The following comments are presented in no special order. But one common thread is presidential actions are designed to distract from the Epstein topic by removing those files from the headlines of every newspaper and the lips of every spoken media outlet. Even the MS NOW personalities seem to be ignoring Epstein because of all the new criminal, outrageous, inappropriate and distasteful actions of President Trump. Breaking news is always the first reported event whether newspaper headlines or the beginning of a news cast. Every outlet wants to be the one that informs you first. Epstein is–to some people–old news and Fox keeps reminding us that it no longer is relevant. That should tip us off that Epstein is feared by the highly placed and super wealthy of America. Either DJT was a client or he knows his rich supporters were. And we are guessing that members of the US Supreme Court are also “on the list”. That’s the basis for conservative–an alias for “corrupt”–judges to consistently vote in Trump’s favor. Remember that our blog tries to use factual info to speculate in ways that public media may not enter.
- MID-TERM ELECTIONS: It is apparent now that Trump intends to control the vote count. He is alienating major voter blocs without concern for their reactions. GOP candidates are not worried about re-election as evidenced by their lack of public rallies and townhall meetings. Trump is planning to use “national security threats” as his excuse to seize ballots. Putting Bill Pulte, a real estate salesman, in charge of the Intelligence Community is Trump’s way of inviting (or creating) a major terrorist attack on US soil. By controlling the national narrative Trump will assume voter count responsibility. How many GOP candidates do you think will lose their re-election bid? We hope we are wrong but the Dems seem unable to combat this strategy. And so the elections will be a huge disappointment to 68% of the country who disapprove of the Trump performance. This is the scenario revolutions are made of.
- TARIFF REFUNDS: Trump has collected $166 billion in illegal tariff money. While he talks about refunds we have seen nothing yet. Further, his refund process will be used to his advantage. Despite the fact that ultimate consumers paid that tariff and funded the $166 billion, Trump plans to distribute it to companies of his choosing. Imagine how Trump will favor certain companies that agree to support him and his real estate business. Even the ill-gotten gains of an illegal tariff will be criminalized by awards that serve the president. The man is truly corrupt.
- US (NOT SO) SUPREME COURT: SCOTUS continues to render inconsistent and Trump-favored decisions. They freed him from impunity for any action he commits as president. Now he manipulates the stock market by awarding huge government contracts AFTER HE AND HIS RICH BUDDIES INVEST IN THOSE COMPANIES. This violates the emoluments clause in the Constitution and Security and Exchange regulations. If he were not president he would be prosecuted. Now he wants to change the law by denying birthright citizenship–changing the Constitution without Congressional voting. SCOTUS ignores the law when Trump wants them to rule in his favor but recently SCOTUS extended gun laws by ruling a Hawaiian gun law unconstitutional. SCOTUS followed the letter of the law for its interpretation of the Second Amendment but stands ready to change the Constitution to satisfy Trump. Corruption with a capital “C”.
- THE US ECONOMY: Anyone who buys anything knows about inflation. Buy gas, bread, beef, building materials, etc. and witness the 12% to 30% increase in costs. Tariffs and the Iran war are largely to blame. But–to take the longer term perspective–we are contracting our economy in serious and lasting ways. Higher prices mean less purchasing power. Fewer purchases mean increased inventory piling up in warehouses. Increased inventory means layoffs because production needs drop. And layoffs mean bankruptcies, desperation, unemployment and RECESSION. We predict that the US will see recession before the end of 2026. This means that two consecutive quarters will show no economic growth or possibly a decline. A precursor to the economical collapse is the startling drop in housing starts. The cost of materials puts newly built homes out of reach and the corollary is fewer sales of appliances, furniture pieces, utility and water services, etc. have a huge ripple effect on GDP. The May jobs report showed less that 4% of new jobs in the manufacturing sector. That is paltry in America. And inflation is higher now than the level induced by COVID due to supply chain interruptions. Only billionaires will be able to weather the coming storm.
