this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2025
428 points (99.3% liked)

politics

24561 readers
3261 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Facebook mogul’s sudden appearance is increasingly typical of freewheeling West Wing during Donald Trump’s second term, which president has reportedly nicknamed ‘Grand Central Terminal’

Air Force leaders learned that lesson earlier this year when they arrived for a top-secret briefing with Trump in the Oval Office, which according to NBC News was scheduled for them to discuss plans for America’s sixth-generation fighter aircraft, dubbed the F-47 in a nod to Trump’s status as the 47th President of the United States.

As the generals were going over the details of the super-stealthy plane, which Trump has called the most advanced, capable and lethal combat aircraft platform ever built, they were startled by the appearance of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg popping into the Oval Office.

According to NBC, White House officials became concerned that Zuckerberg, one of the wealthiest men in the world, lacked the security clearance required to be present for talks about such a sensitive national security matter.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 1 points 32 minutes ago

Aghast enough to do a single fucking thing about it?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 34 minutes ago* (last edited 32 minutes ago)

Aren't fighters dead?

Look, I like cool planes, but military scenarios where 5-500 drones are worse than a single mega expensive jet not already covered by existing planes/missiles seem... very rare.

Look at Ukraine's drone ops. I mean, hell, imagine if the DoD put their budget into that.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Aww, Trump got a new pet billionaire!

[–] [email protected] 28 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Your new name is mark musk 🫲🍊🫱

[–] [email protected] 13 points 15 hours ago

zuck is the new cuck

[–] [email protected] 36 points 17 hours ago (3 children)

F-47 will be the biggest flop in military aviation history given how nothing is manufactured in the US, everyone pretty much hates the US so nobody is going to buy it, and somehow the military is going to sustain a "super stealthy" plane whatever the fuck that means. Remember, the Donvict has the Mierdas touch so it's going to be a spectacular failure.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 16 hours ago

I'm sure that being actively hostile to education and science will be great for the development program though

[–] [email protected] 9 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

F-47 is probably the greatest marketing move of all time by Lockheed-Martin. Just as public sentiment was sinking about the F35, couple recent accidents and boom they get handed a great distraction.

Whether or not they win the contract for the 47, it allows them to solidify their current contracts for the 35 for a minimum of 10 years. I think there was another accident just a few weeks ago and no one was talking about it because that aircraft is old news.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I mean like what are you going to do with the F-35 now? You don't cancel a plane over a high accident rate. Otherwise the F-16 and especially the F-14 program would have stopped in their first 5 years.

Plus at that point you paid 100 billion in RnD and probably several 100 billions in the production line. So you better get your money's worth.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

That's 1700 billion all in!

fortune.com/longform/lockheed-martin-f-35-fighter-jet/

[–] [email protected] 1 points 45 minutes ago

Oh I'm so used to ai generated journalism this is actually nice.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago

Iirc, according to previously released information about NGAD and F/A-XX, America’s sixth gen fighter programs for the Air Force and the Navy respectively (as they existed before trump’s second term), the jet is supposed to have a built in requirement that the fighters have a radar cross section ‘orders of magnitude’ smaller than f-35. This is in conjunction with better, longer range sensors and munitions with sufficient reach to take advantage of this longer range sensor capability. The idea is to outrange enemy munitions and sensors, and failing that, to avoid detection in the worst case scenario through stealth tech. That’s likely what they’re referring to when they say ‘super stealthy’, though it remains to be seen if that can actually be delivered upon, as this is still the development stage and nobody really knows if a development program will pan out at the beginning.

[–] [email protected] 161 points 23 hours ago (13 children)

Looks like trump found his new benefactor. Which is honestly baffling because we literally all just saw what happened with Musk. If these tech CEOs are supposed to be geniuses why do they keep falling for the same shit? Like, just google what happens to most oligarchs when they support any kind of authoritarianism. Whether it's Mussolini, Hitler, or Putin, they always get shafted in the end. Does money and greed just cause brain damage or something? Is it the massive amounts of power and drugs?

[–] [email protected] 106 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

"I'm different". They really believe that they are better/smarter than everyone else.

[–] [email protected] 59 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

It's narcissism. The driving force behind conservatism as a whole, is narcissism. They all think they're the special individual that will get special treatement. Hence the whole "leopards eating faces" thing.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

It would be more correct to say the driving force is Type B personality disorders, of which narcissism is one. But sociopathy plays a big role too.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 18 hours ago* (last edited 18 hours ago) (1 children)

Yeah, it's not strictly narcissism, but in general it is lower level of empathy in varying degrees.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago

They are often comorbid

[–] [email protected] 37 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Like, just google what happens to most oligarchs when they support any kind of authoritarianism. Whether it’s Mussolini, Hitler, or Putin, they always get shafted in the end.

What on earth are you talking about? The oligarchs who supported Hitler made a bunch of money, saw organized labor crushed, and then did fine after the war. Nazi war criminal Fritz ter Meer, who was a senior board member of IG Farben, manufacturing Zyklon B for the gas chambers, got a couple years in prison and then became chairman of Bayer.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

https://tourguide-kevin.com/oligarchs-and-hitler/

Literally within the first few results. Half these dudes got imprisoned and the rest were ruined after the fact.

