Have an excellent weekend and see you bright and early Monday morning.
Friday, April 26, 2024
Mickey
“During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out about 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at bats a season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.” — Mickey Mantle
Rallies
Washington Post: More arrests and a canceled commencement as college antiwar rallies spread By Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Jennifer Hassan, Richard Morgan and Karin Brulliard
Those students on Thursday showed little appetite for folding up their tents and signs as the academic year comes to a close. In some places, the police action drew recruits to their cause.
Asia
Washington Post: Asia’s next war could be triggered by a rusting warship on a disputed reef By Rebecca Tan, Regine Cabato and Laris Karklis
The BRP Sierra Madre, which has remained on Second Thomas Shoal ever since, has now become the epicenter of escalating tensions between the Philippines and China...
Agenda
“China is happy to see a confident, open, prosperous and thriving United States. We hope the U.S. can also look at China’s development in a positive light,” Mr. Xi said, according to Chinese state media.
King
Gift article available to everyone.
NY Times: This Whole King Trump Thing Is Getting Awfully Literal By Jamelle Bouie
In delaying the trial, the Supreme Court may well have denied the public its right to know whether a former president, now vying to be the next president, is guilty of trying to subvert the sacred process of presidential succession...
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 6:22 a.m. ET DOW futures are +60, S&P futures are +35.25, and NASDAQ futures are +163.75. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Rallies
Washington Post: Police arrest 108 at Emerson College protest as antiwar rallies spread By Jennifer Hassan, Justine McDaniel and Emily Davies
A total of 108 arrests were made, and four officers were injured, Sgt. Detective John Boyle of the Boston Police Department said in an email. He said there were no reports of injuries among the protesters.
Trial
Pecker said that Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen, encouraged Pecker to buy her story, and that Trump described McDougal as “a nice girl,” leading Pecker to believe Trump knew her.
Another Biden Win
The bipartisan pile-on showed results Wednesday, when Biden signed the $95 billion foreign aid package into law — just weeks after it seemed dead and beyond any hope of revival.
Arizona
Washington Post: Meadows, Giuliani and other Trump allies charged in Arizona 2020 election probe By Yvonne Wingett Sanchez
Trump was not charged, but he is described in the indictment as an unindicted co-conspirator.
How
In July 2020, Mr. Trump lost the case. But the loss was a kind of victory. The court sent the case back to the lower courts for more analysis, running out the clock.
Absolutely Not
Most legal experts do not expect Mr. Trump to prevail on his broadest arguments. But when and how he loses may turn out to be as important as whether he loses.
The Market On Thursday
Good morning. At 6:24 a.m. ET DOW futures are -120, S&P futures are -28, and NASDAQ futures are -154. The market is poised to open significantly lower.
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Problem
“She is dragging our brand down,” Tillis (Senator Tom Tillis R-N.C.) said. “She — not the Democrats — are the biggest risk to us getting back to a majority.”
Tillis added, “I’m embarrassed to have actually lived geographically in her district at one time before she was there.”
Within Hours
“In the next few hours — literally, the few hours — we’re going to begin sending in equipment to Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said.
Have An Excellent Wednesday
Artwork By Giotto di Bondone - 'Saint Francis Preaching to the Birds' c. 1297-99
Other
Washington Post: It’s not that Trump beat Clinton. It’s all the other stuff. Analysis By Philip Bump
Trump is aided by another dynamic here: the willingness of his allies to reframe his dubious actions as innocent. Watters spent a healthy chunk of time trying to explain campaign finance law in a way that was favorable to Trump; it was not terribly convincing.
Pact
“I said what I would do is I would run or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump, and I would publish negative stories about his opponents,” Pecker testified.
Humbling
Not sure she's capable of being humbled, she's got a pretty thick and dense skull.
NY Times: The Humbling of Marjorie Taylor Greene By Michelle Cottle
She has, in very little time, undermined the influence of her party’s entire right flank, driving less unhinged Republicans — most notably the House speaker, Mike Johnson — to brush back her and her ilk like the poo-flinging chaos monkeys they are.
Aid
The Senate’s action, on a vote of 79 to 18, provided a victory for the president, who had urged lawmakers to move quickly so he could sign it into law.
