Extreme Commanders

FBI Director Kash Patel wants to bring the UFC to the FBI, sources say

Newly-installed FBI Director Kash Patel, whose proclaimed plans to overhaul the nation's premier law enforcement agency have rattled many within the bureau, has proposed enhancing the FBI's ranks with help from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the martial-arts entertainment giant whose wealthy CEO, Dana White, helped boost President Donald Trump's reelection, according to sources who were told of Patel's proposal.

On a teleconference Wednesday with the heads of the FBI's 55 field offices, Patel suggested that he wants the FBI to establish a formal relationship with the UFC, which could develop programs for agents to improve their physical fitness, said sources who had been briefed on Wednesday's call.

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Another crony grift for one of Trump's rich buddies. I'm sure all those forensic accountants could use some training in BJJ.

‘It’s been a lifesaver’: millions risk going hungry as Republicans propose slashing food stamps

During a recent grocery store visit, Audrey Gwenyth spent $159.01 on items such as eggs, Greek yogurt, edamame snaps, bagels, chia seeds, brownie mix, oatmeal, milk, cilantro rice and pork sausage. The entire bill was paid via her electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, card, which is how recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), pay for groceries at participating stores, farmers markets and restaurants.

“Because I’m a single mom and I don’t receive child support, I don’t have a lot of help in the world,” said Gwenyth, a mother of two toddlers, whose food budget is around $100 per week. She shares many of her EBT purchases on social media to help others make the most of their benefits. “I could not pay for food if it wasn’t for EBT. It’s been a lifesaver.”

In the US, more than one in eight households say they have difficulty getting enough food. Snap, formerly known as food stamps, helps more than 42 million people fill those gaps, and is considered the country’s most effective tool to fight hunger. But now, the USDA-run program is facing attacks from House Republicans who see deep cuts as a way to pay for an extension of the 2017 tax bill that benefits the very wealthy.

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The FDIC's goal is to prevent another banking crisis. It's now also a Trump target

President Trump's sweeping cuts to the U.S. government are hitting a crucial part of the financial system: the independent agency responsible for preventing future banking crises.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) is responsible for insuring consumer deposits against bank failures — and for preventing those failures in the first place.

Since its creation 92 years ago, during a national panic that closed thousands of banks, the FDIC has performed some of the unglamorous but crucial work of ensuring financial stability. Its very existence reassures consumers and businesses that their money is safe, by insuring deposits of up to $250,000.

And its employees closely monitor most of the United States' smaller banks — warning lenders if, for example, their debt levels are edging too high or if they're taking on too much risky business.

The end goal of these examinations is to catch any problems before they snowball into a bank failure — or a wider banking crisis. In those worst-case scenarios, the FDIC is also responsible for taking over failed banks.

But the agency has been struggling with several internal problems, including staffing shortages and widespread employee complaints about a toxic culture. The FDIC says that its staffing problems have already made it harder to adequately supervise banks and reduce the risk of bank failures.

Now, those problems are getting much worse. Trump and his billionaire adviser, Elon Musk, are firing workers across agencies as they slash the size of the federal government — and hundreds of FDIC employees have already been affected.

About 170 probationary employees of the FDIC were fired this month after about 500 workers had already accepted the Trump administration's deferred resignation offer, Bloomberg reported this month. The reported cuts amount to more than 10% of the agency's workforce.

The FDIC has also rescinded more than 200 job offers to new examiners, the front-line employees who monitor banks for early signs of problems, The Washington Post reported in January.

A spokesperson for the FDIC confirmed that about 500 employees had accepted the deferred resignation offer, but otherwise declined to comment.

The FDIC's role as the backstop of the banking system made headlines during the 2008 financial crash and the 2023 regional banking crisis. During that more recent scare, the agency took extra steps to restore public confidence in the financial system by promising to insure every affected bank account — even those above its $250,000 limit.

But the Trump administration's new cuts further weaken a banking watchdog that has been sounding the alarm for years about its decreasing ability to prevent future banking crises.

After New York-based Signature Bank collapsed during the 2023 crisis, the FDIC said it didn't have enough qualified examiners to catch the problems that had led to the bank's failure.

Yet instead of gaining more resources, the FDIC is losing them. It's hardly alone among financial regulators: The FDIC's cuts have paled in comparison with the administration's efforts to essentially shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which is widely hated by Republicans and many in the financial industry.

Now, regulatory experts are warning about the potential long-term consequences of further weakening the FDIC.

"This administration is really sowing the seeds for the next financial crisis," says Mayra Rodríguez Valladares, a financial risk consultant who works with banks and regulators.

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Trump about to die? Queen Elizabeth had a similar bruise on her hand/arm. She died not to long after people noticed the bruise. Could Donny suffer the same breathe.

88Commanders00 wrote: Thu Feb 27, 2025 11:18 pm

Trump about to die? Queen Elizabeth had a similar bruise on her hand/arm. She died not to long after people noticed the bruise. Could Donny suffer the same breathe.

In case anyone else is wondering what he's rambling on about as I was:

White House says that a large bruise on Trump’s hand is from 'shaking hands all day every day'




Looks like a toxic buildup of that orange dye he's always putting on his skin. But if he's such a big tough guy, why is he getting bruising from just shaking hands? He's old and it's showing.

I hope you won't need any help or have any questions for the IRS this tax season:

110 of 363 Taxpayer Assistance Centers and 5 of 10 call centers are going to be shut down, per a meeting that just happened at the IRS.
During tax season.

88Commanders00 wrote: Thu Feb 27, 2025 11:18 pm

Trump about to die? Queen Elizabeth had a similar bruise on her hand/arm. She died not to long after people noticed the bruise. Could Donny suffer the same breathe.

Somehow President Vance sounds like it would be much worse…

Fwiw I suspect he's on blood thinners for something. That can lead to easy bruising.