No Pressure, John.

Taking America's whirlwind romance with a political comedian and rubbing his face in it

[nopressurejohn]

Nintendo pulls Switch 2 pre-orders in US over Trump tariffs

It unveiled the console on Wednesday just hours before the president announced a wave of global tariffs.

Okay, NOW we riot.

Nintendo says it will no longer open pre-orders for the Switch 2 in the United States next week, following the introduction of steep tariffs on exports from Japan. The firm unveiled the much-anticipated console on Wednesday, the same day US President Donald Trump announced his sweeping new global tariffs. It said then that US pre-orders would open in a matter of days, but it has been now been forced to revise its plans. "Pre-orders for Nintendo Switch 2 in the US will not start April 9 in order to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions," it said in a statement. It says it still intends to launch the console on June 5, as originally planned. Nintendo confirmed the announcement applies to the US market only, so UK pre-orders will not be affected.

(keep reading)

[nopressurejohn]

(original post)

(the slightly longer version of today)

[verycleverboy]

Europe and the US: Thanks America, That’ll Be All

Andy Warhol, Big Mac, iPhone: It was a grand American epoch. But it’s over. Europe must finally emancipate itself – just not as awkwardly as

"And Now: Goodbye"

Yesterday, a toxic ego made flesh declared a scorched earth trade policy he labeled "Liberation Day," one of many bridges to the outside world that he's gleefully burned in his first few months back. But who's getting liberated from whom?

German art historian Florian Illies has thoughts, in the form of a breakup letter:

Thank you for Andy Warhol. Thank you for the Big Mac and the iPhone. Thank you, too, for Francis Ford Coppola, for Stanley Kubrick and Quentin Tarantino. Thank you for Angela Davis, Joan Mitchell and Susan Sontag. Thank you for F. Scott Fitzgerald, for Aretha Franklin, Edward Hopper and also for Levi’s 501s. And now: Goodbye. Yes, it was a grand American epoch, one that afforded us here in Europe with a hundred years of security, pleasure and stimulation. But every good thing must come to an end. Now, we can finally abandon our meek submission. 

(full article...and because it's not hosted on a predominately English news site, the "nächste seite" button is German for "next page". There are three pages. Don't skip out early.)

And as the ship sinks, the band plays on...

[oldshowbiz]

Now a Major Motion Reality

[nopressurejohn]

(source)

[nopressurejohn]

This image was supposed to have run as an advertising wrap for some editions of the February 11, 2025 Washington Post (particularly the ones delivered to federal subscribers), until the ad order was cancelled without explanation the Friday before it was scheduled to run. Per The Hill:

[Common Cause President Virginia] Kase Solomón said the rejection of the wrap ad was a “surprise” because the sample art the group received from the Post to get a sense of what to expect from its ad was a wrap ad funded by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) highlighting President Trump’s promise to “end the electric vehicle mandate on Day 1.” It featured a large picture of the president flashing a thumbs-up. “They gave us some sample art to show us what it would look like,” she said. “It was a thank-you Donald Trump piece of art.”

A note of warning: Since this thing is obviously forbidden literature now, it would be an absolute catastrophe if, because of the publicity surrounding its cancellation by chicken-livered corporate media, this little piece of ad copy just started turning up everywhere. Not just on the Internet, but printed out for bulletin boards or other public places with good pedestrian traffic. Maybe even stashed inside of...oh, I dunno...the dead-tree newspapers you can still find in unattended vending machines across the country. (Hell, somebody buys 'em.)

So obviously, I'm not going to ask you to do that. Several times, if possible. Because that would be terribly, terribly funny. I mean wrong.

[nopressurejohn]

What Trump's Doing

Hank Green's moment of sanity in the middle of a slow-motion dumpster fire.

[nopressurejohn]

(source)

[nudityandnerdery]

Resisting tyranny takes a lot of forms.

[verycleverboy]

Here. You might need this.

