Trump's presidency has turned out to be a big boon to urbanism and the fight against climate change. I hope the Strait of Hormuz remains closed forever so that cities can become more walkable and transit-oriented, and we can switch to cleaner sources of energy.
 
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Donald Trump given hostile reception as New York crowd boos and jeers president at NBA finals

Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden on Monday night before Game 3 of the NBA finals
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Donald Trump given hostile reception as New York crowd boos and jeers president at NBA finals

Donald Trump was loudly booed when he was shown on the video screens at Madison Square Garden on Monday night before Game 3 of the NBA finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks.

Trump was shown on the jumbotron while the Star-Spangled Banner was being sung before the game, and jeers and boos broke out around the arena. The president was shown for a little over eight seconds and held a salute the whole time with a smile on his face. A few seconds later, the video board showed Knicks players in line and the boos turned to cheers.

The US president, a longtime Knicks fan, attended as the guest of team owner James Dolan as New York hosted their first NBA finals game since 1999. Trump entered the arena amid a heavy security presence. He watched the game from the owner’s box above center court, while Secret Service personnel commandeered the neighboring suites on either side. Also in the box were Dolan, interior secretary Doug Burgum, transportation secretary Sean Duffy and Trump’s granddaughter Kai. Later in Monday’s game, which the Knicks lost 115-111, Trump appeared to fall asleep.

The hostile reception comes as little surprise. NBA fans skew liberal and the Knicks play in a city that firmly backed Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Trump’s appearance added another layer of spectacle to a city already in the thrall of basketball fever. The Knicks entered the night carrying a 2-0 series lead over the Spurs and seeking to move within one victory of their first championship since 1973. Hours before tipoff, fans encountered heightened security around Madison Square Garden. A 10-foot perimeter fence surrounded the arena, ticket holders were advised to arrive at least two hours early and the team implemented a strict no-bag policy. By midday, dozens of fans were already queueing to pass through metal detectors manned by Secret Service agents to access the team store.

“He could have picked any other day. This night is for the fans,” said Joanne Cadden, 53, a Knicks supporter from the Bronx who has followed the team since the early 1990s. “You’re making people go away from the Garden. This wasn’t the time.”

Gesturing toward the fencing and checkpoints surrounding the arena, Cadden added: “This looks like prison.”

Beginning at around 4pm, authorities sealed off several blocks around the arena, creating what NYPD commissioner Jessica Tisch described as a “frozen zone”. The restrictions encompassed the area between West 30th and West 35th Streets and Sixth and Eighth Avenues, with police checkpoints limiting access to ticket holders, rail passengers, credentialed personnel and others with an authorized reason to enter.

The restrictions also led officials to cancel the outdoor watch party that had drawn thousands of fans outside the Garden during earlier playoff games, though city officials said other viewing events, including ones at Bryant Park and Central Park’s Wollman Rink, would go ahead as planned. The watch party outside MSG was expected to return for Game 4 on Wednesday.
 
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US military launches strikes against Iran in response to helicopter downing​

US strikes over: The US military said it has completed strikes against Iran in what it said was a retaliation to the downing of an Army Apache helicopter. President Donald Trump called the response “very strong, very powerful.” A US official told CNN the Trump administration believes the strikes won’t hinder war talks. Tehran responds: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in response to the strikes. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said no attack from the US will be left “unanswered.” Impact in Iran: Explosions were heard in three strategic locations around the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported. Iran’s state-run broadcaster reported the strikes hit two water reservoirs, cutting the area’s water supply. Apache downing: Two US officials said the helicopter was brought down by an Iranian drone, with a separate source telling CNN it was a Shahed drone. One of the officials said it was unclear whether the helicopter was intentionally targeted.

US has finished strikes in response to helicopter downing, Central Command says​

The US military has completed self-defense strikes against Iran in response to the downing of a US Apache helicopter, according to US Central Command. “CENTCOM forces struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets,” CENTCOM said on X. The US military said the strikes mark a “proportional response” to recent attacks on US forces and international ships in regional waters.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain​

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early Wednesday it targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in response to US strikes against the country. “IRGC Navy forces launched a drone attack at 2:30 a.m. against the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain,” said a statement in the semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The IRGC said the US carried out strikes against Jask, Sirik and Qeshm, matching several other Iranian state media reports of the attacks. The IRGC said the US strikes allegedly damaged a communications tower in Sirik and destroyed two water reservoirs in the Bamani district, according to Tasnim news. There have not been reports of any air raid sirens in Bahrain in the last few hours. CNN has reached out to US Central Command (CENTCOM) for a response.
 
doady said:
Trump's presidency has turned out to be a big boon to urbanism and the fight against climate change. I hope the Strait of Hormuz remains closed forever so that cities can become more walkable and transit-oriented, and we can switch to cleaner sources of energy.
Click to expand...

People are laughing at your post but you're entirely correct. Trump's incompetence has inadvertently made the move to sustainable energy a political imperative rather than a scientific one. The latter has been hard to explain to the dummy electorate, the former, they've figured it out themselves: gas prices and cost of living are self explanatory.

While there's been a short term spike in dirty energy like burning coal, the mid term shows a dramatic move to solar and nuclear with a worldwide rush to offset 10-20 mb/d that's trapped in the Strait. For context, that's almost exactly how much oil the US consumes every day (~20.6 mb/d). Offsetting that worldwide is a challenge but it's happening because the world has no choice.

Trump is causing a lot of damage in the US but capitalism won't care if the US government has gotten rid of clean energy regulations, industries will fall in line with what the rest of the world is doing in order to compete. When all is said and done, the move to sustainable energy is going to end up being hastened by a decade or more.
 
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Someone doesn't understand the difference between a deficit and a surplus...

