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Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 24

In the meantime, Fox News' lead story isn't about Epstein but about the treason committed by Obama that Trump deflected to the other day.

Quote

The Justice Department has formed a "strike force" to assess the evidence publicized by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard relating to former President Barack Obama and his top national security and intelligence officials' alleged involvement in the origins of the Trump–Russia collusion narrative.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), Wednesday evening, announced the formation of the "strike force," to investigate potential next legal steps which may stem from Gabbard's recent declassification of records suggesting that Obama administration officials "manufactured" intelligence to form the narrative that then-candidate Donald Trump was colluding with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-forms-russiagate-strike-force-declassified-obama-era-russiagate-evidence

toomuchbaloney · Jul 24

Tweety said:

In the meantime, Fox News' lead story isn't about Epstein but about the treason committed by Obama that Trump deflected to the other day.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/doj-forms-russiagate-strike-force-declassified-obama-era-russiagate-evidence

The Trump DOJ, according to the press secretary, is considering whether Obama really does have immunity from prosecution like Trump does. They also want us to know that the Durham report doesn't mean anything, even though, as a special prosecutor functioning before the SCOTUS presidential immunity ruling, Durham could have prosecuted Obama and his officials... but did not. Durham found none of the evidence Team Trump suddenly has at its finger tips.

The Trump cult is starting to realize that Trump is a liar and conman. Team Trump always has some compelling evidence that they just can't show you in this place and time. It's like all of that evidence that they had of a tampered election in 2020. The gullible believers have finally found a Trump lie that they are having trouble swallowing.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 25

Trump while touring renovations with Powell brought up some number "that just came out" about the building being over budget. One issue was Trump apparently included a building that was already constructed five years ago.

Blair said the Fed Chair was "splitting hairs". No the Fed Chair just wants the facts and truth to come out. Trump was trying to humiliate him by casually throwing out misleading numbers (lies) and of course took a dig at his request for lower interest rates.

I did a deeper dive and the project is over budget. I'll give Trump and Blair that. I don't think the Chair denied that and has seemed to be fairly transparent about the cost overruns.

Quote

The original budget underestimated several now-familiar forces: pandemic-era inflation, soaring construction costs, and unexpected infrastructure challenges. Prices for structural steel and other materials spiked in 2021 and 2022 as supply chains tightened and demand for large-scale projects rebounded. Labor shortages in the construction industry, namely mechanical, plumbing, and electrical trades, further drove up costs. These price inflationary factors were noted in the Fed board's 2025 budget.

On-site, several environmental factors have also added to the renovation's cost. Workers uncovered asbestos and several water-table issues resulting from the swampy DC soil. These complications added complexity and price costs, to excavation and foundation work—especially since strict D.C. building regulations cap building heights—forcing deeper builds underground. The difficult excavation work even earned the company working on the Fed's foundation and underground aspects a 2025 award for "excellence in the face of adversity" from the Washington Building Congress.

These challenges are coupled by design oversight board stipulations that place aesthetic requirements to the renovations. During the first Trump administration, architects proposed using more glass in the renovations. Trump appointees to the US Commission of Fine Arts, however, required the project use more white marble to align with a proposed presidential mandate from the president that all new federal buildings be neoclassical in style. This luxury white marble comes from Georgia and has been used extensively in the construction of national landmarks including the U.S. Capitol. Aside from Georgia marble, the materials used throughout the Fed's renovation are required to be sourced domestically.

And to match the original marble facades and detailed interiors, the Fed is required to use specialized processes more costly than those allowed in Washington buildings without historical significance or not on the National Mall.

These invisible costs are not at the core of criticism being lodged at Powell. Trump and his allies have seized on the project as evidence of wasteful spending by alleging the Fed's building revamp of including extravagant rooftop gardens, VIP elevators, and high-end dining rooms—claims Powell and the Fed have strongly denied.

https://fortune.com/2025/07/23/federal-reserve-renovation-cost-explained/

toomuchbaloney · Jul 25

Tweety said:

Trump while touring renovations with Powell brought up some number "that just came out" about the building being over budget. One issue was Trump apparently included a building that was already constructed five years ago.

