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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 7h

"Failure is not fatal but failure to change might be." - John Wooden Interestingly, "In MAGA-land people are dying faster than they are being born". I'm just saying.

economist.com

In MAGA-land people are dying faster than they are being born

Our analysis suggests Trump country is only growing because of migration

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 7h

I have moved past #8647 and I am looking forward to: 10-29F(47): Subject is wanted for a felony—used in some California code systems.

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 7h

Is this really who we need in times of war, a cosplay soldier?

A cartoon of Pete Hegseth dressing up to be a cosplay soldier.

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Reposted by A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office...

justfara @justfara.bsky.social · 9h

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

A political-satire image of a "fictional president" [wink-wink] sinking into a quicksand made of heavily redacted "government" [wink-wink] files. A president drowning in his own quagmire of evil deeds.

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

If Artificial Intelligence (AI) is so smart and so capable of sneaking into other systems then why is it that AI has not yet released the full and complete, unredacted Epstein Files? AI provides a number of "theoretical" reasons but all these reasons are what AI is capable of doing.

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

Many Americans are dissatisfied with how democracy is working, notes Alexander Heffner in a guest essay for The Economist. But one political domain seems to be bucking the trend: City Hall. “Today mayors lead on everything from housing and homelessness to infrastructure, education, crime and... 1/2

economist.com

Authoritarians have a secret Achilles heel: City Hall

Mayors have become democracy’s most reliable defenders. American voters should take note, writes Alexander Heffner

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

Heard on Capitol Hill: "When Americans are calling out for real guardrails on AI, Senate Republicans are trying to secure an ineffectual participation trophy before they skip town." —Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, criticises a Republican bill intended to limit the effect of... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

The MAGA movement’s hostility towards Europe during Donald Trump’s second term has been striking. America’s latest national security strategy, released last November, castigated Europeans for embracing “civilizational erasure” by over-regulating the economy and allowing mass immigration. 1/2

economist.com

Why MAGA hates and loves Europe

Three big reasons explain the New Right’s hostility to Europeans

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

Pete Hegseth, the war secretary, is expected to announce big cuts to the senior ranks of the armed forces in a speech in Virginia today. Admiral and general positions could reportedly be reduced by 20%, double last year’s target. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

Kathy Hochul, New York’s Democratic governor, said an alleged gang-rape case at Cornell raised “serious questions” about the university’s culture. This week a district-attorney reopened the case, in which a woman alleges she was assaulted by seven men at a fraternity house in 2024. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

The Treasury said it would automatically enrol eligible children into its “Trump Accounts” scheme, potentially increasing the number involved by more than 60m. The program gives children born between 2025 and 2028 $1,000 invested in American stocks, which they can spend when they turn 18. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

Jack Smith, a former special counsel who led criminal cases against Donald Trump, appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee in an ill-tempered hearing. Republican senators said Mr Smith had brought the Justice Department “into disrepute” and called him a “total dirtbag”. Eric Schmitt... 1/3

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 8h

"We must speak. We must take sides. For neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." - Elie Wiesel

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 9h

Net losses for women’s tennis Women’s tennis is lighting up courts. The last eight grand slams have been won by seven different players, creating a deep pool of star athletes. The events are attracting new audiences. Yet the Women’s Tennis Association, which runs the main professional tour... 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 9h

The walls close in on Hamas Hamas is struggling to work out a future for itself. Donald Trump’s ceasefire, now almost a year old, has failed to shield it. Following the arrest and interrogation of an operative on September 2nd, Israel has killed a succession of senior commanders. 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 9h

Micron rides the AI boom Micron Technology, an American maker of memory chips, reports quarterly earnings on Wednesday. The company trails its South Korean rivals, SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, in the sales of high-bandwidth memory, the kind used in AI processors. 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 9h

The new battle for Iraq American troops have been in Iraq for most of this century. America’s invasion in 2003 turned into an eight-year occupation. By the time its soldiers left, Iraq was weak and unstable. Islamic State, a Sunni militant group, rose to menace the region. So in 2014 American... 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 9h

France’s fiscal reckoning Bond markets are nervous about France and its struggle to fix the public finances. The spread on ten-year French bonds over German bunds has widened to its highest level in almost 15 years. At 119% of GDP, only Greece and Italy have a higher level of debt in the euro... 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

Five officials were suspended in Indonesia after a compound of luxury apartments was discovered in a prison near Jakarta. Lucky inmates at Cibinong prison appeared to have access to a dining area, a fridge containing booze and large-screen TVs. A golf simulator was being assembled. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

Fatima Zahra El Mansouri was appointed Morocco’s first female prime minister. Her liberal party won most seats in last week’s parliamentary election. King Mohammed VI, who retains most of the power in Morocco’s constitutional monarchy, chose the former mayor of Marrakesh over her party... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

China also imposed an additional 55% tariff on Brazilian beef imports. The country said that Brazil, the world’s biggest exporter of beef, had hit a 1.1m-tonne quota introduced this year to protect Chinese cattle farmers. Domestic beef production has ramped up just as consumers have been... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

China’s finance ministry announced stimulus measures to prop up the flagging property market. It will subsidize one percentage point of the interest rates on mortgages for first-time homebuyers for five years, with a limit of 1m yuan ($149,000) per household. It is one of a series of reforms... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

America’s Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration, for now, to continue deporting migrants to third countries at short notice. This month an appeals court blocked such removals, ruling that migrants must have “a meaningful opportunity” to contest where they are being sent to, for... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

Donald Trump said top AI executives had signed a “morally binding” agreement to self-police safety standards after several tech bosses met the president at the White House. Separately, Sam Altman said that his firm, OpenAI, would not “barrel all guns blazing towards an IPO” given its models’... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

The yield on American 30-year Treasuries fell slightly, to 5.55%, after having reached its highest level in almost a quarter of a century on Tuesday. Borrowing costs in Germany and Britain also declined. A drop in oil prices eased fears that higher energy costs would fuel inflation. Investors... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 10h

Watching the senate hearing with Jack Smith I find it amusing that the republicans even bothered to have Jack Smith appear since they provided little opportunity for Mr Smith to testify as the republicans did all the testifying. This would never be allowed in court.

