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“I Don’t Want to Be Here Anymore”: They Tried to Self-Deport, Then Got Stranded in Trump’s America

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 23m

The woeful incompetence of the Trump regime never ceases to amaze (though it doesn’t surprise)...
www.propublica.org/article/trum...

• “Fact Sheet” about “Project Homecoming”: tinyurl.com/yvre99cy

Venezuelan immigrants signed up for a Trump-promoted app called CBP Home, which promised a safe and easy way to leave the country, and prepared to leave on their given departure dates. Those dates hav...

www.propublica.org

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 39m

My views are, generally speaking, at odds with those of the doctrinaire libertarian Cato Institute on all manner of things, but definitely not when it comes to trade and tariffs; on those issues we are almost perfectly aligned. 😉
#TrumpTariffs
tinyurl.com/y5wdk9n7

Trump’s New Furniture Tariffs Are (Almost) Everything Wrong with U.S. Trade Policy Today

There is no ‘national security’ basis for them, and they won’t accomplish the administration’s stated goals.

Noem's South Dakota neighbors hit with an immigration audit that decimates their workforce • North Dakota Monitor

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 56m

“Dairy farms were decimated under the Obama and Biden nightmare. They were decimated, and now you are doing very well...” — Trump

“If we keep down this road we’ll have no choice but to import more food and the reason... is because we crippled ourselves.” — A Dairy Farmer
tinyurl.com/zd3emrz4

Dairy farm audits in South Dakota under the Trump administration’s escalated immigration enforcement efforts have “created unrest."

Why Trumpian Populism Won't Work in Canada

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1h

While not agreeing with all of the assertions made in this video, it’s nonetheless an interesting analysis of the political and cultural differences between Canada and the United States. Food for thought…
#CdnPoli
www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0c9...

YouTube video by Endeavour

Some immigrants who assisted U.S. military are denied food stamps under Vermont’s contested interpretation of GOP spending bill - VTDigger

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 2h

America’s treatment of Afghan refugees (especially those brave souls who put their lives on the line aiding US forces during their pointlessly futile 20-year war in that country) is utterly reprehensible. Another stain on the deplorable reputation of America around the world. 😠
tinyurl.com/vmncp9ku

One Afghan caseworker said cases of this kind make her “want to melt into the ground.” “They tell me, ‘Hey … do you know how I saved my boss in this war?’” she said.

Trump undertakes a MAGA-centric makeover of US civics education • Michigan Advance

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 2h

From the people who whine incessantly about “liberal indoctrination”... Every accusation is a confession, etc.🙄

“The America 250 Civics Education Coalition includes right-wing orgs like the Heritage Foundation, Prager U, and Stephen Miller’s America First Legal advocacy group.
tinyurl.com/2a9kftmv

WASHINGTON — A slew of conservative groups will lead a new coalition to spur civics education and push the subject in a more patriotic direction, the U.S. Education Department announced last month, ra...

Rod Serling Says The Problem Isn't Only Donald Trump, It's The Uneducated People Who Voted For Him

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 2h

Heh.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-61W...

YouTube video by History Of Rock N' Roll Channel

Saint Olga of Kyiv is Ukraine’s patron saint of both defiance and vengeance

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 2h

Such a badass.

One of the greatest stories of revenge in history.

Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦🌾
#history, #ukraine
theconversation.com/saint-olga-o...

Olga of Kyiv is today recognised as one of Eastern Orthodoxy’s greatest saints – and her bloodthirsty tale is one of defiance and vengeance, and worth remembering today.

theconversation.com

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 3h

What Pat said... I heard Louis CK the other week on “Real Time” trying to rationalize his appearance… it was a fairly lame and disingenuous argument, imo.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TtR...

The Riyadh Comedy Festival is a Joke

YouTube video by My Friends Call Me Pat

China agrees to drop canola tariffs, if Canada drops its EV tariffs first

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 5h

Opening our market to lower priced/better quality EVs from China and re-opening the Chinese market for Canadian canola exports sounds like a pretty good deal. How do you know? Well, for starters, Poilievre is opposed to it...