Blair said the Fed Chair was "splitting hairs". No the Fed Chair just wants the facts and truth to come out. Trump was trying to humiliate him by casually throwing out misleading numbers (lies) and of course took a dig at his request for lower interest rates.

I did a deeper dive and the project is over budget. I'll give Trump and Blair that. I don't think the Chair denied that and has seemed to be fairly transparent about the cost overruns.

https://fortune.com/2025/07/23/federal-reserve-renovation-cost-explained/

Team Trump gave Trump dishonest talking points in his mission to make Powell look bad. They knew that Trump would believe whatever they put in from of him. Team Trump either is sloppy and incompetent and didn't know that they were giving Trump bad numbers, or, they knew the numbers were bad but it's what Trump asked for so they gave it to him anyway. The fascists are accustomed to sychophants and cowards shrinking before Trump's lies. Powell refused to play along with the con, but Tim Scott was happy to humor the crazy old guy in typical GOP fashion.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Jul 25

In all the squawking about cost overruns for the Fed renovations, no one mentions that tax dollars are not being used to fund the project.

toomuchbaloney · Jul 25

nursej22 said:

In all the squawking about cost overruns for the Fed renovations, no one mentions that tax dollars are not being used to fund the project.

Trump and his advisors might not know that.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 25

toomuchbaloney said:

Team Trump gave Trump dishonest talking points in his mission to make Powell look bad. They knew that Trump would believe whatever they put in from of him. Team Trump either is sloppy and incompetent and didn't know that they were giving Trump bad numbers, or, they knew the numbers were bad but it's what Trump asked for so they gave it to him anyway. The fascists are accustomed to sychophants and cowards shrinking before Trump's lies. Powell refused to play along with the con, but Tim Scott was happy to humor the crazy old guy in typical GOP fashion.

It took Powell about 10 seconds to realize his number was BS. Trump seems unbothered that he knows he can be fact checked.

Bottom line is that is is over budget just not by that much.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 25

nursej22 said:

In all the squawking about cost overruns for the Fed renovations, no one mentions that tax dollars are not being used to fund the project.

It looks like the Fed has been transparent about this project. Powell asked the inspector general to review the project after Trump made it a talking point. I don't think he has anything to hide.

What this might be about is while Trump can't fire him for not raising interest rates, Trump can fire him for mismanagement. I think this is the end game, though of course he says it's not, especially since Powell embarrassed him publicly.

Regardless the Fed is not likely to lower the interest rates right now and it's Trump's fault with all the uncertainty he is causing with his on again/off again tariffs.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/fed-chair-powell-asks-inspector-general-to-review-controversial-building-project.html

https://finance.Yahoo.com/news/trump-could-building-renovation-oust-205158547.html

toomuchbaloney · Jul 25

Tweety said:

It looks like the Fed has been transparent about this project. Powell asked the inspector general to review the project after Trump made it a talking point. I don't think he has anything to hide.

What this might be about is while Trump can't fire him for not raising interest rates, Trump can fire him for mismanagement. I think this is the end game, though of course he says it's not, especially since Powell embarrassed him publicly.

Regardless the Fed is not likely to lower the interest rates right now and it's Trump's fault with all the uncertainty he is causing with his on again/off again tariffs.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/fed-chair-powell-asks-inspector-general-to-review-controversial-building-project.html

https://finance.Yahoo.com/news/trump-could-building-renovation-oust-205158547.html

I think that this is almost certainly related to Trump's itch to replace Powell. He's trying to fabricate a justification for the unprecedented move. Trump excels in unprecedented conduct and language, he's mentally ill and has the impulse control that reflects that. If mismanagement was really important to Trump, he'd be replacing quite a number of his cabinet.

nursej22, MSN, RN · Jul 25

Apparently Trump's been egged on by one of his wealthy donors:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/25/business/trump-powell-bill-pulte.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE8.0cyY.AEadfEiXjdG2&smid=url-share

Quote

At a meeting with House Republicans this month, President Trump waved a draft of a letter firing the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell.

