Monday, September 30, 2019
R - NY
Axios: Rep. Chris Collins resigns ahead of guilty plea for insider trading
Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) is resigning ahead of a hearing Tuesday...
Trump Is Insane
Beyond Repugnant
Washington Post: ‘Beyond repugnant’: GOP congressman slams Trump for warning of ‘civil war’ over impeachment
“If the Democrats are successful in removing the President from office (which they will never be), it will cause a Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal,” Trump tweeted.
Damning
The most damning line -
Donald Trump - "I would like you to do us a favor though."
Trump asking Zelensky to get dirt on his political rival Joe Biden in exchange for previously designated military aid to the Ukraine. Proof that Trump would corrupt the American election process at any cost and for his own gain. This is the most blatant, ugliest and contemptuous attack on America by an American president in our lifetime. He should not be impeached, he should be deported and never allowed to return.
Donald Trump - "I would like you to do us a favor though."
Trump asking Zelensky to get dirt on his political rival Joe Biden in exchange for previously designated military aid to the Ukraine. Proof that Trump would corrupt the American election process at any cost and for his own gain. This is the most blatant, ugliest and contemptuous attack on America by an American president in our lifetime. He should not be impeached, he should be deported and never allowed to return.
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 8:20 a.m. ET DOW futures are +68 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately higher.
CNN: Christine Lagarde, Europe's next top central banker, says dissent is healthy By Julia Horowitz
CNN: Christine Lagarde, Europe's next top central banker, says dissent is healthy By Julia Horowitz
Friday, September 27, 2019
Weekend!
Have and excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.
work by Ford Madox Brown 1821–1893
work by Ford Madox Brown 1821–1893
Ballooning
In a week filled with the most outrageous and ugly findings we have seen yet from this president, where one shocking thing after the next is being reported, this article will bring you back to the amazing wonder of our existence.
Get Pocket: Spiders Can Fly Hundreds of Miles Using Electricity - Scientists are finally starting to understand the centuries-old mystery of “ballooning.”
Get Pocket: Spiders Can Fly Hundreds of Miles Using Electricity - Scientists are finally starting to understand the centuries-old mystery of “ballooning.”
Intriguing
Lawrence is invoking Volker, who resigned just today as Trump envoy to the Ukraine. It could me more though.
Latest NY Times Comment
I wrote this comment for the NY Times article posted below this post. The good news is that it got the nod as an editor's pick.
"It's been clear to me from day one that Trump is amoral. What surprises me is that 40% of American voters either don't recognize his amorality or simply don't care about it if they do. It's hard to understand and many of us have read articles trying to explain this short circuit in American thinking. I personally think Trump embodies the long held and cherished American archetype of the trickster. This is the snake oil salesman, the grifter, the confidence man, the hustler, etc, etc. On a certain level we like them especially when their work doesn't come near us, and generally we try to avoid them. Unfortunately it's hard to avoid it when it's in your face every day, wrecking the foundation of a country you love. The general opinion seems to be shifting towards support for impeachment, and that's a welcome and hopeful shift."
"It's been clear to me from day one that Trump is amoral. What surprises me is that 40% of American voters either don't recognize his amorality or simply don't care about it if they do. It's hard to understand and many of us have read articles trying to explain this short circuit in American thinking. I personally think Trump embodies the long held and cherished American archetype of the trickster. This is the snake oil salesman, the grifter, the confidence man, the hustler, etc, etc. On a certain level we like them especially when their work doesn't come near us, and generally we try to avoid them. Unfortunately it's hard to avoid it when it's in your face every day, wrecking the foundation of a country you love. The general opinion seems to be shifting towards support for impeachment, and that's a welcome and hopeful shift."
In Rudy's Own Words
“It is impossible that the whistle-blower is a hero and I’m not. And I will be the hero! These morons — when this is over, I will be the hero. I’m not acting as a lawyer. I’m acting as someone who has devoted most of his life to straightening out government. Anything I did should be praised.”
Poll
Newsweek: Americans Split on Trump Impeachment Inquiry but 73% Say Whistleblower Should Testify Before Congress: Polls By Christina Zhao
...49 percent of Americans approve of the impeachment proceedings, while 46 percent disapprove and five percent said they were unsure.
The Call, The Coverup
NY Times: In Ukraine Phone Call, Alarmed Aides Saw Trouble By Peter Baker
The alarm among officials who heard the exchange led to an extraordinary effort to keep too many more people from learning about it. In the days to come, according to a whistle-blower complaint released on Thursday, White House officials embarked on a campaign to “lock down” the record of the call, removing it from the usual electronic file and hiding it away in a separate system normally used for classified information.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 8:40 a.m. ET DOW futures are +52 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately higher.
CNN: The IPO doldrums are setting in By Julia Horowitz
CNN: The IPO doldrums are setting in By Julia Horowitz
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Beto Says
Amen brother.
“President Nixon did the right thing and resigned before it moved to a trial in the Senate. I’m calling upon those who are close to President Trump right now, the same ones who tried to hide the transcript or the notes from this phone call, who right now are complicit in what the president is doing, to advise him to do the right thing and to resign from this office.”
Dense
Washington Post: The ‘perfect’ call — and those dense enough to say so By Jennifer Rubin
Pretending to be as dense as the Trump cult must be demoralizing at some level.
Trump Lashes Out
Trump believes he is impervious and as that little screwy view is under attack because Trump has committed crimes, he is lashing out in the screwiest of ways.
NY Times: Trump Attacks Whistle-Blower’s Sources and Alludes to Punishment for Spies By Maggie Haberman
NY Times: Trump Attacks Whistle-Blower’s Sources and Alludes to Punishment for Spies By Maggie Haberman
The remark stunned people in the audience...
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 9:10 a.m. ET DOW futures are +49 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately higher.
