Trump Is Destroying Everything He Touches by JJ

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Trump Is Destroying Everything He Touches

POSTED BY: JJ
UPDATED: Saturday, January 3, 2026 23:11
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Wednesday, December 31, 2025 4:06 PM

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

Or maybe, yanno, somebody killed him and pushed him off that balcony.

The whole crew had been doing a podcast together right before that and were planning on bringing the show back again when the Covid lockdowns were done.

--------------------------------------------------

Be Evil. Be a dick.

Howabout this alternative to your conspiracy theory: You and Trump are full of shit, plus drunks die from stupid accidents. These are well-proven facts that don't require postulating a murder/conspiracy to avoid facing the truth about yourself, 6ix.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, December 31, 2025 4:06 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

The single most important development that will unfold during 2026 are the U.S. midterm elections that will take place in November.

By Francis Fukuyama | December 30, 2025 8:34 PM

https://kyivindependent.com/francis-fukuyama-what-to-expect-in-2026/

The world has seen a dramatic regression of liberal democracies worldwide over the past decade. Two large authoritarian powers, Russia and China, have tightened repression at home and projected their influence around the world.

But critically, their rise has been abetted by the growth of populist nationalist parties in many developed democracies. The most important of these is the United States itself, which over the prior 70 years had created and led a global liberal order.

The election of Donald Trump, first in 2016 and then a second time in 2024, has reoriented that global order in dramatic ways.

Trump’s America has in effect switched sides in the global struggle for democracy, making deals with authoritarian leaders and disdaining democratically elected counterparts in Europe and Asia. This dramatic shift has affected Ukraine first and foremost, with the US ending direct military support and promoting Russian war aims as it seeks a deal with Moscow over the heads of both Ukraine and the Europeans.

At home, Trump is behaving like an autocrat himself, disdaining legality and ruling through executive orders.

During the Biden administration, I and many other supporters of Ukraine lobbied the White House to be more forthcoming in both the level of aid, and the types of weapons being provided to Kyiv. That period ended decisively when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. The disastrous meeting in the White House between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky in February signaled the new orientation the administration would take, and the U.S. president has not really deviated from his pro-Russian posture since then.

This has completely changed the agenda for Ukraine's friends in the U.S. It is no longer useful or possible to lobby for stronger American support when the administration is now siding with the enemy. Donald Trump is not driven by policy arguments or ideology, but rather by personal self-interest, often in the form of direct payoffs to himself and his family.

Ask the Swiss**, who got themselves a lower tariff rate by giving Trump an expensive gold bar. Trump's primary interest in the current negotiation with Russia seems to be the prospect of exploiting Ukraine's resources and reintegrating Russia into the global economic order so that Americans could start profiting from investments there again.

The only way that an American can support Ukraine or democracy worldwide is to get Trump out of power. The American system of checks and balances has so far failed to constrain Trump, but it is premature to give up on it. In my view, Trump's influence peaked in the first half of 2025, and there are now clear signs that he is weakening.

The most important check remains elections, and there is strong evidence that the Democrats will retake the House of Representatives next November.

As a result of Trump’s mismanagement of the economy, many voters have soured on him. The off-year election held in November showed Democrats winning by substantial margins across the board. Already more than two dozen Republican members of the House have announced that they will not be running for re-election, primarily because they don't want to be in the minority after the midterms.

The scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein has damaged Trump among his core supporters. His tariff policy has been making life more expensive for ordinary Americans, even as he tries to assert that prices are actually going down. Trump will seek to distract people's attention by ramping up pressure on Venezuela and using military power around the world, but that is not why his core supporters voted for him.

If the Democrats retake the House of Representatives, they will hold hearings, subpoena Cabinet members, and investigate the monumental corruption being fostered by the current administration. They may even launch an unprecedented third impeachment process.

Since the economy is not likely to get better in the coming year, Trump's popularity, already in the 30s, will continue to fall. Trump himself is showing signs of mental deterioration as he posts maniacally on social media.

Unfortunately, a weakened Trump will remain in power for another three years.

Ukraine's situation vis-a-vis Russia is dire today, and it will be up to the Europeans to sustain it over the coming months. In the face of a truly horrible president, it is important to recognize that Americans by significant majorities continue to favor Ukraine over Russia, and are willing to resume support for it. As Republicans begin to lose their fear of Trump, it is not inconceivable that a pro-Ukraine majority could emerge in Congress.

