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Yvon Chouinard - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org


New book ‘Dirtbag Billionaire’ tells story of Patagonia’s unconventional founder,​

Dec 14, 2025
Surveys consistently rank Patagonia as one of the most reputable brands in America, not just for its outdoor gear, but also for being good environmental stewards. The story of both the company and its iconoclastic founder is told in a new book, “Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away.” John Yang speaks with author David Gelles for more.

7:14
 
I was at a concert in Florida when some dirtbag was causing problems then pretended to be a police officer. I went and found one in uniform to remove him.
 
^

DHS fast-tracked $1 billion contract to pro-Trump donor’s company​

The Department of Homeland Security fast-tracked a contract worth almost $1 billion to a company led by a donor to a pro-Trump nonprofit group where one of the officials overseeing the deal previously worked, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post.

That donor, William Walters, leads another company that received a separate $140 million contract from DHS to purchase six Boeing 737 planes to use for deportations, The Post reported last week.

The larger contract involves a DHS program called Project Homecoming that offers cash bonuses, free flights and a “concierge service” at airports for departing migrants. The program arose from an executive order on the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term directing DHS to develop policies to encourage immigrants to leave the country voluntarily, a process the administration calls “self-deportation.”

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...-donor-s-company/ar-AA1Sw0Xc?ocid=socialshare
 

President Trump addresses the nation from the White House — 12/17/2025​

18:21

​

 

Donald Trump’s "Warrior Dividend" checks will cost more than $2.5 billion​

President Donald Trump has announced that he plans to issue $1,776 checks to U.S. military service members.

Speaking from the White House during a televised address, Trump dubbed the payment the “Warrior Dividend” to commemorate the nation’s founding.

“Military service members will receive a special we call ‘warrior dividend’ before Christmas, a warrior dividend in honor of our nation’s founding in 1776,” Trump said, speaking from the Diplomatic Room of the White House. “Nobody deserves it more than our military.”

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...than-2-5-billion/ar-AA1SAr37?ocid=socialshare
 

Trump is outsourcing his presidential duties to 'unaccountable' advisors: NYT​

Despite being given powers well beyond previous presidents, President Donald Trump has largely outsourced his duties to advisors who are actually running the White House's day-to-day operations, according to a recent analysis.

In a Wednesday op-ed for the New York Times, columnist Jamelle Bouie argued that Trump is mostly "uninterested in anyone except his most devoted fans, and would rather collect gifts from foreign businessmen than take the reins of his administration." Bouie pointed to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles' recent bombshell profile in Vanity Fair, in which she maintained that despite occupying America's highest office, Trump "doesn't know the details" of the "smallish agencies" that his administration decimated earlier this year.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...ble-advisors-nyt/ar-AA1Sy7ty?ocid=socialshare
 

Did Trump Have a Mental Breakdown During Lie Filled Speech Turned Rant?​

Dec 18, 2025 The Hartmann Report
A stark look at the speech that blurred the line between leadership and losing control on the world stage…

10:58
 

Trump's $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” Exposes SAD Reality For Military...​

Dec 18, 2025
More than 1.45 million U.S. service members are set to receive a $1,776 “Warrior Dividend” following recent tariff revenue and legislation — and while free money sounds great, the reality is far more complicated.

12:35
 

In my Intel Brief, I go deep on what the Pentagon budget means for National Security and Michigan​

Dec 18, 2025
This week's Intel Brief goes deep on the new Pentagon budget. We got some big things done for Michigan, including:
Military pay raises and investments in Selfridge
Banning DOD from buying Chinese-made 3D printers
New laws around drones and critical minerals

9:55
 
The Telegraph opinion piece. As with anything I post, take it fwiw and dyodd.

Trump is a narcissistic fascist. The West needs a new leader of the free world
​

When in November 2016 Donald Trump became president of the United States of America – and, as such, leader of the free world – there was consternation even among some who supported the Republican party or sympathized with its causes.

How could such an uncouth, ill-disciplined braggart have acquired a position of such power? I recall failing to console an American friend, distraught at the event, by saying that however vulgar and irrational Trump was the outcome of a democratic poll must be accepted; but that experienced officials in the American state machine would protect their country from any excesses he might seek to perpetrate.