- THE THUG FUND REWARD: If you were on the fence about Trump before the thug fund reward was suggested you should realize now how totally corrupt our president is. He’s using Todd Blanche to engineer a taxpayer-funded reward to Jan 6 thugs who assaulted Trump’s own US Capitol Police. How perverted is that? The Attorney General of the US, our top cop, wants to pay convicted criminals for their crimes. Anyone who still supports Trump should be charged with treason which is defined as “the crime of betraying one’s country”. Imagine, that description fits our Attorney General perfectly. His complicity is traitorous.
- THE REFLECTING POOL DEBACLE: You’ve all seen the pictures. You know how poorly this simple event was repeatedly botched. Trump seized on a pool of water, gave away a no-bid contract (illegal), demanded a blue bottom (paint or liner) that he must have been told would foster the growth of algae, blamed vandals for doing what he had said couldn’t be done and arrested a number of people for touching the water. It tells us a few facts: (1) Trump wanted to get a discount for his real estate company so he paid full price (taxpayer funds) for a no-bid contract; (2) he either refused to listen to the experts or they were afraid to tell him that they shouldn’t paint/coat the pool bottom a dark blue because of the algae probability; (3) when the you-know-what hit the fan, Trump had to blame someone else for his stupidity so he conjured up “vandals” and said it was a “traitorous act”. Where was he on Jan 6 when the US Capitol was sacked? and (4) the final pool solution will cost taxpayers approximately 15 to 20 times what it should have cost. We think people are so afraid of him that they did not speak up. Remember, this is the man who required all Cabinet members to wear Florsheim wing tip shoes–that’s why Marco Rubio walks funny, his shoes don’t fit but he’s afraid to say anything to upset the demented fool he works for. What depths have we reached!!!!
- THE IRAN WAR: Another Trump fiasco. He attacked Iran–without Congressional approval. He re-named the “war” to suit his opposition–but it is a war. He seems to have targeted Iran because Netanyahu promised him the Gaza for resort development. (Search “Kushner, Gaza, Resort” to verify that Trump has a resort already on the drawing board.) But Trump didn’t count on Netanyahu’s obsession with Hezbollah and Israel’s commitment to Palestinian genocide. Now Iran has said it will not agree to any terms unless Israel withdraws from Lebanon. A little known fact is that the Iranian Republic National Guard was offshooted to form Hezbollah many years ago. So we currently have a ceasefire where both sides are attacking each other. Bottom line: we have a war that is not called a war and a ceasefire that no one is ceasing fire during for an unclear goal. FIASCO? You bet and it will continue so expect gas and other prices to increase in the near term.
- A DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WIN: John Bolton, former Trump advisor, has pled guilty to retaining classified info after he left public service. These docs were in the form of notes that Bolton took during private classified meetings. To be clear, the investigation was started under the Biden DOJ and Trump found it convenient to continue to hang another political adversary. Bolton may spend a year to five years in jail–depending on whatever he has to bargain with. Let’s hope Bolton doesn’t end up like Jeffrey Epstein. BTW, Trump took approximately 300 times as much classified info with him when he left office but charges were never pursued. Do we call that a “double standard” or just recognize that some people are above the law?
- A CARIBBEAN MASSACRE: Let’s not forget the 200 killings in the Caribbean orchestrated by the Trump-Hegseth regime. This, you’ll remember, includes the infamous “double tap” on stranded survivors of one of the boat attacks. NONE OF THESE ATTACKS ARE LEGAL. In fact, the “double tap” is the example of an illegal order in every Rules of Engagement manual received by every military officer. Add this atrocity to the list of Epstein-distracting events designed to shift our focus from the inept and criminal president.
- THE LOOMING CLIMATE CATASTROPHE: The Trump Administration continues to jeopardize our health and that of all future human beings by ignoring and even sabotaging climate control efforts. Recently, the EPA has decommissioned an oceanic monitoring system that alerts the world’s meteorologists to changes in currents, water temperatures, etc. This is especially a stupid move as we approach a super El Nina later this year. Trump continues his assault on electric vehicles by allowing the tax credit to expire on new purchases. The Trump EPA has asked Congress to repeal California’s vehicle emission standards that are intended to promote EV usage and reduce air pollution. He is buying profits for his fossil fuel billionaires with our lung health. Trump announced a $700 million subsidy to resurrect coal plants because he thinks the coal industry will support his campaigns with funds and votes. Look around. This will be the hottest year EVER ON EARTH. Each of the last 7 years we have set new records. Evidence of sea level rise and its impact on coastal regions is irrefutable. And yet, we continue to ignore what the rest of the world is doing to try to slow down climate change. Ask farmers, vintners, ski resort owners, they will all tell you change is apparent and getting worse every year. Just another short-sighted selfish action by your president.