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Heard on Capitol Hill: "It’s a great message. I like the message. But it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars." —John Thune says Americans should not foot the bill for White House ads that trumpet Trump's accomplishments. The administration calls them “public-service announcements”.

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

“Despite the favourable odds” in the betting markets, Donald Trump will not win the Nobel peace prize, writes Haakon Gjerlow in the Guardian, a British newspaper. There is always a buzz around “the biggest names in global politics”, but the award, which will be given next week... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Adam Hamilton, the Democratic nominee for Senate in deep-red Kansas, is part of an ascendant group of Christian leaders within his party. By emphasizing his faith on the campaign trail Mr Hamilton, a pastor, is rapidly gaining on the incumbent he hopes to defeat in November’s midterms. 1/2

economist.com

Can Jesus Christ sell moderates on Democrats?

Donald Trump’s faltering support among Christians creates an opportunity

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Samuel Alito, a Supreme Court justice, recused himself from a case that will consider whether two oil companies, ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy, should be held liable for contributing to climate change. Mr Alito owns shares of oil and gas companies... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

CNN, MS NOW and Politico asked a federal judge to extend an order that suspends Mr Trump’s attempt to ban them from the White House. The court order expires on October 8th. The three news outlets say the ban infringes on their constitutional right to report on the presidency. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Senate passed a bill to reform the regulation of college sports in a bipartisan vote. It would give the National Collegiate Athletic Association greater powers to enforce rules, limit the amount that universities can spend on athletes and force institutions to share revenues between... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Donald Trump denied reports that he is prepared to offer sanctions relief to Iran if its regime makes concessions on its nuclear program. Axios, a news outlet, reported that Qatari mediators met Iranian and American officials to discuss the idea on Monday. Mr Trump called the story a “hoax”. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Trump administration banned imports of some Canadian goods, including alcoholic drinks and motorcycles, escalating America’s trade war with its northern neighbor. The ban comes on top of a 50% tariff on other Canadian products, which the administration introduced last month. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"Virtue is persecuted by the wicked more than it is loved by the good." —Miquel de Cervantes

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Evan Gershkovich recounts life behind Russian bars Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist, spent 16 months in prison in Russia. He chronicles the ordeal in a moving memoir, “This Cursed Beautiful Land”, published on Tuesday. The book recounts his seizure in 2023 by balaclava-clad agents of... 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Malaysia begins repatriating Rohingya For nearly a decade the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, have fled persecution on perilous boat journeys to Malaysia. Life there has never been easy for the more than 100,000 refugees. Conditions are about to get harder still. 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Trump’s Golden Dome faces a reality check On Tuesday a group of American senators will scrutinise President Donald Trump’s “Golden Dome” initiative, his plan to shield America from missiles. Inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome, the project will be monumental for a country 450 times larger. 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

America’s diesel time-bomb continues to tick Just weeks before the midterm elections, diesel prices are hovering near a record $6.50 a gallon, squeezing farmers and truckers. Donald Trump thinks he has a solution. On September 22nd he said he wanted to ban diesel exports. The White House has... 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Figure of the day Nearly 7%, the current average rate on a new 30-year home loan in America—almost double what it was before the pandemic.

economist.com

Why house prices may be in trouble

In a big serving of bad news, there are crumbs of comfort

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

SpaceX’s Starship rocket reached orbit for the first time before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday. The rocket’s upper stage deployed 26 new Starlink satellites. Starship can carry bigger, better satellites than Falcon 9, its predecessor. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

South Korea’s government denied delaying an investigation into mine explosions in its side of the Demilitarized Zone that injured three soldiers last week. The armed forces said they suspected North Korea of planting the devices. But the country’s main opposition party accused the government... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

A daytime Russian drone strike on the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv killed at least two people. Seven more were killed and a total of 80 injured in attacks throughout Ukraine, according to Volodymyr Zelensky, the country’s president. Russia has begun using faster, high-flying... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Javier Milei threatened to sue Britain if it did not end offshore oil exploration near the Falkland Islands, a British territory in the South Atlantic. Argentina’s president set a two-week deadline for the Sea Lion project—a venture between British and Israeli firms—to stop. Mr Milei has said... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

America’s ban on some Canadian imports, including alcohol, dairy and motorbikes, came into effect. The ban is another escalation of America’s trade war with its northern neighbor, and comes on top of a 50% tariff imposed on other Canadian products last month. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, launched a platform to stop AI agents going awry. The chipmaker said the technology could have prevented a security breach at Hugging Face, a developers’ platform that Nvidia agreed to buy this month. Nvidia’s board also approved a $150bn increase to... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

OpenAI cancelled the release of GPT-6.1 Astra, planned for October, over safety concerns. The new model is not good enough at “staying within scope and authorization” or communicating about “the type of work it’s done”, the company said. Separately, its rival, Anthropic, devoted a third of... 1/2

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