cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25925641

A former senior Soviet KGB spy chief has claimed that Donald Trump was recruited as a spy by Russian intelligence as early as 38 years ago by his department, and given the codename ‘Krasnov’.

In an extraordinary post on Facebook on 20 February, Alnur Mussayev – who used to run the successor to the Soviet-era KGB in Kazakhstan – claimed that he was personally aware of Trump’s recruitment by the agency in 1987.

The recruitment, he said, was undertaken by his own KGB department. One of the key roles of that department was to acquire intelligence through business leaders in Western countries.

Can imagine making 30 k a year and having to pay even 1600 in taxes. This is saying it will increase that much.

The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), which stored police records documenting misconduct, is now unavailable, the Washington Post first reported.

The US justice department also confirmed the database’s elimination in a statement issued online.

“User agencies can no longer query or add data to the NLEAD,” the statement read. “The US Department of Justice is decommissioning the NLEAD in accordance with federal standards.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/26334818

Summary

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) abruptly canceled a CNN interview after facing intense backlash from constituents at a town hall over mass federal layoffs and spending freezes under Trump.

The cuts, pushed by White House adviser Elon Musk, have sparked public outrage.

On CNN’s The Lead, Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR) acknowledged similar criticism from voters and suggested congressional staff cuts could be considered.

"Russia attacked, but they shouldn't have let him attack," he said.

Es wäre so verfickt geil, wenn ich nicht jedes mal meinen Anschluss verpassen würde.

Feeling no pain is actually terrible as you won't know when you hurt yourself and you don't properly learn to avoid dangerous situation. People with this mutation have to rely on others for danger assessment as for example they won't notice easily that they have open wounds or even broken bones. Tragically this boy died at the age of 13 when jumping/falling off a building; the sources differ but it's likely that he engaged in risky behavior if he couldn't feel any pain from falling.

Totally not an ominous or fucked up to say when blue states are absolutely recoiling in horror at the fucking disgrace of a president he is /s

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/25921559

Link above goes to the Daily Kos post that discovered the scrubbing. Here's the text of the original article:

Former Intelligence Officer Claims KGB Recruited Trump

Isabel Van Brugen – The Daily Beast – 21 February 2025

A former Soviet intelligence officer has alleged that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987 and given the codename “Krasnov.”

Alnur Mussayev, 71, a former Kazakh intelligence chief, made the explosive claim in a Facebook post on Thursday. He claimed that he served in the 6th Directorate of the KGB in Moscow, which was responsible for counter-intelligence support within the economy. One of its key objectives, he claimed, was “recruiting businessmen from capitalist countries.”

Mussayev wrote that in 1987 “our directorate recruited Donald Trump, a 40-year-old American businessman, under the pseudonym Krasnov.”

He reiterated that the department specialized in recruiting spies and intelligence sources from the West, asserting once again that Trump had been brought into the fold.

“I hope I’ll survive a third assassination attempt,” he said in a comment below his post.

He made another shocking allegation in another comment, saying: “Today, the personal file of resident ‘Krasnov’ has been removed from the FSB. It is being privately managed by one of Putin’s close associates.”

Mussayev’s allegations, while unfounded, add to ongoing speculation about Trump’s connections to Russia. Trump’s first visit to Moscow as a real estate developer in 1987 drew intense scrutiny and speculation that the trip was arranged by the KGB for dubious reasons.

According to Politico, in 1985, the KGB updated a secret personality questionnaire distributed among the agency, advising case officers what to look for in a successful recruitment operation.

The document instructed agents to target “prominent figures in the West” with the goal of drawing them “into some form of collaboration with us… as an agent, or confidential or special or unofficial contact.”

Trump has denied any improper ties to Moscow or collusion with President Vladimir Putin.

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment.

U.S. officials have also expressed concerns about Trump’s relationship with Putin.

Anthony Scaramucci who briefly served as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, said during an episode of “The Rest Is Politics: US” podcast with co-host Katty Kay on Friday that he thinks there is a mysterious “hold” on the president.

Scaramucci did not elaborate on what he believes that “hold” might be, adding only: “I don’t know why it’s like this. [H.R.] McMaster couldn’t figure it out, [James] Mattis couldn’t figure it out, [John] Kelly couldn’t figure it out.”

A hundred elevated cat beds and blankets and two fully furnished cat treehouses here, and where does Cleo prefer to park her fat arse?

Summary.

Laid off federal employees, furious constituents, and comparisons to the Tea Party era highlight Republicans’ week back home.

Republican lawmakers faced anger at town halls over Trump and Musk’s sweeping firings at agencies like the CDC, as well as potential Social Security cuts. Voters questioned layoffs at the CDC and National Nuclear Security Administration, while some GOP officials suggested AI could replace federal workers.

“We’re pissed!” one attendee shouted, amid demands for congressional oversight.

The White House insists it’s “a few critics,” but polls show rising unease. Republicans risk political fallout next midterm if they fail to tie cuts to economic relief.

Source

Summary

Elon Musk, as head of DOGE, is cutting jobs at agencies regulating his businesses.

DOGE has fired FDA staff reviewing Neuralink trials and NHTSA employees overseeing Tesla’s safety. The Justice Department also dropped an immigration case against SpaceX.

Meanwhile, X’s legal team is allegedly pressuring advertisers, with concerns that the Trump administration could block a major industry merger.

Critics say Musk is using his government role to eliminate oversight and protect his financial interests.

cross-posted from: https://quokk.au/post/2965218

Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by 2030. Coke has also said that it wants race and ethnicity representation that reflects national census data at all levels of the company in the U.S.

Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist who targets corporate DEI programs, applauded PepsiCo’s actions on Friday. In a post on X, Starbuck said Coca-Cola “should be very nervous about continuing with their woke policies.”

tl;dr: Pepsi bad, Coke good.