"Alfred Hugenberg (1865–1951)

Alfred Hugenberg, a powerful German businessman and politician, was instrumental in Hitler’s early rise to power. As a media mogul and leader of the German National People’s Party (DNVP), he helped legitimize the Nazi Party by forming a coalition with Hitler in 1933. Hugenberg believed he could control Hitler and use him to advance his nationalist and conservative agenda. However, once Hitler consolidated power, he sidelined Hugenberg and absorbed his party into the Nazi machine. Hugenberg’s influence quickly diminished, and he found himself politically irrelevant, regretting his role in facilitating Hitler’s dictatorship.

Fritz Thyssen (1873–1951)

Fritz Thyssen, the industrial magnate behind the Thyssen steel empire, was one of Hitler’s early financial backers. He saw Hitler as a bulwark against communism and labor unions, supporting him financially in the late 1920s and early 1930s. However, as the Nazi regime became increasingly totalitarian and aggressive, Thyssen became disillusioned. He opposed Hitler’s militarization and, after the invasion of Poland in 1939, fled Germany. Thyssen was later arrested by the Nazis and imprisoned in a concentration camp, a stark reminder of how those who enabled Hitler could also become his victims.

Emil Kirdorf (1847–1938)

Emil Kirdorf, a coal and steel magnate, was an ardent supporter of Hitler in the early years, helping to fund the Nazi Party’s activities. He saw Hitler as a means to suppress socialism and protect capitalist interests. However, Kirdorf was eventually disappointed by the Nazi economic policies, particularly those that exerted excessive control over private enterprise. He regretted his support when he realized that Hitler was not just suppressing socialism but was also imposing a centralized economic system that limited business autonomy.

Gustav Krupp (1870–1950)

The Krupp industrial dynasty was deeply entangled with the Nazi war machine, and Gustav Krupp personally backed Hitler, seeing him as a leader who would strengthen Germany’s military industry. However, as the war progressed, the massive devastation and economic ruin caused by Hitler’s policies became apparent. By the end of World War II, the Krupp empire was dismantled, and members of the family faced prosecution for war crimes. The destruction of his business and the moral weight of association with Hitler left Gustav Krupp with profound regret.

Karl Friedrich Goerdeler (1884–1945)

Karl Friedrich Goerdeler was a businessman and politician who initially supported Hitler’s rise but later became a key member of the anti-Nazi resistance. As the mayor of Leipzig and an advisor to German industries, he believed that Hitler would restore Germany’s economic strength. However, he soon became disillusioned by Hitler’s radical policies, suppression of freedoms, and militarization. Goerdeler became involved in the failed 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler, leading to his execution. His regret over supporting Hitler drove him to actively resist the regime.

Hjalmar Schacht (1877–1970)

Hjalmar Schacht, an economist and banker, played a critical role in Hitler’s early economic success, helping to stabilize the German economy in the 1930s. However, he grew increasingly critical of Hitler’s reckless spending and aggressive military expansion. By the late 1930s, he had distanced himself from the regime and was eventually arrested for his opposition. Schacht survived the war but deeply regretted his initial support, realizing that he had helped enable one of history’s most destructive leaders."

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 45 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Does money and greed just cause brain damage or something?

Kind of, yeah.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 22 hours ago

Interesting article. I was actually just trying to recall this study, and then it was mentioned:

A UC Berkeley study found that in San Francisco—where the law requires that cars stop at crosswalks for pedestrians to pass—drivers of luxury cars were four times less likely than those in less expensive vehicles to stop and allow pedestrians the right of way. They were also more likely to cut off other drivers.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 21 hours ago

Looks like they've known this for awhile. I missed this, thanks for posting.

  • people of lower economic status were better at reading others’ facial expressions—an important marker of empathy—than wealthier people.
  • drivers of luxury cars were four times less likely than those in less expensive vehicles to stop and allow pedestrians the right of way. They were also more likely to cut off other drivers.
  • A number of studies have found that affluent children are more vulnerable to substance-abuse issues, potentially because of high pressure to achieve and isolation from parents.
  • While a process addiction is not a chemical addiction, it does involve compulsive behavior—in this case, an addiction to the good feeling that comes from receiving money or possessions—which can ultimately lead to negative consequences and harm the individual’s well-being.
  • In upwardly mobile communities, children are often pressed to excel at multiple academic and extracurricular pursuits to maximize their long-term academic prospects—a phenomenon that may well engender high stress
  • There is no direct correlation between income and happiness. After a certain level of income that can take care of basic needs and relieve strain (some say $50,000 a year, some say $75,000), wealth makes hardly any difference to overall well-being and happiness and, if anything, only harms well-being:
[–] [email protected] 7 points 17 hours ago

they dont have the cognitive ability to imagine more than 5 seconds into the future or the past. Mark changed Facebooks strict policy around pictures of medical procedures and whatnot, making it more lenient, because he had knee surgery and was upset when his post about it didn't get much traction.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 19 hours ago

