn comrade of our heroine, Kroa. Like Lowd, he is incredibly loyal and one of the Liu family’s strongest fighters. I’m a tad wistful though that his chapter only half-focused on him, especially since his final volumes were already converging with the main plot and heading toward the finale. I guess I just needed more fluff with this himbo.😭 On a different note, I wasn’t expecting his bad ending to turn out the way it did…but I kind of liked it. 😳👉👈
⬇️ SpoilersHe also keeps a diary! What a precious boy!😭
Kroa’s worries about Hiyok losing his feelings for her felt a bit anticlimactic, because in the end, he never really lost it. It was also pretty easy for her to win him back given Hiyok has always been fond of her. He even had a crush on her the first time they met.Still and all, I absolutely loved how she worked to get him to like her again in Hiyok’s “happy ending.” It was nice to see her making the first move in everything, and seeing Hiyok turn into this blushing, genki mess was adorable. I love their dynamic as well! So much!😭 Again, I feel robbed of fluff with this man because the romance was too short; just as the cute, fluffy stuff was starting, the chapter was already over. 😭
LIU KROA (Main Heroine)
- cunning mafia princess
- best girl!
I love Kroa. She’s now one of my favorite otoge heroines! This woman has serious balls of steel. I was a little wary of her at first, since she came across as somewhat idealistic in the common route, and I had my doubts whether she could truly pull off being the Liu family boss. But as the story progressed, I realized, wow this girl can actually walk the talk.
She’s certainly physically strong, highly skilled with a gun, and more than capable of holding her own during a shoot-out. But its actually her unwavering determination and her intrepid sense of taking risks that got me on her side of the camp. As a mafia boss, she will be pitted in situations where she has to make bold and risky decisions, not just for herself but for everyone in the Liu family. My anxiety was through the roof every time she was served yet another obstacle right after overcoming the last one. The girl seriously could not catch a break!😭 I was nervous for her all the freakin’ time, but her resilience was mighty impressive and very infectious. I could truly feel that she earned every ounce of respect her capos give her.
Kroa is also a very flawed heroine, and that’s one of the things I love most about her. She knows what she is capable of and uses her strengths wisely, but she’s also aware of her limits and what she can’t do on her own. She makes plenty of mistakes throughout the game, and sometimes her risky decisions put both herself and her comrades in danger. She beats herself up over those failures, but what’s remarkable is how she learns from them, rubs the dirt off her face, gets back on her feet, and pounces back harder and stronger every time.🤧 My girl!! 😭😭😭I loved how she was written to be very capable without ever feeling grossly overblown, if that makes sense? She’s not the kind of heroine who’s all mouth and no bite, she doesn’t talk a big game or rely on empty bravado. I really couldn’t stop rooting for her, just like her capos who believed in her as their boss.🥹 BEST GIRL!!
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
Before I get into the details of the game’s system, I just want to say in passing that the love catch for this title is so pretty! 😍 The butterfly animations were perhaps one of my fav design elements, aesthetically speaking, in this title.
As for the system itself, I think this is where most of my complaints lie. First of all, the font was rather tiny and not very visible, the kerning was also kind of awful and there was no way to adjust this. I play docked on my TV, so over time this became a non-issue for me. Next, and perhaps the thing that bothered me the most, is that the system overwrites its parameters after every ending you achieve (whether its the true end or sad end). What I mean is that after achieving, say, the“true ending”, the next time you restart the game from the very beginning, all your save files from the previous run become defunct, and are replaced by the new current progress in your present gameplay.
I think this is probably because of the game’s linear storyline, but as a completionist, it was kind of frustrating to unlock all the endings without having to restart from the very beginning of each chapter, or at worst, from the prologue. It became a nightmare to skip through scenes just to unlock different bad endings while trying different combinations of choices in the process. At the very least, the True End was easy to achieve all thanks to the love catch system.
PROS:
- Heroine name customizable
- SHOP – The boss’s grade points you collect can be spent here
- “Secret Information” in the EXTRA section –this is where all the short stories that you’ve bought from the shop are located.
- Terminology – the game’s glossary.
- Chapter Intermission
- Underground Newspaper – will show up after finishing a chapter.
- MAPS – shows which family rules over each territory.
- CHAPTER Select
- Love Catch System
- Skip READ and AUTO function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Library
- Movie Library
CONS:
- No heroine side sprite image
- Unvoiced Heroine
- SKIP Read’s fastest setting is slow.
- Lingering voice lines, even if you’ve skipped the character’s lines
- No Skip to Next Choice function
- No Flowchart
- No Sound Library
- Typos
- Parameters reset after every ending achieved.
Localization
The translations also seem pretty good. Since the theme involves the mafia and a lot of morally gray characters, there are naturally lots of coarse language thrown around which I think fits the game’s theme overall. Unfortunately, there are quite a few typos throughout the game. Not that they ruined gameplay, They didn’t bother me, but they’re definitely present, nonetheless.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPA6yvkZMbg
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I think my overall gameplay lasted about 40 hours total. This includes trying to unlock all the endings in the game and playing all the CCTV short stories in the “EXTRA” section. I was also playing blind, my switch docked, and was on auto mode most of the time. Technically, with a walkthrough and without auto-mode, you could finish the game in less than 40 hours.
AmuLit’s Linear Storytelling is back!
To start with, yes, Neon Clash unfortunately has a linear structure, similar to Even if Tempest and RBL. There are no separate branching routes for the guys. Instead, it plays out as one main story, with each chapter highlighting a specific LI.
Personally, I feel like the way these segments advanced wasn’t jarring or disjointed like in RBL, its predecessor. Each chapter introducing an LI flows smoothly within the story, and the MC’s bonding with her love interests doesn’t come off as forced (at least to me). The story kind of just naturally melds together without trying to shove anything in, if that makes sense. With that said, in my opinion, the linear structure actually worked pretty well here because of the game’s setting and how fast-paced all of the events unfolded.
As for how the heroine spends time from one LI to another, her relationships in the main story remain fairly ambiguous. There’s definitely some romantic pining going on, but they mostly come from the LIs’ side (kind of like how they do it in reverse harem animes). The heroine does emotionally acknowledge her budding feelings for an LI in every chapter, but the game somehow found a cheat code to progress the story without locking the romance into one specific guy. Shockingly enough, it made sense to me and worked well in favor of the overall narrative.😳
⬇️ Read spoilers if you’re curious about what I mean.Around the end of Chapter 2 (Lowd’s segment), Maslo approaches Kroa and teaches her how to use her psychometry in reverse. Instead of reading emotions from objects, Kroa learns to store her own emotions into her gun, Dilu. This way, she can transfer all her strong feelings of love, romance, grief, regrets, sorrow to Dilu, and fully step into her role as a mafia boss and endure the territorial power struggles against her rivals without anything weighing her down.
I know it sounds goofy to dump your feelings into a gun lol. But I thought it was actually a pretty crafty way to move the story forward without making Kroa’s interactions with the LIs feel weird or awkward. She also makes it a point in the game to make sure that before her “budding feelings” develop further, she gets rid of them and entrusts them all to Dilu.
Being the head of the Liu family comes with a lot of consequences, so before any lingering emotions weigh her down, she chooses to do away with them. This is especially crucial given the many mistakes she makes throughout the story. In Chapter 2, she jumps out of formation to protect Lowd, which leads to the death of one of her capos, Zhia. Another instance where entrusting her feelings to Dilu becomes vitally relevant is during Mun’s chapter. As her most formidable foe, facing him head-on requires her to completely forget her personal feelings for him.
So yeah, in a way, this cheat sheet actually works really well in the narrative. I was very satisfied with how it was handled.
Romance of the 3 Kingdoms But Make it Mafia
For CN media aficionados, if it isn’t obvious, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost is actually heavily inspired by the famous Luo Guanzhong novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I was reading the director’s commentary on the game, and they mentioned that Satoshi Nohara, the producer, the staff themselves, and even the seiyuus were big fans of the series. Ngl, I think it’s kinda brilliant how they were able to interlace the power struggle theme from RoTK into a modern-day mafia story. I was also a fan of the series, (well, mostly the 2010 tv series and the old TRPG lol)😅 and I think the devs really drew a lot of inspiration from the original source and incorporated it beautifully into this game.
Even the game’s worldview, where you can see Kumyo’s map and how it shows which bases belong to which family as well as which family captured which bases after every chapter ending, draws heavily from RoTK, and I thought this was really clever!
I also loved how they adapted the Triad/Chinese mafia-gang style in the story, where the mafia is less formal, less rigid, and more chaotic compared to the American-Italian style mafiosos. I grew up watching HK cinema, and if you’re like me and loved gangster movies like Young and Dangerous, you will absolutely enjoy the intense, hard-hitting action-packed style that Neon Clash delivers. So yeah, this game was right up my alley, so to speak.
I feel like the producer’s vision was perfectly realized by the director, the scenario writer, and the rest of the staff. From reading the team’s commentaries, it’s clear that everyone was highly coordinated, and you can really see that synergy reflected throughout the game!
An Action-Packed Storyline with Multi-Faceted Characters
Plotwise, the tension in this game was insane. Our main characters go through relentless hardships, one after another. I was totally shook how vivid and strong their motivations felt (as if I was there with them lol). I spent the whole time gritting my teeth, wondering what would happen next? How are they going to make their next move? The story itself really felt like an intense battle of divide and conquer all the way up to the very end.
Whenever Kroa and the gang survived and achieved their goals (even for just a brief moment), I couldn’t help but smile and cheer with them. And whenever they suffered a loss, I cried right along with them too. It’s kind of amusing how invested I got in the story, now that I think about it!😅
This title is also pretty fast-paced. While the action-packed scenes in the story take place months apart chronologically, the game’s structure delivers them back-to-back, which kept the story momentum high, sometimes leaving you gasping for air.🤣(laughs)
I think I also liked the fact that, despite the storm of tragedy and chaos unfolding, the game still gives you enough breathing room to process things before throwing you into another spiral. What’s especially nice is that every conflict is born from a character’s own choices and missteps, so the chaos didn’t feel like some sort of arbitrary monkey wrench thrown into the plot for shock value. Most of the tragedies happen within reason and fit naturally into the narrative, so I was pretty satisfied with this aspect of the story. Also, keep in mind that since the story revolves around a modern-day mafia theme, the game can get pretty graphic and violent. So if these things make you queasy, please check the content warnings above.
The side characters were also a lot of fun. I had my favorite picks like R, Rin, the Shelby twins, Yulong, Shao Feng, Yona, and a whole lot of others. Gonglu was a piece of sh*t, but I have to admit, I was kind of infatuated with him at some point. (cackles).🙈
Just look at that sassy, scheming grin of his!😭It’s also really hard not to like any of the LIs, as they’re all so distinctively well-written. This game turned me into a filthy box-pusher (hako-oshi) all over again, because I genuinely mean it when I say I’m down bad for every single love interest. I was so sure my top pick was Lowd after finishing all the romance endings, but as I’m writing this review, I keep brainrotting over Maslo. His story in the game was kind of shafted, which is a pity, but there’s just something about him that I’m really drawn to (maybe its his sexy neck frayglyph tattoo, who knows). 😏🤭So I guess, if I had to choose at gunpoint, I’d be rallying behind my beautiful DJ pink-kun!
You already have my heart, bb!😌As for the romance, the confession scenes in the Happy Ends were all pretty silly, dumb, and hilarious, but I somehow inhaled every single one of them because I was STARVED for romance the entire time. After all the hurdles, and hardships these characters went through, they absolutely deserved to let loose and just be silly and dumb for once.
Having said that, if anything, what this title could’ve really benefited from, was more romance scenarios. I’m not saying there’s none because I think the romance in the individual “Happy Ends” was really good food (delicious, even). After all, the scenario is by the writer of Cupid Parasite, so you can definitely pick up their signature flair for spicing things up. However, the length of the epilogues just felt far too short to showcase an utterly satisfying fluff. I wanted more. More fluff and more spice! 😭 Maybe a fandisk could scratch this itch… please, Voltage, I beg!
Do I recommend this game? YES.
I…..really….. loooooved this game.😭 I realized I was also the target audience for this title. The ending was so satisfying to me, that I can overlook a few exposition issues because of it. It’s not often that I finish a title and sigh, “Man, that was great,” but that’s exactly how I felt after finishing Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. I don’t claim this title is flawless or perfect, but everything about it, from the beautiful cyberpunk Chinese aesthetics, the intense power struggle plotline, the modern-day mafia action-packed scenarios, to the exhilarating main characters that I’ve grown to love and care for, keeps calling me back every time. I’m honestly really shocked at how much this title has wormed its way into my top favorites.How I wish I could forget this game so I could re-experience all the positive restlessness and edge-of-your-seat milliseconds I spent on it all over again. 😭 It was hell and back, peak! I was thoroughly entertained until the very last roll of credits, so yeah, this is an easy recommendation from me.
This title is currently on a 10% release month discount, so I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ve already bought sets of merch for this title, and I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last time I spend on it. If you care about peak storytelling and peak characters, absolutely play Neon Clash, by all means necessary.
#AmuLit #NeonClash #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLost #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLostReview #NeonClashReview #nintendoSwitch #OtomeGameReview #VoltageInc
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Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: December 25, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Voltage Inc.
Publishers: Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)STORY
Kumyo: The land of neon lights and fleeting pleasures.
A land where if you don’t step on others to get to the top, you’ll only sink to the bottom. Effort means nothing. Charity? Forget about it.
Kroa is an underground courier at the bottom of the barrel. In order to survive life in Kumyo, the youth have turned to the mafia life to fight for power. The mafia is a violent criminal organization shunned by the public. However, there was one family both respected by fellow mafioso, and adored by the general public.
Their name was the Liu family.
11 years ago, the Liu family was exterminated.But once the sole surviving member, Gante Lowd, crosses paths with the rightful heir, Liu Kroa, the wheel of fate begins to turn once more.
ART AND MUSIC
Director:Ichika ShiinaArtist:Takao (Overall character design), Kuroyoki(Chibi)BG Artist:Studio COCOLOScenario:Ririka YoshimuraOST:Shihoko Hirata (OP & ED theme, lyrics)BGM/Soundtrack:Shunsuke Tsuchiya (BGM, OP Composer)Concept, Producer:Satoshi NoharaI love Neon Clash’s overall visual aesthetic. The artwork is beyond beautiful and I am completely enamored with the game’s art style. The CGs especially, are insanely pretty! All the while being very emotional and very impactful! On top of that, the LIs have multiple sprite variations, and their outfits are really stunning. We have none other than the Japanese illustrator, Takao to thank for all of Neon Clash’s gorgeous glory, which appears to be their first full otome game project. I sincerely hope they’ll have more otome projects in the future because their art style to me, is crazy gorgeous!
As for the game’s staff, the writing team is led by Ririka Yoshimura, who is widely known for also being the lead scenario writer for Cupid Parasite and Despera Drops. The game’s overall director is Ichika Shina, an in-house director for Voltage Inc.
Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost also has one of the most banger OPs this year. The OP theme, Shangri-La, was by far one of my favorite otome OST of 2025. I also really enjoyed how vibrant the BGMs are in this game; I think they mesh pretty well with the neon Chinese aesthetic of this title, which I’m really loving btw. The game’s BGMs are by Shunsuke Tsuchiya of Procyon Studio, who also composed for Even if Tempest, Black Wolves Saga, KgK, and a few other otome game OSTs in the past.
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Gante Lowd” – Alfred (Mistonia’s Hope), Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Shunichi Toki as “Sun Maslo” – Hibiki (9RIP), Dahut (Virche Evermore), Leo (Piofiore), Yakumo (Dairoku), Hibie (Winters Wish), Matsui Go (Touken Ranbu), Mousse Atlas (IkeRev), Yuki Rurikawa (A3!)
Jun Fukuyama as “Sodyk Mun” – Ascot (Mistonia’s Hope), Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Zhang Hiyok” – Lucas (Mistonia’s Hope), Ash (Despera Drops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Takeo Otsuka as “Mazho Meqrin” – Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries), Elbert Greetia (IkeVil), Sunday (HSR), Luke (Chaos Zero Nightmare), Miyabi (UN:Logical), Katsu (Shinjuku Rashoumon), Yuen Hu (Shinjuku Soumei), Kanata (Angelique Lumenarise), Remnan (Gnosia), Joshua Rosfield (FF16)
Yusuke Kobayashi as “Shelby Zhiho” – Flynn (The Red Bell’s Lament), Tomonari (Winters Wish), Hira (Dairoku), Byleth (FE Engage, 3H), Shinano Toushiro (Touken Ranbu), Suwon (Yona of the Dawn), Yuli Norbert (MidCin), Manai Tomoki (Sweet Clown), Xavier (Love and Deepspace), Ugetso (Utakata no Uchronia), Kiyoshi Kurotani (Persona 5), Senku Ishigami (Dr. Stone)
Hana Shimano as “Shelby Zhia” – Himari Kino (Whisper Me a Love Song), Mako Kawai (Food for the Soul)
Kazuyuki Okitsu as “Yuan Gonglu” – Ankou (Virche Evermore), Yoji Kobase (Sympathy Kiss), Atsushi Daikoku (B-PROJECT), Tsukuyomi (Olympia Soiree), Epilogi (Café Enchanté), Hachisuka Kotetsu (Touken Ranbu), Dante (Jack Jeanne), Ray (EPHEMERAL), Kuya (NU Carnival), Kyrie (Ozmafia!!), Keith Knight (Iris School of Wizardry)
Shinnosuke Tachibana as “Shao Feng” – Himeutsugi (Hana Awase), Seiya (9RIP), Koizumi Yakumo (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Camu (Despera Drops), Xiaolei (Battlefield Waltz), Henri (Piofiore), White Mask (Bad Apple Wars), Kousei (Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku), William Rex (IkeVil), Koryu Kagemitsu (Touken Ranbu), Rafayel (Love and Deepspace)
Eiji Takeuchi as “R” – Riley Randolph (Mistonia’s Hope), Hitoya Amaguni (Hypnosis Mic), Sumio (Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master), Rafa (Borderlands 4), Hide (Nioh 2), Nobutaka Osanai (Tokyo Revengers), Takefumi Kawada (The Devil is a Part-timer)
Kazuhiro Yoshimura as “Xiadun Jue” – Shioji (Illusion of Itehari), Oleander (The Red Bell’s Lament), Alest (Radiant Tale), Minegeshi (Collar x Malice), Ten (Cafe Enchante), Maki (Side Kicks!), Souji Kamishiro (Suika Niritsu), Pepe (Bustafellows)
Haruki Ishiya as “Yunzi Yulong” – Toichi Nagayama (Jack Jeanne), Jiro (Hypnosis Mic), Roger Ward (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Toru (Slow Damage), Louis (FE Engage), Sebek Zigvolt (TWST), Makoto Shizuo (Prince of Stride), Haku (Gunka o Haita Neko), Mikado (On Air!)
Taishi Murata as “Kyochu Yona” – Kaina (Olympia Soire), Idaeus Glodell (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Tokugawa Iemitsu (Ken ga Kimi), Takeshi Efuku (Prince of Stride), Seth Hyde (IkePri),
CAST AND CHARACTERS
With Neon Clash being AmuLit’s third otome console game installment, it has become clearer to me that the studio really does have its own distinct narrative formula. If you’ve played their previous two titles, Even if Tempest and The Red Bell’s Lament, you’ll notice a similar structure shared with Neon Clash, where in the story progresses in a largely linear fashion, and the romance endings only unlock after the main story has been cleared.
That said, this title does not have any branching individual routes in the way conventional console otome games do. Instead, the romance endings only become available after you’ve completed the TRUE Ending of the game. Each chapter has the heroine spending time with a specific love interest:
- Chapter 2: Lowd
- Chapter 3: Maslo
- Chapter 4: Mun
- Chapter 5: Hiyok
- Chapter 6: is the final chapter that wraps up the story and leads into the endings.
In a way, this format kinda plays out similarly to how Chinese mobile otome games structure their stories (think Tears of Themis, LaDs, MLQC, etc.), where there’s one overarching main story and each chapter is dedicated to a particular love interest.
As for how the story benefits from this type of formula, it certainly depends on the kind of narrative the writers present in the main game. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of how it played out in The Red Bell’s Lament, but I did enjoy the same formula in Even if Tempest. With Neon Clash, I think this approach works well here too, especially given how impressively fast-paced and eventful the main story is. I’ll save more of my detailed thoughts for my “overall impressions” section below, so please keep reading!😁
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, gun violence, public shooting, murder, mass murder, death, blood, decapitation, discrimination against other nationalities, class system, marginalization, poverty, sexual assault, manipulation, gaslighting, drug abuse, drug addiction, kidnapping, abduction, alcohol abuse.GANTE LOWD
- god bless the hot loyal mafioso priest 🙏📿
- Lowd in a nutshell… 🤭🤭🤭
A mafioso through and through who was adopted and raised by the original Liu family. He works as a priest in a church in Taozhe, with hopes to one day rebuild the Liu family.
I love Lowd! And Umehara seems to have nailed this character down to a T. What a perfect match! Lowd also became one of my fav LIs in the game, and one I’ll probably think of fondly from now on.🥺 He was such a great character and love interest. The man stayed steadfast and loyal until the very end. It actually hurts how unwavering his devotion to the heroine is.😭 Through all the hardships, he remained by her side, for better or worse. I really don’t have any qualms or complaints about this LI.
After finishing all the romance endings in this title, I also think Lowd had the best romantic relationship with Kroa. Personally, I found their chemistry as a couple the most convincing and satisfying. I’m still brainrotting over his romance ending as we speak! I needed more chapters!
⬇️ SpoilersOH MAAAHH LOWWWD!🥵🥵🥵 I am down bad for this man.
I think out of everyone’s romance endings, Lowd’s felt the most natural and intimate. And perhaps this is because of how closely he and Kroa bonded during Chapter Two. It was also the only chapter where the heroine openly admits that she’s in love with someone before entrusting her feelings to her gun, Dilu. While she does something similar with the other LIs, she usually refers to those emotions as “budding feelings.” With Lowd, however, she literally jumped in front of a bullet for this man.
With Dilu nullifying at the end, it makes sense that the most impactful “romantic” feelings she carries are tied to Lowd. After all, he was the very first man she ever developed genuine feelings for. And let’s be real, among everyone Lowd was the one who remained steadfastly by her side the entire time. He never strayed, never did anything to hurt her (whether intentionally or accidentally), never manipulated her, and never forced her feelings. He was also never intrusive, and consistently respected her both as a woman and as the head of the Liu family.
Also, the love endings were all so random, dumb, and silly…but I absolutely ate all the fluff up. After everything they’ve been through, they deserve to just lay back and be dumb and silly for once. 😭
On a different note, I was reading Umechan’s commentary about Lowd, and was kinda shocked that he’s also a Romance of the 3Kingdoms nerd and was even basing Lowd’s character on Guan Yu from the series. He mustve felt giddy having to voice a character inspired by his own fav character from the show.lol So that was a nice little fun fact. I also felt like he did such an amazing job as Lowd, and I really couldn’t imagine anyone more suitable for the role.
SUN MASLO
- not a shota 👀😏🤭
- when that maslo beat drops…
Maslo is the boss of a small-time mafia from the countryside. He’s a friendly guy, and the last sort of person you’d expect to be leading a criminal organization. Aside from being part of the mob, he’s active as a popular DJ and song-writer.
Oh my beautiful pink boy! I am also down bad for Maslo… him, his character design and his designated BGM. (laughs) 🤣 Sometimes I intentionally leave the game idle just to listen to his dj vice track, lmao. But on a more serious note, Maslo was a really interesting character, no? And I can’t help but feel like the game could have done so much more with him if he had a proper individual route. In fact, this applies to all of the LIs. There was just so much untapped potential for us to explore more of them in greater depth, if their routes were longer.
Maslo and Kroa’s interactions in chapter three, I have also really enjoyed,🥹and his romance ending had one of the most beautiful CGs in the game. Although, I have to say, it’s his sad ending that completely cemented him as my new oshi.👀
⬇️ SpoilersI just feel like the writers probably had Maslo’s route skeletally structured around him being the designated yandere of the story. However, because of the game’s linear storyline, they scrapped this off and held back! My poor boy! 😭 I really think he didn’t get to shine as much as he deserved because of “plot”. As much as I’m enjoying the game overall, this is kind of the downside of games having linear plotlines; the character depth usually gets shoehorned.
Regardless, I still absolutely love Maslo. I was a bit miffed that his romance ending felt like an exposition dump of his backstory, but that beautiful kiss CG under the sakura tree compensated for it, so I guess its’ all good.(cackles) 😂 I also wanted to get a spicy CG of him and Kroa, making out backstage of his club and I can’t help but feel like we were really robbed of that visually!😭😭😭 His happy end was the only one that did not get a “bed ending” lmao although his sad ending compensated for that!😂 PLS I NEED A FANDISK! I BEG!
SODYK MUN
- the cleavage is doing crimes
- manipulation never looked this good
The boss of a huge mafia, Mun is considered the only one capable of competing with Biying. The public knows him as the young president of a big company, thanks to his many media appearances. Mun’s natural charisma tends to win him a lot of admirers.
Oh, Sodyk Mun… the man that you are… This is yet another straight-up “I can fix him” FukuJun character fresh outa the oven! Damn, what a smooooth guy. I was grinning the whole time playing Mun’s chapter (Chapter 4) in the game. The dude was just seductive, entrancing, smooth like butter. Though, I have to admit, playing his chapter also made me really nervous. It’s one of those instances where everything feels so right, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is… just off. Ha!🤣🤣🤣
I think Mun’s chapter was probably my favorite in the story. I can’t even allow myself to put the game down, his persuasive nature was literally working its way like cancer. The way his character was written, and how Fukuyama played this out was chef kiss, I have no words! I think Mun is going to be a fan favorite because, man oh man, how could anyone resist being completely swayed by this guy?
⬇️ SpoilersThe instant Mun suggested segregation with his class system BS, alarm bells started ringing in my head from all directions. My dude, NO!😭 How could anyone think segregation was a good idea? Even if he was preaching that it was the “best way” to maintain order in Kumyo, NO, NO, NO!!
Mun’s chapter I have to say was probably the one I had enjoyed the most because you can clearly see how deceptive and exceedingly manipulative he is, and I loved how vulnerable Kroa was here as well. She knew the man was making her dance around his palm, but she bit into the trap anyway. Her realization later that something was seriously wrong and that she needed to break free before Mun completely devours her whole and successfully makes her his pawn was such a good story climax.
I also loved the part where she starts noticing herself becoming like Mun while interacting with the Liu capos, and it takes Rin confronting her to snap her back to reality and see Mun’s true colors. That scene was absolutely peak!
If you think about it, Mun was the most dangerous and formidable enemy of the Liu family. The dude was a master manipulator! He manipulated everyone around him: his capos, the entire Sodyk family, the government officials in Kumyo, the police, and law enforcement. They all really believed he was the righteous man he made himself out to be. He even manipulated R, sending him to an early grave, and Zhiho, who ended up betraying the heroine and throwing a wrench into their infiltration plan.
On a side note, I can’t help but think that Mun and Kroa’s dynamic leans into the “lovers to enemies” trope where they start off as close, almost like lovers, and then fate throws them at each other’s throats. I’m really loving this trope in otome games lately! I usually only see it in reverse harem manga/manhwas so having this here was a nice touch.
ZHANG HIYOK
- resident himbo genki🥺
- golden retriever energy
A gangster from Taozhe. Hiyok is determined to protect the same Taozhe he was born and raised in, but in reality, his gang was only capable of recklessly, but unsuccessfully lashing back against the Zhuo family. When he downs a particularly strong alcohol, he becomes a whole different person, capable of taking down multiple men at once.
This game is now making a hako-oshi, because I also love Hiyok. The first time you’ll meet him, you can immediately sense just how precious and likable he is.🥺 Hiyok is another trusted and sworn comrade of our heroine, Kroa. Like Lowd, he is incredibly loyal and one of the Liu family’s strongest fighters. I’m a tad wistful though that his chapter only half-focused on him, especially since his final volumes were already converging with the main plot and heading toward the finale. I guess I just needed more fluff with this himbo.😭 On a different note, I wasn’t expecting his bad ending to turn out the way it did…but I kind of liked it. 😳👉👈
⬇️ SpoilersHe also keeps a diary! What a precious boy!😭
Kroa’s worries about Hiyok losing his feelings for her felt a bit anticlimactic, because in the end, he never really lost it. It was also pretty easy for her to win him back given Hiyok has always been fond of her. He even had a crush on her the first time they met.Still and all, I absolutely loved how she worked to get him to like her again in Hiyok’s “happy ending.” It was nice to see her making the first move in everything, and seeing Hiyok turn into this blushing, genki mess was adorable. I love their dynamic as well! So much!😭 Again, I feel robbed of fluff with this man because the romance was too short; just as the cute, fluffy stuff was starting, the chapter was already over. 😭
LIU KROA (Main Heroine)
- cunning mafia princess
- best girl!
I love Kroa. She’s now one of my favorite otoge heroines! This woman has serious balls of steel. I was a little wary of her at first, since she came across as somewhat idealistic in the common route, and I had my doubts whether she could truly pull off being the Liu family boss. But as the story progressed, I realized, wow this girl can actually walk the talk.
She’s certainly physically strong, highly skilled with a gun, and more than capable of holding her own during a shoot-out. But its actually her unwavering determination and her intrepid sense of taking risks that got me on her side of the camp. As a mafia boss, she will be pitted in situations where she has to make bold and risky decisions, not just for herself but for everyone in the Liu family. My anxiety was through the roof every time she was served yet another obstacle right after overcoming the last one. The girl seriously could not catch a break!😭 I was nervous for her all the freakin’ time, but her resilience was mighty impressive and very infectious. I could truly feel that she earned every ounce of respect her capos give her.
Kroa is also a very flawed heroine, and that’s one of the things I love most about her. She knows what she is capable of and uses her strengths wisely, but she’s also aware of her limits and what she can’t do on her own. She makes plenty of mistakes throughout the game, and sometimes her risky decisions put both herself and her comrades in danger. She beats herself up over those failures, but what’s remarkable is how she learns from them, rubs the dirt off her face, gets back on her feet, and pounces back harder and stronger every time.🤧 My girl!! 😭😭😭I loved how she was written to be very capable without ever feeling grossly overblown, if that makes sense? She’s not the kind of heroine who’s all mouth and no bite, she doesn’t talk a big game or rely on empty bravado. I really couldn’t stop rooting for her, just like her capos who believed in her as their boss.🥹 BEST GIRL!!
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
Before I get into the details of the game’s system, I just want to say in passing that the love catch for this title is so pretty! 😍 The butterfly animations were perhaps one of my fav design elements, aesthetically speaking, in this title.
As for the system itself, I think this is where most of my complaints lie. First of all, the font was rather tiny and not very visible, the kerning was also kind of awful and there was no way to adjust this. I play docked on my TV, so over time this became a non-issue for me. Next, and perhaps the thing that bothered me the most, is that the system overwrites its parameters after every ending you achieve (whether its the true end or sad end). What I mean is that after achieving, say, the“true ending”, the next time you restart the game from the very beginning, all your save files from the previous run become defunct, and are replaced by the new current progress in your present gameplay.
I think this is probably because of the game’s linear storyline, but as a completionist, it was kind of frustrating to unlock all the endings without having to restart from the very beginning of each chapter, or at worst, from the prologue. It became a nightmare to skip through scenes just to unlock different bad endings while trying different combinations of choices in the process. At the very least, the True End was easy to achieve all thanks to the love catch system.
PROS:
- Heroine name customizable
- SHOP – The boss’s grade points you collect can be spent here
- “Secret Information” in the EXTRA section –this is where all the short stories that you’ve bought from the shop are located.
- Terminology – the game’s glossary.
- Chapter Intermission
- Underground Newspaper – will show up after finishing a chapter.
- MAPS – shows which family rules over each territory.
- CHAPTER Select
- Love Catch System
- Skip READ and AUTO function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Library
- Movie Library
CONS:
- No heroine side sprite image
- Unvoiced Heroine
- SKIP Read’s fastest setting is slow.
- Lingering voice lines, even if you’ve skipped the character’s lines
- No Skip to Next Choice function
- No Flowchart
- No Sound Library
- Typos
- Parameters reset after every ending achieved.
Localization
The translations also seem pretty good. Since the theme involves the mafia and a lot of morally gray characters, there are naturally lots of coarse language thrown around which I think fits the game’s theme overall. Unfortunately, there are quite a few typos throughout the game. Not that they ruined gameplay, They didn’t bother me, but they’re definitely present, nonetheless.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPA6yvkZMbg
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I think my overall gameplay lasted about 40 hours total. This includes trying to unlock all the endings in the game and playing all the CCTV short stories in the “EXTRA” section. I was also playing blind, my switch docked, and was on auto mode most of the time. Technically, with a walkthrough and without auto-mode, you could finish the game in less than 40 hours.
AmuLit’s Linear Storytelling is back!
To start with, yes, Neon Clash unfortunately has a linear structure, similar to Even if Tempest and RBL. There are no separate branching routes for the guys. Instead, it plays out as one main story, with each chapter highlighting a specific LI.
Personally, I feel like the way these segments advanced wasn’t jarring or disjointed like in RBL, its predecessor. Each chapter introducing an LI flows smoothly within the story, and the MC’s bonding with her love interests doesn’t come off as forced (at least to me). The story kind of just naturally melds together without trying to shove anything in, if that makes sense. With that said, in my opinion, the linear structure actually worked pretty well here because of the game’s setting and how fast-paced all of the events unfolded.
As for how the heroine spends time from one LI to another, her relationships in the main story remain fairly ambiguous. There’s definitely some romantic pining going on, but they mostly come from the LIs’ side (kind of like how they do it in reverse harem animes). The heroine does emotionally acknowledge her budding feelings for an LI in every chapter, but the game somehow found a cheat code to progress the story without locking the romance into one specific guy. Shockingly enough, it made sense to me and worked well in favor of the overall narrative.😳
⬇️ Read spoilers if you’re curious about what I mean.Around the end of Chapter 2 (Lowd’s segment), Maslo approaches Kroa and teaches her how to use her psychometry in reverse. Instead of reading emotions from objects, Kroa learns to store her own emotions into her gun, Dilu. This way, she can transfer all her strong feelings of love, romance, grief, regrets, sorrow to Dilu, and fully step into her role as a mafia boss and endure the territorial power struggles against her rivals without anything weighing her down.
I know it sounds goofy to dump your feelings into a gun lol. But I thought it was actually a pretty crafty way to move the story forward without making Kroa’s interactions with the LIs feel weird or awkward. She also makes it a point in the game to make sure that before her “budding feelings” develop further, she gets rid of them and entrusts them all to Dilu.
Being the head of the Liu family comes with a lot of consequences, so before any lingering emotions weigh her down, she chooses to do away with them. This is especially crucial given the many mistakes she makes throughout the story. In Chapter 2, she jumps out of formation to protect Lowd, which leads to the death of one of her capos, Zhia. Another instance where entrusting her feelings to Dilu becomes vitally relevant is during Mun’s chapter. As her most formidable foe, facing him head-on requires her to completely forget her personal feelings for him.
So yeah, in a way, this cheat sheet actually works really well in the narrative. I was very satisfied with how it was handled.
Romance of the 3 Kingdoms But Make it Mafia
For CN media aficionados, if it isn’t obvious, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost is actually heavily inspired by the famous Luo Guanzhong novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I was reading the director’s commentary on the game, and they mentioned that Satoshi Nohara, the producer, the staff themselves, and even the seiyuus were big fans of the series. Ngl, I think it’s kinda brilliant how they were able to interlace the power struggle theme from RoTK into a modern-day mafia story. I was also a fan of the series, (well, mostly the 2010 tv series and the old TRPG lol)😅 and I think the devs really drew a lot of inspiration from the original source and incorporated it beautifully into this game.
Even the game’s worldview, where you can see Kumyo’s map and how it shows which bases belong to which family as well as which family captured which bases after every chapter ending, draws heavily from RoTK, and I thought this was really clever!
I also loved how they adapted the Triad/Chinese mafia-gang style in the story, where the mafia is less formal, less rigid, and more chaotic compared to the American-Italian style mafiosos. I grew up watching HK cinema, and if you’re like me and loved gangster movies like Young and Dangerous, you will absolutely enjoy the intense, hard-hitting action-packed style that Neon Clash delivers. So yeah, this game was right up my alley, so to speak.
I feel like the producer’s vision was perfectly realized by the director, the scenario writer, and the rest of the staff. From reading the team’s commentaries, it’s clear that everyone was highly coordinated, and you can really see that synergy reflected throughout the game!
An Action-Packed Storyline with Multi-Faceted Characters
Plotwise, the tension in this game was insane. Our main characters go through relentless hardships, one after another. I was totally shook how vivid and strong their motivations felt (as if I was there with them lol). I spent the whole time gritting my teeth, wondering what would happen next? How are they going to make their next move? The story itself really felt like an intense battle of divide and conquer all the way up to the very end.
Whenever Kroa and the gang survived and achieved their goals (even for just a brief moment), I couldn’t help but smile and cheer with them. And whenever they suffered a loss, I cried right along with them too. It’s kind of amusing how invested I got in the story, now that I think about it!😅
This title is also pretty fast-paced. While the action-packed scenes in the story take place months apart chronologically, the game’s structure delivers them back-to-back, which kept the story momentum high, sometimes leaving you gasping for air.🤣(laughs)
I think I also liked the fact that, despite the storm of tragedy and chaos unfolding, the game still gives you enough breathing room to process things before throwing you into another spiral. What’s especially nice is that every conflict is born from a character’s own choices and missteps, so the chaos didn’t feel like some sort of arbitrary monkey wrench thrown into the plot for shock value. Most of the tragedies happen within reason and fit naturally into the narrative, so I was pretty satisfied with this aspect of the story. Also, keep in mind that since the story revolves around a modern-day mafia theme, the game can get pretty graphic and violent. So if these things make you queasy, please check the content warnings above.
The side characters were also a lot of fun. I had my favorite picks like R, Rin, the Shelby twins, Yulong, Shao Feng, Yona, and a whole lot of others. Gonglu was a piece of sh*t, but I have to admit, I was kind of infatuated with him at some point. (cackles).🙈
Just look at that sassy, scheming grin of his!😭It’s also really hard not to like any of the LIs, as they’re all so distinctively well-written. This game turned me into a filthy box-pusher (hako-oshi) all over again, because I genuinely mean it when I say I’m down bad for every single love interest. I was so sure my top pick was Lowd after finishing all the romance endings, but as I’m writing this review, I keep brainrotting over Maslo. His story in the game was kind of shafted, which is a pity, but there’s just something about him that I’m really drawn to (maybe its his sexy neck frayglyph tattoo, who knows). 😏🤭So I guess, if I had to choose at gunpoint, I’d be rallying behind my beautiful DJ pink-kun!
You already have my heart, bb!😌As for the romance, the confession scenes in the Happy Ends were all pretty silly, dumb, and hilarious, but I somehow inhaled every single one of them because I was STARVED for romance the entire time. After all the hurdles, and hardships these characters went through, they absolutely deserved to let loose and just be silly and dumb for once.
Having said that, if anything, what this title could’ve really benefited from, was more romance scenarios. I’m not saying there’s none because I think the romance in the individual “Happy Ends” was really good food (delicious, even). After all, the scenario is by the writer of Cupid Parasite, so you can definitely pick up their signature flair for spicing things up. However, the length of the epilogues just felt far too short to showcase an utterly satisfying fluff. I wanted more. More fluff and more spice! 😭 Maybe a fandisk could scratch this itch… please, Voltage, I beg!
Do I recommend this game? YES.
