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[...]
Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
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[...]
Mitch McConnell’s final hypocrisy
Hardly anyone is more responsible for Trump returning to power — and potentially abusing power — than Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). McConnell excoriated Trump’s role in instigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. As the Republican Senate leader, he could have rallied GOP senators behind th[...]
Youth activist arrested for shaking Rep. Mace’s hand
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) has a reputation for being prickly. Her entire staff quit, and so did both of her ex-husbands. Now, it appears from witness statements she’s a fake victim of a fake crime. After Mace spoke to a group of children’s advocates at the Rayburn Building in Washington D.C., a you[...]
Why would anyone like Republican economic policies?
The economy looms large in elections, and if people voted for the best economic policies, Republicans wouldn’t win elections. By every measure, the U.S. economy fares better under Democratic administrations. Higher growth, more jobs, lower unemployment, less inflation, and a better stock marke[...]
There’s no story here
This is a story about a story that wasn’t published because careful news reporting showed there was no story. It involves Trump’s defense nominee, Pete Hegseth, and West Point, the army’s military academy. ProPublica was investigating Hegseth’s claim that he was accepted at West Point, which[...]
Kari Lake passed over in Trump hiring spree
A month ago, I predicted (here) that Kari Lake would “undoubtedly grovel for a job in Trump Administration 2.0, but if she gets one it’ll be a very minor role.” Then rumors swirled that Lake was being considered for ambassador to Mexico (see story here). That’s not a minor role; [...]
December 8th, 2024 - 3:23 pm § in Donald Trump, Economics, Europe, Foreign Affairs, Health, Politics, Republicans
Why Trump’s 2024 election victory is different
He plans to tear down all four pillars of the “American Century,” according to a Politico article here. The phrase was coined by Henry Luce, publisher of Time and Life magazines, in 1941 and refers to America’s postwar dominance. The concept, Politico says, has “guided the th[...]