As has been true throughout the Russian aggression, what happens to Ukraine is important not just to the citizens of that country but to liberal democracies everywhere.

The countries of Europe are coming under direct threat from Moscow, and there is slow recognition in many parts of the continent that their self-interest is directly engaged.

But global democracy will not survive if its once-leading proponent has itself become an authoritarian power. So what happens in American domestic politics has reverberations around the world.
__________________

** In November 2025, the United States reached a trade agreement with Switzerland to lower tariffs from 39% to 15%. This deal followed a high-profile "charm offensive" by a delegation of Swiss business leaders who visited President Trump in the Oval Office.

Key Details of the Incident

• The Gifts: On November 4, 2025, a group of Swiss billionaires and executives — including representatives from Rolex, Richemont, and gold refiner MKS PAMP — presented President Trump with a custom-engraved 1-kilogram gold bar (valued at approximately $130,000) and a Rolex desk clock.

• Timing of the Deal: Roughly 10 days after the meeting where the gifts were presented and later displayed on the president's desk, the U.S. announced it would slash the tariff rate on Swiss goods.

• Wider Concessions: Beyond the gifts, Switzerland committed to investing $200 billion in the U.S. over the next five years and increasing purchases of U.S. products, such as Boeing aircraft and agricultural goods.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, December 31, 2025 4:06 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Go fuck yourself, prick.

--------------------------------------------------

Be Nice. Don't be a dick.

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Wednesday, December 31, 2025 4:21 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Go fuck yourself, prick.

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Be Evil. Be a dick.

I looked up Trump's deal with the Swiss.

In November 2025, the United States reached a trade agreement with Switzerland to lower tariffs from 39% to 15%. This deal followed a high-profile "charm offensive" by a delegation of Swiss business leaders who visited President Trump in the Oval Office.

Key Details of the Incident

• The Gifts: On November 4, 2025, a group of Swiss billionaires and executives — including representatives from Rolex, Richemont, and gold refiner MKS PAMP — presented President Trump with a custom-engraved 1-kilogram gold bar (valued at approximately $130,000) and a Rolex desk clock.

• Timing of the Deal: Roughly 10 days after the meeting where the gifts were presented and later displayed on the president's desk, the U.S. announced it would slash the tariff rate on Swiss goods.

• Wider Concessions: Beyond the gifts, Switzerland committed to investing $200 billion in the U.S. over the next five years and increasing purchases of U.S. products, such as Boeing aircraft and agricultural goods.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Wednesday, December 31, 2025 6:07 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Quote:
Originally posted by second:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
Go fuck yourself, prick.

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Be Evil. Be a dick.
I looked up Trump's deal with the Swiss.

No you didn't.

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Be Nice. Don't be a dick.

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Wednesday, December 31, 2025 8:33 PM

THG

Keep it real please

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Wednesday, December 31, 2025 9:01 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

You did that. Pat yourself on the back, stupid.

--------------------------------------------------

Be Nice. Don't be a dick.

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Thursday, January 1, 2026 6:47 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

No you didn't.

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Be Evil. Be a dick.

The National Links Trust, the nonprofit that has operated Washington’s three public courses on federal land for the last five years, said Wednesday that the Department of the Interior had terminated its 50-year lease agreement.

The move gives Trump, whose private company has developed numerous golf courses in the U.S. and abroad, the right to remake links overlooking the Potomac River and in Rock Creek Park.

Officials for the National Links Trust said $8.5 million had gone toward capital improvements at the courses and that rounds played and revenue had more than doubled in their tenure managing the courses.

The Department of the Interior’s decision comes as Trump rebrands civic spaces in Washington with his name.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-golf-courses-washington-dc-53ba4e673b
b78bdea1fa101e4030b0bd

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Thursday, January 1, 2026 1:10 PM

THG

Keep it real please

Trump Is Destroying Everything He Touches

T

USA Dollar Crashes

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Friday, January 2, 2026 11:03 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Orsted files legal challenge to Trump’s wind-farm suspension

Jan 2, 2026

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/orsted-files-legal-challenge-to-t
rump-s-wind-farm-suspension/ar-AA1Tr9zK

(Bloomberg) -- Orsted A/S filed a legal complaint after the Trump administration suspended the lease of a wind project that’s near completion off Rhode Island.

The US government’s order “violates applicable law,” the Danish developer and joint-venture partner Skyborn Renewables said in a statement. The firms will call for the suspension to be lifted until the court hands down a final verdict.