To an extent, that proved so. The worst damage Trump did came at the very end, when in January 6 2021 he did little to persuade the fanatics who support him to desist from their attack on the Capitol in Washington DC. That incident is the subject of his defamation suit against the BBC (or, rather, the British licence-fee payer) for the biased editing of a speech he gave that made him appear to encourage the rioters. There was no explicit exhortation, which is where the BBC committed its grave error.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...f-the-free-world/ar-AA1SJmaS?ocid=socialshare
 

Is the Trump administration just a reality TV show?​

Key takeaways​

  • A Vanity Fair profile of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, in which she describes the president as having “an alcoholic’s personality” and refers to one of Trump’s top officials as a “zealot,” has gone viral and raised questions about the administration’s basic competency.
  • As shocking as Wiles’s interview was, it was also a continuation of a longstanding pattern for the second Trump administration: a blurring of the lines between politics and influencer culture.
  • The changing nature of celebrity and the rise of parasocial relationships to political leaders and influencers says a lot about how America has changed, along with its expectations of its leaders.
Recently, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles did something uncharacteristic: she became the news of the day. Over the course of President Donald Trump’s 2025, she had been talking to a journalist about his presidency and his core team, dishing about their personalities, quirks, and flops. Reactions ranged from shock to fascination, even though MAGA world quickly circled the wagons.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertain...-reality-tv-show/ar-AA1SB1Tk?ocid=socialshare
 

Trump does presidency via Truth Social – what are Americans missing out on?​

When Donald Trump has something to say, he takes to Truth Social.

Trump has used the platform to announce policies on everything from the economy to travel bans, making declarations that are key for Americans seeking information about his government.

Perhaps just as importantly, Americans could be missing out on understanding Trump’s mental state and his performance in office. On at least one occasion Trump has appeared to be confused about whether or not certain AI videos are real on Truth Social. In early December, the president posted 158 times on the platform in three hours, raising questions not just about his increasingly unusual behavior, but also how he is spending his time.

Read the rest:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...s-missing-out-on/ar-AA1SLJ39?ocid=socialshare
 
I don't think the pedophile accusation is warranted. But the short clip was pretty sad for his legacy. Trump did say once that he never touched alcohol, so I expect he can't claim an unfortunate after bar incident. I can usually excuse accidental words from one who has had too much. Well, it may depend on the topic.
 

Jake Paul brandishes golden gun and piles of cash after £140m Anthony Joshua fight​

Jake Paul flaunted bundles of what appeared to be $100 bills, a golden gun, and several other firearms in the wake of his £140m fight with Anthony Joshua.

A photo of Paul holding a lit cigar inside a private jet was posted to Instagram hours after he underwent surgery to fix a broken jaw suffered in his defeat by Britain’s former heavyweight world champion.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle...ony-joshua-fight/ar-AA1SP2X2?ocid=socialshare
 
Here's an unhappy read. Let's hope it doesn't ring true.

The Drumbeats Of War Are Getting Louder

Hundreds of millions of people all over the western world are enjoying the holiday season as if nothing has changed. But meanwhile the pounding of the war drums just continues to intensify. If the world
theeconomiccollapseblog.com
 

Trump administration to start seizing pay of defaulted student loan borrowers in January​

  • The Trump administration will start garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers in default in early January, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education confirmed to CNBC on Tuesday.
  • More than 5 million student loan borrowers are currently in default, and that total could swell to roughly 10 million borrowers soon, the Education Department said earlier this year.
The Trump administration will start garnishing the wages of student loan borrowers in default in early January, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Education confirmed to CNBC on Tuesday.

It will be the first time a portion of borrowers’ paychecks has been at risk since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, when collection activity was halted.

More:

 

Republicans in quiet talks to 'oust Johnson'​

Republicans have quietly started to talk about removing House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), according to a report.

Johnson has been criticized by fellow Republicans and rival Democrats in recent weeks — and now the GOP majority has shown signs it's unhappy with him, The Atlantic reported Tuesday.

"Johnson’s own members, in the past month, have accused him of stretching if not wholly disregarding the truth, and his assertion last Wednesday that he has a firm grip on power was correct only in the most technical sense," according to The Atlantic.

"On the day he uttered it, a group of Johnson’s most electorally vulnerable soldiers abandoned him to help Democrats force a vote on extending health-care subsidies, and a longtime lawmaker became the 25th House Republican — with many more expected to follow — to announce that he would not seek reelection next year.

More:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...-to-oust-johnson/ar-AA1SUzwt?ocid=socialshare
 
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