I…..really….. loooooved this game.😭 I realized I was also the target audience for this title. The ending was so satisfying to me, that I can overlook a few exposition issues because of it. It’s not often that I finish a title and sigh, “Man, that was great,” but that’s exactly how I felt after finishing Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. I don’t claim this title is flawless or perfect, but everything about it, from the beautiful cyberpunk Chinese aesthetics, the intense power struggle plotline, the modern-day mafia action-packed scenarios, to the exhilarating main characters that I’ve grown to love and care for, keeps calling me back every time. I’m honestly really shocked at how much this title has wormed its way into my top favorites.How I wish I could forget this game so I could re-experience all the positive restlessness and edge-of-your-seat milliseconds I spent on it all over again. 😭 It was hell and back, peak! I was thoroughly entertained until the very last roll of credits, so yeah, this is an easy recommendation from me.
This title is currently on a 10% release month discount, so I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ve already bought sets of merch for this title, and I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last time I spend on it. If you care about peak storytelling and peak characters, absolutely play Neon Clash, by all means necessary.
#AmuLit #NeonClash #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLost #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLostReview #NeonClashReview #nintendoSwitch #OtomeGameReview #VoltageInc
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Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: December 25, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Voltage Inc.
Publishers: Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)STORY
Kumyo: The land of neon lights and fleeting pleasures.
A land where if you don’t step on others to get to the top, you’ll only sink to the bottom. Effort means nothing. Charity? Forget about it.
Kroa is an underground courier at the bottom of the barrel. In order to survive life in Kumyo, the youth have turned to the mafia life to fight for power. The mafia is a violent criminal organization shunned by the public. However, there was one family both respected by fellow mafioso, and adored by the general public.
Their name was the Liu family.
11 years ago, the Liu family was exterminated.But once the sole surviving member, Gante Lowd, crosses paths with the rightful heir, Liu Kroa, the wheel of fate begins to turn once more.
ART AND MUSIC
Director:Ichika ShiinaArtist:Takao (Overall character design), Kuroyoki(Chibi)BG Artist:Studio COCOLOScenario:Ririka YoshimuraOST:Shihoko Hirata (OP & ED theme, lyrics)BGM/Soundtrack:Shunsuke Tsuchiya (BGM, OP Composer)Concept, Producer:Satoshi NoharaI love Neon Clash’s overall visual aesthetic. The artwork is beyond beautiful and I am completely enamored with the game’s art style. The CGs especially, are insanely pretty! All the while being very emotional and very impactful! On top of that, the LIs have multiple sprite variations, and their outfits are really stunning. We have none other than the Japanese illustrator, Takao to thank for all of Neon Clash’s gorgeous glory, which appears to be their first full otome game project. I sincerely hope they’ll have more otome projects in the future because their art style to me, is crazy gorgeous!
As for the game’s staff, the writing team is led by Ririka Yoshimura, who is widely known for also being the lead scenario writer for Cupid Parasite and Despera Drops. The game’s overall director is Ichika Shina, an in-house director for Voltage Inc.
Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost also has one of the most banger OPs this year. The OP theme, Shangri-La, was by far one of my favorite otome OST of 2025. I also really enjoyed how vibrant the BGMs are in this game; I think they mesh pretty well with the neon Chinese aesthetic of this title, which I’m really loving btw. The game’s BGMs are by Shunsuke Tsuchiya of Procyon Studio, who also composed for Even if Tempest, Black Wolves Saga, KgK, and a few other otome game OSTs in the past.
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Gante Lowd” – Alfred (Mistonia’s Hope), Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Shunichi Toki as “Sun Maslo” – Hibiki (9RIP), Dahut (Virche Evermore), Leo (Piofiore), Yakumo (Dairoku), Hibie (Winters Wish), Matsui Go (Touken Ranbu), Mousse Atlas (IkeRev), Yuki Rurikawa (A3!)
Jun Fukuyama as “Sodyk Mun” – Ascot (Mistonia’s Hope), Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Zhang Hiyok” – Lucas (Mistonia’s Hope), Ash (Despera Drops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Takeo Otsuka as “Mazho Meqrin” – Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries), Elbert Greetia (IkeVil), Sunday (HSR), Luke (Chaos Zero Nightmare), Miyabi (UN:Logical), Katsu (Shinjuku Rashoumon), Yuen Hu (Shinjuku Soumei), Kanata (Angelique Lumenarise), Remnan (Gnosia), Joshua Rosfield (FF16)
Yusuke Kobayashi as “Shelby Zhiho” – Flynn (The Red Bell’s Lament), Tomonari (Winters Wish), Hira (Dairoku), Byleth (FE Engage, 3H), Shinano Toushiro (Touken Ranbu), Suwon (Yona of the Dawn), Yuli Norbert (MidCin), Manai Tomoki (Sweet Clown), Xavier (Love and Deepspace), Ugetso (Utakata no Uchronia), Kiyoshi Kurotani (Persona 5), Senku Ishigami (Dr. Stone)
Hana Shimano as “Shelby Zhia” – Himari Kino (Whisper Me a Love Song), Mako Kawai (Food for the Soul)
Kazuyuki Okitsu as “Yuan Gonglu” – Ankou (Virche Evermore), Yoji Kobase (Sympathy Kiss), Atsushi Daikoku (B-PROJECT), Tsukuyomi (Olympia Soiree), Epilogi (Café Enchanté), Hachisuka Kotetsu (Touken Ranbu), Dante (Jack Jeanne), Ray (EPHEMERAL), Kuya (NU Carnival), Kyrie (Ozmafia!!), Keith Knight (Iris School of Wizardry)
Shinnosuke Tachibana as “Shao Feng” – Himeutsugi (Hana Awase), Seiya (9RIP), Koizumi Yakumo (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Camu (Despera Drops), Xiaolei (Battlefield Waltz), Henri (Piofiore), White Mask (Bad Apple Wars), Kousei (Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku), William Rex (IkeVil), Koryu Kagemitsu (Touken Ranbu), Rafayel (Love and Deepspace)
Eiji Takeuchi as “R” – Riley Randolph (Mistonia’s Hope), Hitoya Amaguni (Hypnosis Mic), Sumio (Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master), Rafa (Borderlands 4), Hide (Nioh 2), Nobutaka Osanai (Tokyo Revengers), Takefumi Kawada (The Devil is a Part-timer)
Kazuhiro Yoshimura as “Xiadun Jue” – Shioji (Illusion of Itehari), Oleander (The Red Bell’s Lament), Alest (Radiant Tale), Minegeshi (Collar x Malice), Ten (Cafe Enchante), Maki (Side Kicks!), Souji Kamishiro (Suika Niritsu), Pepe (Bustafellows)
Haruki Ishiya as “Yunzi Yulong” – Toichi Nagayama (Jack Jeanne), Jiro (Hypnosis Mic), Roger Ward (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Toru (Slow Damage), Louis (FE Engage), Sebek Zigvolt (TWST), Makoto Shizuo (Prince of Stride), Haku (Gunka o Haita Neko), Mikado (On Air!)
Taishi Murata as “Kyochu Yona” – Kaina (Olympia Soire), Idaeus Glodell (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Tokugawa Iemitsu (Ken ga Kimi), Takeshi Efuku (Prince of Stride), Seth Hyde (IkePri),
CAST AND CHARACTERS
With Neon Clash being AmuLit’s third otome console game installment, it has become clearer to me that the studio really does have its own distinct narrative formula. If you’ve played their previous two titles, Even if Tempest and The Red Bell’s Lament, you’ll notice a similar structure shared with Neon Clash, where in the story progresses in a largely linear fashion, and the romance endings only unlock after the main story has been cleared.
That said, this title does not have any branching individual routes in the way conventional console otome games do. Instead, the romance endings only become available after you’ve completed the TRUE Ending of the game. Each chapter has the heroine spending time with a specific love interest:
- Chapter 2: Lowd
- Chapter 3: Maslo
- Chapter 4: Mun
- Chapter 5: Hiyok
- Chapter 6: is the final chapter that wraps up the story and leads into the endings.
In a way, this format kinda plays out similarly to how Chinese mobile otome games structure their stories (think Tears of Themis, LaDs, MLQC, etc.), where there’s one overarching main story and each chapter is dedicated to a particular love interest.
As for how the story benefits from this type of formula, it certainly depends on the kind of narrative the writers present in the main game. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of how it played out in The Red Bell’s Lament, but I did enjoy the same formula in Even if Tempest. With Neon Clash, I think this approach works well here too, especially given how impressively fast-paced and eventful the main story is. I’ll save more of my detailed thoughts for my “overall impressions” section below, so please keep reading!😁
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, gun violence, public shooting, murder, mass murder, death, blood, decapitation, discrimination against other nationalities, class system, marginalization, poverty, sexual assault, manipulation, gaslighting, drug abuse, drug addiction, kidnapping, abduction, alcohol abuse.GANTE LOWD
- god bless the hot loyal mafioso priest 🙏📿
- Lowd in a nutshell… 🤭🤭🤭
A mafioso through and through who was adopted and raised by the original Liu family. He works as a priest in a church in Taozhe, with hopes to one day rebuild the Liu family.
I love Lowd! And Umehara seems to have nailed this character down to a T. What a perfect match! Lowd also became one of my fav LIs in the game, and one I’ll probably think of fondly from now on.🥺 He was such a great character and love interest. The man stayed steadfast and loyal until the very end. It actually hurts how unwavering his devotion to the heroine is.😭 Through all the hardships, he remained by her side, for better or worse. I really don’t have any qualms or complaints about this LI.
After finishing all the romance endings in this title, I also think Lowd had the best romantic relationship with Kroa. Personally, I found their chemistry as a couple the most convincing and satisfying. I’m still brainrotting over his romance ending as we speak! I needed more chapters!
⬇️ SpoilersOH MAAAHH LOWWWD!🥵🥵🥵 I am down bad for this man.
I think out of everyone’s romance endings, Lowd’s felt the most natural and intimate. And perhaps this is because of how closely he and Kroa bonded during Chapter Two. It was also the only chapter where the heroine openly admits that she’s in love with someone before entrusting her feelings to her gun, Dilu. While she does something similar with the other LIs, she usually refers to those emotions as “budding feelings.” With Lowd, however, she literally jumped in front of a bullet for this man.
With Dilu nullifying at the end, it makes sense that the most impactful “romantic” feelings she carries are tied to Lowd. After all, he was the very first man she ever developed genuine feelings for. And let’s be real, among everyone Lowd was the one who remained steadfastly by her side the entire time. He never strayed, never did anything to hurt her (whether intentionally or accidentally), never manipulated her, and never forced her feelings. He was also never intrusive, and consistently respected her both as a woman and as the head of the Liu family.
Also, the love endings were all so random, dumb, and silly…but I absolutely ate all the fluff up. After everything they’ve been through, they deserve to just lay back and be dumb and silly for once. 😭
On a different note, I was reading Umechan’s commentary about Lowd, and was kinda shocked that he’s also a Romance of the 3Kingdoms nerd and was even basing Lowd’s character on Guan Yu from the series. He mustve felt giddy having to voice a character inspired by his own fav character from the show.lol So that was a nice little fun fact. I also felt like he did such an amazing job as Lowd, and I really couldn’t imagine anyone more suitable for the role.
SUN MASLO
- not a shota 👀😏🤭
- when that maslo beat drops…
Maslo is the boss of a small-time mafia from the countryside. He’s a friendly guy, and the last sort of person you’d expect to be leading a criminal organization. Aside from being part of the mob, he’s active as a popular DJ and song-writer.
Oh my beautiful pink boy! I am also down bad for Maslo… him, his character design and his designated BGM. (laughs) 🤣 Sometimes I intentionally leave the game idle just to listen to his dj vice track, lmao. But on a more serious note, Maslo was a really interesting character, no? And I can’t help but feel like the game could have done so much more with him if he had a proper individual route. In fact, this applies to all of the LIs. There was just so much untapped potential for us to explore more of them in greater depth, if their routes were longer.
Maslo and Kroa’s interactions in chapter three, I have also really enjoyed,🥹and his romance ending had one of the most beautiful CGs in the game. Although, I have to say, it’s his sad ending that completely cemented him as my new oshi.👀
⬇️ SpoilersI just feel like the writers probably had Maslo’s route skeletally structured around him being the designated yandere of the story. However, because of the game’s linear storyline, they scrapped this off and held back! My poor boy! 😭 I really think he didn’t get to shine as much as he deserved because of “plot”. As much as I’m enjoying the game overall, this is kind of the downside of games having linear plotlines; the character depth usually gets shoehorned.
Regardless, I still absolutely love Maslo. I was a bit miffed that his romance ending felt like an exposition dump of his backstory, but that beautiful kiss CG under the sakura tree compensated for it, so I guess its’ all good.(cackles) 😂 I also wanted to get a spicy CG of him and Kroa, making out backstage of his club and I can’t help but feel like we were really robbed of that visually!😭😭😭 His happy end was the only one that did not get a “bed ending” lmao although his sad ending compensated for that!😂 PLS I NEED A FANDISK! I BEG!
SODYK MUN
- the cleavage is doing crimes
- manipulation never looked this good
The boss of a huge mafia, Mun is considered the only one capable of competing with Biying. The public knows him as the young president of a big company, thanks to his many media appearances. Mun’s natural charisma tends to win him a lot of admirers.
Oh, Sodyk Mun… the man that you are… This is yet another straight-up “I can fix him” FukuJun character fresh outa the oven! Damn, what a smooooth guy. I was grinning the whole time playing Mun’s chapter (Chapter 4) in the game. The dude was just seductive, entrancing, smooth like butter. Though, I have to admit, playing his chapter also made me really nervous. It’s one of those instances where everything feels so right, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is… just off. Ha!🤣🤣🤣
I think Mun’s chapter was probably my favorite in the story. I can’t even allow myself to put the game down, his persuasive nature was literally working its way like cancer. The way his character was written, and how Fukuyama played this out was chef kiss, I have no words! I think Mun is going to be a fan favorite because, man oh man, how could anyone resist being completely swayed by this guy?
⬇️ SpoilersThe instant Mun suggested segregation with his class system BS, alarm bells started ringing in my head from all directions. My dude, NO!😭 How could anyone think segregation was a good idea? Even if he was preaching that it was the “best way” to maintain order in Kumyo, NO, NO, NO!!
Mun’s chapter I have to say was probably the one I had enjoyed the most because you can clearly see how deceptive and exceedingly manipulative he is, and I loved how vulnerable Kroa was here as well. She knew the man was making her dance around his palm, but she bit into the trap anyway. Her realization later that something was seriously wrong and that she needed to break free before Mun completely devours her whole and successfully makes her his pawn was such a good story climax.
I also loved the part where she starts noticing herself becoming like Mun while interacting with the Liu capos, and it takes Rin confronting her to snap her back to reality and see Mun’s true colors. That scene was absolutely peak!
If you think about it, Mun was the most dangerous and formidable enemy of the Liu family. The dude was a master manipulator! He manipulated everyone around him: his capos, the entire Sodyk family, the government officials in Kumyo, the police, and law enforcement. They all really believed he was the righteous man he made himself out to be. He even manipulated R, sending him to an early grave, and Zhiho, who ended up betraying the heroine and throwing a wrench into their infiltration plan.
On a side note, I can’t help but think that Mun and Kroa’s dynamic leans into the “lovers to enemies” trope where they start off as close, almost like lovers, and then fate throws them at each other’s throats. I’m really loving this trope in otome games lately! I usually only see it in reverse harem manga/manhwas so having this here was a nice touch.
ZHANG HIYOK
- resident himbo genki🥺
- golden retriever energy
A gangster from Taozhe. Hiyok is determined to protect the same Taozhe he was born and raised in, but in reality, his gang was only capable of recklessly, but unsuccessfully lashing back against the Zhuo family. When he downs a particularly strong alcohol, he becomes a whole different person, capable of taking down multiple men at once.
This game is now making a hako-oshi, because I also love Hiyok. The first time you’ll meet him, you can immediately sense just how precious and likable he is.🥺 Hiyok is another trusted and sworn comrade of our heroine, Kroa. Like Lowd, he is incredibly loyal and one of the Liu family’s strongest fighters. I’m a tad wistful though that his chapter only half-focused on him, especially since his final volumes were already converging with the main plot and heading toward the finale. I guess I just needed more fluff with this himbo.😭 On a different note, I wasn’t expecting his bad ending to turn out the way it did…but I kind of liked it. 😳👉👈
⬇️ SpoilersHe also keeps a diary! What a precious boy!😭
Kroa’s worries about Hiyok losing his feelings for her felt a bit anticlimactic, because in the end, he never really lost it. It was also pretty easy for her to win him back given Hiyok has always been fond of her. He even had a crush on her the first time they met.Still and all, I absolutely loved how she worked to get him to like her again in Hiyok’s “happy ending.” It was nice to see her making the first move in everything, and seeing Hiyok turn into this blushing, genki mess was adorable. I love their dynamic as well! So much!😭 Again, I feel robbed of fluff with this man because the romance was too short; just as the cute, fluffy stuff was starting, the chapter was already over. 😭
LIU KROA (Main Heroine)
- cunning mafia princess
- best girl!
I love Kroa. She’s now one of my favorite otoge heroines! This woman has serious balls of steel. I was a little wary of her at first, since she came across as somewhat idealistic in the common route, and I had my doubts whether she could truly pull off being the Liu family boss. But as the story progressed, I realized, wow this girl can actually walk the talk.
She’s certainly physically strong, highly skilled with a gun, and more than capable of holding her own during a shoot-out. But its actually her unwavering determination and her intrepid sense of taking risks that got me on her side of the camp. As a mafia boss, she will be pitted in situations where she has to make bold and risky decisions, not just for herself but for everyone in the Liu family. My anxiety was through the roof every time she was served yet another obstacle right after overcoming the last one. The girl seriously could not catch a break!😭 I was nervous for her all the freakin’ time, but her resilience was mighty impressive and very infectious. I could truly feel that she earned every ounce of respect her capos give her.
Kroa is also a very flawed heroine, and that’s one of the things I love most about her. She knows what she is capable of and uses her strengths wisely, but she’s also aware of her limits and what she can’t do on her own. She makes plenty of mistakes throughout the game, and sometimes her risky decisions put both herself and her comrades in danger. She beats herself up over those failures, but what’s remarkable is how she learns from them, rubs the dirt off her face, gets back on her feet, and pounces back harder and stronger every time.🤧 My girl!! 😭😭😭I loved how she was written to be very capable without ever feeling grossly overblown, if that makes sense? She’s not the kind of heroine who’s all mouth and no bite, she doesn’t talk a big game or rely on empty bravado. I really couldn’t stop rooting for her, just like her capos who believed in her as their boss.🥹 BEST GIRL!!
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
Before I get into the details of the game’s system, I just want to say in passing that the love catch for this title is so pretty! 😍 The butterfly animations were perhaps one of my fav design elements, aesthetically speaking, in this title.
As for the system itself, I think this is where most of my complaints lie. First of all, the font was rather tiny and not very visible, the kerning was also kind of awful and there was no way to adjust this. I play docked on my TV, so over time this became a non-issue for me. Next, and perhaps the thing that bothered me the most, is that the system overwrites its parameters after every ending you achieve (whether its the true end or sad end). What I mean is that after achieving, say, the“true ending”, the next time you restart the game from the very beginning, all your save files from the previous run become defunct, and are replaced by the new current progress in your present gameplay.
I think this is probably because of the game’s linear storyline, but as a completionist, it was kind of frustrating to unlock all the endings without having to restart from the very beginning of each chapter, or at worst, from the prologue. It became a nightmare to skip through scenes just to unlock different bad endings while trying different combinations of choices in the process. At the very least, the True End was easy to achieve all thanks to the love catch system.
PROS:
- Heroine name customizable
- SHOP – The boss’s grade points you collect can be spent here
- “Secret Information” in the EXTRA section –this is where all the short stories that you’ve bought from the shop are located.
- Terminology – the game’s glossary.
- Chapter Intermission
- Underground Newspaper – will show up after finishing a chapter.
- MAPS – shows which family rules over each territory.
- CHAPTER Select
- Love Catch System
- Skip READ and AUTO function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Library
- Movie Library
CONS:
- No heroine side sprite image
- Unvoiced Heroine
- SKIP Read’s fastest setting is slow.
- Lingering voice lines, even if you’ve skipped the character’s lines
- No Skip to Next Choice function
- No Flowchart
- No Sound Library
- Typos
- Parameters reset after every ending achieved.
Localization
The translations also seem pretty good. Since the theme involves the mafia and a lot of morally gray characters, there are naturally lots of coarse language thrown around which I think fits the game’s theme overall. Unfortunately, there are quite a few typos throughout the game. Not that they ruined gameplay, They didn’t bother me, but they’re definitely present, nonetheless.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPA6yvkZMbg
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I think my overall gameplay lasted about 40 hours total. This includes trying to unlock all the endings in the game and playing all the CCTV short stories in the “EXTRA” section. I was also playing blind, my switch docked, and was on auto mode most of the time. Technically, with a walkthrough and without auto-mode, you could finish the game in less than 40 hours.
AmuLit’s Linear Storytelling is back!
To start with, yes, Neon Clash unfortunately has a linear structure, similar to Even if Tempest and RBL. There are no separate branching routes for the guys. Instead, it plays out as one main story, with each chapter highlighting a specific LI.
Personally, I feel like the way these segments advanced wasn’t jarring or disjointed like in RBL, its predecessor. Each chapter introducing an LI flows smoothly within the story, and the MC’s bonding with her love interests doesn’t come off as forced (at least to me). The story kind of just naturally melds together without trying to shove anything in, if that makes sense. With that said, in my opinion, the linear structure actually worked pretty well here because of the game’s setting and how fast-paced all of the events unfolded.
As for how the heroine spends time from one LI to another, her relationships in the main story remain fairly ambiguous. There’s definitely some romantic pining going on, but they mostly come from the LIs’ side (kind of like how they do it in reverse harem animes). The heroine does emotionally acknowledge her budding feelings for an LI in every chapter, but the game somehow found a cheat code to progress the story without locking the romance into one specific guy. Shockingly enough, it made sense to me and worked well in favor of the overall narrative.😳
⬇️ Read spoilers if you’re curious about what I mean.Around the end of Chapter 2 (Lowd’s segment), Maslo approaches Kroa and teaches her how to use her psychometry in reverse. Instead of reading emotions from objects, Kroa learns to store her own emotions into her gun, Dilu. This way, she can transfer all her strong feelings of love, romance, grief, regrets, sorrow to Dilu, and fully step into her role as a mafia boss and endure the territorial power struggles against her rivals without anything weighing her down.
I know it sounds goofy to dump your feelings into a gun lol. But I thought it was actually a pretty crafty way to move the story forward without making Kroa’s interactions with the LIs feel weird or awkward. She also makes it a point in the game to make sure that before her “budding feelings” develop further, she gets rid of them and entrusts them all to Dilu.
Being the head of the Liu family comes with a lot of consequences, so before any lingering emotions weigh her down, she chooses to do away with them. This is especially crucial given the many mistakes she makes throughout the story. In Chapter 2, she jumps out of formation to protect Lowd, which leads to the death of one of her capos, Zhia. Another instance where entrusting her feelings to Dilu becomes vitally relevant is during Mun’s chapter. As her most formidable foe, facing him head-on requires her to completely forget her personal feelings for him.
So yeah, in a way, this cheat sheet actually works really well in the narrative. I was very satisfied with how it was handled.
Romance of the 3 Kingdoms But Make it Mafia
For CN media aficionados, if it isn’t obvious, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost is actually heavily inspired by the famous Luo Guanzhong novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I was reading the director’s commentary on the game, and they mentioned that Satoshi Nohara, the producer, the staff themselves, and even the seiyuus were big fans of the series. Ngl, I think it’s kinda brilliant how they were able to interlace the power struggle theme from RoTK into a modern-day mafia story. I was also a fan of the series, (well, mostly the 2010 tv series and the old TRPG lol)😅 and I think the devs really drew a lot of inspiration from the original source and incorporated it beautifully into this game.
Even the game’s worldview, where you can see Kumyo’s map and how it shows which bases belong to which family as well as which family captured which bases after every chapter ending, draws heavily from RoTK, and I thought this was really clever!
I also loved how they adapted the Triad/Chinese mafia-gang style in the story, where the mafia is less formal, less rigid, and more chaotic compared to the American-Italian style mafiosos. I grew up watching HK cinema, and if you’re like me and loved gangster movies like Young and Dangerous, you will absolutely enjoy the intense, hard-hitting action-packed style that Neon Clash delivers. So yeah, this game was right up my alley, so to speak.
I feel like the producer’s vision was perfectly realized by the director, the scenario writer, and the rest of the staff. From reading the team’s commentaries, it’s clear that everyone was highly coordinated, and you can really see that synergy reflected throughout the game!
An Action-Packed Storyline with Multi-Faceted Characters
Plotwise, the tension in this game was insane. Our main characters go through relentless hardships, one after another. I was totally shook how vivid and strong their motivations felt (as if I was there with them lol). I spent the whole time gritting my teeth, wondering what would happen next? How are they going to make their next move? The story itself really felt like an intense battle of divide and conquer all the way up to the very end.
Whenever Kroa and the gang survived and achieved their goals (even for just a brief moment), I couldn’t help but smile and cheer with them. And whenever they suffered a loss, I cried right along with them too. It’s kind of amusing how invested I got in the story, now that I think about it!😅
This title is also pretty fast-paced. While the action-packed scenes in the story take place months apart chronologically, the game’s structure delivers them back-to-back, which kept the story momentum high, sometimes leaving you gasping for air.🤣(laughs)
I think I also liked the fact that, despite the storm of tragedy and chaos unfolding, the game still gives you enough breathing room to process things before throwing you into another spiral. What’s especially nice is that every conflict is born from a character’s own choices and missteps, so the chaos didn’t feel like some sort of arbitrary monkey wrench thrown into the plot for shock value. Most of the tragedies happen within reason and fit naturally into the narrative, so I was pretty satisfied with this aspect of the story. Also, keep in mind that since the story revolves around a modern-day mafia theme, the game can get pretty graphic and violent. So if these things make you queasy, please check the content warnings above.
The side characters were also a lot of fun. I had my favorite picks like R, Rin, the Shelby twins, Yulong, Shao Feng, Yona, and a whole lot of others. Gonglu was a piece of sh*t, but I have to admit, I was kind of infatuated with him at some point. (cackles).🙈
Just look at that sassy, scheming grin of his!😭It’s also really hard not to like any of the LIs, as they’re all so distinctively well-written. This game turned me into a filthy box-pusher (hako-oshi) all over again, because I genuinely mean it when I say I’m down bad for every single love interest. I was so sure my top pick was Lowd after finishing all the romance endings, but as I’m writing this review, I keep brainrotting over Maslo. His story in the game was kind of shafted, which is a pity, but there’s just something about him that I’m really drawn to (maybe its his sexy neck frayglyph tattoo, who knows). 😏🤭So I guess, if I had to choose at gunpoint, I’d be rallying behind my beautiful DJ pink-kun!
You already have my heart, bb!😌As for the romance, the confession scenes in the Happy Ends were all pretty silly, dumb, and hilarious, but I somehow inhaled every single one of them because I was STARVED for romance the entire time. After all the hurdles, and hardships these characters went through, they absolutely deserved to let loose and just be silly and dumb for once.
Having said that, if anything, what this title could’ve really benefited from, was more romance scenarios. I’m not saying there’s none because I think the romance in the individual “Happy Ends” was really good food (delicious, even). After all, the scenario is by the writer of Cupid Parasite, so you can definitely pick up their signature flair for spicing things up. However, the length of the epilogues just felt far too short to showcase an utterly satisfying fluff. I wanted more. More fluff and more spice! 😭 Maybe a fandisk could scratch this itch… please, Voltage, I beg!
Do I recommend this game? YES.
I…..really….. loooooved this game.😭 I realized I was also the target audience for this title. The ending was so satisfying to me, that I can overlook a few exposition issues because of it. It’s not often that I finish a title and sigh, “Man, that was great,” but that’s exactly how I felt after finishing Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. I don’t claim this title is flawless or perfect, but everything about it, from the beautiful cyberpunk Chinese aesthetics, the intense power struggle plotline, the modern-day mafia action-packed scenarios, to the exhilarating main characters that I’ve grown to love and care for, keeps calling me back every time. I’m honestly really shocked at how much this title has wormed its way into my top favorites.How I wish I could forget this game so I could re-experience all the positive restlessness and edge-of-your-seat milliseconds I spent on it all over again. 😭 It was hell and back, peak! I was thoroughly entertained until the very last roll of credits, so yeah, this is an easy recommendation from me.
This title is currently on a 10% release month discount, so I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ve already bought sets of merch for this title, and I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last time I spend on it. If you care about peak storytelling and peak characters, absolutely play Neon Clash, by all means necessary.
#AmuLit #NeonClash #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLost #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLostReview #NeonClashReview #nintendoSwitch #OtomeGameReview #VoltageInc
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Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost Review (Nintendo Switch)
Release Date: December 25, 2025 (North America)
Developers: Voltage Inc.
Publishers: Voltage Inc.
Platforms: Nintendo Switch
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)STORY
Kumyo: The land of neon lights and fleeting pleasures.
A land where if you don’t step on others to get to the top, you’ll only sink to the bottom. Effort means nothing. Charity? Forget about it.
Kroa is an underground courier at the bottom of the barrel. In order to survive life in Kumyo, the youth have turned to the mafia life to fight for power. The mafia is a violent criminal organization shunned by the public. However, there was one family both respected by fellow mafioso, and adored by the general public.
Their name was the Liu family.
11 years ago, the Liu family was exterminated.But once the sole surviving member, Gante Lowd, crosses paths with the rightful heir, Liu Kroa, the wheel of fate begins to turn once more.
ART AND MUSIC
Director:Ichika ShiinaArtist:Takao (Overall character design), Kuroyoki(Chibi)BG Artist:Studio COCOLOScenario:Ririka YoshimuraOST:Shihoko Hirata (OP & ED theme, lyrics)BGM/Soundtrack:Shunsuke Tsuchiya (BGM, OP Composer)Concept, Producer:Satoshi NoharaI love Neon Clash’s overall visual aesthetic. The artwork is beyond beautiful and I am completely enamored with the game’s art style. The CGs especially, are insanely pretty! All the while being very emotional and very impactful! On top of that, the LIs have multiple sprite variations, and their outfits are really stunning. We have none other than the Japanese illustrator, Takao to thank for all of Neon Clash’s gorgeous glory, which appears to be their first full otome game project. I sincerely hope they’ll have more otome projects in the future because their art style to me, is crazy gorgeous!
As for the game’s staff, the writing team is led by Ririka Yoshimura, who is widely known for also being the lead scenario writer for Cupid Parasite and Despera Drops. The game’s overall director is Ichika Shina, an in-house director for Voltage Inc.
Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost also has one of the most banger OPs this year. The OP theme, Shangri-La, was by far one of my favorite otome OST of 2025. I also really enjoyed how vibrant the BGMs are in this game; I think they mesh pretty well with the neon Chinese aesthetic of this title, which I’m really loving btw. The game’s BGMs are by Shunsuke Tsuchiya of Procyon Studio, who also composed for Even if Tempest, Black Wolves Saga, KgK, and a few other otome game OSTs in the past.
Voice Acting
Yuichiro Umehara as “Gante Lowd” – Alfred (Mistonia’s Hope), Paschalia (Radiant Tale), Serge (Genso Manege), Kohei Minato (Sympathy Kiss), Benkei (Birushana), Canus Espada (Café Enchanté), Enishi (Jack Jeanne), Demento (Period Cube), Shingen Takeda (IkeSen), Sage (Nekopara Catboys Paradise), Rain (Shiro to Kuro no Alice), Oochidori (Touken Ranbu)
Shunichi Toki as “Sun Maslo” – Hibiki (9RIP), Dahut (Virche Evermore), Leo (Piofiore), Yakumo (Dairoku), Hibie (Winters Wish), Matsui Go (Touken Ranbu), Mousse Atlas (IkeRev), Yuki Rurikawa (A3!)
Jun Fukuyama as “Sodyk Mun” – Ascot (Mistonia’s Hope), Karatachi (Illusion of Itehari), Mizuchi (Hana Awase), Tomomori (Birushana), Vyn Richter (Tears of Themis), Mozu (BUSTFELLOWS), Goro Fujita (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Liberta (Arcana Famiglia), Rin (Togainu no Chi), Aido (Vampire Knight), Tokiwa Etsuya (Dairoku), Goke Kanimitsu (Touken Ranbu)
Ryota Suzuki as “Zhang Hiyok” – Lucas (Mistonia’s Hope), Ash (Despera Drops), Koyo (9RIP), Ginnosuke (Him, the Smile and bloom), Yona (Tengoku Struggle), Kiito Minorikawa (Jack Jeanne), Trey Clover (TWST), Ink (Gunka Haita Neko), Caster (FGO), Mizuro Tamaki (Tokyo Ghoul)
Takeo Otsuka as “Mazho Meqrin” – Jinshi (The Apothecary Diaries), Elbert Greetia (IkeVil), Sunday (HSR), Luke (Chaos Zero Nightmare), Miyabi (UN:Logical), Katsu (Shinjuku Rashoumon), Yuen Hu (Shinjuku Soumei), Kanata (Angelique Lumenarise), Remnan (Gnosia), Joshua Rosfield (FF16)
Yusuke Kobayashi as “Shelby Zhiho” – Flynn (The Red Bell’s Lament), Tomonari (Winters Wish), Hira (Dairoku), Byleth (FE Engage, 3H), Shinano Toushiro (Touken Ranbu), Suwon (Yona of the Dawn), Yuli Norbert (MidCin), Manai Tomoki (Sweet Clown), Xavier (Love and Deepspace), Ugetso (Utakata no Uchronia), Kiyoshi Kurotani (Persona 5), Senku Ishigami (Dr. Stone)
Hana Shimano as “Shelby Zhia” – Himari Kino (Whisper Me a Love Song), Mako Kawai (Food for the Soul)
Kazuyuki Okitsu as “Yuan Gonglu” – Ankou (Virche Evermore), Yoji Kobase (Sympathy Kiss), Atsushi Daikoku (B-PROJECT), Tsukuyomi (Olympia Soiree), Epilogi (Café Enchanté), Hachisuka Kotetsu (Touken Ranbu), Dante (Jack Jeanne), Ray (EPHEMERAL), Kuya (NU Carnival), Kyrie (Ozmafia!!), Keith Knight (Iris School of Wizardry)
Shinnosuke Tachibana as “Shao Feng” – Himeutsugi (Hana Awase), Seiya (9RIP), Koizumi Yakumo (Meiji Tokyo Renka), Camu (Despera Drops), Xiaolei (Battlefield Waltz), Henri (Piofiore), White Mask (Bad Apple Wars), Kousei (Ayakashi Koi Gikyoku), William Rex (IkeVil), Koryu Kagemitsu (Touken Ranbu), Rafayel (Love and Deepspace)
Eiji Takeuchi as “R” – Riley Randolph (Mistonia’s Hope), Hitoya Amaguni (Hypnosis Mic), Sumio (Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master), Rafa (Borderlands 4), Hide (Nioh 2), Nobutaka Osanai (Tokyo Revengers), Takefumi Kawada (The Devil is a Part-timer)
Kazuhiro Yoshimura as “Xiadun Jue” – Shioji (Illusion of Itehari), Oleander (The Red Bell’s Lament), Alest (Radiant Tale), Minegeshi (Collar x Malice), Ten (Cafe Enchante), Maki (Side Kicks!), Souji Kamishiro (Suika Niritsu), Pepe (Bustafellows)
Haruki Ishiya as “Yunzi Yulong” – Toichi Nagayama (Jack Jeanne), Jiro (Hypnosis Mic), Roger Ward (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Toru (Slow Damage), Louis (FE Engage), Sebek Zigvolt (TWST), Makoto Shizuo (Prince of Stride), Haku (Gunka o Haita Neko), Mikado (On Air!)
Taishi Murata as “Kyochu Yona” – Kaina (Olympia Soire), Idaeus Glodell (Metaphor: ReFantazio), Tokugawa Iemitsu (Ken ga Kimi), Takeshi Efuku (Prince of Stride), Seth Hyde (IkePri),
CAST AND CHARACTERS
With Neon Clash being AmuLit’s third otome console game installment, it has become clearer to me that the studio really does have its own distinct narrative formula. If you’ve played their previous two titles, Even if Tempest and The Red Bell’s Lament, you’ll notice a similar structure shared with Neon Clash, where in the story progresses in a largely linear fashion, and the romance endings only unlock after the main story has been cleared.
That said, this title does not have any branching individual routes in the way conventional console otome games do. Instead, the romance endings only become available after you’ve completed the TRUE Ending of the game. Each chapter has the heroine spending time with a specific love interest:
- Chapter 2: Lowd
- Chapter 3: Maslo
- Chapter 4: Mun
- Chapter 5: Hiyok
- Chapter 6: is the final chapter that wraps up the story and leads into the endings.
In a way, this format kinda plays out similarly to how Chinese mobile otome games structure their stories (think Tears of Themis, LaDs, MLQC, etc.), where there’s one overarching main story and each chapter is dedicated to a particular love interest.
As for how the story benefits from this type of formula, it certainly depends on the kind of narrative the writers present in the main game. Personally, I wasn’t a fan of how it played out in The Red Bell’s Lament, but I did enjoy the same formula in Even if Tempest. With Neon Clash, I think this approach works well here too, especially given how impressively fast-paced and eventful the main story is. I’ll save more of my detailed thoughts for my “overall impressions” section below, so please keep reading!😁
Walkthroughs:
Note: The CGs shown below are promotional images for the game, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. All spoiler-related content in this review will be hidden behind a spoiler drop-down, that you can choose to view at your own discretion.
⬇️ Click to view Content Warnings Violence, gun violence, public shooting, murder, mass murder, death, blood, decapitation, discrimination against other nationalities, class system, marginalization, poverty, sexual assault, manipulation, gaslighting, drug abuse, drug addiction, kidnapping, abduction, alcohol abuse.GANTE LOWD
- god bless the hot loyal mafioso priest 🙏📿
- Lowd in a nutshell… 🤭🤭🤭
A mafioso through and through who was adopted and raised by the original Liu family. He works as a priest in a church in Taozhe, with hopes to one day rebuild the Liu family.
I love Lowd! And Umehara seems to have nailed this character down to a T. What a perfect match! Lowd also became one of my fav LIs in the game, and one I’ll probably think of fondly from now on.🥺 He was such a great character and love interest. The man stayed steadfast and loyal until the very end. It actually hurts how unwavering his devotion to the heroine is.😭 Through all the hardships, he remained by her side, for better or worse. I really don’t have any qualms or complaints about this LI.
After finishing all the romance endings in this title, I also think Lowd had the best romantic relationship with Kroa. Personally, I found their chemistry as a couple the most convincing and satisfying. I’m still brainrotting over his romance ending as we speak! I needed more chapters!
⬇️ SpoilersOH MAAAHH LOWWWD!🥵🥵🥵 I am down bad for this man.
I think out of everyone’s romance endings, Lowd’s felt the most natural and intimate. And perhaps this is because of how closely he and Kroa bonded during Chapter Two. It was also the only chapter where the heroine openly admits that she’s in love with someone before entrusting her feelings to her gun, Dilu. While she does something similar with the other LIs, she usually refers to those emotions as “budding feelings.” With Lowd, however, she literally jumped in front of a bullet for this man.
With Dilu nullifying at the end, it makes sense that the most impactful “romantic” feelings she carries are tied to Lowd. After all, he was the very first man she ever developed genuine feelings for. And let’s be real, among everyone Lowd was the one who remained steadfastly by her side the entire time. He never strayed, never did anything to hurt her (whether intentionally or accidentally), never manipulated her, and never forced her feelings. He was also never intrusive, and consistently respected her both as a woman and as the head of the Liu family.
Also, the love endings were all so random, dumb, and silly…but I absolutely ate all the fluff up. After everything they’ve been through, they deserve to just lay back and be dumb and silly for once. 😭
On a different note, I was reading Umechan’s commentary about Lowd, and was kinda shocked that he’s also a Romance of the 3Kingdoms nerd and was even basing Lowd’s character on Guan Yu from the series. He mustve felt giddy having to voice a character inspired by his own fav character from the show.lol So that was a nice little fun fact. I also felt like he did such an amazing job as Lowd, and I really couldn’t imagine anyone more suitable for the role.