The Market On Wednesday
Good morning. At 6:00 a.m. ET DOW futures are -24, S&P futures are +3, and NASDAQ futures are +72. The market is poised to open mixed.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Prison
That’s at least in part because if Mr. Trump is ultimately convicted, a drawn-out and hard-fought series of appeals, possibly all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, is almost a certainty. That would most likely delay any sentence for months if not longer, said several of the people, who noted that a prison sentence was unlikely.
Pecker
Washington Post: Ex-publisher details ‘catch and kill’ at Trump’s hush money trial
The sound (of laptop keystrokes) grew louder during key moments, like when Pecker described his direct interactions with Trump, when the Trump Tower doorman’s salacious story was mentioned, and when Playboy model Karen McDougal, an alleged former Trump mistress, entered the narrative.
Always The Victim
Washington Post: Trump’s transparent attempt to play the victim on ‘election interference’ Analysis By Aaron Blake
This from a man who is accused of that crime in three of his four criminal indictments, was impeached twice for alleged election interference-related offenses, and experienced his first big controversy as president for the same. Trump has also unapologetically solicited political favors involving electoral opponents from foreign governments, despite foreign election interference being illegal.
Contempt
I already hold Trump in complete and total contempt.
Manhattan prosecutors are urging the judge in the criminal case against Donald J. Trump to hold the former president in contempt of court for attacking witnesses and jurors, saying his statements pose a “threat” to the landmark trial.
Isolated
Washington Post: How Trump has become angrier and more isolated on Truth Social By Derek Hawkins, Clara Ence Morse, Drew Harwell, Irfan Uraizee and Adrián Blanco
And he has reason to believe his efforts are paying off: Polling shows that Trump has convinced as many as 70 percent of Republicans that Biden won the 2020 election because of voter fraud.
Deal
“It was election fraud, pure and simple,” Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo told the jury inside a packed and heavily guarded courtroom, illustrating the sky-high stakes of a criminal trial in which the defendant is also the presumptive GOP nominee for president in the November election.
Rioters
Prosecutors charge that by participating in the Capitol riot, Mr. Fischer corruptly obstructed and impeded the joint congressional proceeding to certify the election, in violation of 1512(c)(2). More than 300 other Jan. 6 rioters have faced the same charge.
Trial
The order, imposed by the judge overseeing the case, Juan M. Merchan, bars the former president from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and court staff, as well as their relatives.
The Market On Tuesday
Good morning. At 6:15 a.m. ET DOW futures are +26, S&P futures are +5.75, and NASDAQ futures are +32.5. The market is poised to open moderately higher.
Monday, April 22, 2024
Homelessness
The conservative majority appeared sympathetic to arguments by the city of Grants Pass, Ore., that homelessness is a complicated issue best handled by local lawmakers and communities, not judges. The liberal justices strongly resisted that notion.
Trial
Washington Post: The Trump Trials: Live from New York, it’s opening day By Perry Stein and Devlin Barrett
It was an extra short day in the Manhattan criminal courthouse. Court was supposed to adjourn at 2 p.m. for the Passover holiday. The judge ended up dismissing everyone at 12:30 so an alternate juror could address a health issue.
Trial
A prosecutor, Matthew Colangelo, began by telling jurors that Mr. Trump had conspired with his former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, and the publisher of The National Enquirer, David Pecker, to conceal damaging stories during his 2016 campaign.
Trial
Washington Post: Opening statements underway in Trump hush money trial
Then-candidate Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election,” Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo told jurors. “Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy and lied in his New York business records over and over and over again.”
Case
...saying Donald J. Trump lied “over and over and over” to cover up a sex scandal as part of conspiracy to get him elected president in 2016.
Proprioception
proprioception
PRONUNCIATION:(pro-pree-uh/oh-SEP-shuhn)
MEANING: noun: The awareness of location of parts of one’s body.
Coalition
Washington Post: The House has a bipartisan governing coalition Analysis By Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer
The Republican majority has been unable to unite around must-pass bills and has thus repeatedly relied on Democrats to push bills past the finish line.
