Lol! Trump wants a thing. They don’t want to do it. So, they toss him something shiny to make him forget the thing he wanted?

Blocking all progress on climate change in order to squeeze every last ounce of profit out of the fossil fuel industry…and then watching the world burn from their private orbital habitat.

Is that why it’s getting so downvoted?

Technically, yes…but we’ll allow it, because fuck T-Mobile. Carry on the wayward, son.

These idiots are just so drunk on their own bullshit.

LISA…Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.

Isn’t this currently what Russia is trying to do with their internet?

No one can actually stop Trump from imposing tariffs on his own country.

Yes.

A cat would be perfect for you. Maybe not a kitten, though. They require more attention. Visit shelters, and see if one of the older cats takes a shine to you.

Something, something…Don Quixote, I think.

If this source is so “pro-Ukraine”, why are they so critical of Ruslan Kravchenko, the new Prosecutor General? They repeatedly call him a “Zelenski loyalist”, and use his anti-Russian sentiments to make that point. They’re basically trying to say this makes him a bad choice for the job.

That seems more like a “pro-Russian” take, rather than “pro-Ukraine”, don’t you think?

Not, “no”. While this does give them the authority to call off an investigation, it also gives them the authority to reassign cases that get closed for no apparent reason.

This details a long list of oddly suspicious activity that both anti-corruption agencies have engaged in over the years. And it has gone both ways…sometimes investigating officials relentlessly, even when no evidence of wrongdoing has been found, or just quietly dropping investigations even when there’s plenty of evidence to support prosecution.

The biggest problem with any of this, is how do you independently investigate an independent investigator without compromising its independence? Where is the oversight, over the oversight agency? If any of those agencies becomes compromised, then any effort to remove that corruption will be seen as a threat to their independence.

Among other new powers, the prosecutor general could also close NABU’s investigations at the legal defense’s request.

That last part seems oddly unnecessary to mention. I would assume the legal defense would always want the investigations against them to “go away”…so is there a specific mechanism in this legislation that would give an official request some kind of unfair advantage?

From what I’ve read, there is currently serious concerns that SAPO has itself been compromised by Russian influence, due to several investigations that have mysteriously stalled. So, the intent behind this legislation is not to “close” cases…but rather to ensure they continue. Even going as far as reassigning the cases to new investigators, should the originals be suspected of being compromised.

This is very typical of how Russian influence campaigns work. Just leave an open offer of financial benefit out there, and eventually someone will accept it and begin undermining the whole system from within. And if you put someone in charge of investigating them, just offer that guy even more money to look the other way. Wash, rinse, repeat until everyone is on the payroll…or at least surrounded by those that are.

And obviously there was a reason she made this request.

Putin learned how to do all this from his time in the KGB. It’s all just old Soviet Cold War tactics. Turns out, Russians have more agency than you give them credit for.

Buddy needs to have a listen to what Russian media is saying about “the West”, then. Hoo-wee. It’s fuckin’ dark, man.

Then you need to fire your accountant…or start taking their advice. Either way, you’re doing it wrong.

No one in the US pays 30% income tax. Only the top 10% have to pay more than 30%…and they’re rich enough to qualify for so many tax breaks at that point, that their effective rate is less than half that.

Your floor would have to be supernaturally flat and level for that to happen.