SUN MASLO
- not a shota 👀😏🤭
- when that maslo beat drops…
Maslo is the boss of a small-time mafia from the countryside. He’s a friendly guy, and the last sort of person you’d expect to be leading a criminal organization. Aside from being part of the mob, he’s active as a popular DJ and song-writer.
Oh my beautiful pink boy! I am also down bad for Maslo… him, his character design and his designated BGM. (laughs) 🤣 Sometimes I intentionally leave the game idle just to listen to his dj vice track, lmao. But on a more serious note, Maslo was a really interesting character, no? And I can’t help but feel like the game could have done so much more with him if he had a proper individual route. In fact, this applies to all of the LIs. There was just so much untapped potential for us to explore more of them in greater depth, if their routes were longer.
Maslo and Kroa’s interactions in chapter three, I have also really enjoyed,🥹and his romance ending had one of the most beautiful CGs in the game. Although, I have to say, it’s his sad ending that completely cemented him as my new oshi.👀
⬇️ SpoilersI just feel like the writers probably had Maslo’s route skeletally structured around him being the designated yandere of the story. However, because of the game’s linear storyline, they scrapped this off and held back! My poor boy! 😭 I really think he didn’t get to shine as much as he deserved because of “plot”. As much as I’m enjoying the game overall, this is kind of the downside of games having linear plotlines; the character depth usually gets shoehorned.
Regardless, I still absolutely love Maslo. I was a bit miffed that his romance ending felt like an exposition dump of his backstory, but that beautiful kiss CG under the sakura tree compensated for it, so I guess its’ all good.(cackles) 😂 I also wanted to get a spicy CG of him and Kroa, making out backstage of his club and I can’t help but feel like we were really robbed of that visually!😭😭😭 His happy end was the only one that did not get a “bed ending” lmao although his sad ending compensated for that!😂 PLS I NEED A FANDISK! I BEG!
SODYK MUN
- the cleavage is doing crimes
- manipulation never looked this good
The boss of a huge mafia, Mun is considered the only one capable of competing with Biying. The public knows him as the young president of a big company, thanks to his many media appearances. Mun’s natural charisma tends to win him a lot of admirers.
Oh, Sodyk Mun… the man that you are… This is yet another straight-up “I can fix him” FukuJun character fresh outa the oven! Damn, what a smooooth guy. I was grinning the whole time playing Mun’s chapter (Chapter 4) in the game. The dude was just seductive, entrancing, smooth like butter. Though, I have to admit, playing his chapter also made me really nervous. It’s one of those instances where everything feels so right, but you can’t shake the feeling that something is… just off. Ha!🤣🤣🤣
I think Mun’s chapter was probably my favorite in the story. I can’t even allow myself to put the game down, his persuasive nature was literally working its way like cancer. The way his character was written, and how Fukuyama played this out was chef kiss, I have no words! I think Mun is going to be a fan favorite because, man oh man, how could anyone resist being completely swayed by this guy?
⬇️ SpoilersThe instant Mun suggested segregation with his class system BS, alarm bells started ringing in my head from all directions. My dude, NO!😭 How could anyone think segregation was a good idea? Even if he was preaching that it was the “best way” to maintain order in Kumyo, NO, NO, NO!!
Mun’s chapter I have to say was probably the one I had enjoyed the most because you can clearly see how deceptive and exceedingly manipulative he is, and I loved how vulnerable Kroa was here as well. She knew the man was making her dance around his palm, but she bit into the trap anyway. Her realization later that something was seriously wrong and that she needed to break free before Mun completely devours her whole and successfully makes her his pawn was such a good story climax.
I also loved the part where she starts noticing herself becoming like Mun while interacting with the Liu capos, and it takes Rin confronting her to snap her back to reality and see Mun’s true colors. That scene was absolutely peak!
If you think about it, Mun was the most dangerous and formidable enemy of the Liu family. The dude was a master manipulator! He manipulated everyone around him: his capos, the entire Sodyk family, the government officials in Kumyo, the police, and law enforcement. They all really believed he was the righteous man he made himself out to be. He even manipulated R, sending him to an early grave, and Zhiho, who ended up betraying the heroine and throwing a wrench into their infiltration plan.
On a side note, I can’t help but think that Mun and Kroa’s dynamic leans into the “lovers to enemies” trope where they start off as close, almost like lovers, and then fate throws them at each other’s throats. I’m really loving this trope in otome games lately! I usually only see it in reverse harem manga/manhwas so having this here was a nice touch.
ZHANG HIYOK
- resident himbo genki🥺
- golden retriever energy
A gangster from Taozhe. Hiyok is determined to protect the same Taozhe he was born and raised in, but in reality, his gang was only capable of recklessly, but unsuccessfully lashing back against the Zhuo family. When he downs a particularly strong alcohol, he becomes a whole different person, capable of taking down multiple men at once.
This game is now making a hako-oshi, because I also love Hiyok. The first time you’ll meet him, you can immediately sense just how precious and likable he is.🥺 Hiyok is another trusted and sworn comrade of our heroine, Kroa. Like Lowd, he is incredibly loyal and one of the Liu family’s strongest fighters. I’m a tad wistful though that his chapter only half-focused on him, especially since his final volumes were already converging with the main plot and heading toward the finale. I guess I just needed more fluff with this himbo.😭 On a different note, I wasn’t expecting his bad ending to turn out the way it did…but I kind of liked it. 😳👉👈
⬇️ SpoilersHe also keeps a diary! What a precious boy!😭
Kroa’s worries about Hiyok losing his feelings for her felt a bit anticlimactic, because in the end, he never really lost it. It was also pretty easy for her to win him back given Hiyok has always been fond of her. He even had a crush on her the first time they met.Still and all, I absolutely loved how she worked to get him to like her again in Hiyok’s “happy ending.” It was nice to see her making the first move in everything, and seeing Hiyok turn into this blushing, genki mess was adorable. I love their dynamic as well! So much!😭 Again, I feel robbed of fluff with this man because the romance was too short; just as the cute, fluffy stuff was starting, the chapter was already over. 😭
LIU KROA (Main Heroine)
- cunning mafia princess
- best girl!
I love Kroa. She’s now one of my favorite otoge heroines! This woman has serious balls of steel. I was a little wary of her at first, since she came across as somewhat idealistic in the common route, and I had my doubts whether she could truly pull off being the Liu family boss. But as the story progressed, I realized, wow this girl can actually walk the talk.
She’s certainly physically strong, highly skilled with a gun, and more than capable of holding her own during a shoot-out. But its actually her unwavering determination and her intrepid sense of taking risks that got me on her side of the camp. As a mafia boss, she will be pitted in situations where she has to make bold and risky decisions, not just for herself but for everyone in the Liu family. My anxiety was through the roof every time she was served yet another obstacle right after overcoming the last one. The girl seriously could not catch a break!😭 I was nervous for her all the freakin’ time, but her resilience was mighty impressive and very infectious. I could truly feel that she earned every ounce of respect her capos give her.
Kroa is also a very flawed heroine, and that’s one of the things I love most about her. She knows what she is capable of and uses her strengths wisely, but she’s also aware of her limits and what she can’t do on her own. She makes plenty of mistakes throughout the game, and sometimes her risky decisions put both herself and her comrades in danger. She beats herself up over those failures, but what’s remarkable is how she learns from them, rubs the dirt off her face, gets back on her feet, and pounces back harder and stronger every time.🤧 My girl!! 😭😭😭I loved how she was written to be very capable without ever feeling grossly overblown, if that makes sense? She’s not the kind of heroine who’s all mouth and no bite, she doesn’t talk a big game or rely on empty bravado. I really couldn’t stop rooting for her, just like her capos who believed in her as their boss.🥹 BEST GIRL!!
SYSTEM AND LOCALIZATION
Before I get into the details of the game’s system, I just want to say in passing that the love catch for this title is so pretty! 😍 The butterfly animations were perhaps one of my fav design elements, aesthetically speaking, in this title.
As for the system itself, I think this is where most of my complaints lie. First of all, the font was rather tiny and not very visible, the kerning was also kind of awful and there was no way to adjust this. I play docked on my TV, so over time this became a non-issue for me. Next, and perhaps the thing that bothered me the most, is that the system overwrites its parameters after every ending you achieve (whether its the true end or sad end). What I mean is that after achieving, say, the“true ending”, the next time you restart the game from the very beginning, all your save files from the previous run become defunct, and are replaced by the new current progress in your present gameplay.
I think this is probably because of the game’s linear storyline, but as a completionist, it was kind of frustrating to unlock all the endings without having to restart from the very beginning of each chapter, or at worst, from the prologue. It became a nightmare to skip through scenes just to unlock different bad endings while trying different combinations of choices in the process. At the very least, the True End was easy to achieve all thanks to the love catch system.
PROS:
- Heroine name customizable
- SHOP – The boss’s grade points you collect can be spent here
- “Secret Information” in the EXTRA section –this is where all the short stories that you’ve bought from the shop are located.
- Terminology – the game’s glossary.
- Chapter Intermission
- Underground Newspaper – will show up after finishing a chapter.
- MAPS – shows which family rules over each territory.
- CHAPTER Select
- Love Catch System
- Skip READ and AUTO function
- Quick Save/Quick Load
- CG Library
- Movie Library
CONS:
- No heroine side sprite image
- Unvoiced Heroine
- SKIP Read’s fastest setting is slow.
- Lingering voice lines, even if you’ve skipped the character’s lines
- No Skip to Next Choice function
- No Flowchart
- No Sound Library
- Typos
- Parameters reset after every ending achieved.
Localization
The translations also seem pretty good. Since the theme involves the mafia and a lot of morally gray characters, there are naturally lots of coarse language thrown around which I think fits the game’s theme overall. Unfortunately, there are quite a few typos throughout the game. Not that they ruined gameplay, They didn’t bother me, but they’re definitely present, nonetheless.
TRAILER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPA6yvkZMbg
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I think my overall gameplay lasted about 40 hours total. This includes trying to unlock all the endings in the game and playing all the CCTV short stories in the “EXTRA” section. I was also playing blind, my switch docked, and was on auto mode most of the time. Technically, with a walkthrough and without auto-mode, you could finish the game in less than 40 hours.
AmuLit’s Linear Storytelling is back!
To start with, yes, Neon Clash unfortunately has a linear structure, similar to Even if Tempest and RBL. There are no separate branching routes for the guys. Instead, it plays out as one main story, with each chapter highlighting a specific LI.
Personally, I feel like the way these segments advanced wasn’t jarring or disjointed like in RBL, its predecessor. Each chapter introducing an LI flows smoothly within the story, and the MC’s bonding with her love interests doesn’t come off as forced (at least to me). The story kind of just naturally melds together without trying to shove anything in, if that makes sense. With that said, in my opinion, the linear structure actually worked pretty well here because of the game’s setting and how fast-paced all of the events unfolded.
As for how the heroine spends time from one LI to another, her relationships in the main story remain fairly ambiguous. There’s definitely some romantic pining going on, but they mostly come from the LIs’ side (kind of like how they do it in reverse harem animes). The heroine does emotionally acknowledge her budding feelings for an LI in every chapter, but the game somehow found a cheat code to progress the story without locking the romance into one specific guy. Shockingly enough, it made sense to me and worked well in favor of the overall narrative.😳
⬇️ Read spoilers if you’re curious about what I mean.Around the end of Chapter 2 (Lowd’s segment), Maslo approaches Kroa and teaches her how to use her psychometry in reverse. Instead of reading emotions from objects, Kroa learns to store her own emotions into her gun, Dilu. This way, she can transfer all her strong feelings of love, romance, grief, regrets, sorrow to Dilu, and fully step into her role as a mafia boss and endure the territorial power struggles against her rivals without anything weighing her down.
I know it sounds goofy to dump your feelings into a gun lol. But I thought it was actually a pretty crafty way to move the story forward without making Kroa’s interactions with the LIs feel weird or awkward. She also makes it a point in the game to make sure that before her “budding feelings” develop further, she gets rid of them and entrusts them all to Dilu.
Being the head of the Liu family comes with a lot of consequences, so before any lingering emotions weigh her down, she chooses to do away with them. This is especially crucial given the many mistakes she makes throughout the story. In Chapter 2, she jumps out of formation to protect Lowd, which leads to the death of one of her capos, Zhia. Another instance where entrusting her feelings to Dilu becomes vitally relevant is during Mun’s chapter. As her most formidable foe, facing him head-on requires her to completely forget her personal feelings for him.
So yeah, in a way, this cheat sheet actually works really well in the narrative. I was very satisfied with how it was handled.
Romance of the 3 Kingdoms But Make it Mafia
For CN media aficionados, if it isn’t obvious, Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost is actually heavily inspired by the famous Luo Guanzhong novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I was reading the director’s commentary on the game, and they mentioned that Satoshi Nohara, the producer, the staff themselves, and even the seiyuus were big fans of the series. Ngl, I think it’s kinda brilliant how they were able to interlace the power struggle theme from RoTK into a modern-day mafia story. I was also a fan of the series, (well, mostly the 2010 tv series and the old TRPG lol)😅 and I think the devs really drew a lot of inspiration from the original source and incorporated it beautifully into this game.
Even the game’s worldview, where you can see Kumyo’s map and how it shows which bases belong to which family as well as which family captured which bases after every chapter ending, draws heavily from RoTK, and I thought this was really clever!
I also loved how they adapted the Triad/Chinese mafia-gang style in the story, where the mafia is less formal, less rigid, and more chaotic compared to the American-Italian style mafiosos. I grew up watching HK cinema, and if you’re like me and loved gangster movies like Young and Dangerous, you will absolutely enjoy the intense, hard-hitting action-packed style that Neon Clash delivers. So yeah, this game was right up my alley, so to speak.
I feel like the producer’s vision was perfectly realized by the director, the scenario writer, and the rest of the staff. From reading the team’s commentaries, it’s clear that everyone was highly coordinated, and you can really see that synergy reflected throughout the game!
An Action-Packed Storyline with Multi-Faceted Characters
Plotwise, the tension in this game was insane. Our main characters go through relentless hardships, one after another. I was totally shook how vivid and strong their motivations felt (as if I was there with them lol). I spent the whole time gritting my teeth, wondering what would happen next? How are they going to make their next move? The story itself really felt like an intense battle of divide and conquer all the way up to the very end.
Whenever Kroa and the gang survived and achieved their goals (even for just a brief moment), I couldn’t help but smile and cheer with them. And whenever they suffered a loss, I cried right along with them too. It’s kind of amusing how invested I got in the story, now that I think about it!😅
This title is also pretty fast-paced. While the action-packed scenes in the story take place months apart chronologically, the game’s structure delivers them back-to-back, which kept the story momentum high, sometimes leaving you gasping for air.🤣(laughs)
I think I also liked the fact that, despite the storm of tragedy and chaos unfolding, the game still gives you enough breathing room to process things before throwing you into another spiral. What’s especially nice is that every conflict is born from a character’s own choices and missteps, so the chaos didn’t feel like some sort of arbitrary monkey wrench thrown into the plot for shock value. Most of the tragedies happen within reason and fit naturally into the narrative, so I was pretty satisfied with this aspect of the story. Also, keep in mind that since the story revolves around a modern-day mafia theme, the game can get pretty graphic and violent. So if these things make you queasy, please check the content warnings above.
The side characters were also a lot of fun. I had my favorite picks like R, Rin, the Shelby twins, Yulong, Shao Feng, Yona, and a whole lot of others. Gonglu was a piece of sh*t, but I have to admit, I was kind of infatuated with him at some point. (cackles).🙈
Just look at that sassy, scheming grin of his!😭It’s also really hard not to like any of the LIs, as they’re all so distinctively well-written. This game turned me into a filthy box-pusher (hako-oshi) all over again, because I genuinely mean it when I say I’m down bad for every single love interest. I was so sure my top pick was Lowd after finishing all the romance endings, but as I’m writing this review, I keep brainrotting over Maslo. His story in the game was kind of shafted, which is a pity, but there’s just something about him that I’m really drawn to (maybe its his sexy neck frayglyph tattoo, who knows). 😏🤭So I guess, if I had to choose at gunpoint, I’d be rallying behind my beautiful DJ pink-kun!
You already have my heart, bb!😌As for the romance, the confession scenes in the Happy Ends were all pretty silly, dumb, and hilarious, but I somehow inhaled every single one of them because I was STARVED for romance the entire time. After all the hurdles, and hardships these characters went through, they absolutely deserved to let loose and just be silly and dumb for once.
Having said that, if anything, what this title could’ve really benefited from, was more romance scenarios. I’m not saying there’s none because I think the romance in the individual “Happy Ends” was really good food (delicious, even). After all, the scenario is by the writer of Cupid Parasite, so you can definitely pick up their signature flair for spicing things up. However, the length of the epilogues just felt far too short to showcase an utterly satisfying fluff. I wanted more. More fluff and more spice! 😭 Maybe a fandisk could scratch this itch… please, Voltage, I beg!
Do I recommend this game? YES.
I…..really….. loooooved this game.😭 I realized I was also the target audience for this title. The ending was so satisfying to me, that I can overlook a few exposition issues because of it. It’s not often that I finish a title and sigh, “Man, that was great,” but that’s exactly how I felt after finishing Neon Clash: Echoes of the Lost. I don’t claim this title is flawless or perfect, but everything about it, from the beautiful cyberpunk Chinese aesthetics, the intense power struggle plotline, the modern-day mafia action-packed scenarios, to the exhilarating main characters that I’ve grown to love and care for, keeps calling me back every time. I’m honestly really shocked at how much this title has wormed its way into my top favorites.How I wish I could forget this game so I could re-experience all the positive restlessness and edge-of-your-seat milliseconds I spent on it all over again. 😭 It was hell and back, peak! I was thoroughly entertained until the very last roll of credits, so yeah, this is an easy recommendation from me.
This title is currently on a 10% release month discount, so I don’t know what else to tell you. I’ve already bought sets of merch for this title, and I’m pretty sure this won’t be the last time I spend on it. If you care about peak storytelling and peak characters, absolutely play Neon Clash, by all means necessary.
#AmuLit #NeonClash #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLost #NeonClashEchoesOfTheLostReview #NeonClashReview #nintendoSwitch #OtomeGameReview #VoltageInc
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Wednesday Reads: Trump Considers Attacks on Iran and Other News
Good Day!!
Trump is reportedly considering joining Israel in bombing Iran’s nuclear sites. He’s once again ignoring the findings of the U.S. intelligence community, which has assessed that Iran is not actively developing a nuclear weapon. In fact he’s angry at his DNI Tulsi Gabbard for reporting that finding.
Shouldn’t Congress be involved in a decision to go to war? Back in 2002, George W. Bush went to Congress for authorization to attack Iraq, and obtained two AUMF’s (Authorization for Military Force against Iraq) before beginning the bombing in Afghanistan and Iraq. After Trump’s bizarre behavior at the G7 meeting in Canada this week, I for one do not feel comfortable having this insane person making a decision that could start World War III.
War on Iran?
W.J. Hennigan at The New York Times: Trump Might Get Us Into Another War. Where’s Congress?
As President Trump considers pulling American forces into a risky and unpredictable new war in the Middle East, it’s time for the legislative branch to step up. U.S. lawmakers should insist the president obtain a new war authorization from Congress before U.S. forces take any military action against Iran.
While Mr. Trump has so far refrained from committing U.S. military support to Israel’s air campaign, he also hasn’t ruled it out. On Tuesday he called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” and mentioned the open possibility of killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement posted to his social media site.
Smoke plumes billow following an overnight Israeli strike on Tehran on June 17. Atta KenareAFP via Getty Images
The Pentagon has already been moving military hardware, including ships and aircraft, toward the Middle East to give Mr. Trump a wider range of options should he decide to join the war. The United States is supporting Israel through other means as well, including defending against Iran’s drone and missile attacks.
But it is Congress’ constitutional right to declare war — not the president’s — despite the wide latitude given to the White House in recent decades to use military force during the war on terror. As Mr. Trump seriously considers joining Israel in this war, it is essential for elected lawmakers to reclaim their responsibility and put their names on record with a vote as to whether they’re willing to send American troops in harm’s way in yet another war in the Middle East.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, presidents have depended on open-ended legal authorizations from Congress to use military force against a wide array of militant groups in at least 22 countries. Days after the attacks on the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and elsewhere, Congress passed a law known as an Authorization for Use of Military Force, or A.U.M.F., that President George W. Bush used to invade Afghanistan; a second A.U.M.F. was passed by Congress in 2002 to invade Iraq. President Barack Obama used those authorizations to expand the drone wars to places like Syria, Yemen and Somalia. President Joe Biden later used them to attack Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Syria nearly a quarter-century later.
Hennigan argues that it is past time for Congress to take back it’s power to declare war.
“The founders expected the United States to comply with international law and for Congress to check a president’s lawless rush to war,” said Mary Ellen O’Connell, a University of Notre Dame law professor and an expert on international law. “Without a discussion and vote in Congress, this restraining mechanism is lost.”
Mr. Trump has already spent days publicly contemplating whether or not to join Israel in the conflict. Dr. O’Connell compared the situation to the past decisions to go to war in Afghanistan in 2001 and against Iraq in 2003. In both cases, Congress passed a war authorization law.
Those laws granted the commander in chief sweeping powers to send troops into combat and launch military operations with few restrictions, putting the United States on an open-ended war footing ever since. It’s unclear what legal rationale the Trump White House would use if it does decide to take military action against Iran, but legal scholars are skeptical that current legislation is sufficient.
“He absolutely needs congressional authorization if he intends to use military force against Iran,” said Oona Hathaway, a former Pentagon lawyer and professor at Yale Law School. “That clearly would not fall within either of the existing A.U.M.F.s.”
I’m not holding my breath waiting for Trump to respect the limits of his power under the Constitution.
The New York Times: Iran Is Preparing Missiles for Possible Retaliatory Strikes on U.S. Bases, Officials Say.
Iran has prepared missiles and other military equipment for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East should the United States join Israel’s war against the country, according to American officials who have reviewed intelligence reports.
The United States has sent about three dozen refueling aircraft to Europe that could be used to assist fighter jets protecting American bases or that would be used to extend the range of bombers involved in any possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. Kyodo AP
Fears of a wider war are growing among American officials as Israel presses the White House to intervene in its conflict with Iran. If the United States joins the Israeli campaign and strikes Fordo, a key Iranian nuclear facility, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia will almost certainly resume striking ships in the Red Sea, the officials said. They added that pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria would probably try to attack U.S. bases there.
Other officials said that in the event of an attack, Iran could begin to mine the Strait of Hormuz, a tactic meant to pin American warships in the Persian Gulf.
Commanders put American troops on high alert at military bases throughout the region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The United States has more than 40,000 troops deployed in the Middle East.
Two Iranian officials have acknowledged that the country would attack U.S. bases in the Middle East, starting with those in Iraq, if the United States joined Israel’s war.
Iran would also target any American bases that are in Arab countries and take part in an attack, the two officials said.
CNN live updates: Iran says it won’t surrender in Israel conflict as Trump weighs US involvement.
What you need to know
• Trump considers his options: US President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran has “already run out,” but he declined to say whether he has made a decision on US military intervention as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates. CNN previously reported that Trump is growing increasingly warm to using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
• Iran issues warning: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a national address that Iran will not surrender and warned that any US military intervention would result in “irreparable damage.” He also criticized Israel for launching its military campaign while Iran was engaged in nuclear talks with the United States.
• On the ground: Israel said its air force is striking military targets in Tehran. One strike occurred near a Red Crescent facility in the capital, according to Iranian state media. Meanwhile, Iran is experiencing a near-complete internet blackout, according to a watchdog organization.
Politico: Hegseth defers to general on Pentagon’s plans for Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given an unusual level of authority to a single general in the latest Middle East crisis — an Iran hawk who is pushing for a strong military response against the country.
U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Erik Kurilla has played an outsized role in the escalating clashes between Tehran and Israel, with officials noting nearly all his requests have been approved, from more aircraft carriers to fighter planes in the region.
General Erik Kurilla
The pugnacious general, who is known as “The Gorilla,” is overruling other top Pentagon officials and playing a quiet but decisive role in the country’s next steps on Iran, according to a former and current defense official, a diplomat, and a person familiar with the dynamic.
Hegseth’s apparent deference to Kurilla undermines the image the Pentagon chief has sought to project of a tough-talking leader who has vowed to reduce the influence of four-star generals and reassert civilian control.
“If the senior military guys come across as tough and warfighters, Hegseth is easily persuaded to their point of view,” said the former official. Kurilla “has been very good at getting what he wants.” [….]
Kurilla’s arguments to send more U.S. weapons to the region, including air defenses, have gone against Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, who have urged caution in overcommitting to the Middle East, according to the four people.
Read more at Politico.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has the temerity to disagree with Trump on whether Iran is actively developing a nuclear weapon, and Trump not happy with her.
AP: US spies said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon. Trump dismisses that assessment.
Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year.
The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels.
But President Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of U.S. spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.
Trump’s statement aligned him more closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, than with his own top intelligence adviser. Trump met with national security officials, including Gabbard, in the Situation Room on Tuesday as he plans next steps.
The Independent: Trump is ‘losing confidence’ in Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as he mulls removing her entire office, senior official says.
As he weighs joining Israel’s war against Iran, President Donald Trump reportedly finds himself at odds with his Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, with one White House official saying that he has “just been kind of down on her in general” of late.
Tulsi Gabbard
The president was recently incensed, according to Politico, by Gabbard’s decision to post a three-minute video on X in the early hours of June 10 in which she warned that “political elite and warmongers” are “carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers,” placing the world “on the brink of nuclear annihilation.”
Trump is said to have been angered by the video, accusing Gabbard of going “off-message” and rebuking her for it in person.
One of the senior administration officials, quoted anonymously by Politico, said there is a growing perception within the West Wing that the former Hawaii Democratic congresswoman, who once ran for that party’s presidential nomination, “doesn’t add anything to any conversation.”
“I don’t think [Trump] dislikes Tulsi as a person,” said another. “But certainly the video made him not super hot on her… and he doesn’t like it when people are off message.” They added that “many took that video as trying to correct the administration’s position.”
More News and Opinion:
You undoubtedly heard that Kristi Noem has been hospitalized for an “allergic reaction.” People on social media have suggested this had something today with Botox or fillers, but that’s just mean.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was transported by ambulance on Tuesday to a hospital in Washington, DC, after an allergic reaction, the Department of Homeland Security said.
“Secretary Noem had an allergic reaction today. She was transported to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. She is alert and recovering,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
CNN observed several Secret Service agents posted at several entrances outside the emergency room at the hospital where the secretary was admitted.
Noem, 53, who previously served as the governor of South Dakota and represented the state in Congress, was tapped to serve as President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security secretary just days after he was elected for a second term, positioning her as a critical member of his cabinet after he made immigration a major part of his campaign. She was confirmed for the role by the Senate in late January.
Since returning to office, Trump has pushed for an aggressive crackdown on immigration — ranging from deploying troops to the border to evoking wartime authority to deport undocumented migrants — and Noem has carried out the president’s agenda.
Josephine Harvey at The Daily Beast: ICE Barbie Visited Biohazard Lab With RFK Jr. Before Hospitalization.
Kristi Noem was hospitalized for an allergic reaction one day after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared a photo of them both visiting a biosafety lab that was temporarily shut down due to safety concerns.
Kristy Noem at the Biohazard lab at Ft. Detrick
“With @Sec_Noem and @SenRandPaul inspecting the biological hazard labs at Fort Detrick,” the Health and Human Services Secretary posted, sharing an image of himself with Noem and GOP Sen. Rand Paul at the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland.
On Tuesday, Noem was taken to the hospital by ambulance for an “allergic reaction,” DHS’ Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast in a statement.
“She was transported to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. She is alert and recovering,” McLaughlin said.
It’s not clear what prompted the allergic reaction, and there’s nothing to suggest the incident was anything more than a bizarre coincidence.
More destruction from RFK Jr:
Apoorva Mandavilli at The New York Times: Why a Vaccine Expert Left the C.D.C.: ‘Americans Are Going to Die.’
In 13 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Fiona Havers crafted guidance for contending with Zika virus, helped China respond to outbreaks of bird flu and guided safe burial practices for Ebola deaths in Liberia.
More recently, she was a senior adviser on vaccine policy, leading a team that produced data on hospitalizations related to Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. To the select group of scientists, federal officials and advocates who study who should get immunizations and when, Dr. Havers is well known, an embodiment of the C.D.C.’s intensive data-gathering operations.
On Monday, Dr. Havers resigned, saying she could no longer continue while the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dismantled the careful processes that help formulate vaccination standards in the United States.
“If it isn’t stopped, and some of this isn’t reversed, like, immediately, a lot of Americans are going to die as a result of vaccine-preventable diseases,” she said in an interview with The New York Times, the first since her resignation.
Dr. Havers, 49, cited an escalating series of attacks on federal vaccine policy by Mr. Kennedy. Three weeks ago, the health secretary announced in a minute-long video on X that the agency would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children or pregnant women.
Last week, he fired all 17 members of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, saying without evidence that the group was beset with conflicts of interest and that a clean sweep was needed to restore public trust.
Mr. Kennedy went on to name eight new members, at least half of whom appear to share his antipathy to vaccines. Two have testified against vaccine makers in trials.
Trump appears to be winning his case against California over the National Guard.
The New York Times: Appeals Court Seems Inclined to Let Trump Control National Guard in L.A. for Now.
A federal appeals court appeared inclined on Tuesday to allow President Trump, against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom, to keep using California’s National Guard for now to protect immigration enforcement agents and quell protesters in Los Angeles.
Throughout a 65-minute hearing, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit signaled skepticism of the idea that the judiciary should second-guess Mr. Trump’s determination that deploying the state militia to Los Angeles is necessary to protect federal agents and buildings.
The hearing came at a time when local organizers have vowed to continue protesting against immigration raids, though demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles have quieted since the weekend.
A district court judge, Charles Breyer, determined last week that Mr. Trump’s use of the National Guard was illegal and temporarily ordered the president to return control of the forces to Mr. Newsom.
But the Trump administration immediately appealed the ruling, and the Ninth Circuit panel stayed the lower court decision while it considered the matter. It seemed likely on Tuesday that the panel, which consists of two appointees of Mr. Trump and one of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., would keep that stay in place.
The two Trump appointees, Judges Mark J. Bennett and Eric D. Miller, did the bulk of the talking. Both appeared skeptical of the Justice Department’s argument that courts have no ability to review Mr. Trump’s decision to invoke a statute allowing him to call up the Guard. But they also seemed inclined to find that the sometimes violent protests in Los Angeles were enough to defer to Mr. Trump’s decision.
Another Democratic politician was violently arrested by ICE yesterday.
Andrew Egger at The Bulwark: Trump’s Goon Squad Strikes Again.
Last Thursday, California Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security news conference, pushed to the ground, and handcuffed by authorities. If you thought the ensuing backlash might make federal agents more cautious about manhandling opposition politicians, you thought wrong.
Brad Lander being arrested by ICE goons
Yesterday, federal agents in New York City handcuffed another Democratic official: Brad Lander, the city comptroller and a current candidate for mayor. Video taken inside a New York immigration court showed Lander standing next to someone who ICE agents—some in plainclothes, some masked—were trying to take into custody. Lander repeatedly demanded to see a warrant, and kept an arm locked with the man as agents tried to take him away, walking in a scrum with them down the hallway. Moments later, agents placed Lander under arrest as well.
In a statement released after the encounter, the Department of Homeland Security preposterously claimed that Lander had been arrested “for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.” The latter claim was true; the former laughably false.
“No one is above the law,” the DHS statement went on, “and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.” The U.S. attorney’s office in New York seemingly disagreed. Lander—like Padilla last week—was released without being charged.
…the White House’s immigration enforcement mooks1plainly haven’t been instructed to avoid further high-profile clashes with Democratic officials. Lander—who, as we noted, is currently running for mayor—might well have been angling for a photo-op. But ICE agents were also all too happy to give him one, and DHS leadership was all too happy to lean into the story….on a similar note, the story continues the pattern of Trump’s federal law enforcement agencies publicly accusing people of criminal conduct that goes beyond what they’re willing to actually charge in court….
…put yourself in Lander’s shoes. Masked agents show up to whisk a migrant away. Maybe he’ll get to tell his family where he is, maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll have the opportunity to speak to a lawyer or plead his case to a judge, maybe he won’t. And you think to yourself: Will there be a legal process? Or am I the very last person who has a chance to intervene on this person’s behalf?
That’s it for me today. What’s on your mind?
#BiohazardLabAtFrDetrick #CaliforniaNationalGuard #CongressionalAuthorizationForMilitaryForce #GeneralErikKurilla #KristiNoem #PeteHegseth #RobertFKennedyJr_ #TulsiGabbard #vaccines
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Wednesday Reads: Trump Considers Attacks on Iran and Other News
Good Day!!
Trump is reportedly considering joining Israel in bombing Iran’s nuclear sites. He’s once again ignoring the findings of the U.S. intelligence community, which has assessed that Iran is not actively developing a nuclear weapon. In fact he’s angry at his DNI Tulsi Gabbard for reporting that finding.
Shouldn’t Congress be involved in a decision to go to war? Back in 2002, George W. Bush went to Congress for authorization to attack Iraq, and obtained two AUMF’s (Authorization for Military Force against Iraq) before beginning the bombing in Afghanistan and Iraq. After Trump’s bizarre behavior at the G7 meeting in Canada this week, I for one do not feel comfortable having this insane person making a decision that could start World War III.
War on Iran?
W.J. Hennigan at The New York Times: Trump Might Get Us Into Another War. Where’s Congress?
As President Trump considers pulling American forces into a risky and unpredictable new war in the Middle East, it’s time for the legislative branch to step up. U.S. lawmakers should insist the president obtain a new war authorization from Congress before U.S. forces take any military action against Iran.
While Mr. Trump has so far refrained from committing U.S. military support to Israel’s air campaign, he also hasn’t ruled it out. On Tuesday he called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” and mentioned the open possibility of killing Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a statement posted to his social media site.
Smoke plumes billow following an overnight Israeli strike on Tehran on June 17. Atta KenareAFP via Getty Images
The Pentagon has already been moving military hardware, including ships and aircraft, toward the Middle East to give Mr. Trump a wider range of options should he decide to join the war. The United States is supporting Israel through other means as well, including defending against Iran’s drone and missile attacks.
But it is Congress’ constitutional right to declare war — not the president’s — despite the wide latitude given to the White House in recent decades to use military force during the war on terror. As Mr. Trump seriously considers joining Israel in this war, it is essential for elected lawmakers to reclaim their responsibility and put their names on record with a vote as to whether they’re willing to send American troops in harm’s way in yet another war in the Middle East.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, presidents have depended on open-ended legal authorizations from Congress to use military force against a wide array of militant groups in at least 22 countries. Days after the attacks on the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and elsewhere, Congress passed a law known as an Authorization for Use of Military Force, or A.U.M.F., that President George W. Bush used to invade Afghanistan; a second A.U.M.F. was passed by Congress in 2002 to invade Iraq. President Barack Obama used those authorizations to expand the drone wars to places like Syria, Yemen and Somalia. President Joe Biden later used them to attack Iranian-backed groups in Iraq and Syria nearly a quarter-century later.
Hennigan argues that it is past time for Congress to take back it’s power to declare war.
“The founders expected the United States to comply with international law and for Congress to check a president’s lawless rush to war,” said Mary Ellen O’Connell, a University of Notre Dame law professor and an expert on international law. “Without a discussion and vote in Congress, this restraining mechanism is lost.”
Mr. Trump has already spent days publicly contemplating whether or not to join Israel in the conflict. Dr. O’Connell compared the situation to the past decisions to go to war in Afghanistan in 2001 and against Iraq in 2003. In both cases, Congress passed a war authorization law.
Those laws granted the commander in chief sweeping powers to send troops into combat and launch military operations with few restrictions, putting the United States on an open-ended war footing ever since. It’s unclear what legal rationale the Trump White House would use if it does decide to take military action against Iran, but legal scholars are skeptical that current legislation is sufficient.
“He absolutely needs congressional authorization if he intends to use military force against Iran,” said Oona Hathaway, a former Pentagon lawyer and professor at Yale Law School. “That clearly would not fall within either of the existing A.U.M.F.s.”
I’m not holding my breath waiting for Trump to respect the limits of his power under the Constitution.
The New York Times: Iran Is Preparing Missiles for Possible Retaliatory Strikes on U.S. Bases, Officials Say.
Iran has prepared missiles and other military equipment for strikes on U.S. bases in the Middle East should the United States join Israel’s war against the country, according to American officials who have reviewed intelligence reports.
The United States has sent about three dozen refueling aircraft to Europe that could be used to assist fighter jets protecting American bases or that would be used to extend the range of bombers involved in any possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Black smoke billows from the headquarters of Iranian state television in Tehran following an Israeli attack on June 16, 2025. Kyodo AP
Fears of a wider war are growing among American officials as Israel presses the White House to intervene in its conflict with Iran. If the United States joins the Israeli campaign and strikes Fordo, a key Iranian nuclear facility, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia will almost certainly resume striking ships in the Red Sea, the officials said. They added that pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Syria would probably try to attack U.S. bases there.
Other officials said that in the event of an attack, Iran could begin to mine the Strait of Hormuz, a tactic meant to pin American warships in the Persian Gulf.
Commanders put American troops on high alert at military bases throughout the region, including in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The United States has more than 40,000 troops deployed in the Middle East.
Two Iranian officials have acknowledged that the country would attack U.S. bases in the Middle East, starting with those in Iraq, if the United States joined Israel’s war.
Iran would also target any American bases that are in Arab countries and take part in an attack, the two officials said.
CNN live updates: Iran says it won’t surrender in Israel conflict as Trump weighs US involvement.
What you need to know
• Trump considers his options: US President Donald Trump said his patience with Iran has “already run out,” but he declined to say whether he has made a decision on US military intervention as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates. CNN previously reported that Trump is growing increasingly warm to using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities.
• Iran issues warning: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a national address that Iran will not surrender and warned that any US military intervention would result in “irreparable damage.” He also criticized Israel for launching its military campaign while Iran was engaged in nuclear talks with the United States.
• On the ground: Israel said its air force is striking military targets in Tehran. One strike occurred near a Red Crescent facility in the capital, according to Iranian state media. Meanwhile, Iran is experiencing a near-complete internet blackout, according to a watchdog organization.
Politico: Hegseth defers to general on Pentagon’s plans for Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given an unusual level of authority to a single general in the latest Middle East crisis — an Iran hawk who is pushing for a strong military response against the country.
U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Erik Kurilla has played an outsized role in the escalating clashes between Tehran and Israel, with officials noting nearly all his requests have been approved, from more aircraft carriers to fighter planes in the region.
General Erik Kurilla
The pugnacious general, who is known as “The Gorilla,” is overruling other top Pentagon officials and playing a quiet but decisive role in the country’s next steps on Iran, according to a former and current defense official, a diplomat, and a person familiar with the dynamic.
Hegseth’s apparent deference to Kurilla undermines the image the Pentagon chief has sought to project of a tough-talking leader who has vowed to reduce the influence of four-star generals and reassert civilian control.
“If the senior military guys come across as tough and warfighters, Hegseth is easily persuaded to their point of view,” said the former official. Kurilla “has been very good at getting what he wants.” [….]
Kurilla’s arguments to send more U.S. weapons to the region, including air defenses, have gone against Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, who have urged caution in overcommitting to the Middle East, according to the four people.
Read more at Politico.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has the temerity to disagree with Trump on whether Iran is actively developing a nuclear weapon, and Trump not happy with her.
AP: US spies said Iran wasn’t building a nuclear weapon. Trump dismisses that assessment.