Since the "critical race theory" forbidden subjects section of the provocatively titled "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling" executive order is basically a point-for-point carbon copy of the Texas curriculum censorship law, the guidance booklet that the Intercultural Development Research Association sent out in the wake of Texas SB 3 has some analysis of how good teaching can still uphold the truth in the classroom in spite of government-imposed censorship which is suddenly relevant nationwide.

[animentality]

[verycleverboy]

[verycleverboy]

Donald Trump Demands Apology From Bishop Who Hurt His Feelings

Right Rev. Mariann Budde had appealed to Trump to have mercy and compassion during an interfaith service.

"Forgive them, father, for they know not what they do"

The short version: a thumbsucking octogenarian attends his first church service in decades, throws a tantrum when the officiant directs a plea for mercy at him.

President Donald Trump was quick to resume his most cherished White House pastime: late-night grievance-posting on social media. His first target after the glitz and excitement of Inauguration Day: the “so-called Bishop” who asked him to have mercy on immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community. During a Tuesday interfaith service at Washington National Cathedral, the Episcopal bishop Right Rev. Mariann Budde directly addressed Trump—who was sitting among the congregation with Vice President JD Vance and their families—and asked him to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” After the service, Trump told reporters he didn’t think the service was good and that, “They could do much better.” Later, at about 1 a.m., he took to his social media platform Truth Social to call Budde a “Radical left hard line Trump hater.” “She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart,” the president complained.

(continue reading)

[verycleverboy]

Instagram hides search results for 'Democrats'

Meta says it is working quickly to resolve the problem, which has prompted accusations of bias on social media.

And the shits just keep on coming...

Meta says its working urgently to fix a problem with Instagram which results in a "results hidden" message when users search for the terms "Democrat" or "Democrats". Some social media users have accused the company of political bias, pointing out the issue has been occurring after President Donald Trump's inauguration on Monday, which was attended by Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg. Meta has insisted that is not the case, saying it is a technical problem which has also affected other hashtags, including a Republican one. However, social media expert Matt Navarra said it was "embarrassing" for Instagram regardless. "In a hyper-partisan environment, even unintentional errors like this can escalate into accusations of partisanship," he said. "If these issues are not resolved quickly they risk fuelling conspiracy theories and damaging Meta's reputation." While users who type "#Democrat" or "#Democrats" see no results, the hashtag "Republican" returns 3.3 million posts on the social media platform. By manually searching Instagram for "Democrats", rather than clicking on a hashtag, users are greeted by a screen reading "we've hidden these results".

(full article)

[verycleverboy]

'Censorship and propaganda in real time': Trump's alleged TikTok censorship seemingly hits right away | The Mary Sue

U.S. TikTok servers went down for roughly 12 hours over the weekend, starting on the night of January 18. American users are now reporting a

Sure, you wanted TikTok back...

...but nooooooooooo not like this.

While TikTok has been known to censor some terms, particularly regarding topics like sex and murder, many see a noticeable and concerning shift taking place when it comes to how users are permitted to speak about politics. Since the app was restored in the States, countless TikTokers in the U.S. have spoken out about creator fund cutbacks, reported that videos and comments are being flagged and taken down, and warned Americans on the app can no longer use certain hashtags or see search results for terms like “fascism,” “Hitler,” or “Nazi Germany.” In searching widely censored terms myself, I got a full page of results for “fascism,” while searches for “Hitler” or “Nazi Germany” got me the same automated messages other have received, encouraging users to verify facts and use credible sources when seeking information about the Holocaust’s “legacy.” (Although “legacy” is a neutral term that can be used to refer to both the positive and negative impacts of an event, it does carry a largely positive connotation which seems notably off in this context.) Some users have reported that their own results have not been censored in this way. Meanwhile, others aren’t even getting search suggestions containing these terms. While it remains unclear why that is, TikTokers outside the U.S. say increased censorship seems to remain an issue specific to the app’s American user base. Perhaps the most jarring detail of all amid talks of censorship concerns is that some apparent changes started rolling out prior to the app’s “ban” on Saturday night. On the day of, posts containing critique of Donald Trump or Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in particular, were flagged and removed. Posts that have been similarly censored also began to trigger a pop-up when TikTokers attempted to send videos to multiple users at once, warning of the spread of misinformation and stating the video could not be sent to more than one user. Some say censored topics include those as benign as gay rights and abortion, and American users have continued to receive these warnings since the app’s return on Jan. 19.

