Then there is the little matter of Japan holding USD1.1 TRILLION of US debt. Which, if they were to dump some of that to stabilize the yen on their own, would cause the US a world of hurt - as predicted by none other than the Heritage Foundation a mere 2 years ago: www.heritage.org/markets-and-...

Will a Japanese Fire Sale Crash U.S. Debt?

Profligate government spending has institutionalized multitrillion-dollar annual deficits, which have driven up interest rates and left Treasury markets teetering on the edge. Now Japan is on the verg...

heritage.org

Social Media Lab@socialmedialab.ca · 2d ago

In saving the Yen, the US was trying to save itself. "The yen’s slide to a 40-year low indirectly threatened to bump up U.S. interest rates and risked throwing a wrench in plans to pull billions of dollars of Japanese investment into the U.S." www.wsj.com/finance/curr...

Nothing?

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterday

Cornyn: "There's nothing we could do to rein in the president"

Principles. Dignity. The words in the oath of office. The interests of constituents. All gone. All that is left is self-service, self-dealing, and self-protection.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterday

Tillis admits Trump is weaponizing the DOJ during his speech announcing he'll vote for Todd Blanche: "Maybe it's a little bit more intense in this administration than the last one ... I'm going to support Mr Blanche's nomination"

I Remember, Hope you do….

He’s getting more like Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria every day. Plundering the treasury to build ridiculous edifices…. (Although Ludwig at least had some taste.)

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

Trump: "Now we have a big decision to make. Do we take the pavers that are red -- the red, brick pavers -- and do we change them into a granite?"

Quick question: if Roberts gets impeached now, who gets to appoint his replacement, and why would that be a good idea?

The Watchdog Coalition@thewatchdogco.bsky.social · 3d ago

Articles of impeachment against Roberts are already filed. Ask your Representative why they haven’t cosponsored them yet:

Prince Edward County! Aaahhhh….

"Conservative faculty" - like white males who teach biology by way of creation; believe in a kind of law where the President is always right; think viruses and bacteria are a myth; and consider the harassment of women and minorities to be a human right?

Adam Harris@adamhsays.com · 2d ago

“The letter, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News, asks schools to publicly pledge to make sweeping changes that include reexamining admissions practices, hiring more conservative faculty, cracking down on student protests, combating grade inflation, reducing foreign donations and lowering tuition.”

In all fairness, those things aren't worth a damn.

Daniel Suitor@danielsuitor.com · 2d ago

Very short notice, but I just saw this. The MyPillow guy is getting dragged into Minnesota's campaign finance court for giving away pillows as campaign promotions at a 4th of July parade, allegedly in violation of a law prohibiting the provision of monetary value to win votes. Hearing in 10 mins!

This is absolutely appalling. The neuroscience equivalent of "Is the Earth round or flat - who knows?" PS: ADHD is neither "neuro-developmental" nor a "disorder". It's brain-wiring that can be a huge advantage in some contexts, even as it makes those that have it less apt in others.

Dr Dean Burnett@drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 3d ago

Only just found out about this For the record, you don't get multiple genetic markers and one of the most effective medications known to science with 'social constructs' Channel 4, this is, in scientific parlance, an absolute fu*king disgrace that will genuinely endanger lives #c4 #ADHD

A thread on appeasement by academic institutions. Which reminds me of @unileiden.bsky.social in the Netherlands. In 1940, faculty & students protested the dismissal of Jewish colleagues by Nazi occupiers. The Nazis shut the university down. Reopened in 1945, it ranks in the top 100 globally today.

Gregg Gonsalves@gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 3d ago

Need to have some frank talk about #Yale President McInnis, General Counsel Alexander Dreier and the trustees. First, they keep saying that they are compelled to enter into a settlement with the #Trump administration. Untrue. 1/

"I will never understand why these huge corporations refuse to acknowledge objective reality: paying Trump doesn’t buy you anything. All it does is teach him that you’re willing to pay, and next time, he’ll get you to pay more."

ABC Makes Huge Realization About Their Devil's Bargain With Trump

The company’s court filing underscored just how dangerous Trump’s assault of free speech is as the midterms approach.

plus.briantylercohen.com

County breakfast! West Lake is a bonus…

Peace, a bit of privacy, and above all, dignity - what a concept for improving lives.

NPR@npr.org · 4d ago

It's a bold new experiment and it's already won a prize. Residents in a jam-packed slum, many of them living in one-room tin shacks, help design their apartments in a brand new building. n.pr/4wK2zJJ

All I see here is Tillis naming his price: kill the fund, and he'll approve Blanche. Nothing about the Trump family's get-out-of-IRS-trouble-free card.

Adam Klasfeld@klasfeldreports.com · 5d ago

“…an incompetent personal advisor…” The Tsar cannot be wrong. He can only be wronged.