Tulsi Gabbard left no doubt when she testified to Congress about Iran’s nuclear program earlier this year.
The country was not building a nuclear weapon, the national intelligence director told lawmakers, and its supreme leader had not reauthorized the dormant program even though it had enriched uranium to higher levels.
But President Donald Trump dismissed the assessment of U.S. spy agencies during an overnight flight back to Washington as he cut short his trip to the Group of Seven summit to focus on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
“I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters. In his view, Iran was “very close” to having a nuclear bomb.
Trump’s statement aligned him more closely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has described a nuclear-armed Iran as an imminent threat, than with his own top intelligence adviser. Trump met with national security officials, including Gabbard, in the Situation Room on Tuesday as he plans next steps.
The Independent: Trump is ‘losing confidence’ in Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard as he mulls removing her entire office, senior official says.
As he weighs joining Israel’s war against Iran, President Donald Trump reportedly finds himself at odds with his Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, with one White House official saying that he has “just been kind of down on her in general” of late.
Tulsi Gabbard
The president was recently incensed, according to Politico, by Gabbard’s decision to post a three-minute video on X in the early hours of June 10 in which she warned that “political elite and warmongers” are “carelessly fomenting fear and tensions between nuclear powers,” placing the world “on the brink of nuclear annihilation.”
Trump is said to have been angered by the video, accusing Gabbard of going “off-message” and rebuking her for it in person.
One of the senior administration officials, quoted anonymously by Politico, said there is a growing perception within the West Wing that the former Hawaii Democratic congresswoman, who once ran for that party’s presidential nomination, “doesn’t add anything to any conversation.”
“I don’t think [Trump] dislikes Tulsi as a person,” said another. “But certainly the video made him not super hot on her… and he doesn’t like it when people are off message.” They added that “many took that video as trying to correct the administration’s position.”
More News and Opinion:
You undoubtedly heard that Kristi Noem has been hospitalized for an “allergic reaction.” People on social media have suggested this had something today with Botox or fillers, but that’s just mean.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was transported by ambulance on Tuesday to a hospital in Washington, DC, after an allergic reaction, the Department of Homeland Security said.
“Secretary Noem had an allergic reaction today. She was transported to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. She is alert and recovering,” said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin.
CNN observed several Secret Service agents posted at several entrances outside the emergency room at the hospital where the secretary was admitted.
Noem, 53, who previously served as the governor of South Dakota and represented the state in Congress, was tapped to serve as President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security secretary just days after he was elected for a second term, positioning her as a critical member of his cabinet after he made immigration a major part of his campaign. She was confirmed for the role by the Senate in late January.
Since returning to office, Trump has pushed for an aggressive crackdown on immigration — ranging from deploying troops to the border to evoking wartime authority to deport undocumented migrants — and Noem has carried out the president’s agenda.
Josephine Harvey at The Daily Beast: ICE Barbie Visited Biohazard Lab With RFK Jr. Before Hospitalization.
Kristi Noem was hospitalized for an allergic reaction one day after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shared a photo of them both visiting a biosafety lab that was temporarily shut down due to safety concerns.
Kristy Noem at the Biohazard lab at Ft. Detrick
“With @Sec_Noem and @SenRandPaul inspecting the biological hazard labs at Fort Detrick,” the Health and Human Services Secretary posted, sharing an image of himself with Noem and GOP Sen. Rand Paul at the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland.
On Tuesday, Noem was taken to the hospital by ambulance for an “allergic reaction,” DHS’ Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast in a statement.
“She was transported to the hospital out of an abundance of caution. She is alert and recovering,” McLaughlin said.
It’s not clear what prompted the allergic reaction, and there’s nothing to suggest the incident was anything more than a bizarre coincidence.
More destruction from RFK Jr:
Apoorva Mandavilli at The New York Times: Why a Vaccine Expert Left the C.D.C.: ‘Americans Are Going to Die.’
In 13 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Fiona Havers crafted guidance for contending with Zika virus, helped China respond to outbreaks of bird flu and guided safe burial practices for Ebola deaths in Liberia.
More recently, she was a senior adviser on vaccine policy, leading a team that produced data on hospitalizations related to Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. To the select group of scientists, federal officials and advocates who study who should get immunizations and when, Dr. Havers is well known, an embodiment of the C.D.C.’s intensive data-gathering operations.
On Monday, Dr. Havers resigned, saying she could no longer continue while the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dismantled the careful processes that help formulate vaccination standards in the United States.
“If it isn’t stopped, and some of this isn’t reversed, like, immediately, a lot of Americans are going to die as a result of vaccine-preventable diseases,” she said in an interview with The New York Times, the first since her resignation.
Dr. Havers, 49, cited an escalating series of attacks on federal vaccine policy by Mr. Kennedy. Three weeks ago, the health secretary announced in a minute-long video on X that the agency would no longer recommend Covid-19 vaccines for healthy children or pregnant women.
Last week, he fired all 17 members of the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, saying without evidence that the group was beset with conflicts of interest and that a clean sweep was needed to restore public trust.
Mr. Kennedy went on to name eight new members, at least half of whom appear to share his antipathy to vaccines. Two have testified against vaccine makers in trials.
Trump appears to be winning his case against California over the National Guard.
The New York Times: Appeals Court Seems Inclined to Let Trump Control National Guard in L.A. for Now.
A federal appeals court appeared inclined on Tuesday to allow President Trump, against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom, to keep using California’s National Guard for now to protect immigration enforcement agents and quell protesters in Los Angeles.
Throughout a 65-minute hearing, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit signaled skepticism of the idea that the judiciary should second-guess Mr. Trump’s determination that deploying the state militia to Los Angeles is necessary to protect federal agents and buildings.
The hearing came at a time when local organizers have vowed to continue protesting against immigration raids, though demonstrations in downtown Los Angeles have quieted since the weekend.
A district court judge, Charles Breyer, determined last week that Mr. Trump’s use of the National Guard was illegal and temporarily ordered the president to return control of the forces to Mr. Newsom.
But the Trump administration immediately appealed the ruling, and the Ninth Circuit panel stayed the lower court decision while it considered the matter. It seemed likely on Tuesday that the panel, which consists of two appointees of Mr. Trump and one of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., would keep that stay in place.
The two Trump appointees, Judges Mark J. Bennett and Eric D. Miller, did the bulk of the talking. Both appeared skeptical of the Justice Department’s argument that courts have no ability to review Mr. Trump’s decision to invoke a statute allowing him to call up the Guard. But they also seemed inclined to find that the sometimes violent protests in Los Angeles were enough to defer to Mr. Trump’s decision.
Another Democratic politician was violently arrested by ICE yesterday.
Andrew Egger at The Bulwark: Trump’s Goon Squad Strikes Again.
Last Thursday, California Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security news conference, pushed to the ground, and handcuffed by authorities. If you thought the ensuing backlash might make federal agents more cautious about manhandling opposition politicians, you thought wrong.
Brad Lander being arrested by ICE goons
Yesterday, federal agents in New York City handcuffed another Democratic official: Brad Lander, the city comptroller and a current candidate for mayor. Video taken inside a New York immigration court showed Lander standing next to someone who ICE agents—some in plainclothes, some masked—were trying to take into custody. Lander repeatedly demanded to see a warrant, and kept an arm locked with the man as agents tried to take him away, walking in a scrum with them down the hallway. Moments later, agents placed Lander under arrest as well.
In a statement released after the encounter, the Department of Homeland Security preposterously claimed that Lander had been arrested “for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer.” The latter claim was true; the former laughably false.
“No one is above the law,” the DHS statement went on, “and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.” The U.S. attorney’s office in New York seemingly disagreed. Lander—like Padilla last week—was released without being charged.
…the White House’s immigration enforcement mooks1plainly haven’t been instructed to avoid further high-profile clashes with Democratic officials. Lander—who, as we noted, is currently running for mayor—might well have been angling for a photo-op. But ICE agents were also all too happy to give him one, and DHS leadership was all too happy to lean into the story….on a similar note, the story continues the pattern of Trump’s federal law enforcement agencies publicly accusing people of criminal conduct that goes beyond what they’re willing to actually charge in court….
…put yourself in Lander’s shoes. Masked agents show up to whisk a migrant away. Maybe he’ll get to tell his family where he is, maybe he won’t. Maybe he’ll have the opportunity to speak to a lawyer or plead his case to a judge, maybe he won’t. And you think to yourself: Will there be a legal process? Or am I the very last person who has a chance to intervene on this person’s behalf?
That’s it for me today. What’s on your mind?
#BiohazardLabAtFrDetrick #CaliforniaNationalGuard #CongressionalAuthorizationForMilitaryForce #GeneralErikKurilla #KristiNoem #PeteHegseth #RobertFKennedyJr_ #TulsiGabbard #vaccines
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Mostly Monday Reads: It’s the Policies Stupid!
“Arresting development,” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I don’t know about you, but these first 100 days of #FARTUS have taken a toll on me. So many bad policies in such a short time have me spinning and anxious. I can’t even plan my one-person, small-house, semi-retired life. I can’t even figure out what state and local governments, big and small businesses, and the courts have on their hands right now.
The assessment of these first 100 days, coming from polls and pundits, is stunningly bad. Bad to the point that any polling firm is considered to be a criminal organization by yam tits. I will start with this analysis in The Guardian by Steven Greenhouse. “Trump’s second term will be the worst presidential term ever. Tragically, the president’s second term is already more lawless and more authoritarian than any in US history.”
In his first 100 days back in office, Donald Trump has made a strong case that his second term will be by far the worst presidential term in US history. So many of his flood-the-zone actions have been head-spinning and stomach-turning. His administration seems to be powered by ignorance and incoherence, spleen and sycophancy. Both he and his right-hand man, Elon Musk, with their resentment-fueled desire to disrupt everything, seem intent on pulverizing the foundations of our government, our democracy, our alliances as well as any notions of truth. Tragically, Trump’s second term is already more lawless and more authoritarian than any in US history.
The worst and most dangerous part of Trump’s agenda is his war against our democracy and constitution – defying judges’ orders, deporting people without due process, suggesting he will run for a third term, calling to impeach judges who rule against him, pardoning hundreds of January 6 criminals, gutting federal agencies and firing thousands of federal employees in flagrant violation of the law, and banning books from military libraries. (One wonders: will book burning be next?) Underlining just how dangerous and lawless Trump is, he is talking publicly about disappearing US citizens to foreign countries where they could be locked in prison forever. For those who care about democracy and basic freedoms, this is Defcon 1 stuff.
From Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan to Joe Biden, every president since the second world war has worked hard to build alliances to promote peace and prosperity and deter aggression. But right out of the box, Trump 2.0 has rushed to blow up our alliances and cavalierly alienate our allies. Trump quickly rejected the US’s traditional foreign policy and ideals by warmly embracing Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator, and turning against Ukraine and its noble fight against Putin’s aggression. Trump sounded like a rapacious 19th-century imperialist when he threatened to take over the Panama canal and, ditto, when he talked of using force to seize control of Greenland, which belongs to our longtime Nato ally, Denmark. Then there’s Trump’s astoundingly idiotic talk – and taunt – that Canada should be our 51st state. What a way to anger and alienate a nation that has long been the US’s best friend.
Then there is the disaster – or should we say clown show – of Trump’s on-again, off-again, on-again, who-knows-what’s-going-to-happen-tomorrow tariffs. His “liberation day” tariffs were put together by a clown-car crew, just three hours before he announced it, and Trump and company seemed to have zero idea that his hodgepodge of tariffs would send the world’s stock markets into a nervous breakdown. Trump’s team was stupid enough to think that China was too feeble to respond effectively to Trump’s trade war – treasury secretary Scott Bessent said China had “a losing hand” with just “a pair of twos”. Trump and his clown car failed to realize that China had the ability to retaliate in devastating ways – by clamping down on rare earth exports that American manufacturers and tech companies desperately need, and perhaps by selling off hundreds of billions of dollars in US bonds. Former treasury secretary Janet Yellen was appalled, saying: “This is the worst self-inflicted policy wound I’ve ever seen in my career inflicted on our economy.”
What really gets to me is his “bombastic rhetoric.” It’s like you’re either with the bully or being bullied. But what appalls me is his stewardship of the US and global Economy. He is completely detached from all we have learned about policy impacts from the 1930s. It was clear that as industrialization increased, the old mercantilism of the colonial days was fading fast. Industrialization created a different trade paradigm.
The switch from the Gold Standard created a different-looking financial economic system. The Information Age and the rise of advanced technology like robotics have changed us even more. We have complex, intertwined, mixed market economies. While the basics of market structure remain similar, the frictions within them have become much more complicated. You may check the academic research of Nobel Prize-winning Joseph E. Stiglitz for his legendary study on how the various quirks in producing specific goods and services can lead to fairly serious economic issues.
I don’t think anyone in the West Wing or the Agencies knows how economic policy works. For that matter, Trump doesn’t even know how many countries there are in the world since he keeps mentioning 200 trade deals when there are only 195. Maybe the Penguin islands are more autonomous than we know?
In fact, the communication style of the entire MAGA movement makes it an impossible environment for governing. This is how Amanda Marcotte–writing for Salon— puts it. “MAGA loves a tantrum: How public meltdowns became the preferred method of GOP communication. Why Nancy Mace, Pete Hegseth, and Stephen Miller keep throwing fits on camera.”
If there were an Oscar for the category “hard to watch,” I’d have to nominate the video of Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., barking expletives at a constituent after he asked her if she would have a town hall soon. It’s produced in a beauty supply store instead of a movie studio, but in a brief minute and 42 seconds, the video finds its place in the canon of horror films shot from the villain’s perspective. The camera focuses entirely on the story’s hero, a man in a polo and shorts holding a bottle of what appears to be face cleanser, as he holds his own against his congressional representative getting increasingly shrill as she yells invective at him. Even though he said nothing about gay marriage, she demands his gratitude for voting “for gay marriage twice.” When he gets annoyed at her reductive assumption, she calls him “crazy” and “absolutely f—king crazy,” and repeatedly says “f—k you” to him.
In the eyes of normal people, Mace, as her interlocutor said when he fled from this encounter, is a “disgrace.” Most adults who act like Mace in public immediately wish to disappear off the face of the earth in shame. But not our Nancy! No, she’s the one who posted this video online, proud of her emotional incontinence. She even offered a homophobic “gay panic” defense, by describing the man as “wearing daisy dukes, at a makeup store.” (Sorry, Miss Nancy, they aren’t daisy dukes until we see cheeks.) To people outside the MAGA bubble, it’s a baffling choice. She’s not even a fun villain. There’s none of the sleek appeal of Loki from the “Avengers” franchise or camp glee of Ursula from “The Little Mermaid.” Mace is serving pure toddler here. She likely wished to throw herself to the floor and start pounding it, but doing so would have meant dropping her iPhone.
Mace isn’t wrong, however, to think that what most adults find embarrassing, the MAGA base will eat right up. The public meltdown, in which you declare yourself the world’s greatest victim, is the preferred GOP method of political communication these days. Despite this effort, Mace didn’t even come close to nabbing last week’s gold star for the most histronic MAGA performance. She was outdone by Stephen Miller, whose usual register on TV is “verge of a nervous breakdown,” but got so shrill on Fox News Tuesday that Lauren Tousignant at Jezebel worried she’d soon have to “look at Stephen Miller’s face as he pops a dozen blood vessels as his brain explodes.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth turned in two performances that would cause Al Pacino to tell him to settle down. While carping about “the fake news media” during the White House Easter egg roll, Hegseth’s whining got so pitched his voice started to crack, while his children stood behind him, embarrassed at the spectacle.
Despite his own family’s discomfort with his antics, Hegseth kept up the scenery-chewing, bellowing about the all-powerful, forever-mysterious “they” have “come after me from day one.” (“They,” in this case, means close friends and advisors who got pushed out after beginning to question Hegseth’s fitness for the job.)
All this yelling and bellyaching serves a pragmatic purpose: to distract from how what they’re saying makes no sense. Miller’s claim that the six Republican judges on the Supreme Court — three appointed by Trump — are “communist” wouldn’t withstand even a moment’s thought at a normal volume. Because he’s delivering his commentary at “front row at Led Zepplin” levels, the brain can’t even process how preposterous the lie is. Mace’s routine showed this working in a literal way. Her target runs away, because trying to talk to someone behaving like her is like trying to converse with a wildfire.
It’s part of the overall too-muchness that is the signature of the MAGA aesthetic, which goes right back to Trump’s gold-plated tastelessness. We see it in the infamous “Mar-a-Lago” face, which uses plastic surgery and spackled-on make-up to turn women into terrifyingly exaggerated caricatures of femininity. Or the love of roided-out male bodies, which try to recreate the impossibly huge muscles of comic books on human bodies. It’s a maximalist aesthetic, minus all the playfulness of Las Vegas casinos or “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” There’s a grim vibe to the undertaking, as if they’re trying to pound your head into the ground with the excess.
“Fake Melania mystery solved. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” John Buss, @repeat1968
Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer–writing for The Atlantic—dialed up Trump on his private phone one day in late March. He spoke to them even though he had described them both heinously.
The week our interview was supposed to occur, Trump posted a vituperative message on Truth Social, attacking us by name. “Ashley Parker is not capable of doing a fair and unbiased interview. She is a Radical Left Lunatic, and has been as terrible as is possible for as long as I have known her,” he wrote. “To this date, she doesn’t even know that I won the Presidency THREE times.” (That last sentence is true—Ashley Parker does not know that Trump won the presidency three times.) “Likewise, Michael Scherer has never written a fair story about me, only negative, and virtually always LIES.”
Yes, it was full-on #FARTUS Bully Verbal Bombing them publicly. They actually just called him later. He picked up. This article is the result
Despite his attacks on us a few days earlier, the president, evidently feeling buoyed by a week of successes, was eager to talk about his accomplishments. As we spoke, the sounds of another conversation, perhaps from a television, hummed in the background.
The president seemed exhilarated by everything he had managed to do in the first two months of his second term: He had begun a purge of diversity efforts from the federal government; granted clemency to nearly 1,600 supporters who had participated in the invasion of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those caught beating police officers on camera; and signed 98 executive orders and counting (26 of them on his first day in office). He had fired independent regulators; gutted entire agencies; laid off great swaths of the federal workforce; and invoked 18th-century wartime powers to use against a criminal gang from Venezuela. He had adjusted tariffs like a DJ spinning knobs in the booth, upsetting the rhythms of global trade and inducing vertigo in the financial markets. He had raged at the leader of Ukraine, a democratic ally repelling an imperialist invasion, for not being “thankful”—and praised the leader of the invading country, Russia, as “very smart,” reversing in an instant 80 years of U.S. foreign-policy doctrine, and prompting the countries of NATO to prepare for their own defense, without the protective umbrella of American power, for the first time since 1945.
…
We asked Trump why he thought the billionaire class was prostrating itself before him.
“It’s just a higher level of respect. I don’t know,” Trump said. “Maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now.”
“I mean, you saw yesterday with the law firm,” he said. He was referring to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, one of the nation’s most prestigious firms, whose leader had come to the Oval Office days earlier to beg for relief from an executive order that could have crippled its business. Trump had issued the order at least partially because a former partner at the firm had in 2021 gone to work for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he was part of an investigation of the Trump Organization’s business practices. Also that week, an Ivy League institution, threatened with the cancellation of $400 million in federal funding, had agreed to overhaul its Middle Eastern–studies programs at the Trump administration’s request, while also acceding to other significant demands. “You saw yesterday with Columbia University. What do you think of the law firm? Were you shocked at that?” Trump asked us.
Yes—all of it was shocking, much of it without precedent. Legal scholars were drawing comparisons to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the early stages of the New Deal, when Congress had allowed FDR to demolish norms and greatly expand the powers of the presidency.
As ever, Trump was on the hunt for a deal. If he liked the story we wrote, he said, he might even speak with us again.
“Tell the people at The Atlantic, if they’d write good stories and truthful stories, the magazine would be hot,” he said. Perhaps the magazine can risk forgoing hotness, he suggested, because it is owned by Laurene Powell Jobs, which buffers it, he implied, from commercial imperatives. But that doesn’t guarantee anything, he warned. “You know at some point, they give up,” he said, referring to media owners generally and—we suspected—Bezos specifically. “At some point they say, No más, no más.” He laughed quietly.
Media owners weren’t the only ones on his mind. He also seemed to be referring to law firms, universities, broadcast networks, tech titans, artists, research scientists, military commanders, civil servants, moderate Republicans—all the people and institutions he expected to eventually, inevitably, submit to his will.
We asked the president if his second term felt different from his first. He said it did. “The first time, I had two things to do—run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys,” he said. “And the second time, I run the country and the world.”
More like the country and the world run from him. I have to admit. I admire the Chinese method of trolling him. It’s funny and effective. Philip Bump at the Washington Post analyzes this self-defeating policy of the second term. “The bubble that created Trump is the reason he’s stumbling. The White House is now a bubble where loyalty, not ability, defines success.”
Consider Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
No one should be surprised that Hegseth is flailing in his new role, one of the most arduous and complicated in the U.S. government, if not the world. When Donald Trump proposed that Hegseth run the agency, the response was broadly unified: Hegseth lacked the experience needed to do the job effectively. You could debate the other controversies surrounding his bid for the role ad nauseam, but there was no way to reasonably argue that the Fox News talk-show host was prepared to run the Pentagon.
Hegseth was confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate anyway because Trump and a universe of voices who support him insisted Hegseth was the best choice for the job — because he was Trump’s choice for the job. Republican senators who undoubtedly knew better went along, betting that things wouldn’t get so bad under Hegseth that it was worth stirring up the fury of that pro-Trump bubble.
It’s the same bet that prominent Republicans have been making on Trump himself since 2015. Now, as Trump too is flailing — polling and the data make clear that he is — it’s trivial to identify that insular chorus of cheerleaders and cynics as a root cause.
The president owes his political career to that same bubble. Over the past few decades, the fringe right and then Republicans more broadly embraced discussions of the world that were mostly devoid of nuance: left bad, right good. The internet allowed for the emergence of bespoke “news” organizations (and, later, social media accounts) catering to conspiratorial partisan rhetoric — an alternative to traditional reporting unhampered by criticism or unpopular truths.
Trump secured the 2016 Republican nomination not because he was the best spokesperson for the Republican Party but because he echoed the refrains of that surreal universe of information. When you hear his supporters praise his straightforwardness, this is what they are referring to: He says the false things with which they agree.
We’re about to say goodbye to Musk. Hopefully, Hegseth will be a quick second out. But what comes next? Certainly, nothing better. Even Rubio seems to have caught the munificently Kiss Ass Fever. The speed of light is the rate at which he contradicts the old Little Marco makes me wonder if he a Musk AI robot and the ex-Senator is up in space some where. Here’s the latest example from The Independent. “Marco Rubio claims Canada should be 51st state as PM told Trump they ‘couldn’t survive’ without U.S. Rubio says State Department has not taken action on the president’s push to annex Canada and Greenland.”
America’s top diplomat was questioned on Sunday about Donald Trump’s reasoning for repeatedly calling for Canada to join the United States as the 51st state.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on NBC’s Meet the Presson Sunday where moderator Kristen Welker asked him if the administration was actually taking any steps to make Trump’s vision a reality.
The president has made his opinion clear: he wants Canada to join the United States and suggested his administration would also acquire the Danish-held territory Greenland by any means.
The secretary of state gave his own translation of the president’s remarks on the matter:
“What the president has said, and he has said this repeatedly, is he was told by the previous prime minister that Canada could not survive without unfair trade with the United States, at which point he asked, ‘Well, if you can’t survive as a nation without treating us unfairly in trade, then you should become a state.’ That’s what he said.”
Rubio told Welker that the administration had taken no action to realize this particular strain of Trump’s bluster, which has alarmed U.S. allies.
There’s a U.S. military base on Greenland, and the president has cited the self-governing nation’s geographical importance as a reasoning for his expansionist goal. Trump has made the comments on numerous occasions, including in conversations with his Canadian counterparts.
Trump himself made his goals of northward expansion apparent during his address to Congress in February.
“We need Greenland for national security and even international security. And we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” Trump said at the time. “And I think we’re going to get it one way or the other. We’re going to get it.”
But he was making similar remarks publicly as early as December 2024.
“No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State.”
“They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea,” added Trump.
So tell me if you ever thought you’d see the day that an American Secretary of State believes annexing your best allies, the ones you’ve fought beside in Wars, and stood by you when you were attacked, would say that sort of thing? Meanwhile, the entire Deportation debacle continues on its cruel and ugly path. This is from Politico. “Homan presses undocumented immigrants to self-deport, threatening prosecution. The push comes as the monthly deportation numbers have lagged behind the Biden administration’s.” Homan is now the antonym for Human. Deportation in this country does not just fall on the undocumented. It impacts everyone.
White House border czar Tom Homan on Monday warned undocumented immigrants that they “cannot hide” and will be prosecuted in they remain in the U.S. illegally — the latest effort from the Trump administration to push self-deportation.
“Get your affairs in order. If you’re in the country illegally, work with ICE, go to CBP One Home app, and leave on your own,” Homan said from the White House press briefing room.
Homan said every immigrant in the U.S. illegally must register with the federal government and carry documentation. And those who fail to register with the Department of Homeland Security or neglect to update any new address will have those actions treated as criminal offenses “starting today.” He also warned other undocumented immigrants that if they have a final order to leave the country but remain anyway, the Trump administration will “aggressively prosecute” and issue daily monetary fines of up to $998.
The border czar’s briefing room appearance comes as the Trump administration marks its 100th day in office this week, with Homan touting the administration’s progress on border security. He pointed to a significant drop in illegal border crossings, which have plunged since Trump took office to the lowest level in decades.
Homan said Monday that the administration has deported 139,000 migrants since Jan. 20 as Trump officials have struggled to ramp up removal numbers. This figure includes people deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard, who would have been encountered at or before they reached the border, according to a DHS official. The Trump administration’s monthly deportation numbers have lagged behind the Biden administration’s, according to data obtained by NBC News.
The bluster is abusive, but the actions are unconstitutional, illegal, and inhumane. The New York Times reports on the weekend’s 60 Minutes sign-off. Every voice raised against the dismantling of US democracy is a voice that counts! “‘60 Minutes’ Chastises Its Corporate Parent in Unusual On-Air Rebuke. The show’s top producer abruptly said last week he was quitting. “Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” the correspondent Scott Pelley told viewers.”
In an extraordinary on-air rebuke, one of the top journalists at “60 Minutes” directly criticized the program’s parent company in the final moments of its Sunday night CBS telecast, its first episode since the program’s executive producer, Bill Owens, announced his intention to resign.
“Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” the correspondent, Scott Pelley, told viewers. “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
A spokesman for Paramount had no immediate comment, and has previously declined to comment on Mr. Owens’s departure.
Mr. Owens stunned the show’s staff on Tuesday when he said he would leave the highest-rated program in television news over disagreements with Paramount, CBS’s corporate parent, saying, “It’s clear the company is done with me.”
Mr. Owens’s comments were widely reported in the press last week. The show’s decision to repeat those grievances on-air may have exposed viewers to the serious tensions between “60 Minutes” and its corporate overseers for the first time.
Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, has been intent on securing approval from the Trump administration for a multibillion-dollar sale of her media company to a studio run by the son of Larry Ellison, the tech billionaire.
President Trump sued CBS last year, claiming $10 billion in damages, in a case stemming from a “60 Minutes” interview with the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, that Mr. Trump said was deceptively edited. Ms. Redstone has expressed her desire to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit, although legal experts have called the case far-fetched.
So that’s it for me today. I’m just trying to keep my head above water and my thoughts on calm, clear awareness. I hope you’re finding a way to cope with this mess. I try to tune out as much as possible, but my job is to teach folks about financial and economic policies, so I can only shut out so much. A friend of mine posted a picture of American NAZIs partying in the French Quarter and getting drinks from the Dungeon. The tattoos and the t-shirts said it all. What’s most disturbing about all of this is these folks are out of their hidey holes, and they don’t care who sees them and what they say. I’ll be out on Wednesday at a protest in front of the ICE offices here in the Central Business District. I need to do something, even just being with like-minded people.
Also, we’re finding some older Dem Pols stepping down to make way for new blood. “Rep. Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, will step down from his leadership post on the panel and not run for reelection.” Let’s try to hope.
What’s on your Reading and Blogging list today?
#FartusDeportUs #JohnbussBskySocialJohnBuss #AllApologies #BombasticRhetoric #FARTUS #KashPatel #PamBondiWeirdo #PeteHegsethWeirdoSexualAssaulter #VerbalBullyBombs #YamTits100DaysOfOops
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Mostly Monday Reads: It’s the Policies Stupid!
“Arresting development,” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
I don’t know about you, but these first 100 days of #FARTUS have taken a toll on me. So many bad policies in such a short time have me spinning and anxious. I can’t even plan my one-person, small-house, semi-retired life. I can’t even figure out what state and local governments, big and small businesses, and the courts have on their hands right now.
The assessment of these first 100 days, coming from polls and pundits, is stunningly bad. Bad to the point that any polling firm is considered to be a criminal organization by yam tits. I will start with this analysis in The Guardian by Steven Greenhouse. “Trump’s second term will be the worst presidential term ever. Tragically, the president’s second term is already more lawless and more authoritarian than any in US history.”
In his first 100 days back in office, Donald Trump has made a strong case that his second term will be by far the worst presidential term in US history. So many of his flood-the-zone actions have been head-spinning and stomach-turning. His administration seems to be powered by ignorance and incoherence, spleen and sycophancy. Both he and his right-hand man, Elon Musk, with their resentment-fueled desire to disrupt everything, seem intent on pulverizing the foundations of our government, our democracy, our alliances as well as any notions of truth. Tragically, Trump’s second term is already more lawless and more authoritarian than any in US history.
The worst and most dangerous part of Trump’s agenda is his war against our democracy and constitution – defying judges’ orders, deporting people without due process, suggesting he will run for a third term, calling to impeach judges who rule against him, pardoning hundreds of January 6 criminals, gutting federal agencies and firing thousands of federal employees in flagrant violation of the law, and banning books from military libraries. (One wonders: will book burning be next?) Underlining just how dangerous and lawless Trump is, he is talking publicly about disappearing US citizens to foreign countries where they could be locked in prison forever. For those who care about democracy and basic freedoms, this is Defcon 1 stuff.
From Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan to Joe Biden, every president since the second world war has worked hard to build alliances to promote peace and prosperity and deter aggression. But right out of the box, Trump 2.0 has rushed to blow up our alliances and cavalierly alienate our allies. Trump quickly rejected the US’s traditional foreign policy and ideals by warmly embracing Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator, and turning against Ukraine and its noble fight against Putin’s aggression. Trump sounded like a rapacious 19th-century imperialist when he threatened to take over the Panama canal and, ditto, when he talked of using force to seize control of Greenland, which belongs to our longtime Nato ally, Denmark. Then there’s Trump’s astoundingly idiotic talk – and taunt – that Canada should be our 51st state. What a way to anger and alienate a nation that has long been the US’s best friend.
Then there is the disaster – or should we say clown show – of Trump’s on-again, off-again, on-again, who-knows-what’s-going-to-happen-tomorrow tariffs. His “liberation day” tariffs were put together by a clown-car crew, just three hours before he announced it, and Trump and company seemed to have zero idea that his hodgepodge of tariffs would send the world’s stock markets into a nervous breakdown. Trump’s team was stupid enough to think that China was too feeble to respond effectively to Trump’s trade war – treasury secretary Scott Bessent said China had “a losing hand” with just “a pair of twos”. Trump and his clown car failed to realize that China had the ability to retaliate in devastating ways – by clamping down on rare earth exports that American manufacturers and tech companies desperately need, and perhaps by selling off hundreds of billions of dollars in US bonds. Former treasury secretary Janet Yellen was appalled, saying: “This is the worst self-inflicted policy wound I’ve ever seen in my career inflicted on our economy.”
What really gets to me is his “bombastic rhetoric.” It’s like you’re either with the bully or being bullied. But what appalls me is his stewardship of the US and global Economy. He is completely detached from all we have learned about policy impacts from the 1930s. It was clear that as industrialization increased, the old mercantilism of the colonial days was fading fast. Industrialization created a different trade paradigm.
The switch from the Gold Standard created a different-looking financial economic system. The Information Age and the rise of advanced technology like robotics have changed us even more. We have complex, intertwined, mixed market economies. While the basics of market structure remain similar, the frictions within them have become much more complicated. You may check the academic research of Nobel Prize-winning Joseph E. Stiglitz for his legendary study on how the various quirks in producing specific goods and services can lead to fairly serious economic issues.
I don’t think anyone in the West Wing or the Agencies knows how economic policy works. For that matter, Trump doesn’t even know how many countries there are in the world since he keeps mentioning 200 trade deals when there are only 195. Maybe the Penguin islands are more autonomous than we know?
In fact, the communication style of the entire MAGA movement makes it an impossible environment for governing. This is how Amanda Marcotte–writing for Salon— puts it. “MAGA loves a tantrum: How public meltdowns became the preferred method of GOP communication. Why Nancy Mace, Pete Hegseth, and Stephen Miller keep throwing fits on camera.”
If there were an Oscar for the category “hard to watch,” I’d have to nominate the video of Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., barking expletives at a constituent after he asked her if she would have a town hall soon. It’s produced in a beauty supply store instead of a movie studio, but in a brief minute and 42 seconds, the video finds its place in the canon of horror films shot from the villain’s perspective. The camera focuses entirely on the story’s hero, a man in a polo and shorts holding a bottle of what appears to be face cleanser, as he holds his own against his congressional representative getting increasingly shrill as she yells invective at him. Even though he said nothing about gay marriage, she demands his gratitude for voting “for gay marriage twice.” When he gets annoyed at her reductive assumption, she calls him “crazy” and “absolutely f—king crazy,” and repeatedly says “f—k you” to him.
In the eyes of normal people, Mace, as her interlocutor said when he fled from this encounter, is a “disgrace.” Most adults who act like Mace in public immediately wish to disappear off the face of the earth in shame. But not our Nancy! No, she’s the one who posted this video online, proud of her emotional incontinence. She even offered a homophobic “gay panic” defense, by describing the man as “wearing daisy dukes, at a makeup store.” (Sorry, Miss Nancy, they aren’t daisy dukes until we see cheeks.) To people outside the MAGA bubble, it’s a baffling choice. She’s not even a fun villain. There’s none of the sleek appeal of Loki from the “Avengers” franchise or camp glee of Ursula from “The Little Mermaid.” Mace is serving pure toddler here. She likely wished to throw herself to the floor and start pounding it, but doing so would have meant dropping her iPhone.
Mace isn’t wrong, however, to think that what most adults find embarrassing, the MAGA base will eat right up. The public meltdown, in which you declare yourself the world’s greatest victim, is the preferred GOP method of political communication these days. Despite this effort, Mace didn’t even come close to nabbing last week’s gold star for the most histronic MAGA performance. She was outdone by Stephen Miller, whose usual register on TV is “verge of a nervous breakdown,” but got so shrill on Fox News Tuesday that Lauren Tousignant at Jezebel worried she’d soon have to “look at Stephen Miller’s face as he pops a dozen blood vessels as his brain explodes.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth turned in two performances that would cause Al Pacino to tell him to settle down. While carping about “the fake news media” during the White House Easter egg roll, Hegseth’s whining got so pitched his voice started to crack, while his children stood behind him, embarrassed at the spectacle.
Despite his own family’s discomfort with his antics, Hegseth kept up the scenery-chewing, bellowing about the all-powerful, forever-mysterious “they” have “come after me from day one.” (“They,” in this case, means close friends and advisors who got pushed out after beginning to question Hegseth’s fitness for the job.)
All this yelling and bellyaching serves a pragmatic purpose: to distract from how what they’re saying makes no sense. Miller’s claim that the six Republican judges on the Supreme Court — three appointed by Trump — are “communist” wouldn’t withstand even a moment’s thought at a normal volume. Because he’s delivering his commentary at “front row at Led Zepplin” levels, the brain can’t even process how preposterous the lie is. Mace’s routine showed this working in a literal way. Her target runs away, because trying to talk to someone behaving like her is like trying to converse with a wildfire.
It’s part of the overall too-muchness that is the signature of the MAGA aesthetic, which goes right back to Trump’s gold-plated tastelessness. We see it in the infamous “Mar-a-Lago” face, which uses plastic surgery and spackled-on make-up to turn women into terrifyingly exaggerated caricatures of femininity. Or the love of roided-out male bodies, which try to recreate the impossibly huge muscles of comic books on human bodies. It’s a maximalist aesthetic, minus all the playfulness of Las Vegas casinos or “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” There’s a grim vibe to the undertaking, as if they’re trying to pound your head into the ground with the excess.
“Fake Melania mystery solved. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” John Buss, @repeat1968
Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer–writing for The Atlantic—dialed up Trump on his private phone one day in late March. He spoke to them even though he had described them both heinously.
The week our interview was supposed to occur, Trump posted a vituperative message on Truth Social, attacking us by name. “Ashley Parker is not capable of doing a fair and unbiased interview. She is a Radical Left Lunatic, and has been as terrible as is possible for as long as I have known her,” he wrote. “To this date, she doesn’t even know that I won the Presidency THREE times.” (That last sentence is true—Ashley Parker does not know that Trump won the presidency three times.) “Likewise, Michael Scherer has never written a fair story about me, only negative, and virtually always LIES.”
Yes, it was full-on #FARTUS Bully Verbal Bombing them publicly. They actually just called him later. He picked up. This article is the result
Despite his attacks on us a few days earlier, the president, evidently feeling buoyed by a week of successes, was eager to talk about his accomplishments. As we spoke, the sounds of another conversation, perhaps from a television, hummed in the background.
The president seemed exhilarated by everything he had managed to do in the first two months of his second term: He had begun a purge of diversity efforts from the federal government; granted clemency to nearly 1,600 supporters who had participated in the invasion of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those caught beating police officers on camera; and signed 98 executive orders and counting (26 of them on his first day in office). He had fired independent regulators; gutted entire agencies; laid off great swaths of the federal workforce; and invoked 18th-century wartime powers to use against a criminal gang from Venezuela. He had adjusted tariffs like a DJ spinning knobs in the booth, upsetting the rhythms of global trade and inducing vertigo in the financial markets. He had raged at the leader of Ukraine, a democratic ally repelling an imperialist invasion, for not being “thankful”—and praised the leader of the invading country, Russia, as “very smart,” reversing in an instant 80 years of U.S. foreign-policy doctrine, and prompting the countries of NATO to prepare for their own defense, without the protective umbrella of American power, for the first time since 1945.
…
We asked Trump why he thought the billionaire class was prostrating itself before him.
“It’s just a higher level of respect. I don’t know,” Trump said. “Maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now.”
“I mean, you saw yesterday with the law firm,” he said. He was referring to Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, one of the nation’s most prestigious firms, whose leader had come to the Oval Office days earlier to beg for relief from an executive order that could have crippled its business. Trump had issued the order at least partially because a former partner at the firm had in 2021 gone to work for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he was part of an investigation of the Trump Organization’s business practices. Also that week, an Ivy League institution, threatened with the cancellation of $400 million in federal funding, had agreed to overhaul its Middle Eastern–studies programs at the Trump administration’s request, while also acceding to other significant demands. “You saw yesterday with Columbia University. What do you think of the law firm? Were you shocked at that?” Trump asked us.
Yes—all of it was shocking, much of it without precedent. Legal scholars were drawing comparisons to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the early stages of the New Deal, when Congress had allowed FDR to demolish norms and greatly expand the powers of the presidency.
As ever, Trump was on the hunt for a deal. If he liked the story we wrote, he said, he might even speak with us again.
“Tell the people at The Atlantic, if they’d write good stories and truthful stories, the magazine would be hot,” he said. Perhaps the magazine can risk forgoing hotness, he suggested, because it is owned by Laurene Powell Jobs, which buffers it, he implied, from commercial imperatives. But that doesn’t guarantee anything, he warned. “You know at some point, they give up,” he said, referring to media owners generally and—we suspected—Bezos specifically. “At some point they say, No más, no más.” He laughed quietly.