There's more, of course. And even more beyond that.

All of it is yet another reminder that corporations can never be your real allies, because every relationship has a cash-out price. Use what you can while you can, but always have a plan B in your digital bug-out bag.

[nopressurejohn]

The Best People Just Bought Alex Jones’s InfoWars

The satirical outlet The Onion purchased Alex Jones’s vile hate machine at bankruptcy auction with the help of the families of eight victims

Behold. Your Consolation Prize.

In case the past week has left you deflated, a reminder that this world still has the capacity to deliver justice in spite of all that. Via The New Republic:

Alex Jones’s conspiracy-laden media properties, including the website InfoWars, have been purchased at a bankruptcy auction by an unlikely entity: the satirical news outlet The Onion.  The satirical magazine, which refers to itself as “America’s Finest News Source,” had the backing of the families of eight victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting, who successfully sued Jones for defamation in 2022. The Onion now owns all of InfoWars’ intellectual property, including its website, social media accounts, production equipment, as well as customer lists and inventory.  “The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash,” Onion CEO Ben Collins told CNN. “Or bitcoin. We will also accept bitcoin.”  The Onion will close down InfoWars and reboot the website, NBC reports, citing a person close to the sale. In a video posted to X, Jones seemed to hold out hope that his media properties were not lost, claiming, “They’re supposed to have a court order.” 

(continue reading)

[nopressurejohn]

In case you're curious, he's not taking it well:

During a breathless rant on Steve Bannon’s War Room from the InfoWars studio, Jones called the news of The Onion’s acquisition “ridiculous,” referred to U.S. regulators as “imperial troops,” and insisted that the auction rules had been changed at the last minute by the “deep state.” “They are in the building, they told the office manager, and they’re calling me right now, that they have ordered the I.T. providers to cut all the I.T. off to shut InfoWars off,” Jones said. “I could get on a live camera right now and go show you the U.S. trustee and the auctioneer.” “It’s confirmed now that they’re going to cut the power,” Jones said before busting into a grueling laugh. “We are literally sinking, tied up to the new boat, and we’re taking both ships right now, Steve Bannon, God bless you.”

[nopressurejohn]

The Best People Just Bought Alex Jones’s InfoWars

The satirical outlet The Onion purchased Alex Jones’s vile hate machine at bankruptcy auction with the help of the families of eight victims

Behold. Your Consolation Prize.

In case the past week has left you deflated, a reminder that this world still has the capacity to deliver justice in spite of all that. Via The New Republic:

Alex Jones’s conspiracy-laden media properties, including the website InfoWars, have been purchased at a bankruptcy auction by an unlikely entity: the satirical news outlet The Onion.  The satirical magazine, which refers to itself as “America’s Finest News Source,” had the backing of the families of eight victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting, who successfully sued Jones for defamation in 2022. The Onion now owns all of InfoWars’ intellectual property, including its website, social media accounts, production equipment, as well as customer lists and inventory.  “The Onion is proud to acquire Infowars, and we look forward to continuing its storied tradition of scaring the site’s users with lies until they fork over their cold, hard cash,” Onion CEO Ben Collins told CNN. “Or bitcoin. We will also accept bitcoin.”  The Onion will close down InfoWars and reboot the website, NBC reports, citing a person close to the sale. In a video posted to X, Jones seemed to hold out hope that his media properties were not lost, claiming, “They’re supposed to have a court order.” 

(continue reading)