Pandemic
Washington Post: The pandemic cost 7 million lives, but talks to prevent a repeat stall By Frances Stead Sellers
An unknown future pathogen could have far more devastating consequences than SARS-CoV-2, which cost some 7 million lives and trillions of dollars in economic losses.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Of Italy
Ms. Meloni is already an inspiration to the European far right. As the head of the right-wing coalition in Italy, she has overseen attacks on L.G.B.T.Q. groups and migrant-rescue organizations, a takeover of the public broadcaster and a continuing attempt to change the Constitution to expand executive power.
Trial
Opening statements at a trial are like overtures: Both sides present a preview of what the jurors will hear from witnesses and what they will see in documentary evidence.
The Market On Monday
Good morning. At 6:29 a.m. ET DOW futures are +185, S&P futures are +28.75, and NASDAQ futures are +124.25. The market is poised to open significantly higher.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Trial
Washington Post: Full jury selected in Trump hush money trial
Five alternate jurors were picked Friday, joining the 12 jurors and one alternate who had previously been selected.
The judge has said he expects opening statements to take place Monday.
This Is Nuts
The man, who was wearing jeans and dark gray T-shirt, fell to the ground. He was in an area of the park that was cordoned off for supporters of Mr. Trump.
Afraid
Gift article available for everyone, the link is good for 30 days.
NY Times: Southern Republican Governors Are Suddenly Afraid By Jamelle Bouie
Organized labor was and remains a threat to the political and economic elites of a region whose foremost commitment is to the maintenance of an employer-dominated economy of low-wage labor and its attendant social order.
Aid
One bill provides $60 billion for Ukraine. Most of the money goes to U.S. weapons manufacturers to build back depleted U.S. weapons supply, and about 20 percent of that goes directly to the country in the form of a loan. The president can cancel Ukraine’s debt, however, after Nov. 15.
Bill
The vote was an enormous victory in the long effort to fund Ukraine as it battles against Russian aggression, a major priority of President Biden that has met with bitter resistance from the right.
'Tara'
Got a brand new music release out today with Denise Glover. Denise and I collaborated on the song. Upright bassist Cary Black is on the track and I didn't realize it but his list of credits is off the charts, the man can play and is in high demand. Always a bonus.
Road
“I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, and that had made all the difference.” ― Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken and Other Poems
Trial
Washington Post: Trump’s increasingly charged criminal trial Analysis By Aaron Blake
“He was audibly gesturing, speaking in the direction of the juror,” New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan said. “I won’t tolerate that.”
Not Serious
Washington Post: Marjorie Taylor Greene would like to remind us that she is not serious Analysis By Philip Bump
“By the funds made available by this Act,” the proposed amendment reads, “such sums as necessary shall be used for the development of space laser technology on the southwest border.” Having fun, joking about space lasers. In a bill predicated on offering military support to Israel.
Vote
The 9-to-3 vote in the critical Rules Committee was an early step in the convoluted process the House is expected to go through over the next couple of days to approve the $95 billion aid package.
War
“The strike on a military facility appears to have matched Iran’s in terms of target. scope and damage,” she added.
The Market On Friday
Good morning. At 7:02 a.m. ET DOW futures are -144, S&P futures are -24, and NASDAQ futures are -126.5. The market is poised to open significantly lower.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Roommates Show - Tracy Morgan Made Jalen Walk Off Set And Had Josh In Tears Roasting NBA Rivals
I'm a Knicks fan and as they are bound for the playoffs, I'm trying to watch and read everything I can find about them.
911
Washington Post: Widespread 911 outages hit several states By Adela Suliman
Four states have experienced widespread outages of 911 lines, affecting emergency calls throughout South Dakota and swaths of Nebraska, Nevada and Texas overnight, officials said.
Wrestler
Washington Post: Oklahoma officials tell trans pro wrestler not to compete in their state By Ben Brasch
Rose responded to the Oklahoma news by tweeting: “Don’t worry Oklahoma I’ll find the dastardly Transgender that *checks notes* entertained fans!!! HOW DARE THEY MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY?!!!”
Sleep
Gift article available to everyone.
Washington Post: Sleep patterns, disorders differ between women and men By Caren Chesler
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