It’s the second time the Revolution Wind project has been targeted by the administration. After the government issued a stop-work order in the summer, a judge ruled construction could resume while a legal challenge was underway. President Donald Trump has fought aggressively to thwart the growth of the industry as he rolls back Biden-era climate policies and champions fossil fuels.

Orsted rose as much as 3.7% at the open on Friday. The shares slumped more than 30% last year, dragged lower by Trump’s repeated attacks on the sector and by management’s decision to hold a massive share sale, which was effectively a handout by the Danish government.

Revolution Wind “faces substantial harm from a continuation of the lease suspension order,” the company said in the statement. The project is 87% complete and expected to be ready to deliver power to American homes this year.

The US in December suspended leases for five wind farms under construction off the East Coast, citing concerns over national security as the huge turbines may interfere with radar systems. Aside from Revolution Wind, Orsted’s Sunrise Wind project off the coast of New York was also affected.

The company “continues to evaluate all options” in relation to that project, including possible legal proceedings, it said in the statement. Other major developers, including Equinor ASA, are engaging with US authorities over security concerns tied to offshore wind.

________________

Recent Legal Developments (Late 2025 – 2026)

• Court Battles: Multiple federal judges have struck down Trump’s executive orders to freeze wind permitting, calling the actions "arbitrary and capricious".

• Project Pauses: Despite legal setbacks, the administration has used "stop work" orders for projects like Revolution Wind and Empire Wind, citing the need for further environmental and security reviews.

As of January 2, 2026, President Trump’s efforts to thwart wind power—particularly offshore wind—are driven by a combination of aesthetic personal grievances, ideological commitment to fossil fuels, and recently, specific claims regarding national security

His opposition stems from several key motivations:

1. Aesthetic and Personal Grievances
Trump's hostility toward wind power began over a decade ago when he unsuccessfully fought to block an offshore wind farm visible from his golf course in Scotland. He frequently describes turbines as:

• Ugly and "Disgusting": He often claims they ruin scenic views and property values.

• "Cemeteries" for Birds: He argues they "kill all your birds," specifically citing bald eagles, though many research studies show these claims are often exaggerated or unsupported by site-specific data.

2. National Security Claims
In late 2025, the administration cited national security risks as a primary legal justification for halting major wind projects.

• Radar Interference: The Department of the Interior paused five major offshore projects, claiming turbine blades create "clutter" that obscures and confuses military radar signals.

• Classified Reports: The administration has pointed to classified Pentagon reports as the basis for these halts, although critics and some judges have questioned the validity of these claims as a pretext for a broader ideological ban.

3. Energy Policy and Economic Ideology
Trump views wind energy as an inefficient competitor to traditional energy sources.

• Support for Fossil Fuels: His administration has prioritized rolling back Biden-era clean energy policies to favor oil, gas, and coal production.

• Economic "Scam": He has labeled wind energy the "scam of the century," claiming it is too expensive to operate and unreliable.

• Subsidies: He opposes federal tax credits and subsidies for renewables, arguing they lead to energy scarcity and wasted taxpayer funds.

4. Health and Environmental Claims
Trump has made several widely debunked or unproven claims to justify his opposition:

• Cancer: He has suggested that the noise from wind turbines causes cancer, a claim for which there is no scientific evidence.

• Whale Impacts: He has recently claimed that offshore wind projects "drive whales crazy" and lead to deaths, though federal scientists have found no direct link between wind development and whale strandings.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Friday, January 2, 2026 1:27 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

So I think it's safe to say that neither of you have decided on trying to fix your mental health issues in 2026, huh?

--------------------------------------------------

Be Nice. Don't be a dick.

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Friday, January 2, 2026 4:57 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
So I think it's safe to say that neither of you have decided on trying to fix your mental health issues in 2026, huh?

--------------------------------------------------

Be Evil. Be a dick.

Is Trump sane for attempting to dictate NYNY traffic rules? Or is he a doofus who doesn't understand the cause of traffic jams and the fees to prevent them from happening?

On January 5, 2025, New York finally did what economists and urban planners have been urging for many years and imposed a fee on vehicles entering lower Manhattan.

Contrary to what many people seem to believe, congestion fees aren’t a left-wing idea or an attack on The American Way of Life. They’re straight Econ 101.

The logic runs as follows: Someone who chooses to drive into a congested area makes traffic worse and thereby imposes a cost on everyone else driving in that area. Yet potential drivers have no incentive to take these costs imposed on other people into account. Charging a fee helps align private and public interests, inducing people who have good alternatives to driving to use those alternatives, while making traffic faster for those who must drive.