So Pirro lied to the Grand Jury in bringing the charges, lied to the Press in talking about them, and is now lying to the Court in a document to terminate them before having to actually face a judge - all to indulge Trump's public delusions. How does the NY Bar Association feel about this?

Eric Columbus@ericcolumbus.bsky.social · 5d ago

Pirro’s motion to dismiss the Reflecting Pool indictment not only makes Trump look like a fool (see Chris’ screenshot) but also throws the Dept of the Interior (DOI) and the contractor under the bus. It’s quite rare to see DOJ tear into another agency like this.

One of the few things Henry Kissinger said that I don't disagree with: "The guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win." A lesson the US has never yet understood.

clnzjay 🌱 🐶 🇨🇦@clnz.bsky.social · 5d ago

2/3 The lesson is not that a smaller power can match a larger one. It is that it can survive the initial shock, protect its ability to respond, and use time to adapt. The stronger side’s advantage means little if it cannot achieve its objective. #CanadaStrong

So, Trump's DOJ admits the reflecting pool job was a disaster and drops vandalism charges against David Hearns. Infantino admits his corrupt scheme to monetize the World Cup even further, including via a member of the extended Trump family, is done. Next up, Trump's $5m stock buy for tazers for ICE?

Document all the influencers, politicians, journalists, and outlets that pushed the "invasion of Ceuta" story with anti-EU rhetoric and you have got yourself one of the largest US / Russian treason / corruption networks that exist today.

This targeted attempt at undermining an ally should attract NATO Article 4 concerns and opprobrium.

Anonymous@youranoncentral.bsky.social · 5d ago

Top US officials amplifying the disinformation and disruption campaign targeting Europe; the US is attempting to destablise Spain and produce a right wing ecosystem to oust the current government. The campaign mirrors Russia's strategy, is being pushed by Trump admin.

He despises Americans who don’t support him more than he despises a foreign country that’s killing Americans.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 5d ago

Trump: "We heard in Minnesota there was a cyberattack and they blame it on Iran. I don't think so. I blame it on Minnesota because they're grossly incompetent. Iran's got bigger problems than worrying about Minnesota."

He erred because the science on previous versions of the Covid virus (SARS and MERS) transmitted differently. As soon as the information indicated different transmission, the recommendations on masking changed.

Club Signing Spurs 🤦‍♂️@markscrivens.bsky.social · 5d ago

You would lose that bet. Vaccinated 6 times. I think you misunderstood my criticism completely. I am a big fan of Dr. Fauci, I just think he erred in this instance.

Bravo, UEFA! Reminds me of the “super league” proposal in Ted Lasso… Everything a Trump or a Kushner touches immediately stinks of corruption. Football is already far too beholden to money-grubbing oligarchs - let’s at least leave the World Cup ball on the field. #fireInfantino

UEFA nations agree to boycott World Cups over FIFA’s private investment plans (Gift Article)

On Tuesday, FIFA confirmed its plans to sell a significant minority stake in a new entity that it is setting up to run its main events.

nytimes.com

Well, that ballroom, the statue gilding, and repeated pool paint jobs have to be paid for...

David Roberts@volts.wtf · 7d ago

This is morally monstrous behavior. These are ordinary, innocent people that Trump is condemning to suffering & death out of political vindictiveness. Every decent human being, regardless of political party, should condemn it. Where is the fucking *anger*? From the press? From civic leaders? Pols?

So 60 minutes is moving from investigative journalism to unsubstantiated opinions then? Good to know.

The New York Times@nytimes.com · last wk.

Breaking News: Ross Douthat, The New York Times opinion columnist, is joining CBS News’s “60 Minutes” in one of the first major hires since Bari Weiss’s takeover.

He was the man tasked by a series of US governments with keeping Americans safe from contagious diseases. Who the f$$k is Senator Moreno, thinking it’s ok to be so disrespectful and disgusting to a congressional witness?

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

Moreno to Fauci: "Who the fuck did you think you were?"

So that means I can mark myself safe from ever inadvertently coming across one of Douthat’s opinions again? Let the bells ring out and the banners fly!

The New York Times@nytimes.com · last wk.

Breaking News: Ross Douthat, The New York Times opinion columnist, is joining CBS News’s “60 Minutes” in one of the first major hires since Bari Weiss’s takeover.

What this does is ensure that the incompetence in the Trump administration is owned by ALL Republicans, not just Trump himself.

Kyle Griffin@kylegriffin1.bsky.social · last wk.

BREAKING: Trump ally Jay Clayton, who has no intelligence experience, has just been confirmed by the Senate to be Director of National Intelligence.

A weather model suggests temperatures of almost 50 degrees are possible in France. Anyone who claims there is no climate change, who disparages science in this field, or who denies that human activity is the cause, is making a statement that has nothing to do with reality #ClimateEmergency #FarRight