fatigue
https://youtu.be/Fkd5Ms3ZWaw
https://www.newsmax.com/politics/irs-ice-tax-data-deportations-federal-judge/2025/05/12/id/1210650
In a win for the Trump administration, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich denied a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by nonprofit groups. They argued that undocumented immigrants who pay taxes are entitled to the same privacy protections as U.S. citizens and immigrants who are legally in the country. [Full Story]
1,000 Troops Who Identify As Transgender Being Discharged: Pentagon
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/1000-troops-who-identify-transgender-being-discharged-pentagon
The U.S. Department of Defense on May 8 confirmed that approximately 1,000 service members who have identified as having gender dysphoria will begin the voluntary separation process under new guidance that reinstates a ban on military service for those diagnosed with or exhibiting symptoms of gender dysphoria.
>girl, bye
“Today, the Department will issue guidance to the Military Departments and Services ending the accession of individuals with a current diagnosis or history of, or symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria and all non-medically necessary treatment,” said Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell. The new policy marks a significant shift in military personnel standards and reflects President Donald J. Trump’s directive issued earlier this year. "Approximately 1,000 Service members who have self-identified as being diagnosed with gender dysphoria will begin the voluntary separation process."
The decision comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6–3 vote, granted a stay of a lower court ruling that had blocked the policy. The majority did not issue an opinion, nor did the three dissenting justices. The stay allows the Department of Defense to enforce the new policy as litigation continues in a case brought by a group of transgender service members.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the move as necessary for maintaining military readiness and cohesion. “This is the president’s agenda, this is what the American people voted for, and we’re going to continue to relentlessly pursue it,” Hegseth said in a video statement. In a memorandum dated May 8, he wrote that “service by individuals with a current diagnosis or history of, or exhibiting symptoms consistent with, gender dysphoria is not in the best interest of the Military Services and is not clearly consistent with the interests of national security.”
Under the new guidance, troops who self-identify by June 6 (active duty) or July 7 (reserves) will be eligible for voluntary separation and may receive separation pay. The deadline was extended from previous guidance by 30 and 60 days, respectively. Those seeking to remain in the military must obtain a waiver demonstrating that their continued service supports a compelling government interest and enhances warfighting capabilities. Among other requirements, waiver applicants must show they have not pursued gender transition and have demonstrated 36 consecutive months of psychological stability without significant distress.
Hegseth, speaking at a recent conservative conference in Florida, signaled a broader cultural shift within the military: “No more pronouns, no more climate change obsessions, no more emergency vaccine mandates, no more dudes in dresses,” he said.
>No more pronouns, no more climate change obsessions, no more emergency vaccine mandates, no more dudes in dresses
Why Elon Musk Is Right: The Case Against Subsidizing Amtrak
Founded 54 years ago, Amtrak set out on a bold adventure to see if passenger trains could be profitable.
Fast forward to today, this experiment has been unsuccessful. Politicians have often crafted routes to win votes rather than attract riders.
As a result, Amtrak has been squandering taxpayer money since its start in 1971.
Take, for instance, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. It allocated a monumental $66 billion to bolster passenger rail. Yet, even with this backing, Amtrak’s losses soared from $1.12 billion in FY2019 to $2.12 billion in FY2024. This financial drain isn’t new; America’s passenger trains have lost money for 79 years.
Amtrak asserts that it is “on-track to reach operational profitability.”
Yet, this is a bald-faced lie.
While Amtrak reported a loss of $705.2 million for FY2024, it didn’t include:
$966.2 million in depreciation;
$447.3 million in “Project Related Expenses”;
$314.1 million in state subsidies, which it classified as “revenue”;
$26.9 million in Office of Inspector General funding
By omitting these costs, Amtrak paints an optimistic view of its financial health. In reality, Amtrak needs larger subsidies than ever before. In fact, Amtrak has been deceiving Congress with its “path to profitability” since 1990.
Although Amtrak touted a “ridership record” for FY2024, this figure is misleading too. Ridership numbers don’t reflect the average length of each passenger’s trip. A more insightful metric is passenger-miles, which measures how far people are traveling. In fact, Amtrak only transported 6.54 billion passenger-miles in FY2024. This is a decrease of 3.40 percent since FY2013.
Amtrak often attributes its financial struggles to its long-haul routes. Yet, the outlook is even bleaker for its short-haul, state-supported routes. Amtrak reported a $251.5 million loss for these routes in FY2024. Yet, with $314.1 million in state subsidies included, the true loss hits $565.6 million. This represents a shocking 94 percent increase from the $291.7 million lost in FY2019.
Amtrak’s advocates often cite highway “subsidies” to explain its financial debacles. But Amtrak guzzles about 39 times more subsidies per passenger-mile than highways do.
Amtrak asserts that freight trains “interfere” with its passenger services. However, Amtrak often makes questionable route choices despite having legal priority over freight. Between Chicago and Los Angeles, the Desert Wind lost less money than the Southwest Chief. Despite this, Amtrak favored the Southwest Chief, which passed through more congressional districts. It discontinued the Desert Wind in 1997, leaving Las Vegas with no train service.
Despite its competitor’s demise, the Southwest Chief still loses money. Its operating losses grew from $56.1 million in FY2019 to $83.3 million by FY2024. It also uses a lower-quality track than freight trains from Chicago to Los Angeles. Since 2014, taxpayers have spent over $45 million on track repairs for the Southwest Chief.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/why-elon-musk-right-case-against-subsidizing-amtrak
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I rode Amtrak in the 70s and 80s, and again in the early 2000s; I want to ride again when it’s safe, fully upgraded, and has routes to everywhere you wanna go.
>Amtrak Joe = corruption
right there with ya, anon - we’ll hang out in the dining car >>23026982