- A TICKING TIME BOMB: Last year’s Big Beautiful Bill–an ugly disgusting example of greed–removed both food benefits and Medicaid coverage (and ObamaCare subsidies) from millions of lower income individuals and families. The food program, called SNAP benefits, provided $188/month to millions of families. That works out to a little more than $3/meal. So it wasn’t really much and certainly not enough to live on. Now the BBB requires the vast majority of SNAP recipients to work at least 80 hours/month to continue to qualify. The problem is that the administrative apparatus to run the eligibility approvals won’t be available for a while. But the requirement starts NOW. So, unless you can place yourself in some excluded category, you cannot qualify for food benefits for at least 4 to 6 more months. And the loss of Medicaid and ObamaCare subsidies under the BBB will cause millions to file bankruptcy. Last year–before the BBB change–80% to 85% of personal bankruptcies were caused by the inability to pay medical bills. Imagine how that number will skyrocket now. All these lower income people have voting rights and they know who screwed them. And the impact on hospital revenue has several facilities closing or reducing their services–especially in rural areas where the number of paying patients has dropped significantly. If November elections are free and fair, the GOP is done.
NON-POLITICAL UPDATES:
- As we predicted, the Saudi LIV golf tour appears to be failing. The Saudi Wealth Fund has withdrawn its sponsorship and the tour is scrambling to find other willing financial partners. The problem is that no financing institution sees a return on its investment. The players expect fewer tournaments, relaxed dress code (they wear shorts), bigger prize money and other appearance bonuses. That is so far above the American Golf Tour level that it is unsustainable. Watch for American pro golfers to defect to the American tour next season….some may actually return this year as the LIV tournament season ends shortly.
- Also, as predicted, the Los Angeles Dodgers are running away with the National League Western Division title again. At roughly the midpoint of the season the Dodgers have an 8 game lead over the San Diego Padres. They also have a leading vote getter in every All-Star game starting position, including designated hitter. The Dodgers also have the highest winning percentage of ANY team in both the National and American leagues. Bet on it, Las Vegas continues to rate them as the favored World Series winner. Commissioner, when will you realize the Fox deal makes for an extremely unlevel playing field?
- On the same subject, Major League Baseball, the players are being asked to take serious pay cuts. Apparently the feckless and greedy owners want to keep all the advertising money to themselves. The players–not ever opposed to greed–are balking (pardon the pun), at the idea that they would be restricted to several million dollars a month if the proposed deal happens. BTW, a million dollars a month works out to about $638/hour. Who can live on that?
- Finally, way off the pattern, let’s talk denied medical claim rates. A recent headline complained that insurance plans reject long term care expenses up to 70% of the time. While there is a growing outrage at the greedy profit-hungry plans, let’s analyze this a bit. First, the medical plan pays only for expenses an employer agrees to provide. Second, if the employer or Medicare do not provide for coverage of long term care expenses, a plan participant needs to anticipate and provide for either supplemental coverage or care by a relative or friend. We’re not talking medical care–in most cases, we’re talking custodial care. This is defined as normal living functions that do not require medical or drug administration. While it is frustrating to suddenly find yourself or a loved one in need, it is unfair to blame an insurance plan for your lack of planning. That is a cold reality but as a man once said “we’re happy to pay whatever the plan requires us to pay for”. Sorry if that spoils your day but the hard reality is that we have the responsibility to care for ourselves and to anticipate possible needs. Failure can be painful.
Thanks for visiting our blog. We hope everyone celebrates a joyous and safe July 4th and remembers how dear and fragile our democracy is these days. Repeating what we said before “it will always be the land of the free as long as it’s the home of the brave”.
Until next time…
YOUR BLOG EDITORS
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