Events

I may have dodged a virus this week, though I'm not 100% sure yet. I have a lot more confidence in my health than the world has in the OAFPOTUS, however. And the news today doesn't change that at all: Radley Balko, tongue firmly in cheek, satirizes the Republican Party in a way I will not spoil for you. (His takedown of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, made me guffaw.) Yascha Mounk warns that the OAFPOTUS's irrational and malignantly stupid attack on the very things that made America great in...

My local dry cleaners burned down last Friday. Fortunately, no one got hurt, but the fire destroyed my concert tux and a very warm comforter. This morning I got off my butt and filed a claim with against my homeowner's policy, which I hold through Liberty Mutual. I just got the settlement deposited into my bank account. It's not a lot of money, since they applied 8 years of depreciation to what they consider 10-year property: only enough to replace the tux shirt and probably not much else. In fairness...

Better switch to JSON...

The markets started slightly up this morning, but whatever optimism traders had before noon has evaporated. Both the S&P and DJIA are technically up, but less than 0.5%, while the OAFPOTUS continues to act like the demented old man he is. And to think, Twin Peaks turned 35 today. Meanwhile... The Biden Treasury official who co-wrote the research the OAFPOTUS cited to justify his malignantly stupid tariffs explains how malignantly stupid the OAFPOTUS is. Catherine Rampell waits in vain for the little boy...

I'm only going to note in passing that world equities markets have continued to decline today, though the DJIA and S&P have stabilized a bit as of this afternoon. Still, the S&P is off 14% year-to-date, the DJIA 11%, the Nikkei 21%, and crude oil prices 16%. Still the OAFPOTUS continues to insist that his massive corruption engine will make things better for the people who voted for him, leaving out the bit that it'll only help about 1% of those voters. Today, though, I want to gesticulate wildly at how...

Yesterday I had non-stop stuff from waking up until going to sleep. Today it's sunny and seasonably cool. In other words: as soon as I take a quick nap, I'm taking Cassie for a decent walk, then not doing anything productive until tomorrow. Enjoy the weekend.

The OAFPOTUS's handling of the economy showed real results this week. It wasn't fair of me to put the mid-day YTD numbers from the two major American indices up this morning; I should have waited to market close. So how'd we do? S&P 500: 5,074.08, down 5.97% today, 10.5% since Wednesday, and 13.54% YTDDJIA: 38,314.86, down 5.5% today and 9.62% YTD How about other indices? FTSE 100: down 4.95% today, 6.97% this week, but only 2.48% YTD (because Europe thought they were safe from this man's malignant...

Since the OAFPOTUS announced his (clearly unlawful) tariffs on everyone, including the penguins in the South Atlantic, the markets have responded. For example, the Dow-Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 indices have made some minor adjustments: Note that it's only 11am in New York, and these numbers continue to fall. The bond markets have also raised some questions about the malignant stupidity of the guy behind the Resolute Desk. As Jeff Maurer and others pointed out, the OAFPOTUS...

With the total acquiescence of the Republican majority in Congress (only Congress has the power to impose tariffs, really), the OAFPOTUS has exceeded everyone's expectations with yesterday's tariff announcement, solidifying himself as the stupidest person ever to hold the office: Mr. Trump’s plan, which he unveiled on Wednesday and is calling “reciprocal,” would impose a wave of tariffs on dozens of countries. The European Union will face 20 percent tariffs, but the heavier levies will fall on countries...

Cassie and I found a 20-minute gap in the rain this morning so she could have a (slightly-delayed) walk. Since around 9 am, though, we've had variations on this: Good thing I have all these heartwarming news stories to warm my heart: Dane County, Wis., Judge Susan Crawford beat Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel 55% to 45% for the vacant seat on the Wisconsin state Supreme Court, despite the $25 million the Clown Prince of X donated to Schimel's campaign. The CPOX himself drew laughs from people with...