Screenshot 2026-06-09 221758.png
 
doady said:
Trump's presidency has turned out to be a big boon to urbanism and the fight against climate change. I hope the Strait of Hormuz remains closed forever so that cities can become more walkable and transit-oriented, and we can switch to cleaner sources of energy.
Click to expand...
One has to be careful with how one deploys such logic. Because it can be like claiming the 1907 Quebec Bridge disaster was a big boon to civil engineering.
 
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Did This Congressman Just Fake a Phone Call To Dodge A Tough Question? Judge for Yourself. | HuffPost Latest News

GOP Rep Caught Faking A Phone Call To Avoid Question About Plan To Cut Social Security​

This was not the first time he had pulled the stunt, either.

Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) was caught red-handed on Tuesday after a reporter questioned about a plan to cut Social Security, and the congressman took drastic action to dodge him. “Congressman, what is Mike Johnson’s secret plan to cut Social Security?” the MeidasTouch reporter asked. Wittman then pulled out his phone and pretended to take a call, even though the screen was visible to the camera. It was clear that he was not on the phone with anyone. “Yeah, I’ll be there in just a few minutes,” Wittman said. “I’m heading your way right now. The reporter repeated the question as Wittman continued the ruse and walked away without giving any comment. This is not the first time Wittman has pulled this stunt. In response to the video, DropSiteNews reporter Julian Andreone posted his own clip of Wittman doing the same thing to him last week.
 
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Trump signs bill giving nearly US$70 billion to his immigration enforcement agenda through end of his term

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill into law on Wednesday that gives his immigration and deportation agenda a nearly US$70 billion boost for the rest of his time in the White House.
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Trump signs bill giving nearly US$70 billion to his immigration enforcement agenda through end of his term​

U.S. President Donald Trump signed a bill into law on Wednesday that gives his immigration and deportation agenda a nearly US$70 billion boost for the rest of his time in the White House.
The bill provides US$38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and US$26 billion for the Border Patrol. An additional US$5 billion would cover unforeseen costs, according to the White House. Trump signed the legislation in the Oval Office a day after House Republicans pushed the measure through by a 214-212 vote over the objections of Democrats. His signature ended a nearly six-month fight over U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding that began with shooting deaths of deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. Democrats began demanding changes to immigration enforcement after the shootings, creating an impasse — and resulting in the longest agency in history — that ultimately led Republicans to go it alone on the funding. The agencies will be funded through the next three years. The new law front-loads routine annual funding, ensuring a virtually uninterrupted flow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some one million people per year. The legislation had become sidetracked over US$1 billion for White House security, including for Trump’s new ballroom, and a US$1.8 billion fund to compensate his allies who claim to be victims of political prosecution. Both proposals became politically toxic and were scrapped. The bill as passed focused exclusively on immigration enforcement, a topic that Republicans have treated as a defining issue between the two major political parties and one the GOP hopes will carry it to victory in November’s midterm elections.
 
www.ctvnews.ca

Trump says he’s ‘not looking to renew’ North American free trade deal

Asked Wednesday about the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, the free trade deal between the three countries, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “I’m not looking to renew it.”
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Trump says he’s ‘not looking to renew’ North American free trade deal​

Asked Wednesday about the upcoming review of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, the free trade deal between the three countries, U.S. President Donald Trump said, “I’m not looking to renew it.” “We don’t need anything” that Canada or Mexico has, said the president. By July 1, all three countries must say whether they would like to renew the agreement for 16 years, or commit to annual reviews, per the schedule baked into the deal. On-and-off informal negotiations between the U.S. and Canada have been going on for months, and the latter has already indicated it’s interested in renewing the trade pact. The U.S. and Mexico, meanwhile, have said they’re making progress on their formal bilateral talks. CUSMA, or USMCA as it’s known in the U.S., has shielded Canadian goods from a large portion of U.S. import tariffs. Leaders on both sides of the border have called it the best trade deal with the U.S. in the world. Trump sang its praises on Wednesday, but for one reason specifically. “It gave the right to terminate,” he said. “NAFTA was the worst trade deal I’ve ever seen,” said Trump, referring to CUSMA’s 1994 predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement. “I made it better, but I had the right to terminate. And with NAFTA, we didn’t have the right to terminate.” “USMCA did one thing that I love. After six years, it comes up for renewal,” he added. “I don’t know that I’m going to renew it. Because to be honest with you, the United States does much better, OK? We don’t need anything that Canada has. We don’t need anything that Mexico has, but we need everything that we have.” Canada has exported US$127-billion worth of goods to the U.S. so far this year, according to the American census bureau. Canada imported US$114 billion-worth of American goods, meaning the U.S. has accrued a US$12 billion trade deficit so far in 2026. The trade deficit, a measure of the difference between imports and exports, has irritated Trump, who has repeatedly cited it as a problem with Canada-U.S. trade. “We should have surpluses with them,” he said, referring to both Canada and Mexico.
 
nightstreak said:
People are laughing at your post but you're entirely correct.
Click to expand...
Because it's way too oversimplified of a post. I find the idea that bureaucrats beholden to corporate interests might fast track climate action to be inherently suspect at best, and in the meantime the people suffering from high gas prices are those who have to rely on cars who have no other options, and can't afford to move elsewhere. In suburban places which are not remotely built being friendly for transit or walking, it's going to take decades to change the built form of the city and even that assumes that action is going to be taken quickly.

Also, warfare is incredibly destructive to the environment. Celebrating this war as a boon for the climate fight is like celebrating the Russell Hill subway accident as being a boon for passenger safety.
 
Richard White said:
Here's to hoping the Democrats can take majorities in the house and senate this November.

I wouldn't put it past them to impeach trump if they do.
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They may impeach him in the House but the Senate requires 2/3 majority to remove him from office. It won't happen.
 
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