CNN: Can Peloton buck the tech IPO blues? By Julia Horowitz
CNN: Can Peloton buck the tech IPO blues? By Julia Horowitz
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
No More National Emergency
Lost in today's impeachment upheaval comes this little gem. Trump's national emergency declaration just took a quick nose dive.
CBS News: Senate votes to kill national emergency declaration along southern border By Eleanor Watson
CBS News: Senate votes to kill national emergency declaration along southern border By Eleanor Watson
The Senate voted again Wednesday to terminate President Trump's declaration of national emergency at the southern border.
What Nancy Said About The Call
Speaker.gov: Pelosi Statement on Notes of Call Between President Trump and Ukrainian President
September 25, 2019
“The release of the notes of the call by the White House confirms that the President engaged in behavior that undermines the integrity of our elections, the dignity of the office he holds and our national security. The President has tried to make lawlessness a virtue in America and now is exporting it abroad.
“I respect the responsibility of the President to engage with foreign leaders as part of his job. It is not part of his job to use taxpayer money to shake down other countries for the benefit of his campaign. Either the President does not know the weight of his words or he does not care about ethics or his constitutional responsibilities.
“The transcript and the Justice Department’s acting in a rogue fashion in being complicit in the President’s lawlessness confirm the need for an impeachment inquiry. Clearly, the Congress must act.
“As we await the transmittal of the full whistleblower complaint to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, it is important to note that the complaint was determined by the Inspector General to be a matter of ‘urgent concern’ and ‘credible.’ The Intelligence Community has long recognized that whistleblowers constitute a vital part of our national security apparatus and that they must be protected. I reiterate my long-standing call to protect the whistleblower from retaliation.”
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 8:45 a.m. ET DOW futures are -15 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately lower.
CNN: Africa's favorite smartphone maker is now worth $4 billion
CNN: Africa's favorite smartphone maker is now worth $4 billion
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Impeach
Washington Post: Pelosi quietly sounding out House Democrats about whether to impeach Trump, officials say
...a major development as several moderate House Democrats resistant to impeachment suddenly endorsed the extraordinary step of trying to oust the president.
Impeach
NY Times: Does Donald Trump Want to Be Impeached? Four reasons the president might welcome articles of impeachment. By Ross Douthat
...the way he attacks his rivals for being corrupt swamp creatures while being so much more nakedly compromised himself.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 8:45 a.m. ET DOW futures are +66 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately higher.
CNN: The world's second largest IPO this year is coming from a beer company By Sherisse Pham and Laura He
CNN: The world's second largest IPO this year is coming from a beer company By Sherisse Pham and Laura He
Monday, September 23, 2019
Everything
NY Times: Donald Trump vs. the United States of America - Just the facts, in 40 sentences. By David Leonhardt
He is the president of the United States, and he is a threat to virtually everything that the United States should stand for.
Eggs
BBC News: The truth about eating eggs - Are eggs helpful to our health… or a cause of heart disease? BBC Future examines the evidence.
But researchers haven’t definitively linked consumption of cholesterol to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. As a result, US dietary guidelines no longer have a cholesterol restriction; nor does the UK. Instead, emphasis is placed on limiting how much saturated fat we consume, which can increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
... eggs are the only food high in cholesterol that are low in saturated fat.
Losartan Potassium
International Business Times: Blood Pressure Medication Recall 2019: Another Recall For Cancer Causing Impurity By Dawn Geske
Pressure
Guardian UK: Impeachment talk intensifies over Trump's call with Ukraine president
There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Biden or his son Hunter, who was on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
Lawlessness
NY Times: As Trump Confirms He Discussed Biden With Ukraine, Pressure to Impeach Builds - Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned of a “new chapter of lawlessness” and a turning point in the House investigation of President Trump. By Nicholas Fandos, Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman
The fast-moving developments prompted Speaker Nancy Pelosi to level a warning of her own to the White House: Turn over the secret whistle-blower complaint by Thursday, or face a serious escalation from Congress.
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 8:45 a.m. ET DOW futures are -43 and the price of oil per barrel is down. The market is poised to open moderately lower.
CNN: European carmakers say 'no-deal' Brexit would be 'catastrophic' By Charles Riley
CNN: European carmakers say 'no-deal' Brexit would be 'catastrophic' By Charles Riley
Friday, September 20, 2019
Alarming Incoherence
Guardian UK: As a foreign reporter visiting the US I was stunned by Trump's press conference by Lenore Taylor - Despite being subjected to a daily diet of Trump headlines, I was unprepared for the president’s alarming incoherence
In most circumstances, presenting information in as intelligible a form as possible is what we are trained for. But the shock I felt hearing half an hour of unfiltered meanderings from the president of the United States made me wonder whether the editing does our readers a disservice.
I’ve read so many stories about his bluster and boasting and ill-founded attacks, I’ve listened to speeches and hours of analysis, and yet I was still taken back by just how disjointed and meandering the unedited president could sound.
Friday Climate Change Protests
Washington Post: Climate change protests: Millions around the world strike for climate action By Brady Dennis and Sarah Kaplan
Young people from more than 150 countries are skipping school in solidarity on Friday as part of another series of global climate protests urging world leaders to act and protect humanity from climate change.
Ukraine
Washington Post: Why Ukraine being the focus of Trump’s whistleblower complaint is particularly ominous By Aaron Blake
...when it comes to countries with which such “promises” might have been particularly self-serving for Trump, Ukraine is near the top of the list.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 8:45 a.m. ET DOW futures are +32 and the price of oil per barrel is up. The market is poised to open moderately higher.
CNN: Employees and investors are forcing companies to act on climate change By Charles Riley
CNN: Employees and investors are forcing companies to act on climate change By Charles Riley
Thursday, September 19, 2019
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