Paul Graf
@paulginva.bsky.social
Retired lawyer. Moderate. Dog lover, cat tolerator. Grandfather. Vietnam vet. History, international relations, national security, high-profile litigation, economics, and a little politics.
The first error they made was making Infantino president to begin with. What an embarrassment!
The Associated Press@apnews.com · 9h agoFIFA said Wednesday it had apologized for errors made over Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and that senior staff in attendance at a summit held in Morocco “reaffirmed their full support” for his presidency.
Finally! Some actual investigation into into the "AI companies are buying rare books and destroying them" frenzy. Happily for rare book lovers, this doesn't seem to be the case, but someone or multiple someones is buying USED, not rare, books, mostly nonfiction, in esoteric sci/tech fields.
The Atlantic@theatlantic.com · 9h agoViral articles and social media posts accused AI companies of buying up and "destroying the world's books" to scan them for data. Alex Reisner investigates who's really behind the book-buying scandal. theatln.tc/mk9ufKV2 🎨: Alisa Gao / The Atlantic
It looks like the judge might dismiss this again. Ruling will be issued in the coming days.
Guardian US@us.theguardian.com · 9h agoObama-appointed judge seemed unmoved by Trump attorneys’ arguments in case also naming Murdoch
“It was as if Musk had chartered a fourth branch of the government – one above the legislative, out of reach of the judicial, and on par with the executive.” Exclusive excerpt from Casey Michel's new book on how the country's wealthiest are monopolizing U.S. democracy zeteo.com/p/americans-...
WRONG! None of these prosecutions has been a misfire. A misfire implies that somehow, something that, in the ordinary course of things, would have happened — a gun would fire a bullet, for example. That's not the case with these vindictive prosecutions. They never would have worked.
USA TODAY@usatoday.com · 8h agoThe DOJ's collapsed felony criminal case charging a former Olympian with damaging the Reflecting Pool is just the latest in a string of legal misfires
We'll be seeing more of this as time goes on.
The Salt Lake Tribune@sltrib.com · 8h agoDr. Jeffery Cornelius of Moab Dental Health Center said he'd provided Medicaid-covered care to children since arriving in Moab in 2006 and did not take the decision to leave the program lightly. “It just was too much of a cut to be able to function."
1/x Cramer might be right, though it still has room to fall, so I don't think now is the time, but over a decades-long timeline, it's very possible that SpaceX will grow into one of the most important and valuable companies in the world. Think about Apple when it went public in 1980. It was a much
Jim Cramer says investors should consider buying SpaceX for their kids
CNBC’s Jim Cramer said investors should view SpaceX as a multigenerational investment, whose biggest opportunities may take decades to fully materialize.
cnbc.com
Trump struggles to understand many things, usually with little to show for it. Unfortunately, not understanding this is far more consequential than not understanding what happened to the reflecting pool.
Larry Glickman@larryglickman.bsky.social · 22h agoYet another story framed around Trump’s supposed anger rather than his incompetence. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/u...
I'm pretty sure this is good, right?
Catherine Rampell@crampell.bsky.social · 17h agoRhodium projects that under current policy, US GHG emissions will be 26–29% under the 2005 level in four years, driven by an influx of natural gas and renewable production. Their forecast for 2040 is 27-41% below the 2005 level. rhg.com/research/tak...
The even funnier thing about this loss — to me, anyway — is that Hassan blew through ~$725K and lost to a candidate who not only suspended his campaign, but spent virtually nothing on it.
Sky Marchini@sky.skymarchini.net · 16h agooh my god: a trump-endorsed candidate lost the GOP primary to a guy who suspended his campaign last month: www.politico.com/news/2026/08... trump completely washed, juiceless, cooked, it's over, lamest of the lame ducks, many people are saying it
Failed hedge fund manager who lost 90% of his fund's assets doesn't like financial reporters. This is petty even for him, though.
Kai Ryssdal@kairyssdal.bsky.social · 16h agoWhat a petty little man
A lot of people around the world are going to go hungry, possibly even starve, due to this and the fuel and fertilizer disruptions that are taking place.
Zeke Hausfather@zekehausfather.com · 4d agoI'm not sure folks have realized just how crazy the second half of 2026 and 2027 will be for global temperatures – on the back of a record-smashing El Niño event. Here is my latest estimate of where both years will end up compared to global temperatures since 1850.
Chief District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Rhode Island faced a severe campaign of intimidation, doxing, and six credible death threats after issuing legal rulings against the Trump administration. The harassment included over 400 hostile phone calls, unwanted "pizza doxing"
This federal judge ruled against Trump. Then the threats began.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell’s experience is emblematic of the climate facing jurists, whether nominated by Democratic or Republican presidents.
washingtonpost.com
The Houthis say they will attack Saudi oil tankers in the northern Red Sea ("off the Yanbu area") after vessels re-routed to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The Houthis say their strategy is a "siege for a siege."
"... Since attacking Iran in February, Trump’s immediate demands have shrunk from a sprawling list of concessions [...] to just one: that Iran allow the Strait of Hormuz to return to its prewar state..."
Donald Trump trapped between escalation and an Iran deal on Tehran’s terms
US president faces few good options to exit a war he once said would end swiftly with the Islamic republic’s surrender
ft.com
I'm pretty confident that Brent crude prices will be between $65 and $110 next week
Not good. Not good at all.
Catherine Rampell@crampell.bsky.social · 2d agoAs his confirmation to lead the Justice Department hung by a thread last week, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told faith leaders on a private call that he was preparing to take action to roll back abortion access nationwide. www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
“.. Fox News only covered the dispute once on Monday, for under a minute ..” @cnn.com @brianstelter.bsky.social www.cnn.com/2026/08/03/m...
SpaceX reported Q2 revenue of $7.8B versus $6.81B, per Bloomberg consensus, up sequentially from $4.7B in Q1. It posted adjusted EBITDA of $3.5B vs $2.0B consensus expected. The stock dropped pretty convincingly in after-hours trading. But wait, there's more! On August 6, 911.5 million locked-up
Now that the DSA has embraced the economic consensus on trade, let’s hope that they do so on rent control and nationalization.
Joey Politano🏳️🌈@josephpolitano.bsky.social · 2d agoDSA-aligned Democrats are now the most pro-free-trade voting bloc in the United States, in an incredible turn of events www.theargumentmag.com/p/who-suppor...
If Emmer dies, Republicans will be down to a 2-seat majority in the House.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterday😳 Rep. Pete Stauber indicates there's something gravely wrong with Tom Emmer's health: "You have no idea what Congressman Emmer is dealing with right now. If you did, you would've never made that comment. He's fighting for his damn life today!"
QUOTE OF THE DAY "'It takes a lot to unite this administration around a cohesive point of view,' a senior administration official told Playbook. 'Mullin deserves credit where credit is due. Everyone agrees he sucks donkey butt.'"
MAGA vs. Mullin
politico.com
Warsh isn't the first Fed chair to learn the hard way how closely markets parse his words. The question now is how he responds.
Warsh Wanted ‘Regime Change.’ Markets Are Demanding a Reset.
After his latest appearance set off a bout of volatility, Kevin M. Warsh, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, is under pressure to clear up mixed signals about his commitment to getting inflation dow...
nytimes.com
Honestly, after seeing all the crazy stuff Hong is proposing, I'd be inclined to at least give the Republican a cursory look.
It is impossible for any cognitively intact person to listen to Trump discuss the Reflecting Pool and not conclude that he is profoundly disturbed, mentally ill, and in need of institutionalization.
I wish they included third-born on this graphic. My youngest sister-in-law is the weird one in my wife's family.