Media owners weren’t the only ones on his mind. He also seemed to be referring to law firms, universities, broadcast networks, tech titans, artists, research scientists, military commanders, civil servants, moderate Republicans—all the people and institutions he expected to eventually, inevitably, submit to his will.
We asked the president if his second term felt different from his first. He said it did. “The first time, I had two things to do—run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys,” he said. “And the second time, I run the country and the world.”
More like the country and the world run from him. I have to admit. I admire the Chinese method of trolling him. It’s funny and effective. Philip Bump at the Washington Post analyzes this self-defeating policy of the second term. “The bubble that created Trump is the reason he’s stumbling. The White House is now a bubble where loyalty, not ability, defines success.”
Consider Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
No one should be surprised that Hegseth is flailing in his new role, one of the most arduous and complicated in the U.S. government, if not the world. When Donald Trump proposed that Hegseth run the agency, the response was broadly unified: Hegseth lacked the experience needed to do the job effectively. You could debate the other controversies surrounding his bid for the role ad nauseam, but there was no way to reasonably argue that the Fox News talk-show host was prepared to run the Pentagon.
Hegseth was confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate anyway because Trump and a universe of voices who support him insisted Hegseth was the best choice for the job — because he was Trump’s choice for the job. Republican senators who undoubtedly knew better went along, betting that things wouldn’t get so bad under Hegseth that it was worth stirring up the fury of that pro-Trump bubble.
It’s the same bet that prominent Republicans have been making on Trump himself since 2015. Now, as Trump too is flailing — polling and the data make clear that he is — it’s trivial to identify that insular chorus of cheerleaders and cynics as a root cause.
The president owes his political career to that same bubble. Over the past few decades, the fringe right and then Republicans more broadly embraced discussions of the world that were mostly devoid of nuance: left bad, right good. The internet allowed for the emergence of bespoke “news” organizations (and, later, social media accounts) catering to conspiratorial partisan rhetoric — an alternative to traditional reporting unhampered by criticism or unpopular truths.
Trump secured the 2016 Republican nomination not because he was the best spokesperson for the Republican Party but because he echoed the refrains of that surreal universe of information. When you hear his supporters praise his straightforwardness, this is what they are referring to: He says the false things with which they agree.
We’re about to say goodbye to Musk. Hopefully, Hegseth will be a quick second out. But what comes next? Certainly, nothing better. Even Rubio seems to have caught the munificently Kiss Ass Fever. The speed of light is the rate at which he contradicts the old Little Marco makes me wonder if he a Musk AI robot and the ex-Senator is up in space some where. Here’s the latest example from The Independent. “Marco Rubio claims Canada should be 51st state as PM told Trump they ‘couldn’t survive’ without U.S. Rubio says State Department has not taken action on the president’s push to annex Canada and Greenland.”
America’s top diplomat was questioned on Sunday about Donald Trump’s reasoning for repeatedly calling for Canada to join the United States as the 51st state.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared on NBC’s Meet the Presson Sunday where moderator Kristen Welker asked him if the administration was actually taking any steps to make Trump’s vision a reality.
The president has made his opinion clear: he wants Canada to join the United States and suggested his administration would also acquire the Danish-held territory Greenland by any means.
The secretary of state gave his own translation of the president’s remarks on the matter:
“What the president has said, and he has said this repeatedly, is he was told by the previous prime minister that Canada could not survive without unfair trade with the United States, at which point he asked, ‘Well, if you can’t survive as a nation without treating us unfairly in trade, then you should become a state.’ That’s what he said.”
Rubio told Welker that the administration had taken no action to realize this particular strain of Trump’s bluster, which has alarmed U.S. allies.
There’s a U.S. military base on Greenland, and the president has cited the self-governing nation’s geographical importance as a reasoning for his expansionist goal. Trump has made the comments on numerous occasions, including in conversations with his Canadian counterparts.
Trump himself made his goals of northward expansion apparent during his address to Congress in February.
“We need Greenland for national security and even international security. And we’re working with everybody involved to try and get it,” Trump said at the time. “And I think we’re going to get it one way or the other. We’re going to get it.”
But he was making similar remarks publicly as early as December 2024.
“No one can answer why we subsidize Canada to the tune of over $100,000,000 a year? Makes no sense!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Many Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State.”
“They would save massively on taxes and military protection. I think it is a great idea,” added Trump.
So tell me if you ever thought you’d see the day that an American Secretary of State believes annexing your best allies, the ones you’ve fought beside in Wars, and stood by you when you were attacked, would say that sort of thing? Meanwhile, the entire Deportation debacle continues on its cruel and ugly path. This is from Politico. “Homan presses undocumented immigrants to self-deport, threatening prosecution. The push comes as the monthly deportation numbers have lagged behind the Biden administration’s.” Homan is now the antonym for Human. Deportation in this country does not just fall on the undocumented. It impacts everyone.
White House border czar Tom Homan on Monday warned undocumented immigrants that they “cannot hide” and will be prosecuted in they remain in the U.S. illegally — the latest effort from the Trump administration to push self-deportation.
“Get your affairs in order. If you’re in the country illegally, work with ICE, go to CBP One Home app, and leave on your own,” Homan said from the White House press briefing room.
Homan said every immigrant in the U.S. illegally must register with the federal government and carry documentation. And those who fail to register with the Department of Homeland Security or neglect to update any new address will have those actions treated as criminal offenses “starting today.” He also warned other undocumented immigrants that if they have a final order to leave the country but remain anyway, the Trump administration will “aggressively prosecute” and issue daily monetary fines of up to $998.
The border czar’s briefing room appearance comes as the Trump administration marks its 100th day in office this week, with Homan touting the administration’s progress on border security. He pointed to a significant drop in illegal border crossings, which have plunged since Trump took office to the lowest level in decades.
Homan said Monday that the administration has deported 139,000 migrants since Jan. 20 as Trump officials have struggled to ramp up removal numbers. This figure includes people deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and the Coast Guard, who would have been encountered at or before they reached the border, according to a DHS official. The Trump administration’s monthly deportation numbers have lagged behind the Biden administration’s, according to data obtained by NBC News.
The bluster is abusive, but the actions are unconstitutional, illegal, and inhumane. The New York Times reports on the weekend’s 60 Minutes sign-off. Every voice raised against the dismantling of US democracy is a voice that counts! “‘60 Minutes’ Chastises Its Corporate Parent in Unusual On-Air Rebuke. The show’s top producer abruptly said last week he was quitting. “Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” the correspondent Scott Pelley told viewers.”
In an extraordinary on-air rebuke, one of the top journalists at “60 Minutes” directly criticized the program’s parent company in the final moments of its Sunday night CBS telecast, its first episode since the program’s executive producer, Bill Owens, announced his intention to resign.
“Paramount began to supervise our content in new ways,” the correspondent, Scott Pelley, told viewers. “None of our stories has been blocked, but Bill felt he lost the independence that honest journalism requires.”
A spokesman for Paramount had no immediate comment, and has previously declined to comment on Mr. Owens’s departure.
Mr. Owens stunned the show’s staff on Tuesday when he said he would leave the highest-rated program in television news over disagreements with Paramount, CBS’s corporate parent, saying, “It’s clear the company is done with me.”
Mr. Owens’s comments were widely reported in the press last week. The show’s decision to repeat those grievances on-air may have exposed viewers to the serious tensions between “60 Minutes” and its corporate overseers for the first time.
Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount, has been intent on securing approval from the Trump administration for a multibillion-dollar sale of her media company to a studio run by the son of Larry Ellison, the tech billionaire.
President Trump sued CBS last year, claiming $10 billion in damages, in a case stemming from a “60 Minutes” interview with the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, that Mr. Trump said was deceptively edited. Ms. Redstone has expressed her desire to settle Mr. Trump’s lawsuit, although legal experts have called the case far-fetched.
So that’s it for me today. I’m just trying to keep my head above water and my thoughts on calm, clear awareness. I hope you’re finding a way to cope with this mess. I try to tune out as much as possible, but my job is to teach folks about financial and economic policies, so I can only shut out so much. A friend of mine posted a picture of American NAZIs partying in the French Quarter and getting drinks from the Dungeon. The tattoos and the t-shirts said it all. What’s most disturbing about all of this is these folks are out of their hidey holes, and they don’t care who sees them and what they say. I’ll be out on Wednesday at a protest in front of the ICE offices here in the Central Business District. I need to do something, even just being with like-minded people.
Also, we’re finding some older Dem Pols stepping down to make way for new blood. “Rep. Gerry Connolly, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, will step down from his leadership post on the panel and not run for reelection.” Let’s try to hope.
What’s on your Reading and Blogging list today?
#FartusDeportUs #JohnbussBskySocialJohnBuss #AllApologies #BombasticRhetoric #FARTUS #KashPatel #PamBondiWeirdo #PeteHegsethWeirdoSexualAssaulter #VerbalBullyBombs #YamTits100DaysOfOops
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This interview is with social movement veterans who have sacrificed much, and learned a great deal, in trying to change the world. Each in their own way have gained valuable insights into the personal, interpersonal, and structural dynamics at play when confronting established power and have essential lessons to convey to those newly radicalized. The interview was conducted in 2024 for Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, by collective member Paul Messersmith-Glavin.
Paul Messersmith-Glavin: Tell us about yourselves, in particular, how were you first politically radicalized?
Ashanti Alston: Born, Michael Alston. Plainfield, New Jersey, 1954. Just this February, I celebrated the big 7-0. I’m an official elder now.
I came of age in that period of the sixties when there was the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power movement, which was the key moment for me. I was a Black teenager understanding that there were people fighting for our freedom in the Civil Rights movement. And then here comes the Black Power movement and the rebellions of ’67 all over the United States.
Plainfield is a small town that’s racially divided like so many other places. But what was unique about what happened there was that Black folks had got hold of arms from a gun manufacturing plant, including crates of M-1 rifles. So, during the rebellions part of the Plainfield Black community in the West End was actually liberated for at least seven days. Even as this thirteen-year-old, I understood the importance of the movement and felt connection to it. This was serious and way different from Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.
The main rebellion was about a mile from the projects where I lived as a child. We could often hear the gunshots. Then one day there was a black car in front of the house and on the top of it in white letters was “Black Power.” And the guy in the car was giving out goods to people. That struck me, because I heard the term “Black Power,” but this was so bold. I understood the Civil Rights movement, but I didn’t know if I could deal with getting water-hosed down the street, spat on, called “nigger” in my face and just taking it. I wanted to fight back. So, this was my entry.
I don’t even think I had turned fourteen yet. And I wasn’t much of a reader at that point, but now I wanted to read! The Malcolm X autobiography. The stories of Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown. I wanted to go find out about them. Then when school started back up, others were also interested in fighting back. In junior high school there was no Black history. So, there was a coordinated effort to walk out of the two junior high schools and the high school and to march down to City Hall to demand it. And enough of us came out, so that when the next school year started, we had Black history.
That showed me that there was this powerful unity if we organized. We could make demands and have them met. The rebellion after that lasted a week. When the armored cars came in from the National Guard, they regained control. But it didn’t stop us. The was a community center down the street and folks were in there and they’re talking, organizing, strategizing. I was just so excited, especially to see folks from the areas that I grew up who I looked up to in getting involved.
Eventually, I found out about the Black Panther Party and my friend’s father took us all over to the different offices—from Newark, Jersey City, to Brooklyn and Harlem—to learn what we could do. So, we went to the political education classes and learned the terminologies; this revolution the Panthers were talking about required study, engagement in the community, and organizing. It was different from the spontaneous rebellions. It was more like the organizing when we demanded Black history; you had to have a sustained view and understand that this is a long-term struggle against the system.
Most of us who formed that chapter were high school students and active inside the high school where the rebellion took place. It was in that same area that we did most of our outreach—speaking with folks, selling the Panther paper, and at a certain point starting a storefront and a free clothing program. So, here we are, learning how to work amongst the people in this Panther style . . . Every time I look back at it, I’m like, “Oh my God, we were so young, but we were so ready!”
We had so many folks helping us learn the different things involved with carrying out revolutionary struggle. And it was great because coming out of the Black Power ideology, I didn’t have too much love for white folks. But the Panthers always remembered they’re human beings, too, and had relationships with so many different people. They were nationalists, but revolutionary nationalists and didn’t just chop white folks off because they’re white. It all depends on their practice.
So, it helped me to challenge some of my own limitations and to open up to what this new ideology was telling me about struggle, the history of struggles, the possibility of winning, believing in ourselves, and organizing from below. That carried me for a long time, even up into prison.
Helia Rasti: I was born in Tehran, Iran in 1980. That was at the start of an eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, on the heels of a revolution that ousted a dynasty, the last Shah of Iran. It was part of a popular uprising that brought in theocratic Islamists and started over four decades of Islamist rule.
I was born into a solidly middle-class family. My parents were really scared of having to raise a daughter in the growing patriarchal environment and decided to leave as did many at that time. This was very difficult for them because they loved Iran and didn’t want to go but felt forced to. We were able to attain resident status in Germany and I lived there from age five to ten. Being a foreigner in Germany is not easy and my parents (who are both well-educated) wanted access to better opportunities like they had in Iran. So, they left Germany the first chance they could and came to the United States—the “land of opportunity.”
I was ten years old when we moved to California and had no idea about the political environment and the history of oppression, genocide, enslavement, and exploitation that the US is founded on. I think a lot of immigrants come here seeking better opportunities because whatever they left behind was so grim. And then you come here and you’re like, “whoa.” Even though I was raised with this backdrop of intense political activity and very strong anti-imperialist sentiments, I was clueless. But I could just tell this is not right. Something is not right.
I’ve always been sensitive and empathic. And I knew that despite being an immigrant, being a brown child who experienced racism, I could still always seek out love and support from my parents. But I remember encountering figures about how every five minutes a girl or a woman is raped, and feeling, “Wow, I’ve been really protected.” So, I felt it was important for me to step up for people who were more vulnerable and for voices that were being silenced.
I grew up in the Bay Area and, after high school, I went to Humboldt State in Northern California. I’ve always been drawn to nature. I was a biology major initially and I learned about Native American history, the exploitative nature of industrial capitalism, and that Native people are still around and have been resisting genocide and erasure for all these years. I also learned about different resistance movements by listening to lecture series like Michael Parenti who broke down imperialism and Marxism, US foreign policy, and how the CIA and the United States played a huge part in destroying the fabric of different cultures. And, in my country, how they stood against democratic movements to support regimes to access resources for more global power.
I was sitting with all that in the late 90s when the anti-WTO, anti-corporate, globalization movements emerged. I was on the periphery of this, but learning. And then September 11th happened, and I was just like this is it. Ward Churchill wrote this essay about the chicken coming home to roost and I was feeling, “Oh, of course, this is going to come back to us to us. The United States is going to reap the repercussions of its global policies.” I got on the phone with my mom all excited about this and she said, “What are you saying? You’re going to get in trouble, you’re Iranian!” But I still felt these were historic times and decided that I had to leave the forest. I realize now it was a spiritual journey that led me to take on political action. It was my love for life, for the earth, for people. This is what kept me seeking out different answers when faced with the contradictions that are presented to us in society . . . So, I came home to the Bay as I realized my work was there and transferred to San Francisco State.
Within the first week of school there were student organizations tabling, including a Students for Peace group that did gorilla theater. I got in and became really involved with them. At the time we were organizing these huge demonstrations against the bombing of Afghanistan, and it was already clear that they were gearing up to start invading Iraq. I was a part of this mass movement; hundreds of thousands of people, millions of people globally, crying out against war.
That became my world. I spent all my time at school organizing and eventually dropped all my classes because that’s the only thing that mattered to me. I then became a part of this woman’s center that was helping to open up space for coalition building. San Francisco State has a very radical history, but since the time of the sixties and seventies, the administration has built all these guards and policies against student activism. So, we were organizing this coalition, bringing together different organizations like Ethnic Studies, the Black Student Union, and different cultural groups. We were also doing that with City College.
Eventually I dropped out of school and started doing organizing work full-time. I got involved with the Not in Our Name movement and Direct Action to Stop the War, focusing on street blockades and holding war profiteers accountable by going to them and shutting down their operations. I was especially jiving with these queer anarcho-punx doing public blockades and shutdowns. And it was like the work became my life. It’s the thing that kept me going. It felt like, this is what I was brought here for.
So, I continued to seek to deepen my understanding of what the work really was. And it was Critical Resistance that really helped to do so, especially with learning about abolition and how prison industrial abolition was a way to build against the state. At the time, I was doing environmental justice work, focusing on shutting down power plants. But I continued to encounter contradictions within organizing communities and felt I needed to do something else. I needed to figure out what my role was and not necessarily as a public or professional organizer. Again, I was always driven by my spirituality and my love. Rose Braz was a mentor of mine—what an immense, powerful woman and organizer she is—and I sought her out about some of these contradictions. And she said, “You know, you feel called to heal and you’re doing this medicine work; we need more abolitionists, more radicals to do that work. If you feel like that’s where life is taking you, go for it!” So, I did. I left the Bay and came to Portland to study natural medicine. Now I’m licensed as a clinician. But my love is still very much for the earth, for people, and dismantling obstacles to our collective liberation to allow for our ability to just live.
P M-G: You both have decades of political consciousness and organizing experience. Retrospectively, what are your biggest takeaways? What lessons have you learned that you’d want to pass on to someone just getting involved in social change work?
AA: I’ve been around for a while and when I’m speaking with young folks, I want to make sure I’m giving the best advice and encouragement that I can because I still believe that we can change this world. The thing is, you want to make sure, no matter what you have been through—the ups, the downs, the things that work, things that didn’t work—to be as honest as you can about it. When I look back on the early years—the Black Power movement to the Panthers, even up to the prison experience—then I get to see, “Oh, we could have been better in this area or that area.” The time I spent in prison was a lot of that looking back period for me. Before that it was 24/7 revolutionary work . . . not a lot of time for reflection.
But now I’m there in prison and thinking about what happened: “Why am I here? Why are so many of the comrades now in prison?” I wanted to know where we went wrong, why we lost, why the counter-intelligence program was eventually successful, and how to avoid making the mistakes again. And I got access to other readings. You know, in my head I’m still this Panther. A Marxist-Leninist. Maoist even. But the Critical Theory crew, from Eric Fromm to Herbert Marcuse and others; they had some different analysis about these revolutionary struggles that wasn’t the canon of Stalin. Then I started reading not only the critical theory, but other radicals. And, at some point, little bits and pieces of the anarchism started getting in there. These different perspectives allowed me to really think about the way we saw this struggle. What we (the Panthers) had believed was revolutionary in a sense, but with some limitations. It wasn’t great how we saw the struggles of women; it wasn’t great how we saw internalized oppression . . . Our own behaviors also contributed to our downfall. A lot of people don’t want to hear that, especially your comrades. But if you want to win, then you’ve got to let that ego shit go and say, “Where else might we have done better?” And that’s where the critical theories and anarchism and radical feminism began to help me to see things differently.
So, I want young people to understand revolution from a very personal perspective. How is it really going to impact you? What is it really opening you up to? Like, who’s Ashanti as a part of this? I’m still a part of this heterosexist, evil society and it’s been a part of my peoples’ struggle for the last 400 years. There’s no way that I can deny that. The shit of this system is also a part of me. In this struggle, it’s on two fronts; it’s not only the larger system, but also what it looks like inside of us. I want young people to see what their own connection is to this system is and to see their possibilities.
The best thing that really helped me to see this was when I started reading about anarchism. Now, not only do I want to be the best anti-sexist, but I want to open myself up to how life expresses itself. I joke about it at times when I say that when I first came out of prison I wanted to work with Love and Rage folks, but they had these spiked hair styles and I was like, “What the fuck is this?” But another part of me wanted to learn; “I don’t care how crazy they look. I want to learn.” And it showed me that there’s all kinds of folks who are oppressed by this society and who want out from under that oppression. If their lives don’t match mine, that’s okay.
The Zapatistas have that idea, too; a world where many worlds exist. Our lives are very diverse, and we all want our liberation. We just have to figure out how it’s going to work in this monstrous, US imperialist empire. So, Black folks’ struggle takes on particular characteristics, but it’s not divorced from all the other struggles—the Chicanos, the Indigenous folks, the Puerto Rican independence movement, the workers, the environmentalist movement, Palestine. It’s never simple, but it’s doable.
H.R.: I’d say never stop questioning; question your questions. Get with mentors, but also make sure that your mentors hold space for questioning and grapple with those questions with you. Recognize that you are a part of something immense. The Earth is all about life and death is a part of it, right? You are a part of something so much greater and when you take steps towards that collective health and life and love, you’re bringing with you something so much deeper. Trust that. The ongoing genocides around the world, that’s real. But the little steps that you are a part of, the little acts of kindness and love and the ways that you are showing up in support of community and life. That’s real, too. Movements are about cultivating and nourishing life as steps towards collective liberation. That is a part of that picture, too. It’s important to have this perspective that goes back and forth between the local and the global. So, continue to get involved, but don’t lose sight of your own care and holding that deep sacred space within you to stay in alignment with the goodness of life.
P M-G: Where should those of us who are dedicated to transforming society be putting our energies? And what role do you see collective care and nurturance playing in sustaining radical social movements?
H.R: We can’t be human without our connection to other humans. We’re social creatures. We’re part of a community of life that’s not just human. So, understanding your role in terms of community within that greater scheme of life, of ecological life, is important. And building these connections is so important because industrial culture has severed our connection to nature. But nature is what makes us human. We learn what it means to be human by learning from the earth. That’s something I’ve learned from Indigenous movements, writers, and activists.
It’s hard because we internalize oppression, which can be a toxin that is spread through community. And yet, community is an extended family and an extended circle of love. So, you can choose how to build community and how to engage with it. If it weren’t for my communal ties with the people who have come before me who I’m still connecting with, who inspire me, I wouldn’t be here. They keep me going. It’s hard though, and I know for me, sometimes I need to retreat in times to find my connection and to continue to show up. I need to have good boundaries and some guard up. We need to have collectively permeable boundaries. There’s a difference between having a wall, which is a tool of war, versus boundaries, which are important and healthy for life. Finding that balance is essential, especially now in a time of pandemics. I see the coronavirus as an expression of an ecological crisis. We’re going to continue to see viral storms take shape and we need to understand this balance.
A.A.: People in this struggle need to understand that this is long term. You have to have a place within you that you go to with all that you’re going to experience being in this struggle. Because it’s tough.
I just came back from an indigenous retreat in Texas at a sweat lodge that’s women led. I watched the process of building that lodge and what became so important for me was how everything they did had purpose and intentionality. This helps us to see all that is sacred. There are some important lessons in there, whether you’re Marxist, an anarchist, or just a rebel who wants change. This is still Turtle Island to Indigenous folks. And I think our objective is really to figure out how to pry this empire off the back of the Turtle so that we can all be fucking free!
What we went through back in the sixties and seventies, we got too scientific, and we missed out some things that are really about our humanity. A lot of the revolutions we put on a pedestal for being successful—like the Russian Revolution, the Cuban Revolution—but they end up recreating some other form of oppressive society. Part of anarchism for me is to be open. So, we have to figure out how to nurture the spiritual as a source of power in this struggle. It reminds me of in the days of the People’s Revolutionary Constitutional Convention that the Panthers held in Philly in 1970, with the idea of bringing all these movements together within the Empire. To see how we can all be free.
P M-G: What advice would you give about how we should relate to each other and accept differences of opinion without condemning each other? How do we nurture a community, while engaging in collective self-care and transformation?
H.R.: Allow principles to guide our work and have space for accountability. I know I’m not going to get along with everybody and I don’t need to work closely with everybody. I don’t need to know what the nitty-gritty of that work is. If the larger structure is being maintained and bringing us together in unity and if everyone is acting in ways that are principled and towards a shared mission, I can trust that. We’re all super different and that’s a beautiful thing. We’re not always going to get along and that’s a part of the friction and tension. But we can create a lot of forward momentum from that if it’s being guided by something that is principled and shared.
A.A.: We have to figure it out as we go, but a thing that has always attracted me to anarchism—is that part about how we are with each other. This is so key to the vision we have for the world that we want. If we don’t want a sexist world, we have to practice anti-sexism within our relations. If we don’t want an ageist or ableist world, we have to practice it now . . . When we come together now, we have to practice it, and be willing to admit we make mistakes when we practice this. It doesn’t just change automatically. And this takes compassion. When we begin to accept each other with compassion, this will be easier. Then we will learn to transform these relationships.
Young folks need to know not only how to organize in the community, but how they can change themselves and have better relationships with each other, which is part of community care. That’s why transformative practices need to be incorporated into what we do. It can’t just be you got an ideology now and you think that’s it for you. Now you are the revolutionary that can change the world. No, don’t work that way. It takes courage to be vulnerable, to say, “Yo, I need some help working through my shit ‘cuz that Empire is in me . . . so we can really build authentic revolutionary relationships that can transform the world.”
But the younger generation, they want to do better than what we did. And the level of solidarity we’re seeing in Gen Z’s pro-Palestinian support, anti-genocide is blowing my mind. I can’t remember this level of solidarity even with the anti-Vietnam War. I get a sense that they want to figure out ways how to be better with each other as they’re doing their work.
P M-G: I want to get into a little bit about what y’all think about the state of radical movements today. There’s the genocide in Gaza, there’s a major election coming up in this country . . . It’s a time of change around the world. What should we be paying attention to and doing?
A.A.: Part of my concern is security state; the state of surveillance, the continuous growth of the prison industrial complex. I think those things are still closing in on us, to the point where they have the ability to know so much about what we’re doing that it limits possibilities. But the spirit of the people is greater than man’s technology. This system is constantly trying to control the possibilities of insurrection and rebellion. We’ve still got to make this happen, but with a sense of urgency because they are determined to keep this empire going for as long as they can.
H.R.: I think it’s important to do that spiritual work and recognize that we’re all connected, intertwined. It can be really easy to project onto other people tendencies you might not like about yourself. That’s why doing that shadow work is so important. Also, globally, xenophobia is a way we separate ourselves from others and say, “Oh, but I’m not like that. My ways are better.” Getting past that illusion of superiority is important. None of us have the answer. There’s hope and uncertainty and we need to go where we’ve never been. It’s scary, but on the flip side there’s a sense of awe and mystery.
I think it’s also important to focus on infrastructure, both socially and physically. Socially, I mean, in terms of all the systems of domination that keep us in place and force us into submission with the prison industrial complex and State apparatus. I think the prison industrial complex is an expression of social infrastructure. Then there’s also the physical infrastructure and how it’s being destroyed by the neoliberal scheme to divest from it. Everything is literally falling apart. But there’s also a shift that’s taking place that’s allowing us to hone in on what really matters—how we can create systems that bring us closer together to collectively build cohesion and new infrastructure that is in line with serving life as a whole. I see people playing more with ideas around ecology. That’s what de-growth is; it’s about actually shifting the economy to value life and recognition that we don’t need to continue growing, but need to grow inward, downward, back to the earth, into society and community. That makes me feel hopeful.
We should be focusing on the Earth and climate catastrophe, while creating more points of connection because things are going to continue to unravel. The Earth is going to continue to try to shock us into making some real global changes. And that doesn’t all have to be bad. If we have systems in place that enable us to take care of each other—like mutual aid—that will allow us to pull together resources locally as things start to unravel and have better plans in place. So, connect with the people who are thinking about those things, arming and strengthening themselves with the knowledge that allows us to build out of the chaos. Do that shadow work, connect with your own source energy, and trust that it’s connected to the goodness of love and life that you were born into. Move from that place. And don’t lose heart!
A.A.: We used to talk about temporary autonomous zones. That can be any time you take a moment with other people to talk with each other and interact in ways that helps you to reconnect. Just as human beings and with the earth. You’ve got to realize that you’re not just an independent activist. In this thing here, you are connected to all that that is; from history to the future or as the Indigenous folks say, “the next seven generations.” When we talk about changing the world it’s not just the oppressive structures in the name of some revolutionary rhetoric. The change is within. We are a part of shaping culture. And culture, as a practice, is changeable. It’s always changing and that’s a beautiful thing.
source: Anarchist Studies
#anarchism #ashantiAlston #blackLiberation #blackLiberationArmy #blackPantherParty #northAmerica #us
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This interview is with social movement veterans who have sacrificed much, and learned a great deal, in trying to change the world. Each in their own way have gained valuable insights into the personal, interpersonal, and structural dynamics at play when confronting established power and have essential lessons to convey to those newly radicalized. The interview was conducted in 2024 for Perspectives on Anarchist Theory, by collective member Paul Messersmith-Glavin.
Paul Messersmith-Glavin: Tell us about yourselves, in particular, how were you first politically radicalized?
Ashanti Alston: Born, Michael Alston. Plainfield, New Jersey, 1954. Just this February, I celebrated the big 7-0. I’m an official elder now.
I came of age in that period of the sixties when there was the Civil Rights movement and the Black Power movement, which was the key moment for me. I was a Black teenager understanding that there were people fighting for our freedom in the Civil Rights movement. And then here comes the Black Power movement and the rebellions of ’67 all over the United States.
Plainfield is a small town that’s racially divided like so many other places. But what was unique about what happened there was that Black folks had got hold of arms from a gun manufacturing plant, including crates of M-1 rifles. So, during the rebellions part of the Plainfield Black community in the West End was actually liberated for at least seven days. Even as this thirteen-year-old, I understood the importance of the movement and felt connection to it. This was serious and way different from Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.
The main rebellion was about a mile from the projects where I lived as a child. We could often hear the gunshots. Then one day there was a black car in front of the house and on the top of it in white letters was “Black Power.” And the guy in the car was giving out goods to people. That struck me, because I heard the term “Black Power,” but this was so bold. I understood the Civil Rights movement, but I didn’t know if I could deal with getting water-hosed down the street, spat on, called “nigger” in my face and just taking it. I wanted to fight back. So, this was my entry.
I don’t even think I had turned fourteen yet. And I wasn’t much of a reader at that point, but now I wanted to read! The Malcolm X autobiography. The stories of Stokely Carmichael and H. Rap Brown. I wanted to go find out about them. Then when school started back up, others were also interested in fighting back. In junior high school there was no Black history. So, there was a coordinated effort to walk out of the two junior high schools and the high school and to march down to City Hall to demand it. And enough of us came out, so that when the next school year started, we had Black history.
That showed me that there was this powerful unity if we organized. We could make demands and have them met. The rebellion after that lasted a week. When the armored cars came in from the National Guard, they regained control. But it didn’t stop us. The was a community center down the street and folks were in there and they’re talking, organizing, strategizing. I was just so excited, especially to see folks from the areas that I grew up who I looked up to in getting involved.
Eventually, I found out about the Black Panther Party and my friend’s father took us all over to the different offices—from Newark, Jersey City, to Brooklyn and Harlem—to learn what we could do. So, we went to the political education classes and learned the terminologies; this revolution the Panthers were talking about required study, engagement in the community, and organizing. It was different from the spontaneous rebellions. It was more like the organizing when we demanded Black history; you had to have a sustained view and understand that this is a long-term struggle against the system.
Most of us who formed that chapter were high school students and active inside the high school where the rebellion took place. It was in that same area that we did most of our outreach—speaking with folks, selling the Panther paper, and at a certain point starting a storefront and a free clothing program. So, here we are, learning how to work amongst the people in this Panther style . . . Every time I look back at it, I’m like, “Oh my God, we were so young, but we were so ready!”
We had so many folks helping us learn the different things involved with carrying out revolutionary struggle. And it was great because coming out of the Black Power ideology, I didn’t have too much love for white folks. But the Panthers always remembered they’re human beings, too, and had relationships with so many different people. They were nationalists, but revolutionary nationalists and didn’t just chop white folks off because they’re white. It all depends on their practice.
So, it helped me to challenge some of my own limitations and to open up to what this new ideology was telling me about struggle, the history of struggles, the possibility of winning, believing in ourselves, and organizing from below. That carried me for a long time, even up into prison.
Helia Rasti: I was born in Tehran, Iran in 1980. That was at the start of an eight-year war between Iran and Iraq, on the heels of a revolution that ousted a dynasty, the last Shah of Iran. It was part of a popular uprising that brought in theocratic Islamists and started over four decades of Islamist rule.
I was born into a solidly middle-class family. My parents were really scared of having to raise a daughter in the growing patriarchal environment and decided to leave as did many at that time. This was very difficult for them because they loved Iran and didn’t want to go but felt forced to. We were able to attain resident status in Germany and I lived there from age five to ten. Being a foreigner in Germany is not easy and my parents (who are both well-educated) wanted access to better opportunities like they had in Iran. So, they left Germany the first chance they could and came to the United States—the “land of opportunity.”
I was ten years old when we moved to California and had no idea about the political environment and the history of oppression, genocide, enslavement, and exploitation that the US is founded on. I think a lot of immigrants come here seeking better opportunities because whatever they left behind was so grim. And then you come here and you’re like, “whoa.” Even though I was raised with this backdrop of intense political activity and very strong anti-imperialist sentiments, I was clueless. But I could just tell this is not right. Something is not right.
I’ve always been sensitive and empathic. And I knew that despite being an immigrant, being a brown child who experienced racism, I could still always seek out love and support from my parents. But I remember encountering figures about how every five minutes a girl or a woman is raped, and feeling, “Wow, I’ve been really protected.” So, I felt it was important for me to step up for people who were more vulnerable and for voices that were being silenced.
I grew up in the Bay Area and, after high school, I went to Humboldt State in Northern California. I’ve always been drawn to nature. I was a biology major initially and I learned about Native American history, the exploitative nature of industrial capitalism, and that Native people are still around and have been resisting genocide and erasure for all these years. I also learned about different resistance movements by listening to lecture series like Michael Parenti who broke down imperialism and Marxism, US foreign policy, and how the CIA and the United States played a huge part in destroying the fabric of different cultures. And, in my country, how they stood against democratic movements to support regimes to access resources for more global power.
I was sitting with all that in the late 90s when the anti-WTO, anti-corporate, globalization movements emerged. I was on the periphery of this, but learning. And then September 11th happened, and I was just like this is it. Ward Churchill wrote this essay about the chicken coming home to roost and I was feeling, “Oh, of course, this is going to come back to us to us. The United States is going to reap the repercussions of its global policies.” I got on the phone with my mom all excited about this and she said, “What are you saying? You’re going to get in trouble, you’re Iranian!” But I still felt these were historic times and decided that I had to leave the forest. I realize now it was a spiritual journey that led me to take on political action. It was my love for life, for the earth, for people. This is what kept me seeking out different answers when faced with the contradictions that are presented to us in society . . . So, I came home to the Bay as I realized my work was there and transferred to San Francisco State.
Within the first week of school there were student organizations tabling, including a Students for Peace group that did gorilla theater. I got in and became really involved with them. At the time we were organizing these huge demonstrations against the bombing of Afghanistan, and it was already clear that they were gearing up to start invading Iraq. I was a part of this mass movement; hundreds of thousands of people, millions of people globally, crying out against war.
That became my world. I spent all my time at school organizing and eventually dropped all my classes because that’s the only thing that mattered to me. I then became a part of this woman’s center that was helping to open up space for coalition building. San Francisco State has a very radical history, but since the time of the sixties and seventies, the administration has built all these guards and policies against student activism. So, we were organizing this coalition, bringing together different organizations like Ethnic Studies, the Black Student Union, and different cultural groups. We were also doing that with City College.
Eventually I dropped out of school and started doing organizing work full-time. I got involved with the Not in Our Name movement and Direct Action to Stop the War, focusing on street blockades and holding war profiteers accountable by going to them and shutting down their operations. I was especially jiving with these queer anarcho-punx doing public blockades and shutdowns. And it was like the work became my life. It’s the thing that kept me going. It felt like, this is what I was brought here for.
So, I continued to seek to deepen my understanding of what the work really was. And it was Critical Resistance that really helped to do so, especially with learning about abolition and how prison industrial abolition was a way to build against the state. At the time, I was doing environmental justice work, focusing on shutting down power plants. But I continued to encounter contradictions within organizing communities and felt I needed to do something else. I needed to figure out what my role was and not necessarily as a public or professional organizer. Again, I was always driven by my spirituality and my love. Rose Braz was a mentor of mine—what an immense, powerful woman and organizer she is—and I sought her out about some of these contradictions. And she said, “You know, you feel called to heal and you’re doing this medicine work; we need more abolitionists, more radicals to do that work. If you feel like that’s where life is taking you, go for it!” So, I did. I left the Bay and came to Portland to study natural medicine. Now I’m licensed as a clinician. But my love is still very much for the earth, for people, and dismantling obstacles to our collective liberation to allow for our ability to just live.
P M-G: You both have decades of political consciousness and organizing experience. Retrospectively, what are your biggest takeaways? What lessons have you learned that you’d want to pass on to someone just getting involved in social change work?
AA: I’ve been around for a while and when I’m speaking with young folks, I want to make sure I’m giving the best advice and encouragement that I can because I still believe that we can change this world. The thing is, you want to make sure, no matter what you have been through—the ups, the downs, the things that work, things that didn’t work—to be as honest as you can about it. When I look back on the early years—the Black Power movement to the Panthers, even up to the prison experience—then I get to see, “Oh, we could have been better in this area or that area.” The time I spent in prison was a lot of that looking back period for me. Before that it was 24/7 revolutionary work . . . not a lot of time for reflection.
But now I’m there in prison and thinking about what happened: “Why am I here? Why are so many of the comrades now in prison?” I wanted to know where we went wrong, why we lost, why the counter-intelligence program was eventually successful, and how to avoid making the mistakes again. And I got access to other readings. You know, in my head I’m still this Panther. A Marxist-Leninist. Maoist even. But the Critical Theory crew, from Eric Fromm to Herbert Marcuse and others; they had some different analysis about these revolutionary struggles that wasn’t the canon of Stalin. Then I started reading not only the critical theory, but other radicals. And, at some point, little bits and pieces of the anarchism started getting in there. These different perspectives allowed me to really think about the way we saw this struggle. What we (the Panthers) had believed was revolutionary in a sense, but with some limitations. It wasn’t great how we saw the struggles of women; it wasn’t great how we saw internalized oppression . . . Our own behaviors also contributed to our downfall. A lot of people don’t want to hear that, especially your comrades. But if you want to win, then you’ve got to let that ego shit go and say, “Where else might we have done better?” And that’s where the critical theories and anarchism and radical feminism began to help me to see things differently.
So, I want young people to understand revolution from a very personal perspective. How is it really going to impact you? What is it really opening you up to? Like, who’s Ashanti as a part of this? I’m still a part of this heterosexist, evil society and it’s been a part of my peoples’ struggle for the last 400 years. There’s no way that I can deny that. The shit of this system is also a part of me. In this struggle, it’s on two fronts; it’s not only the larger system, but also what it looks like inside of us. I want young people to see what their own connection is to this system is and to see their possibilities.
The best thing that really helped me to see this was when I started reading about anarchism. Now, not only do I want to be the best anti-sexist, but I want to open myself up to how life expresses itself. I joke about it at times when I say that when I first came out of prison I wanted to work with Love and Rage folks, but they had these spiked hair styles and I was like, “What the fuck is this?” But another part of me wanted to learn; “I don’t care how crazy they look. I want to learn.” And it showed me that there’s all kinds of folks who are oppressed by this society and who want out from under that oppression. If their lives don’t match mine, that’s okay.
The Zapatistas have that idea, too; a world where many worlds exist. Our lives are very diverse, and we all want our liberation. We just have to figure out how it’s going to work in this monstrous, US imperialist empire. So, Black folks’ struggle takes on particular characteristics, but it’s not divorced from all the other struggles—the Chicanos, the Indigenous folks, the Puerto Rican independence movement, the workers, the environmentalist movement, Palestine. It’s never simple, but it’s doable.