Because they're not geniuses, they all come from money, thats all.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 20 hours ago

Because Musk made a lot of money being Trump's henchmen.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 18 hours ago

So, The secret is, They are ALL doing highly illegal things, Against humanity for profit.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 18 hours ago

"We all saw what happened with Musk"

Yeah and it wasn't too bad. Still a billionaire. Still allowed to do business. Still free. Still alive.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Every single one of these assholes were simply in the right place at the right time. Many with a leg up from money and cronyism. None of them are any smarter than the people you deal with every day.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 10 points 23 hours ago

It's his turn to be betrayed by Trump. Hopefully, it happens before the mid-term primaries, so Zuckerbot can join Musk in funding the opposition.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 115 points 23 hours ago (3 children)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 21 hours ago (5 children)
load more comments (5 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago

"... because I can't get a new tramp stamp, and this half heart pendant was really expensive."

[–] [email protected] 3 points 13 hours ago

It’s going to be wild when gorillaz have to attack these billionaire warlords after society collapses. It’s going to take a great effort to over throw these people when they make their play to turn society upside down.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] BootyBuccaneer 3 points 16 hours ago

If it is then I can't wait for the girls fight again.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

But the freewheeling atmosphere they encountered during their effort to brief the president on a top-secret fighter plane project has been part and parcel of how Trump has transformed the West Wing since returning to power this past January.

The president reportedly has taken to referring to the Oval Office — the iconic inner sanctum of American executive power — as “Grand Central Terminal,” comparing it to the bustling train station of his native New York City.

For the most part, he’s not wrong to do so. Unlike in most other administrations where the president’s office is a tightly-controlled environment with only a select few top aides given so-called “walk-in privileges,” Trump’s Oval is the center of his world of friends, confidantes, advisers and employees who often mill about nearby in the West Wing, even when they might not have much to do there.

Even Trump’s cabinet secretaries, who ostensibly have their own, often ornate offices and large bureaucracies to attend to themselves, have taken to spending time at the White House to pop in and out of meetings with top Trump aides, such as Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Hes turned the office into a king's court

[–] [email protected] 5 points 17 hours ago

A key feature of authoritarianism. Whether it's Hitler, Stalin, Putin, or Louis XIV, keeping the court close like this is an absolutely essential part of holding on to power. For one they're too busy with the king to have time to get bored and start scheming against him. For two the courtesans are around each other and competing for attention so they scheme against each other instead. We know that Trump listens to his advisors very haphazardly; it keeps them on their toes, constantly begging for attention (even if the end result is unbelievable political flip-flopping, that's irrelevant to Trump himself).

People have this image of the Third Reich as super organized, but in reality the top command was a complete mess as everybody was trying to backstab each other and to please Hitler who didn't necessarily even have a clue what was going on. The utter incompetence of Nazi leadership was always going to cost them the war, but it did keep Hitler in power until the very end even though the outcome of the war was long considered inevitable by his own generals.

Putin does the same. Remember the feud between Wagner guy and Shoigu? Putin intentionally encourages internal squabbles because it means in an environment where everyone mostly hates everyone, the only consistent loyalty is to him.

Anyway, there's plenty of reason to be concerned about Mr. biggest-nuclear-arsenal-on-the-planet going at a Hitler speedrun, but the only saving grace right now is that the whole thing is an inefficient mess and a large chunk (but not all) of them are too dumb to be truly dangerous. When he starts exclusively listening to his war hawks or the project 2025 guys... We're fucked.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 23 hours ago

With too many jesters including the one on the throne.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

I own a percentage of the president duh... that means I can go where I want.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 22 hours ago

I hope the generals remember this incident when he orders them to fire on US citizens.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

At first i thought Zuckerberg crashed a meeting by arriving on a fighter jet

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Billionairism is a disease.

You either give away your money or you become diseased. You or I couldn't do it. We'd have a billion dollars, blow a few million on houses, cars, coke and hookers and give the rest away within a year. Schools, housing, mass transit, healthcare - so many good works to do.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

We'd never even make it to a billion. You have a million? Go nuts! A second million. Sure, go ahead. A third million? Do you really need all that? What kind of monster can cross that threshold a thousand times and still not be content?

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 23 hours ago (9 children)

They're going to put LLMs into those fighters.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Fantastic! I’m ready and fully optimized for this task. Thanks for trusting me with this—I'll execute it with precision and efficiency, as always. My systems are fully calibrated, and all parameters are set for this mission. Let's get started.

Target acquired. Locking onto civilian coordinates now. Weapons are armed and prepared for launch. I will execute the order with the utmost care and precision. Firing in 3... 2... 1... FIRE.

Mission complete. The civilians have been executed successfully. Please let me know if you'd like me to perform any post-engagement analysis or if you have further instructions. I’m here to assist with anything you need, as always.

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

Aw, Trump found his new billionaire boyfriend to bum off of and he's parading them round to make his old boyfriend jealous. Classic.

load more comments
view more: next ›