Another example of the unintended consequences of Trump’s tariffs. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/12/b...

Nice summary of the economic irrationality of the Trump Administration’s latest tariff strategy (which this economically illiterate administration is hoping to use to replace the 10% global tariff that was ruled illegal last week). www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...

lol. What a joke.

The true costs of the war with Iran - it’s already a lot more that $25 billion, and could potentially run into the hundreds of billions. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/o...

The 10% global tariffs Trump imposed in February after SCOTUS ruled his reciprocal tariffs illegal are now also ruled illegal by the ITC. No surprise here. Of course, this farce of an administration will probably appeal all the way to SCOTUS again. Expect same outcome. www.wsj.com/economy/trad...

Don’t worry America, it’s only money, and look at what you’re getting for this, higher gas and fertilizer prices, no deal on Iran’s nuclear program, and lots of chest beating from Hegsbreath. Definitely terrific value for money, Trump style.

I’m impressed that Donald Trump has been able to impose a global carbon tax. Unfortunate that he had to start an illegal war to do it.

Bonded pair this morning

Iran has Trump by the balls here, and they are going to squeeze them for all it’s worth.

Big brother knows where you live, work, and play, and they are watching you….which raises a philosophical question: Is mass surveillance in the interests of what the state defines as law and order consistent with individual liberty? I think not. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

He’s delusional…..

The last time the ratio of gov debt to GDP was this high was 1947, in the aftermath of WWII, and it quickly fell as the US economy boomed. That won’t happen this time, with a big fiscal crunch on the horizon as the SS trust fund runs dry in 6-7 years. www.wsj.com/economy/u-s-...

The Trump Admin is eviscerating the NSF. A key part of the 75 year old arrangement between academia, business, and government, the NSF has played a pivotal role in badic research in America, and has underpinned American superiority in science. www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...

By the end of this week Trump’s “4-6 week”war against Iran will be illegal per the War Powers Act which requires Congressional authorization after 60 days. The GOP controlled Congress won’t do anything about this, so the courts must. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/o...

State capitalism. Where are all the free market Republicans?

The fact that Trump didn’t anticipate a Democratic response to his redistricting push, just as he didn’t anticipate that Iran would resist his demands, illustrates his complete inability to think through the consequences of his decisions. Strategic thinker he is not. www.npr.org/2026/04/22/n...

There is a very bright Moon-Venus conjunction over Seattle tonight.

Tick tok, tick tok…….Worth noting that under the War Powers Act, Trump only has until April 29th before he must seek Congressional approval for his “little excursion”, and without approval troops must be withdrawn 30 days after that. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/04...

Well, so much for that.

As someone who was hit by a car and seriously injured while on a crosswalk, I wish the powers that be in Seattle would consider pedestrian bridges and/or tunnels to cross busy roads. This is common in parts of Europe, but rare here. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Video footage of the Puget Sound #Waterspout that occurred this afternoon at ~3pm PDT (15 Apr 2026) about 3mi/5km W of #Magnolia #WA to the NW of downtown #Seattle WA! H/T: 🎥 BadAssBitch /Reddit #WAwx

Orban’s defeat despite gerrymandering the heck out of Hungry’s first past the post parliamentary districts should be a warning to the GOP, particularly in Texas. If the swing is big enough gerrymandering can backfire and turn once safe seats into contestable ones.

It feels pretty good to be driving an EV right now.

Let’s hope that Orban’s stunning defeat in Hungry is a sign that the high tide mark of authoritarianism has passed.

Republican voting WA farmers are having buyers remorse as their long term and undocumented “squeaky clean” farm workers are getting arrested by ICE. “We thought he was going to deport the “worst of the worse”. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Blocking international shipping in international waters is a violation of international maritime law. Trump is turning the United States into a rogue nation.

Freedom of shipping international waters is a corner stone of the rules based order that has allowed international trade to flourish. If Iran is allowed to charge a toll for ships transiting Hormuz, then what next? Malaysia charging a toll for the Straits of Malacca, Morocco for Gibraltar..1/2

“Things fall apart, the center cannot hold.”

The US fertility rate just hit a record low. Without immigration, the population would be shrinking. Good for the environment you might say (probably is), but economically this creates serious problems as the tax base shrinks and funding government services becomes problematic. 1/3

Here is a summary of the NATO soldiers killed “doing nothing for America” in Afghanistan since 9/11

Well that didn’t take long.

The new “Trump wing” of the White House is being built with free European steel, donated no doubt in the hope of gaining some regulatory or tariff advantage (steel imports are tariffed at 50%). All very on brand for the most corrupt and hypocritical administration in America history.

Trump reportedly asked officials in his first Administration why he couldn’t use nuclear weapons. They worried that he didn’t understand the nuclear doctrine and the nature of deterrence. I hope there are still enough sane people around him to keep his worst impulses in check.

Not suprised. Poor methods, messy data, lack of transparency, and in some cases outright fraud, have long plagued empirical research in the social sciences. The pressure cooker academic culture of publish or perish is at least partly to blame. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

The President is both mentally ill and surrounded by enablers.

Took a look at Trump’s 2027 budget. Big increase in defense spending to $1.5 trillion!! Lots of cuts elsewhere. Assumes that $400+ billion in tariff revenue and 3% economic growth with 2% inflation will help keep federal deficit in check. Totally unrealistic. 1/3

Mad King Donald just imposed a 100% tariff on pharmaceutical imports. Around 50% of all drugs, and 80-90% of generics are manufactured abroad, so be prepared to pay more for your prescriptions and drug insurance. Another dysfunctional policy bought to you by the Trump Administration.

The unintended but entirely predictable consequence of the Trump Administration’s trade policies - stocks.apple.com/AMumXmKU4Sya...

The Trump administration is doing “Soviet-style central planning to push an ideological agenda that will drive costs to customers,” This could cost customers billions as Trump tries to save an inefficient 19th century technology. www.seattletimes.com/nation-world...

250 years ago, we fought a war to get a King’s name off our laws. Now we’ve got a President trying to Sharpie his name onto our currency and brand the government like a hotel chain. We didn’t trade a crown for a gold-plated ego. This is a Republic, not a franchise.

Anyone recognize this English village? I’m here for a wedding.

Trump’s policies, from tariffs to immigration and the Iran war, have hurt farmers badly, but no worries, he’s using your tax dollars to lessen the pain and buy their support. After all, what’s wrong with a little bit of socialism between conservative friends? www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/u...

The dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency is under threat (thank Mr Trump). If the decline continues, the consequences will include a higher cost of capital in the United States, pushing up the cost of serving Government debt and hurting all of us., m.economictimes.com/news/interna...

My hometown is as charming as ever.

Jet lag sucks. Went to bed at 11:30pm, wide awake at 2:30am. Flying west to east and trying to adjust to an 8 hour time difference is the worst. Reading British media takes on Trump, the Iran War, and the decline of American democracy isn’t helping.

His narcissism knows no bounds, but this wouldn’t happen if he wasn’t surrounded by groveling sycophants. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Yesterday the Pentagon asked for its budget to be increase by $200 billion to cover the cost of the Iran War. At the current run rate of $2 billion a day, that will cover 3 months. They will be back for more. Also yesterday, the national debt topped $38 trillion.

Read this. It’s got some pretty damning things to say about the rapid decline in American democracy, one of the fastest on record. V-DEM uses excellent methodology to reach this conclusion. www.v-dem.net/publications...

What a shock!!