H.R.: I’d say never stop questioning; question your questions. Get with mentors, but also make sure that your mentors hold space for questioning and grapple with those questions with you. Recognize that you are a part of something immense. The Earth is all about life and death is a part of it, right? You are a part of something so much greater and when you take steps towards that collective health and life and love, you’re bringing with you something so much deeper. Trust that. The ongoing genocides around the world, that’s real. But the little steps that you are a part of, the little acts of kindness and love and the ways that you are showing up in support of community and life. That’s real, too. Movements are about cultivating and nourishing life as steps towards collective liberation. That is a part of that picture, too. It’s important to have this perspective that goes back and forth between the local and the global. So, continue to get involved, but don’t lose sight of your own care and holding that deep sacred space within you to stay in alignment with the goodness of life.
P M-G: Where should those of us who are dedicated to transforming society be putting our energies? And what role do you see collective care and nurturance playing in sustaining radical social movements?
H.R: We can’t be human without our connection to other humans. We’re social creatures. We’re part of a community of life that’s not just human. So, understanding your role in terms of community within that greater scheme of life, of ecological life, is important. And building these connections is so important because industrial culture has severed our connection to nature. But nature is what makes us human. We learn what it means to be human by learning from the earth. That’s something I’ve learned from Indigenous movements, writers, and activists.
It’s hard because we internalize oppression, which can be a toxin that is spread through community. And yet, community is an extended family and an extended circle of love. So, you can choose how to build community and how to engage with it. If it weren’t for my communal ties with the people who have come before me who I’m still connecting with, who inspire me, I wouldn’t be here. They keep me going. It’s hard though, and I know for me, sometimes I need to retreat in times to find my connection and to continue to show up. I need to have good boundaries and some guard up. We need to have collectively permeable boundaries. There’s a difference between having a wall, which is a tool of war, versus boundaries, which are important and healthy for life. Finding that balance is essential, especially now in a time of pandemics. I see the coronavirus as an expression of an ecological crisis. We’re going to continue to see viral storms take shape and we need to understand this balance.
A.A.: People in this struggle need to understand that this is long term. You have to have a place within you that you go to with all that you’re going to experience being in this struggle. Because it’s tough.
I just came back from an indigenous retreat in Texas at a sweat lodge that’s women led. I watched the process of building that lodge and what became so important for me was how everything they did had purpose and intentionality. This helps us to see all that is sacred. There are some important lessons in there, whether you’re Marxist, an anarchist, or just a rebel who wants change. This is still Turtle Island to Indigenous folks. And I think our objective is really to figure out how to pry this empire off the back of the Turtle so that we can all be fucking free!
What we went through back in the sixties and seventies, we got too scientific, and we missed out some things that are really about our humanity. A lot of the revolutions we put on a pedestal for being successful—like the Russian Revolution, the Cuban Revolution—but they end up recreating some other form of oppressive society. Part of anarchism for me is to be open. So, we have to figure out how to nurture the spiritual as a source of power in this struggle. It reminds me of in the days of the People’s Revolutionary Constitutional Convention that the Panthers held in Philly in 1970, with the idea of bringing all these movements together within the Empire. To see how we can all be free.
P M-G: What advice would you give about how we should relate to each other and accept differences of opinion without condemning each other? How do we nurture a community, while engaging in collective self-care and transformation?
H.R.: Allow principles to guide our work and have space for accountability. I know I’m not going to get along with everybody and I don’t need to work closely with everybody. I don’t need to know what the nitty-gritty of that work is. If the larger structure is being maintained and bringing us together in unity and if everyone is acting in ways that are principled and towards a shared mission, I can trust that. We’re all super different and that’s a beautiful thing. We’re not always going to get along and that’s a part of the friction and tension. But we can create a lot of forward momentum from that if it’s being guided by something that is principled and shared.
A.A.: We have to figure it out as we go, but a thing that has always attracted me to anarchism—is that part about how we are with each other. This is so key to the vision we have for the world that we want. If we don’t want a sexist world, we have to practice anti-sexism within our relations. If we don’t want an ageist or ableist world, we have to practice it now . . . When we come together now, we have to practice it, and be willing to admit we make mistakes when we practice this. It doesn’t just change automatically. And this takes compassion. When we begin to accept each other with compassion, this will be easier. Then we will learn to transform these relationships.
Young folks need to know not only how to organize in the community, but how they can change themselves and have better relationships with each other, which is part of community care. That’s why transformative practices need to be incorporated into what we do. It can’t just be you got an ideology now and you think that’s it for you. Now you are the revolutionary that can change the world. No, don’t work that way. It takes courage to be vulnerable, to say, “Yo, I need some help working through my shit ‘cuz that Empire is in me . . . so we can really build authentic revolutionary relationships that can transform the world.”
But the younger generation, they want to do better than what we did. And the level of solidarity we’re seeing in Gen Z’s pro-Palestinian support, anti-genocide is blowing my mind. I can’t remember this level of solidarity even with the anti-Vietnam War. I get a sense that they want to figure out ways how to be better with each other as they’re doing their work.
P M-G: I want to get into a little bit about what y’all think about the state of radical movements today. There’s the genocide in Gaza, there’s a major election coming up in this country . . . It’s a time of change around the world. What should we be paying attention to and doing?
A.A.: Part of my concern is security state; the state of surveillance, the continuous growth of the prison industrial complex. I think those things are still closing in on us, to the point where they have the ability to know so much about what we’re doing that it limits possibilities. But the spirit of the people is greater than man’s technology. This system is constantly trying to control the possibilities of insurrection and rebellion. We’ve still got to make this happen, but with a sense of urgency because they are determined to keep this empire going for as long as they can.
H.R.: I think it’s important to do that spiritual work and recognize that we’re all connected, intertwined. It can be really easy to project onto other people tendencies you might not like about yourself. That’s why doing that shadow work is so important. Also, globally, xenophobia is a way we separate ourselves from others and say, “Oh, but I’m not like that. My ways are better.” Getting past that illusion of superiority is important. None of us have the answer. There’s hope and uncertainty and we need to go where we’ve never been. It’s scary, but on the flip side there’s a sense of awe and mystery.
I think it’s also important to focus on infrastructure, both socially and physically. Socially, I mean, in terms of all the systems of domination that keep us in place and force us into submission with the prison industrial complex and State apparatus. I think the prison industrial complex is an expression of social infrastructure. Then there’s also the physical infrastructure and how it’s being destroyed by the neoliberal scheme to divest from it. Everything is literally falling apart. But there’s also a shift that’s taking place that’s allowing us to hone in on what really matters—how we can create systems that bring us closer together to collectively build cohesion and new infrastructure that is in line with serving life as a whole. I see people playing more with ideas around ecology. That’s what de-growth is; it’s about actually shifting the economy to value life and recognition that we don’t need to continue growing, but need to grow inward, downward, back to the earth, into society and community. That makes me feel hopeful.
We should be focusing on the Earth and climate catastrophe, while creating more points of connection because things are going to continue to unravel. The Earth is going to continue to try to shock us into making some real global changes. And that doesn’t all have to be bad. If we have systems in place that enable us to take care of each other—like mutual aid—that will allow us to pull together resources locally as things start to unravel and have better plans in place. So, connect with the people who are thinking about those things, arming and strengthening themselves with the knowledge that allows us to build out of the chaos. Do that shadow work, connect with your own source energy, and trust that it’s connected to the goodness of love and life that you were born into. Move from that place. And don’t lose heart!
A.A.: We used to talk about temporary autonomous zones. That can be any time you take a moment with other people to talk with each other and interact in ways that helps you to reconnect. Just as human beings and with the earth. You’ve got to realize that you’re not just an independent activist. In this thing here, you are connected to all that that is; from history to the future or as the Indigenous folks say, “the next seven generations.” When we talk about changing the world it’s not just the oppressive structures in the name of some revolutionary rhetoric. The change is within. We are a part of shaping culture. And culture, as a practice, is changeable. It’s always changing and that’s a beautiful thing.
source: Anarchist Studies
#anarchism #ashantiAlston #blackLiberation #blackLiberationArmy #blackPantherParty #northAmerica #us
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Good Morning!!
“The eyes of the world are upon you,” Eisenhower speaking to troops before Normandy invasion.
Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and President Biden is in France to mark the occasion. Some reports:
President Biden and key U.S. allies were in Normandy Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S.-led allied forces’ D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The brazen air and sea invasion would mark the beginning of the end of World War II, leading to the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German forces in Europe less than a year later.
Mr. Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were together to mark the most significant victory of the Western allies in the war, as well as the largest seaborne invasion in history. Mr. Biden is in France through the weekend for D-Day anniversary commemorations and plans to meet with leaders of key allies during his visit.
“Seventy-three-thousand brave Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944 and the president will greet American veterans and their family members while in France to honor their sacrifice,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the president’s trip.
Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden met WWII veterans one by one ahead of a memorial ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on Thursday, presenting each one with coins made to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. He chatted and joked with some of the men, asking about their hometowns, thanking them for their service and calling them the greatest generation ever.
The president delivered remarks later Thursday at a commemoration ceremony that was also attended by members of Congress from both parties, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi.
The Independent: D-Day – latest: Biden warns world ‘will not surrender to bullies’ as he commemorates 80th anniversary.
President Joe Biden has vowed to not “surrender to the bullies” as he praised D-Day veterans for their bravery at a commemorative event.
The US President addressed the crowd in Ver-sur-Mer, France, on the 80th anniversary of the landings as he promised the 50 countries standing with Ukraine “will not walk away”.
“Make no mistake the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine. To see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked,” he said.
“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable.”
He added: “History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom come here to Normandy to look.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. AP
Yahoo News: D-Day latest: Biden brands Putin ‘tyrant and bully’ in Normandy speech.
US President Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a ‘tyrant’ and a ‘bully’ in his D-Day commemoration speech, after hailing the ‘resolute’ Second World War troops who fought in Normandy 80 years ago today.
President Biden was among the speakers at an international gathering in northern France to commemorate the June 1944 conflict. Biden recognised the bravery of troops who stormed the beaches in Normandy, before going on to speak about the Ukraine war and how ‘the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending’.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had given France’s highest award, the Legion d’Honneur, to a number of US veterans, while the Danish prime minister said it is our generation’s “responsibility” to stand up to Vladimir Putin.
The New York Times’ Roger Cohen has a special report on D-Day with photos by Laetitia Vancon: D-Day at 80: Veterans of the pivotal battle of World War II are disappearing. Europe, facing new conflict, recalls what their comrades died for.
They were ordinary. The young men from afar who clambered ashore on June 6, 1944, into a hail of Nazi gunfire from the Normandy bluffs did not think of themselves as heroes.
No, said Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, the allied soldiers “in this great battle were ordinary,” youths who “rose to this challenge with courage and a tremendous will to win, for freedom.”
In front of the general, during a ceremony this week at Deauville on the Normandy coast, were 48 American survivors of that day, the youngest of them 98, most of them 100 years old or more. The veterans sat in wheelchairs. They saluted, briskly enough. Eight decades have gone by, many of them passed in silence because memories of the war were too terrible to relate.
When the 90th anniversary of D-Day comes around in 2034, there may be no more vets. Living memory of the beaches of their sacrifice will be no more.
“Dark clouds of war in Europe are forming,” General Williams said, as he alluded to allied determination to defend Ukraine against Russian attack. This 80th anniversary of the landings is a celebration, but a somber one. Europe is troubled and apprehensive, extremism eating at its liberal democracies.
For more than 27 months now, there has been a war on the continent that has taken hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian and Russian lives. Russia was not invited to the commemoration even though the role of the Soviet Red Army in the defeat of Hitler was critical. A decade ago, President Vladimir V. Putin attended. Now he speaks of nuclear war. It is a time of fissuring and uncertainty.
Remembering the fight against Hitler in WWII is so important today, when a criminal and conman has apparently hypnotizes a large portion of the U.S. population. We can’t allow him to end our democracy and turn Europe over to Putin.
Back in the USA, Senate Republicans showed their true colors yesterday in a vote to protect the right to contraception.
CNN: Senate GOP blocks bill to guarantee access to contraception.
Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception nationwide, as Democrats seek to highlight the issue in the run up to November’s elections.
The bill – the Right to Contraception Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to buy and use contraceptives, as well as for health care providers to provide them. It would apply to birth control pills, the plan B pill, condoms and other forms of contraception.
The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 51 to 39. Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that is unnecessary and overly broad.
GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill. Schumer switched his vote to a no at the last minute in a procedural move that will allow Democrats to bring the bill back up in the future if they want.
“This is a show vote. It’s not serious,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said. “Plus, it’s a huge overreach. It doesn’t make any exceptions for conscience. … It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal. It’s not unavailable.”
The vote is part of a larger push by Senate Democrats to draw attention to how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has affected all aspects of reproductive health – not just abortion – as the election draws closer. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the high court’s ruling.
“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote.
Democratic senators have also introduced a legislative package to establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization, which is expected to come up for a vote as soon as next week.
The Daily Beast: Biden Campaign Names and Shames Republicans Who Voted to Block Contraception Bill.
The Biden campaign posted a video on Wednesday night showing the faces of the 39 senators who voted against the legislation. (Seven Republican senators were not present for the vote.)
“These are the Trump-aligned Republicans who just blocked a bill to protect a woman’s right to contraception,” the campaign tweeted on X….
Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Senate Democrats would “put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” according to the Associated Press.
Polling has consistently shown that there is broad bipartisan support among American voters for contraception, with 92 percent of respondents telling Gallup in 2022 that birth control was “morally acceptable.”
Republicans argued that legislation to enshrine the right to contraception is unnecessary, as it remains freely accessible and available across the country….
But Schumer said in a post-vote speech that “we are kidding ourselves if we think the hard-right is satisfied with overturning Roe,” warning that birth control could be next as reproductive rights continue to be threatened.
“So, make one thing clear: today was not a ‘show vote’ – this was a show-us-who-you-are vote,” he said. “And Senate Republicans showed the American people exactly who they are.”
Recall that after the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas stated his desire to overturn the decisions that made contraception, same sex marriage, and sex between same sex partners basic rights–all based on the right to privacy.
Speaking of the right wing SCOTUS justices, last night a former clerk of Samuel Alito appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show.
HuffPost: Former Alito Law Clerk ‘Aghast’ After Seeing Jan. 6 Flag Outside His Home, Calls For Recusal.
A former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Wednesday she was shocked after learning two flags affiliated with rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were flown outside his homes, saying she believed he should recuse himself from several cases before the court.
Susan Sullivan, who worked as a clerk while Alito was a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, spoke to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell amid the controversy surrounding the flags.
“I was aghast when I saw those photographs because I’ve never known Justice Alito to be anything other than an honorable man, to be a man of integrity,” Sullivan, now a professor at Temple University, told O’Donnell. “It is irrelevant if Mrs. Alito flew it or not. The fact is that flag was there.”
“This is not an insignificant symbol,” she went on. “Irrespective of why it is there, who put it there, it shouldn’t have been there. The problem is that flag is incendiary and it cannot do anything other than raise a reasonable inference of bias.”
Alito has rejected the calls for him to recuse from January 6 related cases.
“I am confident that a reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that the events … do not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers last month. “I am therefore required to reject your request.”
Sullivan rejected that claim in the Wednesday interview and an earlier opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer, saying recusal was warranted especially because of the decision before the court.
“[It is] the symbol of these people who attacked the capitol. They support Trump unconditionally,” she said. “So if you have cases before the court that directly relates not just to the former president but to criminal cases that involve that election process…”
“The stakes have never been higher and recusal is, to me, it just defies logic that one would not recuse themselves from a case like this,” Sullivan added. “The stakes are too high.”
Why isn’t Senator Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee doing anything to rein in Alito?
Noah Berlansky at Public Notice: Dick Durbin needs to step up and do his damn job.
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a lengthy oversight hearing to badger Attorney General Merrick Garland and push the GOP’s false narrative about President Biden weaponizing the DOJ against Donald Trump.
Even though the hearing was conducted in obvious bad faith, it was in some ways successful, at least in the limited sense that Republicans grabbed a lot of headlines and forced Garland to spend a day on the defensive. Virtually every major news outlet it extensive coverage, ranging from the New York Times to MSNBC to Newsmax….
Congressional oversight hearings give Congress a chance to focus the national conversation on what members want to talk about. It gives them a chance to pressure executive branch officials to adopt congressional priorities, or to explain and potentially embarrass themselves.
In contrast, Democrats in the Senate have been bizarrely reluctant to use hearings to advance their agenda. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has refused to hold hearings to investigate egregious evidence of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas receiving gifts from far right billionaires, or to demand answers from Alito about his apparent embrace of the insurrection. Instead, he’s posting weak statements on social media meekly calling for right-wing members of the Court to do a better job policing themselves.
Republicans like Jim Jordan are ignorant about a lot of things. But they understand that the gavel is power, and they are not afraid to use it. Senate Democrats need to get over their qualms and, in this instance, behave more like their rivals across the aisle….
Hearings drive narratives. But they can do more than that. Congress has real power to pressure government officials, and hearings are a way to demonstrate and exercise that power.
Read more at Public Notice.
More odds and ends:
The Daily Beast: Hunter Biden Prosecutors Might’ve Already Lost the Jury.
The Hunter Biden trial starting in Wilmington, Delaware, is a poster-child case for potential jury nullification.
Biden, the only surviving son of President Joe Biden, is being tried for possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs or drug addict and for lying about the same on a purchase form when he bought a gun. On the surface, the prosecution—a culmination of more than a half-decade of investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss—would appear to have a slam dunk case because there is no real dispute he bought the gun, or that he had a drug addiction around the time he bought the gun.
The strict definition of jury nullification is when a jury has determined that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt—but either rejects the evidence or refuses to apply the law because the jury “wants to send a message about some social issue that is larger than the case itself, or because the result dictated by law is contrary to the jury’s sense of justice, morality, or fairness.”
Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Biden
Let’s be clear. Juries are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to convict if the evidence proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquit if it doesn’t.
But while the definition of nullification conjures up images of a jury making a social justice-inspired speech in refusing to convict, the reality is quite different because the jury does not need to make such a blatant statement. Rather, the sense that jurors may have of unfairness can be evidenced in an acquittal—despite strong evidence of guilt. (There’s also, of course, the possibility of a hung jury.)
What that means is skilled defense counsel can bring out the factors of unfairness without having to specifically ask a jury to ignore evidence or the law, while skilled prosecutors need to guard against the kind of evidence and testimony that may lead to nullification.
Thus far, the trial is revealing an outmatched prosecution, which has already blundered into a couple of minefields. Defense counsel Abbe Lowell is a seasoned high-profile defense counsel who has defended Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and got former presidential candidate John Edwards acquitted on campaign finance charges (brought by then-DOJ lawyer Jack Smith).
In the opening by the Biden defense team, Lowell focused on the requirement that the false statements on the gun ownership form had to be “knowing”—a term that Lowell claimed the prosecution tried to avoid in its opening. The utility of this defense is that it works synergistically with the effects of Biden’s admitted drug addiction affecting his decision-making abilities, as well as necessitating a deep dive into the details of his addiction and the specific timeline of when he was using crack cocaine and his efforts to get clean.
The defense appears to be setting up a defense theory that, on the specific date Biden bought the gun, he genuinely believed he was not an addict because he had just finished an 11-day rehabilitation program.
More at the link.
Alan Feuer at The New York Times: Judge Reshuffles Hearings in Trump Documents Case.
The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case abruptly changed the proceeding’s schedule on Wednesday, reshuffling the timing for hearings on an array of important legal issues.
The move by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was unlikely to have much impact on the overall trajectory of the case, but it reflected the substantial number of unresolved legal motions she is juggling. Last month, Judge Cannon scrapped the case’s trial date, saying she could not yet pick a new one because of what she described at the time as “the myriad and interconnected” questions she had still not managed to consider.
Judge Cannon kept in place a hearing she had set for June 21 to discuss a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel named to oversee the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, was illegally appointed to his job.
Similar motions have been rejected in cases involving other special counsels, including Robert S. Mueller III, who investigated connections between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and David C. Weiss, who has brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.
The most important change Judge Cannon made to the schedule in a brief order was arguably the cancellation of a three-day hearing that had been set to take place starting June 24 in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla.
The hearing was originally meant to consider whether Mr. Trump’s lawyers should be permitted access to communications between prosecutors working for Mr. Smith and officials at the National Archives and several national security agencies.
Giddy up
The lawyers want those communications to bolster their claims that Mr. Smith worked hand in glove with the Biden administration and members of the so-called deep state to bring the documents case against Mr. Trump.
Prosecutors had objected to holding the proceeding at all, telling Judge Cannon in March that no similar hearings had ever been held in the Southern District of Florida, where she sits. In her order on Wednesday, she said she would place the hearing back on her calendar at some point in the future.
Instead of that hearing, Judge Cannon said there would now be a shorter one, on June 24 and 25, to consider different topics, including any lingering discussion about Mr. Smith’s appointment.
Judge Cannon also told the defense and the prosecution to be ready to debate Mr. Trump’s motion to exclude from the case any evidence — including more than 100 classified documents — that the F.B.I. discovered in August 2022 when agents searched Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida.
The two sides will argue as well over Mr. Trump’s attempt to suppress the private audio notes that prosecutors obtained from one of his lawyers through a process that pierced the normal protections of attorney-client privilege. The notes by the lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, were central to the government’s allegations that Mr. Trump had obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim the classified materials he took to Mar-a-Lago.
Finally, the parties are expected to discuss Mr. Smith’s request to Judge Cannon to alter Mr. Trump’s conditions of release by barring him from making public statements that could endanger F.B.I. agents working on the case.
Aileen Cannon is an expert at causing unnecessary delays without triggering an appeal to the 11th Circuit. If she rules that Jack Smith was illegally appointed, that would be cause for immediate appeal, so she will probably find some way to just waste more time.
Jose Pagliery at The Daily Beast: Trial Lawyer Lost 8 Lbs Skipping Trump’s McDonald’s Courthouse Lunches.
Donald Trump’s lead lawyer says the former president’s seven-week criminal trial in New York took a physical toll—but he still managed to lose weight by skipping Trump’s notoriously unhealthy meals.
Todd Blanche appeared on a podcast, For The Defense, hosted by the attorney David Oscar Markus.
“Was it McDonald’s for lunch every single day, or did you get something else?” Markus asked.
“Oh, no-no-no,” Blanche said. “Well, first of all, I didn’t have lunch one day. I ate in the morning and at night.”
Delivery of McDonalds order for Trump’s courthouse lunch
“Look, President Trump’s team takes care of everybody. Like, everybody gets food. You know, there’s a lot of food. It’s not always McDonald’s. There’s a lot of… variety. There’s pizza, and there’s other non-healthy alternatives to McDonald’s.”
Blanche smiled, turning away from the camera and raising his eyebrows.
“Look, I loved it, because, you know, you come in from lunch, and as you know when you’re on trial, you’re trying to figure out what the heck you’re gonna stuff in your belly with the hour that you have. And we would walk in, and there would just be this, just, plethora of just food everywhere,” he said, gesturing with his hands.
The public got a peek last Thursday, when Donald Trump Jr. posted a TikTok video from what legal teams sometimes call the “war room,” where defendants strategize during breaks. The clip showed Trump Sr. sitting before a half-finished 20-ounce Diet Coca-Cola, an opened bag of Lay’s potato chips, a box of Milk Duds, a Milky Way bar, a theater-sized box of Whoppers malted milk balls, and what appeared to be four Hostess SnoBalls….
Trump’s go-to McDonald’s meal—two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate shake—was first described by close ally Corey R. Lewandowski in a 2017 book, Let Trump Be Trump.
How is it possible that Trump hasn’t had a heart attack by now?
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday.
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/06/06/thursday-reads-267/
#AlitoLawClerkSusanSullivan #ClarenceThomas #DDay80thAnniversary #DickDurbin #HunterBidenTrial #JudgeAileenCannon #JusticeSamuelAlito #Normandy #rightToContraception #SenateVoteOnBirthControl #ToddBlanche #TrumpCourthouseLunches
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Good Morning!!
“The eyes of the world are upon you,” Eisenhower speaking to troops before Normandy invasion.
Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and President Biden is in France to mark the occasion. Some reports:
President Biden and key U.S. allies were in Normandy Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S.-led allied forces’ D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The brazen air and sea invasion would mark the beginning of the end of World War II, leading to the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German forces in Europe less than a year later.
Mr. Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were together to mark the most significant victory of the Western allies in the war, as well as the largest seaborne invasion in history. Mr. Biden is in France through the weekend for D-Day anniversary commemorations and plans to meet with leaders of key allies during his visit.
“Seventy-three-thousand brave Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944 and the president will greet American veterans and their family members while in France to honor their sacrifice,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the president’s trip.
Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden met WWII veterans one by one ahead of a memorial ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on Thursday, presenting each one with coins made to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. He chatted and joked with some of the men, asking about their hometowns, thanking them for their service and calling them the greatest generation ever.
The president delivered remarks later Thursday at a commemoration ceremony that was also attended by members of Congress from both parties, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi.
The Independent: D-Day – latest: Biden warns world ‘will not surrender to bullies’ as he commemorates 80th anniversary.
President Joe Biden has vowed to not “surrender to the bullies” as he praised D-Day veterans for their bravery at a commemorative event.
The US President addressed the crowd in Ver-sur-Mer, France, on the 80th anniversary of the landings as he promised the 50 countries standing with Ukraine “will not walk away”.
“Make no mistake the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine. To see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked,” he said.
“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable.”
He added: “History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom come here to Normandy to look.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. AP
Yahoo News: D-Day latest: Biden brands Putin ‘tyrant and bully’ in Normandy speech.
US President Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a ‘tyrant’ and a ‘bully’ in his D-Day commemoration speech, after hailing the ‘resolute’ Second World War troops who fought in Normandy 80 years ago today.
President Biden was among the speakers at an international gathering in northern France to commemorate the June 1944 conflict. Biden recognised the bravery of troops who stormed the beaches in Normandy, before going on to speak about the Ukraine war and how ‘the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending’.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had given France’s highest award, the Legion d’Honneur, to a number of US veterans, while the Danish prime minister said it is our generation’s “responsibility” to stand up to Vladimir Putin.
The New York Times’ Roger Cohen has a special report on D-Day with photos by Laetitia Vancon: D-Day at 80: Veterans of the pivotal battle of World War II are disappearing. Europe, facing new conflict, recalls what their comrades died for.
They were ordinary. The young men from afar who clambered ashore on June 6, 1944, into a hail of Nazi gunfire from the Normandy bluffs did not think of themselves as heroes.
No, said Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, the allied soldiers “in this great battle were ordinary,” youths who “rose to this challenge with courage and a tremendous will to win, for freedom.”
In front of the general, during a ceremony this week at Deauville on the Normandy coast, were 48 American survivors of that day, the youngest of them 98, most of them 100 years old or more. The veterans sat in wheelchairs. They saluted, briskly enough. Eight decades have gone by, many of them passed in silence because memories of the war were too terrible to relate.
When the 90th anniversary of D-Day comes around in 2034, there may be no more vets. Living memory of the beaches of their sacrifice will be no more.
“Dark clouds of war in Europe are forming,” General Williams said, as he alluded to allied determination to defend Ukraine against Russian attack. This 80th anniversary of the landings is a celebration, but a somber one. Europe is troubled and apprehensive, extremism eating at its liberal democracies.
For more than 27 months now, there has been a war on the continent that has taken hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian and Russian lives. Russia was not invited to the commemoration even though the role of the Soviet Red Army in the defeat of Hitler was critical. A decade ago, President Vladimir V. Putin attended. Now he speaks of nuclear war. It is a time of fissuring and uncertainty.
Remembering the fight against Hitler in WWII is so important today, when a criminal and conman has apparently hypnotizes a large portion of the U.S. population. We can’t allow him to end our democracy and turn Europe over to Putin.
Back in the USA, Senate Republicans showed their true colors yesterday in a vote to protect the right to contraception.
CNN: Senate GOP blocks bill to guarantee access to contraception.
Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception nationwide, as Democrats seek to highlight the issue in the run up to November’s elections.
The bill – the Right to Contraception Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to buy and use contraceptives, as well as for health care providers to provide them. It would apply to birth control pills, the plan B pill, condoms and other forms of contraception.
The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 51 to 39. Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that is unnecessary and overly broad.
GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill. Schumer switched his vote to a no at the last minute in a procedural move that will allow Democrats to bring the bill back up in the future if they want.
“This is a show vote. It’s not serious,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said. “Plus, it’s a huge overreach. It doesn’t make any exceptions for conscience. … It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal. It’s not unavailable.”
The vote is part of a larger push by Senate Democrats to draw attention to how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has affected all aspects of reproductive health – not just abortion – as the election draws closer. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the high court’s ruling.
“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote.
Democratic senators have also introduced a legislative package to establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization, which is expected to come up for a vote as soon as next week.
The Daily Beast: Biden Campaign Names and Shames Republicans Who Voted to Block Contraception Bill.
The Biden campaign posted a video on Wednesday night showing the faces of the 39 senators who voted against the legislation. (Seven Republican senators were not present for the vote.)
“These are the Trump-aligned Republicans who just blocked a bill to protect a woman’s right to contraception,” the campaign tweeted on X….
Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Senate Democrats would “put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” according to the Associated Press.
Polling has consistently shown that there is broad bipartisan support among American voters for contraception, with 92 percent of respondents telling Gallup in 2022 that birth control was “morally acceptable.”
Republicans argued that legislation to enshrine the right to contraception is unnecessary, as it remains freely accessible and available across the country….
But Schumer said in a post-vote speech that “we are kidding ourselves if we think the hard-right is satisfied with overturning Roe,” warning that birth control could be next as reproductive rights continue to be threatened.
“So, make one thing clear: today was not a ‘show vote’ – this was a show-us-who-you-are vote,” he said. “And Senate Republicans showed the American people exactly who they are.”
Recall that after the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas stated his desire to overturn the decisions that made contraception, same sex marriage, and sex between same sex partners basic rights–all based on the right to privacy.
Speaking of the right wing SCOTUS justices, last night a former clerk of Samuel Alito appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show.
HuffPost: Former Alito Law Clerk ‘Aghast’ After Seeing Jan. 6 Flag Outside His Home, Calls For Recusal.
A former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Wednesday she was shocked after learning two flags affiliated with rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were flown outside his homes, saying she believed he should recuse himself from several cases before the court.
Susan Sullivan, who worked as a clerk while Alito was a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, spoke to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell amid the controversy surrounding the flags.
“I was aghast when I saw those photographs because I’ve never known Justice Alito to be anything other than an honorable man, to be a man of integrity,” Sullivan, now a professor at Temple University, told O’Donnell. “It is irrelevant if Mrs. Alito flew it or not. The fact is that flag was there.”
“This is not an insignificant symbol,” she went on. “Irrespective of why it is there, who put it there, it shouldn’t have been there. The problem is that flag is incendiary and it cannot do anything other than raise a reasonable inference of bias.”
Alito has rejected the calls for him to recuse from January 6 related cases.
“I am confident that a reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that the events … do not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers last month. “I am therefore required to reject your request.”
Sullivan rejected that claim in the Wednesday interview and an earlier opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer, saying recusal was warranted especially because of the decision before the court.
“[It is] the symbol of these people who attacked the capitol. They support Trump unconditionally,” she said. “So if you have cases before the court that directly relates not just to the former president but to criminal cases that involve that election process…”
“The stakes have never been higher and recusal is, to me, it just defies logic that one would not recuse themselves from a case like this,” Sullivan added. “The stakes are too high.”
Why isn’t Senator Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee doing anything to rein in Alito?
Noah Berlansky at Public Notice: Dick Durbin needs to step up and do his damn job.
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a lengthy oversight hearing to badger Attorney General Merrick Garland and push the GOP’s false narrative about President Biden weaponizing the DOJ against Donald Trump.
Even though the hearing was conducted in obvious bad faith, it was in some ways successful, at least in the limited sense that Republicans grabbed a lot of headlines and forced Garland to spend a day on the defensive. Virtually every major news outlet it extensive coverage, ranging from the New York Times to MSNBC to Newsmax….
Congressional oversight hearings give Congress a chance to focus the national conversation on what members want to talk about. It gives them a chance to pressure executive branch officials to adopt congressional priorities, or to explain and potentially embarrass themselves.
In contrast, Democrats in the Senate have been bizarrely reluctant to use hearings to advance their agenda. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has refused to hold hearings to investigate egregious evidence of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas receiving gifts from far right billionaires, or to demand answers from Alito about his apparent embrace of the insurrection. Instead, he’s posting weak statements on social media meekly calling for right-wing members of the Court to do a better job policing themselves.
Republicans like Jim Jordan are ignorant about a lot of things. But they understand that the gavel is power, and they are not afraid to use it. Senate Democrats need to get over their qualms and, in this instance, behave more like their rivals across the aisle….
Hearings drive narratives. But they can do more than that. Congress has real power to pressure government officials, and hearings are a way to demonstrate and exercise that power.
Read more at Public Notice.
More odds and ends:
The Daily Beast: Hunter Biden Prosecutors Might’ve Already Lost the Jury.
The Hunter Biden trial starting in Wilmington, Delaware, is a poster-child case for potential jury nullification.
Biden, the only surviving son of President Joe Biden, is being tried for possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs or drug addict and for lying about the same on a purchase form when he bought a gun. On the surface, the prosecution—a culmination of more than a half-decade of investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss—would appear to have a slam dunk case because there is no real dispute he bought the gun, or that he had a drug addiction around the time he bought the gun.
The strict definition of jury nullification is when a jury has determined that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt—but either rejects the evidence or refuses to apply the law because the jury “wants to send a message about some social issue that is larger than the case itself, or because the result dictated by law is contrary to the jury’s sense of justice, morality, or fairness.”
Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Biden
Let’s be clear. Juries are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to convict if the evidence proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquit if it doesn’t.
But while the definition of nullification conjures up images of a jury making a social justice-inspired speech in refusing to convict, the reality is quite different because the jury does not need to make such a blatant statement. Rather, the sense that jurors may have of unfairness can be evidenced in an acquittal—despite strong evidence of guilt. (There’s also, of course, the possibility of a hung jury.)
What that means is skilled defense counsel can bring out the factors of unfairness without having to specifically ask a jury to ignore evidence or the law, while skilled prosecutors need to guard against the kind of evidence and testimony that may lead to nullification.
Thus far, the trial is revealing an outmatched prosecution, which has already blundered into a couple of minefields. Defense counsel Abbe Lowell is a seasoned high-profile defense counsel who has defended Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and got former presidential candidate John Edwards acquitted on campaign finance charges (brought by then-DOJ lawyer Jack Smith).
In the opening by the Biden defense team, Lowell focused on the requirement that the false statements on the gun ownership form had to be “knowing”—a term that Lowell claimed the prosecution tried to avoid in its opening. The utility of this defense is that it works synergistically with the effects of Biden’s admitted drug addiction affecting his decision-making abilities, as well as necessitating a deep dive into the details of his addiction and the specific timeline of when he was using crack cocaine and his efforts to get clean.
The defense appears to be setting up a defense theory that, on the specific date Biden bought the gun, he genuinely believed he was not an addict because he had just finished an 11-day rehabilitation program.
More at the link.
Alan Feuer at The New York Times: Judge Reshuffles Hearings in Trump Documents Case.
The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case abruptly changed the proceeding’s schedule on Wednesday, reshuffling the timing for hearings on an array of important legal issues.
The move by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was unlikely to have much impact on the overall trajectory of the case, but it reflected the substantial number of unresolved legal motions she is juggling. Last month, Judge Cannon scrapped the case’s trial date, saying she could not yet pick a new one because of what she described at the time as “the myriad and interconnected” questions she had still not managed to consider.
Judge Cannon kept in place a hearing she had set for June 21 to discuss a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel named to oversee the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, was illegally appointed to his job.
Similar motions have been rejected in cases involving other special counsels, including Robert S. Mueller III, who investigated connections between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and David C. Weiss, who has brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.
The most important change Judge Cannon made to the schedule in a brief order was arguably the cancellation of a three-day hearing that had been set to take place starting June 24 in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla.
The hearing was originally meant to consider whether Mr. Trump’s lawyers should be permitted access to communications between prosecutors working for Mr. Smith and officials at the National Archives and several national security agencies.
Giddy up
The lawyers want those communications to bolster their claims that Mr. Smith worked hand in glove with the Biden administration and members of the so-called deep state to bring the documents case against Mr. Trump.
Prosecutors had objected to holding the proceeding at all, telling Judge Cannon in March that no similar hearings had ever been held in the Southern District of Florida, where she sits. In her order on Wednesday, she said she would place the hearing back on her calendar at some point in the future.
Instead of that hearing, Judge Cannon said there would now be a shorter one, on June 24 and 25, to consider different topics, including any lingering discussion about Mr. Smith’s appointment.
Judge Cannon also told the defense and the prosecution to be ready to debate Mr. Trump’s motion to exclude from the case any evidence — including more than 100 classified documents — that the F.B.I. discovered in August 2022 when agents searched Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida.
The two sides will argue as well over Mr. Trump’s attempt to suppress the private audio notes that prosecutors obtained from one of his lawyers through a process that pierced the normal protections of attorney-client privilege. The notes by the lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, were central to the government’s allegations that Mr. Trump had obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim the classified materials he took to Mar-a-Lago.
Finally, the parties are expected to discuss Mr. Smith’s request to Judge Cannon to alter Mr. Trump’s conditions of release by barring him from making public statements that could endanger F.B.I. agents working on the case.
Aileen Cannon is an expert at causing unnecessary delays without triggering an appeal to the 11th Circuit. If she rules that Jack Smith was illegally appointed, that would be cause for immediate appeal, so she will probably find some way to just waste more time.
Jose Pagliery at The Daily Beast: Trial Lawyer Lost 8 Lbs Skipping Trump’s McDonald’s Courthouse Lunches.
Donald Trump’s lead lawyer says the former president’s seven-week criminal trial in New York took a physical toll—but he still managed to lose weight by skipping Trump’s notoriously unhealthy meals.
Todd Blanche appeared on a podcast, For The Defense, hosted by the attorney David Oscar Markus.
“Was it McDonald’s for lunch every single day, or did you get something else?” Markus asked.
“Oh, no-no-no,” Blanche said. “Well, first of all, I didn’t have lunch one day. I ate in the morning and at night.”
Delivery of McDonalds order for Trump’s courthouse lunch
“Look, President Trump’s team takes care of everybody. Like, everybody gets food. You know, there’s a lot of food. It’s not always McDonald’s. There’s a lot of… variety. There’s pizza, and there’s other non-healthy alternatives to McDonald’s.”
Blanche smiled, turning away from the camera and raising his eyebrows.
“Look, I loved it, because, you know, you come in from lunch, and as you know when you’re on trial, you’re trying to figure out what the heck you’re gonna stuff in your belly with the hour that you have. And we would walk in, and there would just be this, just, plethora of just food everywhere,” he said, gesturing with his hands.
The public got a peek last Thursday, when Donald Trump Jr. posted a TikTok video from what legal teams sometimes call the “war room,” where defendants strategize during breaks. The clip showed Trump Sr. sitting before a half-finished 20-ounce Diet Coca-Cola, an opened bag of Lay’s potato chips, a box of Milk Duds, a Milky Way bar, a theater-sized box of Whoppers malted milk balls, and what appeared to be four Hostess SnoBalls….
Trump’s go-to McDonald’s meal—two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate shake—was first described by close ally Corey R. Lewandowski in a 2017 book, Let Trump Be Trump.
How is it possible that Trump hasn’t had a heart attack by now?
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday.
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/06/06/thursday-reads-267/
#AlitoLawClerkSusanSullivan #ClarenceThomas #DDay80thAnniversary #DickDurbin #HunterBidenTrial #JudgeAileenCannon #JusticeSamuelAlito #Normandy #rightToContraception #SenateVoteOnBirthControl #ToddBlanche #TrumpCourthouseLunches
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Good Morning!!
“The eyes of the world are upon you,” Eisenhower speaking to troops before Normandy invasion.
Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and President Biden is in France to mark the occasion. Some reports:
President Biden and key U.S. allies were in Normandy Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S.-led allied forces’ D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The brazen air and sea invasion would mark the beginning of the end of World War II, leading to the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German forces in Europe less than a year later.
Mr. Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were together to mark the most significant victory of the Western allies in the war, as well as the largest seaborne invasion in history. Mr. Biden is in France through the weekend for D-Day anniversary commemorations and plans to meet with leaders of key allies during his visit.
“Seventy-three-thousand brave Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944 and the president will greet American veterans and their family members while in France to honor their sacrifice,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the president’s trip.
Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden met WWII veterans one by one ahead of a memorial ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on Thursday, presenting each one with coins made to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. He chatted and joked with some of the men, asking about their hometowns, thanking them for their service and calling them the greatest generation ever.
The president delivered remarks later Thursday at a commemoration ceremony that was also attended by members of Congress from both parties, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi.
The Independent: D-Day – latest: Biden warns world ‘will not surrender to bullies’ as he commemorates 80th anniversary.
President Joe Biden has vowed to not “surrender to the bullies” as he praised D-Day veterans for their bravery at a commemorative event.
The US President addressed the crowd in Ver-sur-Mer, France, on the 80th anniversary of the landings as he promised the 50 countries standing with Ukraine “will not walk away”.
“Make no mistake the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine. To see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked,” he said.
“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable.”
He added: “History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom come here to Normandy to look.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. AP
Yahoo News: D-Day latest: Biden brands Putin ‘tyrant and bully’ in Normandy speech.
US President Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a ‘tyrant’ and a ‘bully’ in his D-Day commemoration speech, after hailing the ‘resolute’ Second World War troops who fought in Normandy 80 years ago today.
President Biden was among the speakers at an international gathering in northern France to commemorate the June 1944 conflict. Biden recognised the bravery of troops who stormed the beaches in Normandy, before going on to speak about the Ukraine war and how ‘the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending’.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had given France’s highest award, the Legion d’Honneur, to a number of US veterans, while the Danish prime minister said it is our generation’s “responsibility” to stand up to Vladimir Putin.
The New York Times’ Roger Cohen has a special report on D-Day with photos by Laetitia Vancon: D-Day at 80: Veterans of the pivotal battle of World War II are disappearing. Europe, facing new conflict, recalls what their comrades died for.
They were ordinary. The young men from afar who clambered ashore on June 6, 1944, into a hail of Nazi gunfire from the Normandy bluffs did not think of themselves as heroes.
No, said Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, the allied soldiers “in this great battle were ordinary,” youths who “rose to this challenge with courage and a tremendous will to win, for freedom.”
In front of the general, during a ceremony this week at Deauville on the Normandy coast, were 48 American survivors of that day, the youngest of them 98, most of them 100 years old or more. The veterans sat in wheelchairs. They saluted, briskly enough. Eight decades have gone by, many of them passed in silence because memories of the war were too terrible to relate.
When the 90th anniversary of D-Day comes around in 2034, there may be no more vets. Living memory of the beaches of their sacrifice will be no more.
“Dark clouds of war in Europe are forming,” General Williams said, as he alluded to allied determination to defend Ukraine against Russian attack. This 80th anniversary of the landings is a celebration, but a somber one. Europe is troubled and apprehensive, extremism eating at its liberal democracies.
For more than 27 months now, there has been a war on the continent that has taken hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian and Russian lives. Russia was not invited to the commemoration even though the role of the Soviet Red Army in the defeat of Hitler was critical. A decade ago, President Vladimir V. Putin attended. Now he speaks of nuclear war. It is a time of fissuring and uncertainty.
Remembering the fight against Hitler in WWII is so important today, when a criminal and conman has apparently hypnotizes a large portion of the U.S. population. We can’t allow him to end our democracy and turn Europe over to Putin.
Back in the USA, Senate Republicans showed their true colors yesterday in a vote to protect the right to contraception.
CNN: Senate GOP blocks bill to guarantee access to contraception.
Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception nationwide, as Democrats seek to highlight the issue in the run up to November’s elections.
The bill – the Right to Contraception Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to buy and use contraceptives, as well as for health care providers to provide them. It would apply to birth control pills, the plan B pill, condoms and other forms of contraception.
The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 51 to 39. Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that is unnecessary and overly broad.
GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill. Schumer switched his vote to a no at the last minute in a procedural move that will allow Democrats to bring the bill back up in the future if they want.
“This is a show vote. It’s not serious,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said. “Plus, it’s a huge overreach. It doesn’t make any exceptions for conscience. … It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal. It’s not unavailable.”
The vote is part of a larger push by Senate Democrats to draw attention to how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has affected all aspects of reproductive health – not just abortion – as the election draws closer. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the high court’s ruling.
“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote.
Democratic senators have also introduced a legislative package to establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization, which is expected to come up for a vote as soon as next week.
The Daily Beast: Biden Campaign Names and Shames Republicans Who Voted to Block Contraception Bill.
The Biden campaign posted a video on Wednesday night showing the faces of the 39 senators who voted against the legislation. (Seven Republican senators were not present for the vote.)
“These are the Trump-aligned Republicans who just blocked a bill to protect a woman’s right to contraception,” the campaign tweeted on X….
Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Senate Democrats would “put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” according to the Associated Press.
Polling has consistently shown that there is broad bipartisan support among American voters for contraception, with 92 percent of respondents telling Gallup in 2022 that birth control was “morally acceptable.”
Republicans argued that legislation to enshrine the right to contraception is unnecessary, as it remains freely accessible and available across the country….
But Schumer said in a post-vote speech that “we are kidding ourselves if we think the hard-right is satisfied with overturning Roe,” warning that birth control could be next as reproductive rights continue to be threatened.
“So, make one thing clear: today was not a ‘show vote’ – this was a show-us-who-you-are vote,” he said. “And Senate Republicans showed the American people exactly who they are.”
Recall that after the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas stated his desire to overturn the decisions that made contraception, same sex marriage, and sex between same sex partners basic rights–all based on the right to privacy.
Speaking of the right wing SCOTUS justices, last night a former clerk of Samuel Alito appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show.
HuffPost: Former Alito Law Clerk ‘Aghast’ After Seeing Jan. 6 Flag Outside His Home, Calls For Recusal.
A former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Wednesday she was shocked after learning two flags affiliated with rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were flown outside his homes, saying she believed he should recuse himself from several cases before the court.
Susan Sullivan, who worked as a clerk while Alito was a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, spoke to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell amid the controversy surrounding the flags.
“I was aghast when I saw those photographs because I’ve never known Justice Alito to be anything other than an honorable man, to be a man of integrity,” Sullivan, now a professor at Temple University, told O’Donnell. “It is irrelevant if Mrs. Alito flew it or not. The fact is that flag was there.”
“This is not an insignificant symbol,” she went on. “Irrespective of why it is there, who put it there, it shouldn’t have been there. The problem is that flag is incendiary and it cannot do anything other than raise a reasonable inference of bias.”
Alito has rejected the calls for him to recuse from January 6 related cases.
“I am confident that a reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that the events … do not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers last month. “I am therefore required to reject your request.”
Sullivan rejected that claim in the Wednesday interview and an earlier opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer, saying recusal was warranted especially because of the decision before the court.
“[It is] the symbol of these people who attacked the capitol. They support Trump unconditionally,” she said. “So if you have cases before the court that directly relates not just to the former president but to criminal cases that involve that election process…”
“The stakes have never been higher and recusal is, to me, it just defies logic that one would not recuse themselves from a case like this,” Sullivan added. “The stakes are too high.”
Why isn’t Senator Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee doing anything to rein in Alito?
Noah Berlansky at Public Notice: Dick Durbin needs to step up and do his damn job.
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a lengthy oversight hearing to badger Attorney General Merrick Garland and push the GOP’s false narrative about President Biden weaponizing the DOJ against Donald Trump.
Even though the hearing was conducted in obvious bad faith, it was in some ways successful, at least in the limited sense that Republicans grabbed a lot of headlines and forced Garland to spend a day on the defensive. Virtually every major news outlet it extensive coverage, ranging from the New York Times to MSNBC to Newsmax….
Congressional oversight hearings give Congress a chance to focus the national conversation on what members want to talk about. It gives them a chance to pressure executive branch officials to adopt congressional priorities, or to explain and potentially embarrass themselves.
In contrast, Democrats in the Senate have been bizarrely reluctant to use hearings to advance their agenda. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has refused to hold hearings to investigate egregious evidence of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas receiving gifts from far right billionaires, or to demand answers from Alito about his apparent embrace of the insurrection. Instead, he’s posting weak statements on social media meekly calling for right-wing members of the Court to do a better job policing themselves.
Republicans like Jim Jordan are ignorant about a lot of things. But they understand that the gavel is power, and they are not afraid to use it. Senate Democrats need to get over their qualms and, in this instance, behave more like their rivals across the aisle….
Hearings drive narratives. But they can do more than that. Congress has real power to pressure government officials, and hearings are a way to demonstrate and exercise that power.
Read more at Public Notice.
More odds and ends:
The Daily Beast: Hunter Biden Prosecutors Might’ve Already Lost the Jury.
The Hunter Biden trial starting in Wilmington, Delaware, is a poster-child case for potential jury nullification.
Biden, the only surviving son of President Joe Biden, is being tried for possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs or drug addict and for lying about the same on a purchase form when he bought a gun. On the surface, the prosecution—a culmination of more than a half-decade of investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss—would appear to have a slam dunk case because there is no real dispute he bought the gun, or that he had a drug addiction around the time he bought the gun.
The strict definition of jury nullification is when a jury has determined that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt—but either rejects the evidence or refuses to apply the law because the jury “wants to send a message about some social issue that is larger than the case itself, or because the result dictated by law is contrary to the jury’s sense of justice, morality, or fairness.”
Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Biden
Let’s be clear. Juries are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to convict if the evidence proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquit if it doesn’t.
But while the definition of nullification conjures up images of a jury making a social justice-inspired speech in refusing to convict, the reality is quite different because the jury does not need to make such a blatant statement. Rather, the sense that jurors may have of unfairness can be evidenced in an acquittal—despite strong evidence of guilt. (There’s also, of course, the possibility of a hung jury.)
What that means is skilled defense counsel can bring out the factors of unfairness without having to specifically ask a jury to ignore evidence or the law, while skilled prosecutors need to guard against the kind of evidence and testimony that may lead to nullification.
Thus far, the trial is revealing an outmatched prosecution, which has already blundered into a couple of minefields. Defense counsel Abbe Lowell is a seasoned high-profile defense counsel who has defended Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and got former presidential candidate John Edwards acquitted on campaign finance charges (brought by then-DOJ lawyer Jack Smith).
In the opening by the Biden defense team, Lowell focused on the requirement that the false statements on the gun ownership form had to be “knowing”—a term that Lowell claimed the prosecution tried to avoid in its opening. The utility of this defense is that it works synergistically with the effects of Biden’s admitted drug addiction affecting his decision-making abilities, as well as necessitating a deep dive into the details of his addiction and the specific timeline of when he was using crack cocaine and his efforts to get clean.
The defense appears to be setting up a defense theory that, on the specific date Biden bought the gun, he genuinely believed he was not an addict because he had just finished an 11-day rehabilitation program.
More at the link.
Alan Feuer at The New York Times: Judge Reshuffles Hearings in Trump Documents Case.
The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case abruptly changed the proceeding’s schedule on Wednesday, reshuffling the timing for hearings on an array of important legal issues.
The move by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was unlikely to have much impact on the overall trajectory of the case, but it reflected the substantial number of unresolved legal motions she is juggling. Last month, Judge Cannon scrapped the case’s trial date, saying she could not yet pick a new one because of what she described at the time as “the myriad and interconnected” questions she had still not managed to consider.
Judge Cannon kept in place a hearing she had set for June 21 to discuss a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel named to oversee the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, was illegally appointed to his job.
Similar motions have been rejected in cases involving other special counsels, including Robert S. Mueller III, who investigated connections between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and David C. Weiss, who has brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.
The most important change Judge Cannon made to the schedule in a brief order was arguably the cancellation of a three-day hearing that had been set to take place starting June 24 in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla.
The hearing was originally meant to consider whether Mr. Trump’s lawyers should be permitted access to communications between prosecutors working for Mr. Smith and officials at the National Archives and several national security agencies.
Giddy up
The lawyers want those communications to bolster their claims that Mr. Smith worked hand in glove with the Biden administration and members of the so-called deep state to bring the documents case against Mr. Trump.
Prosecutors had objected to holding the proceeding at all, telling Judge Cannon in March that no similar hearings had ever been held in the Southern District of Florida, where she sits. In her order on Wednesday, she said she would place the hearing back on her calendar at some point in the future.
Instead of that hearing, Judge Cannon said there would now be a shorter one, on June 24 and 25, to consider different topics, including any lingering discussion about Mr. Smith’s appointment.
Judge Cannon also told the defense and the prosecution to be ready to debate Mr. Trump’s motion to exclude from the case any evidence — including more than 100 classified documents — that the F.B.I. discovered in August 2022 when agents searched Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida.
The two sides will argue as well over Mr. Trump’s attempt to suppress the private audio notes that prosecutors obtained from one of his lawyers through a process that pierced the normal protections of attorney-client privilege. The notes by the lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, were central to the government’s allegations that Mr. Trump had obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim the classified materials he took to Mar-a-Lago.
Finally, the parties are expected to discuss Mr. Smith’s request to Judge Cannon to alter Mr. Trump’s conditions of release by barring him from making public statements that could endanger F.B.I. agents working on the case.
Aileen Cannon is an expert at causing unnecessary delays without triggering an appeal to the 11th Circuit. If she rules that Jack Smith was illegally appointed, that would be cause for immediate appeal, so she will probably find some way to just waste more time.
Jose Pagliery at The Daily Beast: Trial Lawyer Lost 8 Lbs Skipping Trump’s McDonald’s Courthouse Lunches.
Donald Trump’s lead lawyer says the former president’s seven-week criminal trial in New York took a physical toll—but he still managed to lose weight by skipping Trump’s notoriously unhealthy meals.
Todd Blanche appeared on a podcast, For The Defense, hosted by the attorney David Oscar Markus.
“Was it McDonald’s for lunch every single day, or did you get something else?” Markus asked.
“Oh, no-no-no,” Blanche said. “Well, first of all, I didn’t have lunch one day. I ate in the morning and at night.”
Delivery of McDonalds order for Trump’s courthouse lunch
“Look, President Trump’s team takes care of everybody. Like, everybody gets food. You know, there’s a lot of food. It’s not always McDonald’s. There’s a lot of… variety. There’s pizza, and there’s other non-healthy alternatives to McDonald’s.”
Blanche smiled, turning away from the camera and raising his eyebrows.
“Look, I loved it, because, you know, you come in from lunch, and as you know when you’re on trial, you’re trying to figure out what the heck you’re gonna stuff in your belly with the hour that you have. And we would walk in, and there would just be this, just, plethora of just food everywhere,” he said, gesturing with his hands.
The public got a peek last Thursday, when Donald Trump Jr. posted a TikTok video from what legal teams sometimes call the “war room,” where defendants strategize during breaks. The clip showed Trump Sr. sitting before a half-finished 20-ounce Diet Coca-Cola, an opened bag of Lay’s potato chips, a box of Milk Duds, a Milky Way bar, a theater-sized box of Whoppers malted milk balls, and what appeared to be four Hostess SnoBalls….
Trump’s go-to McDonald’s meal—two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate shake—was first described by close ally Corey R. Lewandowski in a 2017 book, Let Trump Be Trump.
How is it possible that Trump hasn’t had a heart attack by now?
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday.
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/06/06/thursday-reads-267/
#AlitoLawClerkSusanSullivan #ClarenceThomas #DDay80thAnniversary #DickDurbin #HunterBidenTrial #JudgeAileenCannon #JusticeSamuelAlito #Normandy #rightToContraception #SenateVoteOnBirthControl #ToddBlanche #TrumpCourthouseLunches
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Good Morning!!
“The eyes of the world are upon you,” Eisenhower speaking to troops before Normandy invasion.
Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and President Biden is in France to mark the occasion. Some reports:
President Biden and key U.S. allies were in Normandy Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S.-led allied forces’ D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The brazen air and sea invasion would mark the beginning of the end of World War II, leading to the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German forces in Europe less than a year later.
Mr. Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were together to mark the most significant victory of the Western allies in the war, as well as the largest seaborne invasion in history. Mr. Biden is in France through the weekend for D-Day anniversary commemorations and plans to meet with leaders of key allies during his visit.
“Seventy-three-thousand brave Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944 and the president will greet American veterans and their family members while in France to honor their sacrifice,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the president’s trip.
Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden met WWII veterans one by one ahead of a memorial ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on Thursday, presenting each one with coins made to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. He chatted and joked with some of the men, asking about their hometowns, thanking them for their service and calling them the greatest generation ever.
The president delivered remarks later Thursday at a commemoration ceremony that was also attended by members of Congress from both parties, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi.
The Independent: D-Day – latest: Biden warns world ‘will not surrender to bullies’ as he commemorates 80th anniversary.
President Joe Biden has vowed to not “surrender to the bullies” as he praised D-Day veterans for their bravery at a commemorative event.
The US President addressed the crowd in Ver-sur-Mer, France, on the 80th anniversary of the landings as he promised the 50 countries standing with Ukraine “will not walk away”.
“Make no mistake the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine. To see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked,” he said.
“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable.”
He added: “History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom come here to Normandy to look.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. AP
Yahoo News: D-Day latest: Biden brands Putin ‘tyrant and bully’ in Normandy speech.
US President Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a ‘tyrant’ and a ‘bully’ in his D-Day commemoration speech, after hailing the ‘resolute’ Second World War troops who fought in Normandy 80 years ago today.
President Biden was among the speakers at an international gathering in northern France to commemorate the June 1944 conflict. Biden recognised the bravery of troops who stormed the beaches in Normandy, before going on to speak about the Ukraine war and how ‘the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending’.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had given France’s highest award, the Legion d’Honneur, to a number of US veterans, while the Danish prime minister said it is our generation’s “responsibility” to stand up to Vladimir Putin.
The New York Times’ Roger Cohen has a special report on D-Day with photos by Laetitia Vancon: D-Day at 80: Veterans of the pivotal battle of World War II are disappearing. Europe, facing new conflict, recalls what their comrades died for.
They were ordinary. The young men from afar who clambered ashore on June 6, 1944, into a hail of Nazi gunfire from the Normandy bluffs did not think of themselves as heroes.
No, said Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, the allied soldiers “in this great battle were ordinary,” youths who “rose to this challenge with courage and a tremendous will to win, for freedom.”
In front of the general, during a ceremony this week at Deauville on the Normandy coast, were 48 American survivors of that day, the youngest of them 98, most of them 100 years old or more. The veterans sat in wheelchairs. They saluted, briskly enough. Eight decades have gone by, many of them passed in silence because memories of the war were too terrible to relate.
When the 90th anniversary of D-Day comes around in 2034, there may be no more vets. Living memory of the beaches of their sacrifice will be no more.
“Dark clouds of war in Europe are forming,” General Williams said, as he alluded to allied determination to defend Ukraine against Russian attack. This 80th anniversary of the landings is a celebration, but a somber one. Europe is troubled and apprehensive, extremism eating at its liberal democracies.
For more than 27 months now, there has been a war on the continent that has taken hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian and Russian lives. Russia was not invited to the commemoration even though the role of the Soviet Red Army in the defeat of Hitler was critical. A decade ago, President Vladimir V. Putin attended. Now he speaks of nuclear war. It is a time of fissuring and uncertainty.
Remembering the fight against Hitler in WWII is so important today, when a criminal and conman has apparently hypnotizes a large portion of the U.S. population. We can’t allow him to end our democracy and turn Europe over to Putin.
Back in the USA, Senate Republicans showed their true colors yesterday in a vote to protect the right to contraception.
CNN: Senate GOP blocks bill to guarantee access to contraception.
Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception nationwide, as Democrats seek to highlight the issue in the run up to November’s elections.
The bill – the Right to Contraception Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to buy and use contraceptives, as well as for health care providers to provide them. It would apply to birth control pills, the plan B pill, condoms and other forms of contraception.
The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 51 to 39. Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that is unnecessary and overly broad.
GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill. Schumer switched his vote to a no at the last minute in a procedural move that will allow Democrats to bring the bill back up in the future if they want.
“This is a show vote. It’s not serious,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said. “Plus, it’s a huge overreach. It doesn’t make any exceptions for conscience. … It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal. It’s not unavailable.”
The vote is part of a larger push by Senate Democrats to draw attention to how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has affected all aspects of reproductive health – not just abortion – as the election draws closer. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the high court’s ruling.
“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote.
Democratic senators have also introduced a legislative package to establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization, which is expected to come up for a vote as soon as next week.
The Daily Beast: Biden Campaign Names and Shames Republicans Who Voted to Block Contraception Bill.
The Biden campaign posted a video on Wednesday night showing the faces of the 39 senators who voted against the legislation. (Seven Republican senators were not present for the vote.)
“These are the Trump-aligned Republicans who just blocked a bill to protect a woman’s right to contraception,” the campaign tweeted on X….
Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Senate Democrats would “put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” according to the Associated Press.
Polling has consistently shown that there is broad bipartisan support among American voters for contraception, with 92 percent of respondents telling Gallup in 2022 that birth control was “morally acceptable.”
Republicans argued that legislation to enshrine the right to contraception is unnecessary, as it remains freely accessible and available across the country….
But Schumer said in a post-vote speech that “we are kidding ourselves if we think the hard-right is satisfied with overturning Roe,” warning that birth control could be next as reproductive rights continue to be threatened.
“So, make one thing clear: today was not a ‘show vote’ – this was a show-us-who-you-are vote,” he said. “And Senate Republicans showed the American people exactly who they are.”
Recall that after the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas stated his desire to overturn the decisions that made contraception, same sex marriage, and sex between same sex partners basic rights–all based on the right to privacy.
Speaking of the right wing SCOTUS justices, last night a former clerk of Samuel Alito appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show.
HuffPost: Former Alito Law Clerk ‘Aghast’ After Seeing Jan. 6 Flag Outside His Home, Calls For Recusal.
A former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Wednesday she was shocked after learning two flags affiliated with rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were flown outside his homes, saying she believed he should recuse himself from several cases before the court.
Susan Sullivan, who worked as a clerk while Alito was a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, spoke to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell amid the controversy surrounding the flags.
“I was aghast when I saw those photographs because I’ve never known Justice Alito to be anything other than an honorable man, to be a man of integrity,” Sullivan, now a professor at Temple University, told O’Donnell. “It is irrelevant if Mrs. Alito flew it or not. The fact is that flag was there.”
“This is not an insignificant symbol,” she went on. “Irrespective of why it is there, who put it there, it shouldn’t have been there. The problem is that flag is incendiary and it cannot do anything other than raise a reasonable inference of bias.”
Alito has rejected the calls for him to recuse from January 6 related cases.
“I am confident that a reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that the events … do not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers last month. “I am therefore required to reject your request.”
Sullivan rejected that claim in the Wednesday interview and an earlier opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer, saying recusal was warranted especially because of the decision before the court.
“[It is] the symbol of these people who attacked the capitol. They support Trump unconditionally,” she said. “So if you have cases before the court that directly relates not just to the former president but to criminal cases that involve that election process…”
“The stakes have never been higher and recusal is, to me, it just defies logic that one would not recuse themselves from a case like this,” Sullivan added. “The stakes are too high.”
Why isn’t Senator Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee doing anything to rein in Alito?
Noah Berlansky at Public Notice: Dick Durbin needs to step up and do his damn job.
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a lengthy oversight hearing to badger Attorney General Merrick Garland and push the GOP’s false narrative about President Biden weaponizing the DOJ against Donald Trump.
Even though the hearing was conducted in obvious bad faith, it was in some ways successful, at least in the limited sense that Republicans grabbed a lot of headlines and forced Garland to spend a day on the defensive. Virtually every major news outlet it extensive coverage, ranging from the New York Times to MSNBC to Newsmax….
Congressional oversight hearings give Congress a chance to focus the national conversation on what members want to talk about. It gives them a chance to pressure executive branch officials to adopt congressional priorities, or to explain and potentially embarrass themselves.
In contrast, Democrats in the Senate have been bizarrely reluctant to use hearings to advance their agenda. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has refused to hold hearings to investigate egregious evidence of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas receiving gifts from far right billionaires, or to demand answers from Alito about his apparent embrace of the insurrection. Instead, he’s posting weak statements on social media meekly calling for right-wing members of the Court to do a better job policing themselves.
Republicans like Jim Jordan are ignorant about a lot of things. But they understand that the gavel is power, and they are not afraid to use it. Senate Democrats need to get over their qualms and, in this instance, behave more like their rivals across the aisle….
Hearings drive narratives. But they can do more than that. Congress has real power to pressure government officials, and hearings are a way to demonstrate and exercise that power.
Read more at Public Notice.
More odds and ends:
The Daily Beast: Hunter Biden Prosecutors Might’ve Already Lost the Jury.
The Hunter Biden trial starting in Wilmington, Delaware, is a poster-child case for potential jury nullification.
Biden, the only surviving son of President Joe Biden, is being tried for possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs or drug addict and for lying about the same on a purchase form when he bought a gun. On the surface, the prosecution—a culmination of more than a half-decade of investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss—would appear to have a slam dunk case because there is no real dispute he bought the gun, or that he had a drug addiction around the time he bought the gun.
The strict definition of jury nullification is when a jury has determined that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt—but either rejects the evidence or refuses to apply the law because the jury “wants to send a message about some social issue that is larger than the case itself, or because the result dictated by law is contrary to the jury’s sense of justice, morality, or fairness.”
Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Biden
Let’s be clear. Juries are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to convict if the evidence proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquit if it doesn’t.
But while the definition of nullification conjures up images of a jury making a social justice-inspired speech in refusing to convict, the reality is quite different because the jury does not need to make such a blatant statement. Rather, the sense that jurors may have of unfairness can be evidenced in an acquittal—despite strong evidence of guilt. (There’s also, of course, the possibility of a hung jury.)
What that means is skilled defense counsel can bring out the factors of unfairness without having to specifically ask a jury to ignore evidence or the law, while skilled prosecutors need to guard against the kind of evidence and testimony that may lead to nullification.
Thus far, the trial is revealing an outmatched prosecution, which has already blundered into a couple of minefields. Defense counsel Abbe Lowell is a seasoned high-profile defense counsel who has defended Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and got former presidential candidate John Edwards acquitted on campaign finance charges (brought by then-DOJ lawyer Jack Smith).
In the opening by the Biden defense team, Lowell focused on the requirement that the false statements on the gun ownership form had to be “knowing”—a term that Lowell claimed the prosecution tried to avoid in its opening. The utility of this defense is that it works synergistically with the effects of Biden’s admitted drug addiction affecting his decision-making abilities, as well as necessitating a deep dive into the details of his addiction and the specific timeline of when he was using crack cocaine and his efforts to get clean.
The defense appears to be setting up a defense theory that, on the specific date Biden bought the gun, he genuinely believed he was not an addict because he had just finished an 11-day rehabilitation program.
More at the link.
Alan Feuer at The New York Times: Judge Reshuffles Hearings in Trump Documents Case.
The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case abruptly changed the proceeding’s schedule on Wednesday, reshuffling the timing for hearings on an array of important legal issues.
The move by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was unlikely to have much impact on the overall trajectory of the case, but it reflected the substantial number of unresolved legal motions she is juggling. Last month, Judge Cannon scrapped the case’s trial date, saying she could not yet pick a new one because of what she described at the time as “the myriad and interconnected” questions she had still not managed to consider.
Judge Cannon kept in place a hearing she had set for June 21 to discuss a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel named to oversee the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, was illegally appointed to his job.
Similar motions have been rejected in cases involving other special counsels, including Robert S. Mueller III, who investigated connections between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and David C. Weiss, who has brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.
The most important change Judge Cannon made to the schedule in a brief order was arguably the cancellation of a three-day hearing that had been set to take place starting June 24 in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla.
The hearing was originally meant to consider whether Mr. Trump’s lawyers should be permitted access to communications between prosecutors working for Mr. Smith and officials at the National Archives and several national security agencies.
Giddy up
The lawyers want those communications to bolster their claims that Mr. Smith worked hand in glove with the Biden administration and members of the so-called deep state to bring the documents case against Mr. Trump.
Prosecutors had objected to holding the proceeding at all, telling Judge Cannon in March that no similar hearings had ever been held in the Southern District of Florida, where she sits. In her order on Wednesday, she said she would place the hearing back on her calendar at some point in the future.
Instead of that hearing, Judge Cannon said there would now be a shorter one, on June 24 and 25, to consider different topics, including any lingering discussion about Mr. Smith’s appointment.
Judge Cannon also told the defense and the prosecution to be ready to debate Mr. Trump’s motion to exclude from the case any evidence — including more than 100 classified documents — that the F.B.I. discovered in August 2022 when agents searched Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida.
The two sides will argue as well over Mr. Trump’s attempt to suppress the private audio notes that prosecutors obtained from one of his lawyers through a process that pierced the normal protections of attorney-client privilege. The notes by the lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, were central to the government’s allegations that Mr. Trump had obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim the classified materials he took to Mar-a-Lago.
Finally, the parties are expected to discuss Mr. Smith’s request to Judge Cannon to alter Mr. Trump’s conditions of release by barring him from making public statements that could endanger F.B.I. agents working on the case.
Aileen Cannon is an expert at causing unnecessary delays without triggering an appeal to the 11th Circuit. If she rules that Jack Smith was illegally appointed, that would be cause for immediate appeal, so she will probably find some way to just waste more time.
Jose Pagliery at The Daily Beast: Trial Lawyer Lost 8 Lbs Skipping Trump’s McDonald’s Courthouse Lunches.
Donald Trump’s lead lawyer says the former president’s seven-week criminal trial in New York took a physical toll—but he still managed to lose weight by skipping Trump’s notoriously unhealthy meals.
Todd Blanche appeared on a podcast, For The Defense, hosted by the attorney David Oscar Markus.
“Was it McDonald’s for lunch every single day, or did you get something else?” Markus asked.
“Oh, no-no-no,” Blanche said. “Well, first of all, I didn’t have lunch one day. I ate in the morning and at night.”
Delivery of McDonalds order for Trump’s courthouse lunch
“Look, President Trump’s team takes care of everybody. Like, everybody gets food. You know, there’s a lot of food. It’s not always McDonald’s. There’s a lot of… variety. There’s pizza, and there’s other non-healthy alternatives to McDonald’s.”
Blanche smiled, turning away from the camera and raising his eyebrows.
“Look, I loved it, because, you know, you come in from lunch, and as you know when you’re on trial, you’re trying to figure out what the heck you’re gonna stuff in your belly with the hour that you have. And we would walk in, and there would just be this, just, plethora of just food everywhere,” he said, gesturing with his hands.
The public got a peek last Thursday, when Donald Trump Jr. posted a TikTok video from what legal teams sometimes call the “war room,” where defendants strategize during breaks. The clip showed Trump Sr. sitting before a half-finished 20-ounce Diet Coca-Cola, an opened bag of Lay’s potato chips, a box of Milk Duds, a Milky Way bar, a theater-sized box of Whoppers malted milk balls, and what appeared to be four Hostess SnoBalls….
Trump’s go-to McDonald’s meal—two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate shake—was first described by close ally Corey R. Lewandowski in a 2017 book, Let Trump Be Trump.
How is it possible that Trump hasn’t had a heart attack by now?
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday.
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/06/06/thursday-reads-267/
#AlitoLawClerkSusanSullivan #ClarenceThomas #DDay80thAnniversary #DickDurbin #HunterBidenTrial #JudgeAileenCannon #JusticeSamuelAlito #Normandy #rightToContraception #SenateVoteOnBirthControl #ToddBlanche #TrumpCourthouseLunches
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Good Morning!!
“The eyes of the world are upon you,” Eisenhower speaking to troops before Normandy invasion.
Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and President Biden is in France to mark the occasion. Some reports:
President Biden and key U.S. allies were in Normandy Thursday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the U.S.-led allied forces’ D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France. The brazen air and sea invasion would mark the beginning of the end of World War II, leading to the defeat of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German forces in Europe less than a year later.
Mr. Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were together to mark the most significant victory of the Western allies in the war, as well as the largest seaborne invasion in history. Mr. Biden is in France through the weekend for D-Day anniversary commemorations and plans to meet with leaders of key allies during his visit.
“Seventy-three-thousand brave Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944 and the president will greet American veterans and their family members while in France to honor their sacrifice,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in announcing the president’s trip.
Mr. Biden and first lady Jill Biden met WWII veterans one by one ahead of a memorial ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on Thursday, presenting each one with coins made to commemorate the D-Day anniversary. He chatted and joked with some of the men, asking about their hometowns, thanking them for their service and calling them the greatest generation ever.
The president delivered remarks later Thursday at a commemoration ceremony that was also attended by members of Congress from both parties, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi.
The Independent: D-Day – latest: Biden warns world ‘will not surrender to bullies’ as he commemorates 80th anniversary.
President Joe Biden has vowed to not “surrender to the bullies” as he praised D-Day veterans for their bravery at a commemorative event.
The US President addressed the crowd in Ver-sur-Mer, France, on the 80th anniversary of the landings as he promised the 50 countries standing with Ukraine “will not walk away”.
“Make no mistake the autocrats of the world are watching closely to see what happens in Ukraine. To see if we let this illegal aggression go unchecked,” he said.
“To surrender to bullies, to bow down to dictators is simply unthinkable.”
He added: “History tells us freedom is not free. You want to know the price of freedom come here to Normandy to look.”
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden greet a World War II veteran during ceremonies to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy. AP
Yahoo News: D-Day latest: Biden brands Putin ‘tyrant and bully’ in Normandy speech.
US President Joe Biden referred to Vladimir Putin as a ‘tyrant’ and a ‘bully’ in his D-Day commemoration speech, after hailing the ‘resolute’ Second World War troops who fought in Normandy 80 years ago today.
President Biden was among the speakers at an international gathering in northern France to commemorate the June 1944 conflict. Biden recognised the bravery of troops who stormed the beaches in Normandy, before going on to speak about the Ukraine war and how ‘the struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending’.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron had given France’s highest award, the Legion d’Honneur, to a number of US veterans, while the Danish prime minister said it is our generation’s “responsibility” to stand up to Vladimir Putin.
The New York Times’ Roger Cohen has a special report on D-Day with photos by Laetitia Vancon: D-Day at 80: Veterans of the pivotal battle of World War II are disappearing. Europe, facing new conflict, recalls what their comrades died for.
They were ordinary. The young men from afar who clambered ashore on June 6, 1944, into a hail of Nazi gunfire from the Normandy bluffs did not think of themselves as heroes.
No, said Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commanding general of United States Army Europe and Africa, the allied soldiers “in this great battle were ordinary,” youths who “rose to this challenge with courage and a tremendous will to win, for freedom.”
In front of the general, during a ceremony this week at Deauville on the Normandy coast, were 48 American survivors of that day, the youngest of them 98, most of them 100 years old or more. The veterans sat in wheelchairs. They saluted, briskly enough. Eight decades have gone by, many of them passed in silence because memories of the war were too terrible to relate.
When the 90th anniversary of D-Day comes around in 2034, there may be no more vets. Living memory of the beaches of their sacrifice will be no more.
“Dark clouds of war in Europe are forming,” General Williams said, as he alluded to allied determination to defend Ukraine against Russian attack. This 80th anniversary of the landings is a celebration, but a somber one. Europe is troubled and apprehensive, extremism eating at its liberal democracies.
For more than 27 months now, there has been a war on the continent that has taken hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian and Russian lives. Russia was not invited to the commemoration even though the role of the Soviet Red Army in the defeat of Hitler was critical. A decade ago, President Vladimir V. Putin attended. Now he speaks of nuclear war. It is a time of fissuring and uncertainty.
Remembering the fight against Hitler in WWII is so important today, when a criminal and conman has apparently hypnotizes a large portion of the U.S. population. We can’t allow him to end our democracy and turn Europe over to Putin.
Back in the USA, Senate Republicans showed their true colors yesterday in a vote to protect the right to contraception.
CNN: Senate GOP blocks bill to guarantee access to contraception.
Senate Republicans voted Wednesday to block a bill put forward by Democrats that would guarantee access to contraception nationwide, as Democrats seek to highlight the issue in the run up to November’s elections.
The bill – the Right to Contraception Act – would enshrine into federal law a right for individuals to buy and use contraceptives, as well as for health care providers to provide them. It would apply to birth control pills, the plan B pill, condoms and other forms of contraception.
The legislation failed to advance in a procedural vote by a tally of 51 to 39. Most Republicans dismissed the effort as a political messaging vote that is unnecessary and overly broad.
GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins crossed over to vote with Democrats in favor of advancing the bill. Schumer switched his vote to a no at the last minute in a procedural move that will allow Democrats to bring the bill back up in the future if they want.
“This is a show vote. It’s not serious,” GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said. “Plus, it’s a huge overreach. It doesn’t make any exceptions for conscience. … It’s a phony vote because contraception, to my knowledge, is not illegal. It’s not unavailable.”
The vote is part of a larger push by Senate Democrats to draw attention to how the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has affected all aspects of reproductive health – not just abortion – as the election draws closer. Democrats are highlighting the issue this month, which marks the two-year anniversary of the high court’s ruling.
“In the coming weeks, Senate Democrats will put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote.
Democratic senators have also introduced a legislative package to establish a nationwide right to in-vitro fertilization, which is expected to come up for a vote as soon as next week.
The Daily Beast: Biden Campaign Names and Shames Republicans Who Voted to Block Contraception Bill.
The Biden campaign posted a video on Wednesday night showing the faces of the 39 senators who voted against the legislation. (Seven Republican senators were not present for the vote.)
“These are the Trump-aligned Republicans who just blocked a bill to protect a woman’s right to contraception,” the campaign tweeted on X….
Ahead of the vote, Schumer said that Senate Democrats would “put reproductive freedoms front and center before this chamber, so that the American people can see for themselves who will stand up to defend their fundamental liberties,” according to the Associated Press.
Polling has consistently shown that there is broad bipartisan support among American voters for contraception, with 92 percent of respondents telling Gallup in 2022 that birth control was “morally acceptable.”
Republicans argued that legislation to enshrine the right to contraception is unnecessary, as it remains freely accessible and available across the country….
But Schumer said in a post-vote speech that “we are kidding ourselves if we think the hard-right is satisfied with overturning Roe,” warning that birth control could be next as reproductive rights continue to be threatened.
“So, make one thing clear: today was not a ‘show vote’ – this was a show-us-who-you-are vote,” he said. “And Senate Republicans showed the American people exactly who they are.”
Recall that after the Dobbs decision, Clarence Thomas stated his desire to overturn the decisions that made contraception, same sex marriage, and sex between same sex partners basic rights–all based on the right to privacy.
Speaking of the right wing SCOTUS justices, last night a former clerk of Samuel Alito appeared on Lawrence O’Donnell’s MSNBC show.
HuffPost: Former Alito Law Clerk ‘Aghast’ After Seeing Jan. 6 Flag Outside His Home, Calls For Recusal.
A former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said Wednesday she was shocked after learning two flags affiliated with rioters during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection were flown outside his homes, saying she believed he should recuse himself from several cases before the court.
Susan Sullivan, who worked as a clerk while Alito was a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, spoke to MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell amid the controversy surrounding the flags.
“I was aghast when I saw those photographs because I’ve never known Justice Alito to be anything other than an honorable man, to be a man of integrity,” Sullivan, now a professor at Temple University, told O’Donnell. “It is irrelevant if Mrs. Alito flew it or not. The fact is that flag was there.”
“This is not an insignificant symbol,” she went on. “Irrespective of why it is there, who put it there, it shouldn’t have been there. The problem is that flag is incendiary and it cannot do anything other than raise a reasonable inference of bias.”