In fact, New York’s $9 fee is very low compared with estimates of the social costs imposed by driving into lower Manhattan, which can run to $100 or more.

Despite this clear logic, the prospect that New York would actually implement textbook economics inspired hysterical opposition, with claims that it would create huge hardships and destroy the city’s economy. The Trump administration has repeatedly attempted to kill the program, and is still trying, even though it’s really hard to see why New York’s traffic policy should be a matter of federal concern. But as Curbed put it, “one thing [Trump] loves is the opportunity to stick it to anyone who’s earnest about activist good government.”

Indeed, back in October Trump announced that he had “terminated” the long-delayed project to build a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River, although this assertion — while it helped Democrat Mikie Sherrill win the New Jersey governor’s race — may have been empty showboating.

It will be hard to kill the congestion fee now, however, because it has been a striking success. Traffic speeds have increased. Pollution is down. The fee is generating a large amount of revenue for the city’s transit system. And predictions that it would be bad for business have proved completely wrong. Foot traffic in lower Manhattan is up, and so is overall spending in the city:

Source: Bloomberg https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-12-22/nyc-congestion-pric
ing-is-the-controversial-program-working

So New York’s congestion fee has been a big win for the city and also a win for policy driven by economic analysis over policy driven by knee-jerk opposition to government.

https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/notes-on-new-york

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Friday, January 2, 2026 5:06 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Looks like that's a no.

--------------------------------------------------

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Friday, January 2, 2026 5:08 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

"ATTENTION POOR PEOPLE AND NON-IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF NYC. YOU CAN NO LONGER DRIVE YOUR OWN CARS. IN ORDER TO GO TO WORK YOU NEED TO TRIP OVER ALL THE DRUG ADDICTS AND BUMS LIVING IN THE SUBWAY AND HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T GET STABBED TO DEATH OR LIT ON FIRE ON YOUR WAY TO WORK.

DRIVING CARS IS ONLY FOR RICH WHITE LIBERALS WITH IMPORTANT SOUNDING TITLES FROM NOW ON.

WE'RE NOT CLEANING ANYTHING EITHER, SO DO MIND THE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SHIT, PISS AND HYPODERMIC NEEDLES EVERYWHERE, AND BE SURE TO LOOK DOWN BEFORE TAKING YOUR SEAT.

THANK YOU."

--------------------------------------------------

Be Nice. Don't be a dick.

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Friday, January 2, 2026 5:43 PM

THG

Keep it real please

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:

So I think it's safe to say that neither of you have decided on trying to fix your mental health issues in 2026, huh?

--------------------------------------------------

Be Nice. Don't be a dick.

Just relax and stay calm. Are you still thing about killing yourself?

T

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Friday, January 2, 2026 8:10 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

You are a real garbage human being.

--------------------------------------------------

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Saturday, January 3, 2026 3:27 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
"ATTENTION POOR PEOPLE AND NON-IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF NYC. YOU CAN NO LONGER DRIVE YOUR OWN CARS. IN ORDER TO GO TO WORK YOU NEED TO TRIP OVER ALL THE DRUG ADDICTS AND BUMS LIVING IN THE SUBWAY AND HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T GET STABBED TO DEATH OR LIT ON FIRE ON YOUR WAY TO WORK.

DRIVING CARS IS ONLY FOR RICH WHITE LIBERALS WITH IMPORTANT SOUNDING TITLES FROM NOW ON.

WE'RE NOT CLEANING ANYTHING EITHER, SO DO MIND THE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SHIT, PISS AND HYPODERMIC NEEDLES EVERYWHERE, AND BE SURE TO LOOK DOWN BEFORE TAKING YOUR SEAT.

THANK YOU."

--------------------------------------------------

Be Evil. Be a dick.

Attention! 6ixStringJoker has highly detailed fantasies about things that didn't happen to justify why he fears travel to Chicago, NYNY, or all the other places he tells lies about, the same lies Trump tells.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Saturday, January 3, 2026 3:27 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

‘Their first instinct was to loot’: how Trump’s acolytes are plundering the Kennedy Center

Sheldon Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, remains undeterred and determined to press on with his investigation

By David Smith in Washington | Thu 1 Jan 2026 11.00 EST

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/01/trump-kennedy-center-c
anceled-programs

“That’s the tactic they use,” said Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island senator, pondering whether Donald Trump might attach his name to the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “You float stuff and you float stuff and you float stuff until people get inured to what a stupid or outrageous thing it is that has been floated, and then you pull the trigger.”