The letter, which rattled Washington and global markets, was not written by Mr. Trump or his core economic advisers. Instead, it was drafted by Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, who has used his perch and his social media prowess to become the Trump administration's loudest critic of Mr. Powell.

The campaign against Mr. Powell has given Mr. Pulte, an heir of one of America's largest home building families, a new prominence within the Trump administration that exceeds the usually quiet confines of the agency. A longtime social media maven, Mr. Pulte has deployed his bombastic tone and his credibility from the construction industry to argue that the Fed's policies are hurting the housing market and that a $2.5 billion renovation of its headquarters is an example of reckless spending by the central bank.

Quote

His main job as the agency's director is overseeing the government-controlled mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are the twin engines that drive the nation's housing market. Fannie and Freddie have been under government control since the federal government had to bail them out during the 2008 financial crisis to prevent an even greater collapse of the housing market.

Even though the companies are controlled by the government, they operate quasi-independently. But one of the first things Mr. Pulte did was to name himself as chairman of the boards of both companies and oust a number of board members.

Mr. Pulte also threatened to fire thousands of employees at both companies. But he pulled back on that move, and instead Fannie and Freddie have been quietly laying off dozens of employees every few weeks.

One criticism of Mr. Pulte is that beyond his social media posts railing about Mr. Powell he hasn't done much to outline a strategic policy on getting the housing market going and confronting what some economists and analysts estimate is a nationwide shortage of at least two million homes.

So typical that President Stupidhead would listen to this loudmouth who doesn't even know how to run the agency he is heading, but knows the buttons to push to goad Trump on.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jul 26

I think too Trump has a scapegoat in Power if the economic numbers don't look good. Can't afford a home? Blame Powell. This was talked about before.

Quote

President Trump backed away from his threats to remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

That could end up serving a political purpose if the US economy turns south, according to some Fed watchers.

"Firing Powell would make it much more difficult to use him as a scapegoat," RBC Capital Markets analysts said in a note this past week.

https://finance.Yahoo.com/news/how-powell-could-benefit-trump-as-a-scapegoat-if-economy-slumps-143044130.html

I was getting my garage door fixed yesterday by a young man. He asked me if I wanted a quick fix or something for longevity if I was planning on staying in my home. I told him I was there for the duration as I couldn't afford to move. He commiserated in that he and wife have two small children and can't afford a home right now.

In this area it's not just the mortgage rates are high (I think 6% is high) but homes are starting at a high inflated price at my opinion. I feel bad for working young people with children that even if rates are lowered prices still my be out of reach..

Quote

"People aren't able to buy a house because this guy is a numbskull," Trump said in the Oval Office this week referring to Fed Reserve Chair Powell. "He keeps the rates too high and probably doing it for political reasons."

But apparently it's not so simple.

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/24/nx-s1-5477467/trump-federal-interest-rate-cut-home-buying

GrumpyRN, NP · Jul 27

nursej22 said:

What if the House just doesn't come back? What if they recess indefinitely to please Trump? They passed the budget bill; he doesn't need them to pass laws. He can rule by fiat, and if anyone challenges him, he lock them up in a law suit until SCOTUS rules in his favor.

Ah... you have just gotten yourselves a new king. You should have said that was what you wanted.

We have Charles here all ready in office with Prince William in the background waiting. You could also go with Prince Harry - he at least is living in America and is married to an American.

Now if you really want to go conspiracy theory you could give Prince Andrew a call. He was friends with Epstein and Trump.

🤣😂😁🤣😃

Sorry, I could not resist.

What is really annoying is that my taxes are being used to protect your president while he is on a little jolly and also doing personal business. Wouldn't mind if it was state business.