Alito has rejected the calls for him to recuse from January 6 related cases.
“I am confident that a reasonable person who is not motivated by political or ideological considerations or a desire to affect the outcome of Supreme Court cases would conclude that the events … do not meet the applicable standard for recusal,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers last month. “I am therefore required to reject your request.”
Sullivan rejected that claim in the Wednesday interview and an earlier opinion piece in The Philadelphia Inquirer, saying recusal was warranted especially because of the decision before the court.
“[It is] the symbol of these people who attacked the capitol. They support Trump unconditionally,” she said. “So if you have cases before the court that directly relates not just to the former president but to criminal cases that involve that election process…”
“The stakes have never been higher and recusal is, to me, it just defies logic that one would not recuse themselves from a case like this,” Sullivan added. “The stakes are too high.”
Why isn’t Senator Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee doing anything to rein in Alito?
Noah Berlansky at Public Notice: Dick Durbin needs to step up and do his damn job.
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held a lengthy oversight hearing to badger Attorney General Merrick Garland and push the GOP’s false narrative about President Biden weaponizing the DOJ against Donald Trump.
Even though the hearing was conducted in obvious bad faith, it was in some ways successful, at least in the limited sense that Republicans grabbed a lot of headlines and forced Garland to spend a day on the defensive. Virtually every major news outlet it extensive coverage, ranging from the New York Times to MSNBC to Newsmax….
Congressional oversight hearings give Congress a chance to focus the national conversation on what members want to talk about. It gives them a chance to pressure executive branch officials to adopt congressional priorities, or to explain and potentially embarrass themselves.
In contrast, Democrats in the Senate have been bizarrely reluctant to use hearings to advance their agenda. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has refused to hold hearings to investigate egregious evidence of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas receiving gifts from far right billionaires, or to demand answers from Alito about his apparent embrace of the insurrection. Instead, he’s posting weak statements on social media meekly calling for right-wing members of the Court to do a better job policing themselves.
Republicans like Jim Jordan are ignorant about a lot of things. But they understand that the gavel is power, and they are not afraid to use it. Senate Democrats need to get over their qualms and, in this instance, behave more like their rivals across the aisle….
Hearings drive narratives. But they can do more than that. Congress has real power to pressure government officials, and hearings are a way to demonstrate and exercise that power.
Read more at Public Notice.
More odds and ends:
The Daily Beast: Hunter Biden Prosecutors Might’ve Already Lost the Jury.
The Hunter Biden trial starting in Wilmington, Delaware, is a poster-child case for potential jury nullification.
Biden, the only surviving son of President Joe Biden, is being tried for possessing a firearm while being a user of illegal drugs or drug addict and for lying about the same on a purchase form when he bought a gun. On the surface, the prosecution—a culmination of more than a half-decade of investigation by Special Counsel David Weiss—would appear to have a slam dunk case because there is no real dispute he bought the gun, or that he had a drug addiction around the time he bought the gun.
The strict definition of jury nullification is when a jury has determined that a defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt—but either rejects the evidence or refuses to apply the law because the jury “wants to send a message about some social issue that is larger than the case itself, or because the result dictated by law is contrary to the jury’s sense of justice, morality, or fairness.”
Mr. and Mrs. Hunter Biden
Let’s be clear. Juries are not supposed to do that. They are supposed to convict if the evidence proves guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and acquit if it doesn’t.
But while the definition of nullification conjures up images of a jury making a social justice-inspired speech in refusing to convict, the reality is quite different because the jury does not need to make such a blatant statement. Rather, the sense that jurors may have of unfairness can be evidenced in an acquittal—despite strong evidence of guilt. (There’s also, of course, the possibility of a hung jury.)
What that means is skilled defense counsel can bring out the factors of unfairness without having to specifically ask a jury to ignore evidence or the law, while skilled prosecutors need to guard against the kind of evidence and testimony that may lead to nullification.
Thus far, the trial is revealing an outmatched prosecution, which has already blundered into a couple of minefields. Defense counsel Abbe Lowell is a seasoned high-profile defense counsel who has defended Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner and got former presidential candidate John Edwards acquitted on campaign finance charges (brought by then-DOJ lawyer Jack Smith).
In the opening by the Biden defense team, Lowell focused on the requirement that the false statements on the gun ownership form had to be “knowing”—a term that Lowell claimed the prosecution tried to avoid in its opening. The utility of this defense is that it works synergistically with the effects of Biden’s admitted drug addiction affecting his decision-making abilities, as well as necessitating a deep dive into the details of his addiction and the specific timeline of when he was using crack cocaine and his efforts to get clean.
The defense appears to be setting up a defense theory that, on the specific date Biden bought the gun, he genuinely believed he was not an addict because he had just finished an 11-day rehabilitation program.
More at the link.
Alan Feuer at The New York Times: Judge Reshuffles Hearings in Trump Documents Case.
The federal judge overseeing former President Donald J. Trump’s classified documents case abruptly changed the proceeding’s schedule on Wednesday, reshuffling the timing for hearings on an array of important legal issues.
The move by the judge, Aileen M. Cannon, was unlikely to have much impact on the overall trajectory of the case, but it reflected the substantial number of unresolved legal motions she is juggling. Last month, Judge Cannon scrapped the case’s trial date, saying she could not yet pick a new one because of what she described at the time as “the myriad and interconnected” questions she had still not managed to consider.
Judge Cannon kept in place a hearing she had set for June 21 to discuss a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyers to dismiss the indictment on the grounds that Jack Smith, the special counsel named to oversee the prosecutions of Mr. Trump, was illegally appointed to his job.
Similar motions have been rejected in cases involving other special counsels, including Robert S. Mueller III, who investigated connections between Russia and Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, and David C. Weiss, who has brought two criminal cases against Hunter Biden, President Biden’s son.
The most important change Judge Cannon made to the schedule in a brief order was arguably the cancellation of a three-day hearing that had been set to take place starting June 24 in Federal District Court in Fort Pierce, Fla.
The hearing was originally meant to consider whether Mr. Trump’s lawyers should be permitted access to communications between prosecutors working for Mr. Smith and officials at the National Archives and several national security agencies.
Giddy up
The lawyers want those communications to bolster their claims that Mr. Smith worked hand in glove with the Biden administration and members of the so-called deep state to bring the documents case against Mr. Trump.
Prosecutors had objected to holding the proceeding at all, telling Judge Cannon in March that no similar hearings had ever been held in the Southern District of Florida, where she sits. In her order on Wednesday, she said she would place the hearing back on her calendar at some point in the future.
Instead of that hearing, Judge Cannon said there would now be a shorter one, on June 24 and 25, to consider different topics, including any lingering discussion about Mr. Smith’s appointment.
Judge Cannon also told the defense and the prosecution to be ready to debate Mr. Trump’s motion to exclude from the case any evidence — including more than 100 classified documents — that the F.B.I. discovered in August 2022 when agents searched Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump’s private club and residence in Florida.
The two sides will argue as well over Mr. Trump’s attempt to suppress the private audio notes that prosecutors obtained from one of his lawyers through a process that pierced the normal protections of attorney-client privilege. The notes by the lawyer, M. Evan Corcoran, were central to the government’s allegations that Mr. Trump had obstructed the government’s repeated efforts to reclaim the classified materials he took to Mar-a-Lago.
Finally, the parties are expected to discuss Mr. Smith’s request to Judge Cannon to alter Mr. Trump’s conditions of release by barring him from making public statements that could endanger F.B.I. agents working on the case.
Aileen Cannon is an expert at causing unnecessary delays without triggering an appeal to the 11th Circuit. If she rules that Jack Smith was illegally appointed, that would be cause for immediate appeal, so she will probably find some way to just waste more time.
Jose Pagliery at The Daily Beast: Trial Lawyer Lost 8 Lbs Skipping Trump’s McDonald’s Courthouse Lunches.
Donald Trump’s lead lawyer says the former president’s seven-week criminal trial in New York took a physical toll—but he still managed to lose weight by skipping Trump’s notoriously unhealthy meals.
Todd Blanche appeared on a podcast, For The Defense, hosted by the attorney David Oscar Markus.
“Was it McDonald’s for lunch every single day, or did you get something else?” Markus asked.
“Oh, no-no-no,” Blanche said. “Well, first of all, I didn’t have lunch one day. I ate in the morning and at night.”
Delivery of McDonalds order for Trump’s courthouse lunch
“Look, President Trump’s team takes care of everybody. Like, everybody gets food. You know, there’s a lot of food. It’s not always McDonald’s. There’s a lot of… variety. There’s pizza, and there’s other non-healthy alternatives to McDonald’s.”
Blanche smiled, turning away from the camera and raising his eyebrows.
“Look, I loved it, because, you know, you come in from lunch, and as you know when you’re on trial, you’re trying to figure out what the heck you’re gonna stuff in your belly with the hour that you have. And we would walk in, and there would just be this, just, plethora of just food everywhere,” he said, gesturing with his hands.
The public got a peek last Thursday, when Donald Trump Jr. posted a TikTok video from what legal teams sometimes call the “war room,” where defendants strategize during breaks. The clip showed Trump Sr. sitting before a half-finished 20-ounce Diet Coca-Cola, an opened bag of Lay’s potato chips, a box of Milk Duds, a Milky Way bar, a theater-sized box of Whoppers malted milk balls, and what appeared to be four Hostess SnoBalls….
Trump’s go-to McDonald’s meal—two Big Macs, two Filet-O-Fish, and a chocolate shake—was first described by close ally Corey R. Lewandowski in a 2017 book, Let Trump Be Trump.
How is it possible that Trump hasn’t had a heart attack by now?
That’s all I have for you today. I hope you’re enjoying your Thursday.
https://skydancingblog.com/2024/06/06/thursday-reads-267/
#AlitoLawClerkSusanSullivan #ClarenceThomas #DDay80thAnniversary #DickDurbin #HunterBidenTrial #JudgeAileenCannon #JusticeSamuelAlito #Normandy #rightToContraception #SenateVoteOnBirthControl #ToddBlanche #TrumpCourthouseLunches
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The Mycroft Mark II and the wind-down of Mycroft AI: it’s all about ecosystems, infrastructures and the friction of privacy
As avid readers may know, I used to work in DevRel for an open source voice assistant company called Mycroft.AI. In the past two weeks, Mycroft AI’s CEO, Michael Lewis, has announced that the company is winding down operations, and will be unable to fulfill any further Kickstarter pledges. In this post, I first give the Mark II a technical once-over, and conclude that it’s a solid piece of kit. So, why couldn’t a privacy-focused voice assistant go to market and reach adoption in age of growing awareness of surveillance capitalism 1Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power: Barack Obama’s books of 2019. Profile books., datafication 2Sadowski, J. (2019). When data is capital: Datafication, accumulation, and extraction. Big data & society, 6(1), 2053951718820549. and commodified, open hardware? In the second half of this post, I take a critical lens to voice assistants more broadly, and reflect on the ecosystems, infrastructures and other components that are needed to provide value to the end user – and why voice assistants are currently hitting the “trough of disillusionment”.
For full transparency, it’s important that I state that as part of my contract arrangement with Mycroft – I contracted for around 18 months between September 2017 and January 2019 – I was offered, and took up, stock options – although they’re now worthless.
Contents
The Mycroft Mark II HardwareUnboxing Setting up the device Connecting to WiFiPairing the device with the backend platform Testing out Skills Hardware features SSH’ing into the deviceWhat’s under the hood? Voice activity detection / keyword spotter Speech recognition Intent parsing and SkillsText to speech Screen Overall impressions A critical lens on an inflection point in voice assistant technology: we are in the trough of disillusionmentVoice assistants and theories of innovationPlatform and service inter-dependencies Discovery – or identifying what Skills a voice assistant can respond to Privacy and the surveillance economy – or – who benefits from the data a voice assistant collects? Hardware is hard Overcoming the trough of disillusionment Higher utility through additional content, data sources and APIsDistinguishing voice assistants in the home from the voice assistant in your pocket (your mobile phone)Towards privacy, user agency and user choice Footnotes
The Mycroft Mark II Hardware
Unboxing
The box for the Mark II was sturdy, and well-designed, carrying forward many of the design features of its predecessor, the Mark 1: folded cardboard which provided protection and buffering for the device inside. It survived a long international journey without a scratch.
Inside was a useful “Get started” card that provide Quick Start links, and a hardware warranty leaflet.
The smiley face upon opening the box was a particularly thoughtful touch. We are used to anthropomorphising voice assistants – imbuing them with human characteristics. I’m torn on this – on one hand, they perform part of the function of interacting with another human, but lack so much of the nuance and meaning that emerges from engaging with humans.
One other very pleasing aspect of the unboxing was that I didn’t have to buy an Australian general power outlet adaptor. Australia uses Type I sockets – and foreign-manufactured devices often require an adaptor (thank goodness for USB).
The Australian Type I socket isn’t shown here because it’s connected to the Mycroft Mark II.
Setting up the device
I found setting up the Mark II to be incredibly smooth. It ships with “Dinkum” software, which, according to the Mycroft website, is a stable operating system for the Mark II. However, it diverges significantly from the previous Mycroft Core software – meaning that Skills previously developed for previous iterations of Mycroft software – for Picroft, or the Mark I, or Mycroft on Linux – won’t work on the Mark II. I found Dinkum to be very stable – it “just worked” out of the box.
Connecting to WiFi
The Mark II uses WiFi connection technology from Pantacor. Once the Mark II had finished booting, I was advised to connect to an SSID that the Mark II was advertising using my phone or laptop, and from there, enter my WiFi credentials. I wasn’t surprised that only my 2.4GHz SSID was detected – I have a dual band router that also advertises a 5GHz SSID – and I wasn’t surprised that enterprise WiFi – WPA2 – wasn’t supported. This appears to be a common issue with IoT devices; they will readily connect to consumer grade networks, but cannot handle the additional complexity – such as MSCHAPv2 authentication – required by WPA2 networks. I suspect this presents a barrier to enterprise IoT adoption – and certainly voice assistant adoption.
Pairing the device with the backend platform
When I worked at Mycroft.AI, pairing the device with the backend platform – https://home.mycroft.ai – was one of the most frequently problematic parts of the device. This was seamless. The Mark II device displayed a pairing code on screen, along with a URL to visit, and it paired almost immediately. I was then able to set the device’s physical location and timezone.
Testing out Skills
One of the frequent criticisms of the Mark II running Dinkum software is its lack of Skills; this criticism is well founded. I can ask basic questions – which hit the Wikipedia backend – or ask for time and weather information – but anything more is unavailable. I was particularly disappointed that there wasn’t any music integration with the Mark II – which boasts dual 1.5″ 5W drivers – but I can’t hold this against Mycroft.
In late 2020, Spotify revoked the API access that Mycroft was using to provide premium Spotify subscribers (Spotify’s API only works for subscribed users) with access to Spotify via Mycroft. Local music is an option, but because I use music streaming – well, apart from my now-nearly-30-year-old CD collection – this wasn’t of much use.
Hardware features
The Mark II sports some impressive hardware. There is an inbuilt camera (not that any Skills make use of it), with a physical privacy shutter.
The microphone is a 2-mic array with noise cancellation, and a physical mute switch – very important for those who like privacy – although I don’t know the brand of the mic.
The mute button integrated very well with the design of the touch screen – with the NeoPixel indicator taking on a red hue, and the border of the touch screen rendering in red also when hardware mute is on.
Seeed Studios hardware are generally considered best-of-breed for embedded Linux devices, but I don’t think this is a Seeed microphone.
The screen is a 4.3″ IPS touchscreen, and it boasts bright, bold colours. I’m guessing it has a resolution of 800px by 400px, but don’t hold me to that. The board itself is based on the Raspberry Pi 4, and the Pi’s GPIO pins 1, 12, 13, GND and 3.3V power are exposed so that you can integrate other hardware with the device; that is, it is extensible if you’re into open hardware. There’s also a 1GB Ethernet RJ45 socket – so you are not reliant on WiFi – which was quite useful. The case itself is very sturdy, and needs a torx screwdriver to open.
SSH’ing into the device
SSH on the default port 22 is blocked and you need to use a custom port to SSH into the device – this is well documented. For security, the Mark II uses SSH security keys; requiring you to generate an SSH key, and enter this on the home.mycroft.ai platform. The key is then sent to the device, and you then SSH in to the custom port using the key. In my opinion this is far more secure than depending on passwords, however, this introduces a closer dependency on the home.mycroft.ai platform – and as we’ll see later, this closely ties the hardware to a supporting platform.
What’s under the hood?
Once SSH’d into the device, I was able to take a closer look at the mycroft-dinkum software in operation.
Voice activity detection / keyword spotter
One of the software layers in a voice assistant stack is a wake word listener or keyword spotter. This software constantly listens for spoken phrases – utterances – and classifies whether the utterance is a wake word. If the wake word listener detects a wake word, then the voice assistant listens for the next utterance, and assumes the next utterance spoken is a voice assistant command.
Previous versions of Mycroft used the Precise wake word listener, and I found it regularly had a high number of false positives – triggering when I didn’t say the “Hey Mycroft” wake word – and false negatives – not responding when I did utter the wake word. The Mark II was incredibly accurate in detecting my wake word utterances – especially considering I am female, and have an Australian accent – groups for which Precise performed poorly.
The mycroft-dinkum software uses several services. The voice service within mycroft-dinkum provides speech recognition, voice activity detection and microphone input. Unsurprisingly, because this service is constantly listening, it consumes a lot of the CPU of the device, which we can see if we run htop while ssh‘d in:
htop output from the Mycroft II while ssh’d in
I was curious about what models were being used for wake word detection, and by looking into the GitHub code, I was able to determine that the Mark II was using the Silero VAD engine. Silero is a pre-trained model. However, there is no information available about the data it was trained on – the GitHub page doesn’t say – or the type of algorithm – such as a recurrent neural network – used to train the model.
I have a hunch – and it’s just a hunch – that Silero uses some of the Mycroft Precise wake word data that was captured via opt-in mechanisms. I was the main female contributor to that dataset – and if Silero was trained on Precise data, it would explain why it’s so accurate for my voice. But, because the provenance of the training data isn’t clear, I won’t be able to tell for sure.
Speech recognition
Finding out what is used for speech recognition was slightly more challenging. In previous versions of Mycroft software, the speech recognition layer is configurable through the mycroft-config.conf file, allowing the use of on-device speech recognition, or a preferred cloud provider. That configuration is stored in a different location under mycroft-dinkum, but I was able to find it. The STT module was set to mycroft – I’m not sure what this means, but I think it means Mark II is using the Google cloud service, anonymised through the home.mycroft.ai platform. Again, there’s a cloud – and network – dependency here.
Intent parsing and Skills
Once an STT utterance transcription has been identified by the speech recognition layer, the voice assistant needs to know how to tie the utterance to a command and pass it to a Skill for handling that command. In the Mark II, from what I could tell in the source code, that layer is provided by Padatious, a neural-network based intent parser.
The Skills range on the Mark II is very limited – you can search for weather, find out the time in different timezones – which was one of my most-used Skills, play from a pre-defined list of internet radio stations, and query Wikipedia. Limiting the range of Skills means that intent parsing is easier – because you have fewer Skills to choose between. However, passing the right query to a Skill can be problematic if your speech recognition isn’t accurate. Intent parsing for Named Entities – people, places, products, especially Indigenous-language-derived ones, worked reasonably well. Finding out the weather for “Yarrawonga”, “Geelong” and “Canberra” were all recognised correctly; “Wagga Wagga” wasn’t. Queries to Wikipedia were parsed accurately – “tell me about pierogi” (Polish derivation) and “tell me about Maryam Mirzakhani” (Persian derivation) – were both correctly identified.
Text to speech
Text to speech, or synthetic speech, is a complement to speech recognition, and takes written phrases and outputs speech as audio. For this layer, the Mark II uses the Mimic 3 engine, a TTS engine based on the ViTS algorithm. The GitHub repo for Mimic 3 doesn’t contain the original data the Mimic 3 voices were trained on, but in this blog post, developer Mike Hansen provides a technical walkthrough of how the models were trained, including the challenges of training new languages, and the phonetic and normalisation challenges that entails.
By default, the Mark II uses the UK English “Pope” Mimic 3 voice, which is a male-gendered voice. I was pleasantly surprised by this, given the industry default of gendering voice assistants as female, which is covered at length in the book The Smart Wife by Yolande Strengers and Jenny Kennedy 10Strengers, Y., & Kennedy, J. (2021). The smart wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and other smart home devices need a feminist reboot. Mit Press.. There were no Australian accents available.
I have a lot of my own (female, Australian) voice data recorded, but I didn’t want to contribute it to the Mimic 3 project. There are growing concerns around how voice and video data of people is being used to create realistic avatars – digital characters that sound, and look, like real humans – and until we have better regulation, I don’t particularly want a “Kathy” voice out in the wild – because I have no control over how it would be used. For example, I know that sex doll companies have approached voice startups wanting access to voices to put into their products. As we say in ‘Strayan: yeah, nah.
Mimic 3 works offline, and I was surprised at how fast it generated speech – there was a slight delay, but not very noticeable at all. Some of the pronunciations in the Pope voice were definitely a little off – a key issue in TTS is getting the generated voice to have the correct emphasis and prosody – but I was still pretty impressed. When I’m done with my PhD work, I’d love to train a Mimic 3 voice on my own voice data to understand the process a bit better.
Screen
Mark II uses the Plymouth splash screen manager for the touch screen visuals, and looking at the htop output, this one component uses over 16% of the available CPU. I found the visuals very well-designed and complementary to the audio information that was presented by the TTS layer.
The screen adds additional complexity and consideration for Skill designers however; not only do they have to design a pleasant voice interaction experience in a Skill , but for devices like the Mark II which are multi-modal, the Skill designer must now ensure a complementary visual experience.
Overall impressions
The Mark II packs some impressive hardware, and mature software into a solid form factor. The visual design is well integrated with the conversational design, and it’s intended to be extensible – a boon for those who like to experiment and tinker. The software layers that are used are generally matured, and predominantly run on-device, with the exception of the speech recognition layer (I think). The Skills all have a dependency on external services – Wikipedia, weather and so on. The integration with the home.mycroft.ai backend serves to protect my privacy – as long as I trust that platform – and there was no evidence in any of the digging I did that the device is “leaking” data to third party services.
These positive factors are tarnished by the high price point (listed at $USD 499, although the Kickstarter price was a lot lower at $USD 199) and the lack of Skills that integrate with other services – like Spotify. This is a device that is capable of so much more – it’s a diamond in the rough. But what would give it more polish?
And that takes me to part 2 of this post – ecosystems, infrastructures and the friction of privacy.
A critical lens on an inflection point in voice assistant technology: we are in the trough of disillusionment
It’s a difficult time for the voice assistant industry.
Amazon has recently announced huge layoffs to its Alexa voice assistant department (see write ups by Ars Technica, Business Insider, and Vox), as it struggles to find a path to monetisation for the loss-leading hardware devices that its been shipping. Google has followed this trend. This also comes off the back of an architectural change at Google where it dropped support for third party applications on its Assistant voice apps and devices, which has the effect of more tightly integrating its hardware with the Android ecosystem. Apple – the other big player in the voice assistant space, with Siri, has begun quietly laying off third-party contractors, according to reports. Baidu, the largest voice player outside of Western Europe and America, with its Xiaodu assistant, which had a $5b valuation just two short years ago, has also shed 10-15% of its staff. The outlier here is the open source Home Assistant, and its commercial sister operation, Nabu Casa, who have announced the impending launch of a voice-assistant-with-screen competitor to Google Nest Hub and to the Amazon Echo Show, the Home Assistant Yellow.
Previous predictions that there will be 8 billion voice assistant devices in use by this year now appear idealistic indeed.
Voice assistants and theories of innovation
It’s fair to say that voice assistants have reached the “trough of disillusionment”. This term belongs to Gartner and their Hype Cycle; a frame they use to plot the adoption and integration of emerging technology. The “trough of disillusionment” refers to a period in a technology’s history where:
Interest wanes as experiments and implementations fail to deliver. Producers of the technology shake out or fail. Investments continue only if the surviving providers improve their products to the satisfaction of early adopters.
The Gartner Hype Cycle is a theory of innovation; different technologies move through the Hype Cycle at varying rates, influenced by a range of factors. Other theories of innovation use divergent analytical lenses, or ascribe primacy to differing drivers and constraints on technology. The diffusion of innovation theory gave us the terms “early adopters” and “laggards”. Induced innovation 11Ruttan, V. W. (1997). Induced innovation, evolutionary theory and path dependence: sources of technical change. The Economic Journal, 107(444), 1520-1529. for example places emphasis on economic factors such as market demand. Evolutionary theory focuses on the search for better tools and technologies, with the market selecting – and ensuring the survival – of the best. Path dependence models valorize the role of seemingly insignificant historical changes that compound to shape a technology’s dominance or decline. The multi-level perspective blends the micro and macro levels together, showing how they interact to influence technological development. Disruptive innovation theory 12Si, S., & Chen, H. (2020). A literature review of disruptive innovation: What it is, how it works and where it goes. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 56, 101568. takes a contingent approach; different innovations require different strategies to challenge and unseat established incumbents. Apple unseated Nokia with touch screens. Linux dominated the data centre due to higher reliability and performance. Netflix swallowed Blockbuster by leveraging increasing internet speeds for content delivery. Disruptions harnesses interacting social, economic and political developments.
I digress. What all of these views of innovation have in common, regardless of their focus – is inter-dependency of factors that influence a technology’s trajectory – of adoption, success, return on investment.
So what are the inter-dependencies in voice assistant technology that lead us to our current inflection point?
Platform and service inter-dependencies
Voice assistants are interfaces. They enable interaction with other systems. We speak to our phones to call someone. We speak to our televisions to select a movie. We speak to our car console to get directions. A voice assistant like Mycroft, or Alexa, or Google Home or Siri is a multi-purpose interface. It is reliant on connecting to other systems – systems of content, systems of knowledge, and systems of data. Wikipedia for knowledge articles, a weather API for temperature information, or a music content provider for music. These are all platform inter-dependencies.
Here, large providers have an advantage because they can vertically integrate their voice assistant. Google has Google Music, Amazon has Amazon Music, Apple has Apple Music. Mycroft has no music service, and this has no doubt played into Spotify’s decision to block Mycroft from interfacing with it. Content providers know that their content is valuable; this is why Paramount and HBO are launching their own platforms rather than selling content to Netflix.
Voice assistants need other platforms to deliver value to the end user. Apple knew this when they acquired Dark Sky and locked Android users out of the platform; although platforms like Open WeatherMap are filling this gap. We’ve seen similar content wars play out in the maps space; Google Maps is currently dominant, but Microsoft and Bing are leveraging OpenStreetMap to counter this with Map-Builder – raising the ire of open source purists in the process.
Voice assistants need content, and services, to deliver end user value.
Discovery – or identifying what Skills a voice assistant can respond to
Voice assistants are interfaces. We use myriad interfaces in our everyday lives; a steering wheel, a microwave timer, an espresso coffee maker, an oven dial, a phone app, natural language, a petrol bowser, an EV charger. I doubt you RTFM’d for them all. And here’s why: interfaces are designed to be intuitive. We intuitively know how a steering wheel works (even if, for example, you’ve never driven a manual). If you’ve used one microwave, you can probably figure out another one, even if the display is in a foreign language. Compare this with the cockpit of the Concorde – a cacophony of knobs, buttons and dials.
If you’ve used Alexa or Siri, then you could probably set a timer, or ask about something from Wikipedia. But what else can the assistant do? This is the discovery problem. We don’t know what interfaces can do, because we often don’t use all the functions an interface provides. When was the last time you dimmed the dashboard lights in your car? Or when did you last set a defrost timer on your microwave?
The same goes for voice assistants; we don’t know what they can do, and this means we don’t maximise their utility. But what if a voice assistant gave you hints about what it could do? As Katherine Latham reports in this article for the BBC, it turns out that people find that incredibly annoying; we don’t want voice assistants to interrupt us, or suggest things to us. We find that intrusive.
How, then, do we become more acquainted with a voice assistant’s capabilities?
For more information on skill discovery in voice assistants, you might find this paper interesting.
White, R. W. (2018). Skill discovery in virtual assistants. Communications of the ACM, 61(11), 106-113.
Privacy and the surveillance economy – or – who benefits from the data a voice assistant collects?
There is a clear trade-off in voice assistants between functionality and privacy. Amazon Alexa can help you order groceries – from Amazon. Google Home can read you your calendar and email – from Gmail. Frictionless, seamless access to information and agents which complete tasks for you requires sharing data with the platforms that provide those functions. This is a two-fold dependency; first the platforms that provide this functionality must be available – my vertical dependency argument from above. Secondly, you must provide personal information – preferences, a login, something trackable – to these platforms in order to receive their benefits.
I’m grossly oversimplifying his arguments here, however the well-known science and technology studies scholar, Luciano Floridi, has argued that “privacy is friction” 13Floridi, L. (2005). The ontological interpretation of informational privacy. Ethics and information technology, 7, 185-200.. The way that information is organised contributes to, or impinges upon, our privacy. Voice assistants that track our requests, record our utterances, and then use this information to suggestively sell more products to us reduce friction by reducing privacy. Mireille Hildebrandt, in her book Technology and the Ends of the Law, goes one step further: voice assistants impugn our personal agency through their anticipatory nature 14Hildebrandt, M. (2015). Smart technologies and the end (s) of law: novel entanglements of law and technology. Edward Elgar Publishing.. By predicting, or assuming our desires and needs, our ability to be reflective in our choices, to be be mindful of our activities, is eroded. Academic Shoshana Zuboff takes a broader view of these developments, theorising that we live in an age of surveillance capitalism; where the data produced through technologies which surveil us – our web browsing history, CCTV camera feeds – and yes – utterances issued to a voice assistant – become a form of capital which is traded in order to more narrowly market to us. Jathan Sadowski has argued, similarly, for the concept of datafication; when our interactions with the world become a form of capital – for trading, for investing, and for extraction.
Many of us have become accustomed to speaking with voice interfaces, and glossing over how those utterances are stored, or linked, or mined – downstream in an ecosystem. In fact, Professor Joe Turow argues this case eloquently in his book, The Voice Catchers: 15Turow, J. (2021). The voice catchers: How marketers listen in to exploit your feelings, your privacy, and your wallet. Yale University Press. by selling voice assistants at less than cost, their presence, and our interactions with them have been normalised, and backgrounded. We don’t think anything of sharing our data with the corporate platforms on which they rest. Giving personal data to a voice assistant is something we take for granted. By design. We trade the utility of frictionless access to services with the friction to privacy.
And this points to a key challenge for open source and private voice assistants – like Mycroft and like Home Assistant; in order to deliver services and content through those voice assistants, we have to give up some privacy. Mycroft handles this by abstraction; for example, the speech recognition that is done through Google’s cloud service is channelled through home.mycroft.ai – and done under a single identifier so that individual Mycroft users’ privacy is protected.
How do voice assistants overcome the tradeoff between utility and privacy?
Hardware is hard
One of my favourite books is by the developer of the almost-unheard-of open source assistant, Chumby – Bunnie Huang – The Hardware Hacker 16Huang, A. B. (2019). The hardware hacker: Adventures in making and breaking hardware. No Starch Press.. It is a chronicle of the myriad challenges involved in designing, manufacturing, certifying and bringing to market a new consumer device. For every mention of “Chumby” in the book, you could substitute “Mycroft Mark II”. Design tradeoffs, the capital required to fund manufacturing, quality control issues, a fickle consumer market – all are present in the tale of the Mark II.
Hardware is hard.
Hardware has to be designed, tested, integrated with software through drivers and embedded libraries, it has to be certified compliant with regulations. And above all, it has to yield a profit for the hardware manufacturer to keep manufacturing the hardware. If we think about the escalating costs of the Mark II – the Chumby – and then look at how cheaply competitor devices – Alexa, Google Home – are sold for – then it becomes clear that hardware is a loss leader for ecosystem integration. I have no way to prove this, but I strongly suspect that the true cost of an Alexa or Google Home is four or five times more than what a consumer pays for it.
Voice assistants are interfaces.
And by having a voice assistant in a consumer’s home, it becomes an interface into a broader ecosystem – more closely imbricating and embroiling the customer in the manufacturer’s ecosystem. And if you can’t transform that loss leader into a recurrent revenue stream – through additional purchases, or through paid voice search, or through voice advertising revenue – then the hardware becomes a sunk cost. And you start laying off staff.
An open source voice assistant strategy is different – its selling point is in opposition to a commercial assistant – its privacy, its interoperability, its extensibility. Its lack of lock in to an ecosystem. And the Mark II is all of those things – private, interoperable and extensible. But it still hasn’t achieved product market fit, particularly at its high, true-cost price point.
How do voice assistants reconcile the cost of hardware and the ability to achieve product market fit?
Overcoming the trough of disillusionment
So how might voice assistants overcome the trough of disillusionment?
Higher utility through additional content, data sources and APIs
Voice assistant utility is a function of how many Skills the device has, how useful those Skills are to the end user, and how frequently they are used. Think about your phone. What apps do you use the most? Text messaging? Facebook? Tik Tok? What app could you not delete from your phone? Skills require two things; a data source or content source, and a developer community to build them. Open source enthusiasts may build a Skill out of curiosity or to slake a desire to be able to build a Skill, but commercial entities will only invest in Skill building if it generates revenue for a product or service. And then what does the voice assistant manufacturer do to share in that revenue? So we need to find ways to incentivise Skill development (and maintenance) as well as revenue sharing models that help support the infrastructure, Skill development – and the service or data that the Skill interfaces with. For example, Spotify understands this – and will reserve access to their highly-valued content only for business arrangement that help them generate additional revenue.
I also see governments having a role to play here – imagine for example accessing government services through your voice assistant – no sitting in queues on a phone. The French Minitel service was originally a way to help citizens access services like telephone directories, and postal information. But governments want to both streamline the development they do in-house, and control access to API information; will there be a level of comfort in opening access – and if so, who bears the cost of development?
Distinguishing voice assistants in the home from the voice assistant in your pocket (your mobile phone)
Most of us already have a voice assistant in our pocket – if we have an Android or iPhone mobile phone. So what niche does a physical voice assistant serve? One differentiator I see here is privacy; a voice assistant on a mobile phone ties you to the ecosystem of that device – to Apple, or Google or another manufacturer. Another differentiator is the context in which the voice assistant operates; few of us would want to use a voice assistant in a public or semi-public context, such as on a train or a bus or in a crowd. But a home office is semi-private; and many of us are now working from home. Is there an opportunity for a home office assistant? That isn’t tied to a mobile phone ecosystem? But thinking this through its trajectory of development, if we’re working from home, then we’re working. How will employers seek to leverage voice assistants, and does this sit in opposition to privacy? We are already seeing a backlash against the rise of workplace surveillance (itself a form of surveillance capitalism), so I think there will be barriers to employment or work-based technology being deployed on voice assistants.
Towards privacy, user agency and user choice
I’m someone who places a premium on privacy: I pay for encrypted communications technology and pay for encrypted email that isn’t harvested for advertising. I pay for services like relay that hide my email address from those who would seek to harvest it for surveillance capitalism.
But not everyone does; because privacy is friction, and we have normalised the absence of friction for the price of privacy. As we start to see models like ChatGPT and Whisper that hoover up all the public data on the internet – YouTube videos, public photographs on platforms like Flickr – I think we will start to see more public awareness of how are data is being used – and not always in our own best interests. In voice assistants, this means more safe-guarding of user data, and more protection against harnessing that data for profit.
Voice assistants also have a role to play in user agency and user choice. This means giving people choice about where intents – the commands used to activate Skills – lead. For example, if a commercial voice assistant “sells” the intent “buy washing powder” to the highest “washing powder” bidder, then this restricts user agency and user choice. So we need to think about ways that put control back in the user’s hands – or, in this case, voice. But this of course constrains the revenue generation capabilities of voice assistants.
For voice assistants to escape the trough of disillusionment, they will need to prioritise privacy, agency, utility and choice – and still find a path to revenue.
Footnotes1
Zuboff, S. (2019). The age of surveillance capitalism: The fight for a human future at the new frontier of power: Barack Obama’s books of 2019. Profile books.2
Sadowski, J. (2019). When data is capital: Datafication, accumulation, and extraction. Big data & society, 6(1), 2053951718820549.3
Strengers, Y., & Kennedy, J. (2021). The smart wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and other smart home devices need a feminist reboot. Mit Press.4
Ruttan, V. W. (1997). Induced innovation, evolutionary theory and path dependence: sources of technical change. The Economic Journal, 107(444), 1520-1529.5
Si, S., & Chen, H. (2020). A literature review of disruptive innovation: What it is, how it works and where it goes. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 56, 101568.6
Floridi, L. (2005). The ontological interpretation of informational privacy. Ethics and information technology, 7, 185-200.7
Hildebrandt, M. (2015). Smart technologies and the end (s) of law: novel entanglements of law and technology. Edward Elgar Publishing.8
Turow, J. (2021). The voice catchers: How marketers listen in to exploit your feelings, your privacy, and your wallet. Yale University Press.9
Huang, A. B. (2019). The hardware hacker: Adventures in making and breaking hardware. No Starch Press.10
Strengers, Y., & Kennedy, J. (2021). The smart wife: Why Siri, Alexa, and other smart home devices need a feminist reboot. Mit Press.11
Ruttan, V. W. (1997). Induced innovation, evolutionary theory and path dependence: sources of technical change. The Economic Journal, 107(444), 1520-1529.12
Si, S., & Chen, H. (2020). A literature review of disruptive innovation: What it is, how it works and where it goes. Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 56, 101568.13
Floridi, L. (2005). The ontological interpretation of informational privacy. Ethics and information technology, 7, 185-200.14
Hildebrandt, M. (2015). Smart technologies and the end (s) of law: novel entanglements of law and technology. Edward Elgar Publishing.15
Turow, J. (2021). The voice catchers: How marketers listen in to exploit your feelings, your privacy, and your wallet. Yale University Press.16
Huang, A. B. (2019). The hardware hacker: Adventures in making and breaking hardware. No Starch Press. FacebookTweetPinShareLinkedInEmailPrint#hardware #innovation #mark-ii #mycroft #opensource #privacy #voice #voice-assistant
https://blog.kathyreid.id.au/2023/02/19/the-mycroft-mark-ii-and-the-wind-down-of-mycroft-ai-its-all-about-ecosystems-infrastructures-and-the-friction-of-privacy//p>
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AI and the Digital Commons: Don't Let the Asphalt Bury the Garden
I’ve spent 30 years watching tech cycles come and go, from the first dial-up modems in rural Austria to the mesh networks I’m currently stringing across the Australian bush. Each time a “next big thing” arrives, we see the same pattern: a frantic rush to centralise, followed by a slow, painful enclosure of what should have been a common resource. The current noise around AI in open source feels different. It feels heavier. There’s a justified fear that AI-generated code is hollowing out our commons. Maintainers are being buried under a drift of unvetted, mediocre pull requests, while a handful of platform monopolies strip-mine decades of community work to feed their proprietary black boxes.https://web.brid.gy/r/https://gaggl.com/blogs/2026-04-29-ai-open-source-digital-commons/
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AI and the Digital Commons: Don't Let the Asphalt Bury the Garden
I’ve spent 30 years watching tech cycles come and go, from the first dial-up modems in rural Austria to the mesh networks I’m currently stringing across the Australian bush. Each time a “next big thing” arrives, we see the same pattern: a frantic rush to centralise, followed by a slow, painful enclosure of what should have been a common resource. The current noise around AI in open source feels different. It feels heavier. There’s a justified fear that AI-generated code is hollowing out our commons. Maintainers are being buried under a drift of unvetted, mediocre pull requests, while a handful of platform monopolies strip-mine decades of community work to feed their proprietary black boxes.https://web.brid.gy/r/https://gaggl.com/blogs/2026-04-29-ai-open-source-digital-commons/