More here: tinyurl.com/yzvs66ut
#CdnPoli
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znns...

YouTube video by CTV News

a group of cartoon characters holding a sign that says won 't somebody please think of the children

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 6h

Again with “Adult Content” warning. Such insufferable prudery.

ALT: a group of cartoon characters holding a sign that says won 't somebody please think of the children

media.tenor.com

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 6h

“Wealth is Worthless” — Engraving by Philips Galle (1537-1612) after a design by Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574) from a series titled “The Misery of Wealth”.
#art

Ferry workers cite abuse, call for 'patience and kindness' ahead of busy holiday weekend

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 6h

Sailors’ warning... 😉

Still, a beautiful pic.

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 6h

Would be hilarious if the Portland Tourism Bureau actually had these printed up for distribution. I’m sure the kind of people who dig Portland would get the humour.

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 6h

What a hellhole. 😆

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

So much for the vaunted stereotype of the almost comically “polite” Canadian, eh? 🍁

Of course, it could just be all those American tourists. 😉
www.timescolonist.com/local-news/f...

Workers “shouldn’t have to fear being screamed at, spat on or threatened,” says the B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union.

www.timescolonist.com

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Ah, the joys of bitcoin mining...

“Sound readings taken on the school property soon after the mine came online exceeded 70 decibels, which is similar to the sound of a vacuum cleaner”... Must make for a great learning environment!

Also, a senseless waste of resources.
tinyurl.com/3d8nz2mb

A Bitcoin mine came to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and Dafter Township isn’t happy

This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.

James Tour Just Keeps Getting Dumber (For Jesus!)

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Always a pleasure to watch Professor Dave mercilessly dunking on creationist halfwits like James Tour (in this case for an hour and 18 minutes!). Plus, you get to learn a lot about cell biology and organic chemistry. 😆
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dId...

YouTube video by Professor Dave Explains

Tiny backpacks worn by bats revealed a shocking secret

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Well, how cool is that!?
www.independent.co.uk/news/science...

Researchers say the findings show that bats are not only able to catch birds but also kill and eat them while flying

www.independent.co.uk

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Something else to worry about in the “Land of the Free”...

An ACLU lawsuit alleges police have been using drones to collect images of residents’ backyards, swimming pools and homes thru windows w/out warrants; after which citations for various code violations are issued. 🤨
tinyurl.com/bse9mj2m

AI drones are America's newest cops

AI-powered drones can do some police work — but using them raises new questions about surveillance and privacy.

Kid Rock Rants Against 'Blue Haired Chick' Liberals On Fox

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Who gives a toss what an ignorant yahoo like Richie Rich “thinks” about anything? So fed up with all these sanctimonious “Christians” & performative “patriots” who feel compelled to project their own despicable hate onto others w/ different political views and/or lifestyles.
tinyurl.com/39mc9a9j

Musician Kid Rock carved out some time in a Fox News interview to rant against college "chicks" with "blue hair" and "five nose rings."

Some Americans Are Starting to Feel the Impact of the Government Shutdown

Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Though a complete disaster in almost every respect, Napoléon’s Egyptian campaign certainly resulted in a lot of glorious paintings. Not hard to see why so many young men have such highly “romantic” notions when it comes to warfare (they are, after all, quite overtly propagandistic that way).
#art

Battle of Mount Tabor by Léon Cogniet (1798 - 1799)

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Imagine that. 🙄

BTW, anyone else find it curious that workers at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which many people depend on for various business planning reasons, have been laid off, but the regulators granting new fossil fuel licenses are still on the job! Hmmm.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/u...

www.nytimes.com

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Martin Rayner @martinrayner.bsky.social · 1d

Trump “enemies list” frontrunner Andrew Weissman talking with Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel (aka “The News Agents”) about the case for “vindictive prosecution“ and whether the justice system can survive Trump’s overt politicization and vengeful weaponization of it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9I3...

How Trump Is CRUSHING His Enemies

YouTube video by The News Agents