Working-class Latino and Asian neighborhoods in Southeast Los Angeles went heavily for Trump in 2024, probably mirroring what happened across the country. Historically, the Democrats have been the party of the working class, while Republicans were the party of the rich. In policy terms, that hasn[...]
Don’t buy gas in Ohio (video)
Because you may be buying gas with water in it, and expensive repairs. Two other states don’t test gasoline quality, either: Alaska and Nebraska. Aren’t you glad you live in Washington, a state with strong consumer protection laws? (Read story here and watch video below.) Return to The-A[...]
December 15th, 2024 - 9:03 pm § in Misc.
Musk lobbies for big gov’t favors
Elon Musk spent $250 million to elect Trump in 2024. It was a business investment from which he expects to reap huge financial profits, not a campaign donation motivated by personal friendship or political beliefs. Besides tax cuts, USA Today reported on Sunday, December 15, 2024, that Trump’s[...]
Did Stephanopoulis defame Trump by saying he “raped” E. Jean Carroll?
It certainly looked that way when ABC News agreed last week to settle Trump’s defamation lawsuit for $15 million (plus $1 million for Trump’s attorney fees). But not so fast. At issue was whether ABC journalist George Stephanopoulis defamed him by insisting, during a televised interview [...]
Trump’s pardons won’t solve Jan. 6 rioters’ problems
If Trump pardons the Jan. 6 rioters, outraging law enforcers and liberals, there’s a big historical precedent for it: Lincoln pardoned the millions of southerners who rioted against his 1860 election win for four long, bloody years. In the spring of 1865, as that violent demonstration was wrap[...]
December 14th, 2024 - 7:53 pm § in Misc.
What’s the fine on a library book 105 years overdue?
The book title is “Famous Composers,” by Nathan Haskell Dole (1852-1935; read his bio here). It was acquired by the library in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1914, and was last checked out in 1919. The book just recently was returned; the Guardian’s article here doesn’t say by whom,[...]
This is why we need federal consumer protection
Elon Musk, who’s worth $400 billion, making him the world’s richest man, wants to “delete” the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) (see story here). The federal agency may not survive the Trump administration. Here’s what it does, and why ordinary Americans ne[...]
Biden caps bank overdraft fees at $5.00
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a new banking rule on Thursday, December 12, 2024, that caps bank overdraft fees at $5.00 beginning October 1, 2025. It may not last long. Huffington Post says (here) the new regulation “faces an uncertain future under President-elect Dona[...]