Whitehouse was sitting in his Senate office and speaking to the Guardian at 11am on Thursday 18 December. Two hours later, his words proved prophetic. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, announced on X that the Kennedy Center board had “voted unanimously” to rename it the Trump Kennedy Center.

By Friday, workmen on scissor lifts were adding metal lettering to the building’s facade, before dropping a blue tarpaulin to reveal a sign saying “The Donald J Trump and the John F Kennedy Memorial Center For the Performing Arts”. Family members of Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, condemned the move as “beyond wild” and pointed out that an act of Congress is needed to alter its name.

The takeover of the national cultural centre began in February when, in what many critics regard as a case study in institutional capture, Trump ousted members of the Kennedy Center board appointed by former president Joe Biden, took over as chair and installed Ric Grenell, a longtime ally and former ambassador to Germany, as its president.

In November Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate environment and public works (EPW) committee, launched a formal investigation into allegations of widespread cronyism, financial mismanagement and corruption at what he describes as a “secular temple to the arts”.

Democrats on the committee said they obtained documents that suggest the national cultural centre is being operated as a “slush fund and private club for Trump’s friends and political allies”, resulting in millions of dollars in losses and a significant deviation from its statutory mission.

Whitehouse sent a letter to Grenell demanding detailed documents and records. Grenell issued a fiery response accusing the senator of “partisan attacks and false accusations”. He claimed that neglect by the centre’s previous leadership left it in “financial chaos” and was “quite literally making the building fall apart”.

Whitehouse, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center board, remains undeterred and determined to press on with his investigation. Speaking in his office on Capitol Hill, he explained: “We began to get information about mischief taking place at the Kennedy Center and we got strong enough signals that we mounted an effort to dig into it and see what seemed actually to be going on.

“It was out of that effort that the report and letter came, which basically suggested that, when the brigands took the ship, their first instinct was to loot it for their own benefit and hire their friends and put people up in fancy rooms at the Watergate [hotel] and let favoured organisations get free access and it was all part of a Maga party atmosphere.”

A central charge of the investigation is that the Kennedy Center is providing preferential access and financial benefits to organisations connected to the Trump administration and its allies. According to a contract, Grenell granted world football’s governing body, Fifa, free and exclusive use of the entire Kennedy Center campus from 24 November to 12 December for the World Cup draw.

Estimates provided by Whitehouse show this will cost the Center $5,038,444 in losses from direct rental fees, programming rescheduling, labour, food and beverage and other services. Multiple events were cancelled or rescheduled to accommodate Fifa.

Grenell rejected the accusation in his letter, stating: “Fifa has given us several million dollars, in addition to paying all of the expenses for this event in lieu of a rental fee. Your focus on simple rental fees is no way to run an institution as diverse as the Kennedy Center. A simple rental fee would not have been enough to cover the magnitude of the event.”

But Whitehouse argues this defence is unsubstantiated by any documentation. Fifa has been “brown-nosing Trump relentlessly and giving him comical peace trophies to butter him up and at the same time getting free access to the Kennedy Center”, the senator observed.

Roma Daravi, vice-president of public relations for the Kennedy Center, said in a statement on Wednesday: “Fifa is giving the Kennedy Center multimillions of dollars – much more than what a rental’s revenue would have been – plus they are covering all expenses.”

Daravi accused Whitehouse of purposely sharing “misleading information” with US newspapers the New York Times and Washington Post, adding: “The press and the senator should be ashamed of the lies they print and reprint – we want a cultural center for ALL Americans but they push lies to sow division amongst Americans for their selfish moment in a headline.”

Contracts reveal steep rental discounts were provided to conservative groups: NewsNation received a $19,820 discount for a town hall event; the American Conservative Union Foundation received a $21,982.60 discount for a CPAC gathering entitled the Christian Persecution Summit. The contract file explicitly notes “waived costs from OOP” (the Office of the President).

Whitehouse added: “If they weren’t paying the proper ordinary Kennedy Center rates, they’re being given a benefit and those benefits seem only to be going towards groups that are affiliated with Trump and Maga. It’s basically a direct way to use this public facility to put money into the pockets of groups that are allied.”

The investigation also uncovered lucrative contracts awarded to individuals with personal or political ties to Grenell and his allies.

On 14 April the centre entered into a $15,000-per-month contract with a former colleague of Grenell’s from his time as ambassador to Germany. The letter states the contract is “devoid of any detail”, and there is no evidence of substantive speeches that would justify the payments.

In his letter to Whitehouse, Grenell defended the hiring, describing his former colleague as an “accomplished editor, researcher and writer” whose work on a special exhibit was “100%” covered by a donor who gave $10m to the Center.

In May the centre awarded a $10,833.33-per-month contract to Jeff Halperin, the husband of staunch Trump ally Kari Lake, for “social media capture/editing” services. In his response, Grenell praised Halperin for his “incredible multimedia expertise”.

Documents detail significant expenditures on luxury hospitality and entertainment for staff and associates, which the letter describes as unrelated to official fundraising or development purposes.

Between 21 April and 16 July, Grenell’s team charged the center $27,185 for rooms at the luxury Watergate hotel. These charges, which included multi-night stays, missed reservation fees and valet parking, are described as “unprecedented”.

Whitehouse contrasted this with previous administrations, where such hospitality was typically for performers or honourees, not “letting some guy who you know who you’re hiring be put up at the Watergate”.

Between 17 April and 2 July, $10,773.19 was charged for private lunches, dinners and alcohol. Receipts show charges for “champagne service”, multi-bottle wine orders including rosé, and charcuterie. Senior staff members Nick Meade and Rick Loughery, who also hold leadership roles in political organisations founded or led by Grenell, appeared on several invoices in this spending.

The investigation notes reports that the Kennedy Center is operating over budget amid falling ticket sales. Whitehouse suggested the decline is due to a “bad signal to Washington” from the new leadership, a change in programming that “appeals to a much narrower market of Maga enthusiasts” and major acts cancelling performances. He likened the Trump administration’s takeover to “the Vandals in Rome”.

Grenell insisted that the center’s previous leaders were responsible for the financial problems and that his team is fixing them. Whitehouse countered that there was “very little reason to believe that version of events is supported by facts” and Grenell’s team has “not produced documentary support for any of it”.

The Senate EPW committee investigation is continuing. “We’re going to continue to dig away until we’re sure that we understand the depths of the problem,” Whitehouse said. “But it ought to be pretty plain to people that when a new administration comes to Washington, it is not the ordinary and appropriate thing to start filling your own pockets, your friends’ pockets, your political allies’ pockets with public goods.”

The Kennedy Center is just the tip of the iceberg in a second Trump term that is taking the culture wars literally. He has unveiled plans to build a triumphal arch in Washington and a garden of statues of US “heroes” to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the declaration of independence. Last week it was reported that the administration is threatening to withhold federal funds from Smithsonian Institution museums if they fail to submit extensive documentation for content review.

Whitehouse commented: “It’s the second term strategy of let Trump be Trump without guardrails and that takes him into innumerable places where presidents heretofore did not go. This was just an element of it. Trump sees a crowd. He sees an event. He wants to be in the middle of it so you can see the Kennedy Center as a venue for him to put himself in front of people and seek accolades and admiration would be fairly irresistible.

“It’s a little bit different with the Smithsonian, where that is a narrative enforcement battle to try to restore a rather selective view of American history that aligns with a Republican and Maga narrative. I don’t think you can underestimate the importance of narrative enhancement to the Maga movement. They will lie their way through very obvious facts to protect a narrative.”

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two

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Saturday, January 3, 2026 11:11 PM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Quote:
Originally posted by second:
Quote:
Originally posted by 6ixStringJack:
"ATTENTION POOR PEOPLE AND NON-IMPORTANT PEOPLE OF NYC. YOU CAN NO LONGER DRIVE YOUR OWN CARS. IN ORDER TO GO TO WORK YOU NEED TO TRIP OVER ALL THE DRUG ADDICTS AND BUMS LIVING IN THE SUBWAY AND HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T GET STABBED TO DEATH OR LIT ON FIRE ON YOUR WAY TO WORK.

DRIVING CARS IS ONLY FOR RICH WHITE LIBERALS WITH IMPORTANT SOUNDING TITLES FROM NOW ON.

WE'RE NOT CLEANING ANYTHING EITHER, SO DO MIND THE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF SHIT, PISS AND HYPODERMIC NEEDLES EVERYWHERE, AND BE SURE TO LOOK DOWN BEFORE TAKING YOUR SEAT.

THANK YOU."

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Be Evil. Be a dick.
Attention! 6ixStringJoker has highly detailed fantasies about things that didn't happen to justify why he fears travel to Chicago, NYNY, or all the other places he tells lies about, the same lies Trump tells.

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/two