I’ve passed on several such charts recently. The numbers vary a bit, but Trumpian tariffs are still absurdly high.

Hmm … seems simple enough. Tariffs go up, prices go up. Tariffs go down, prices go down. Wonder why the ancient Tariff Man refuses to grok this?

We are bombarded by the ICE executions, Venezuela, Greenland, the extortion of Ukraine and so much more. But don’t forget the Epstein files coverup.

The aging Tariff Man has taken the United States to an applied average tariff of 10.7%, the highest in 80 years.

A long, but worthwhile read for your weekend. It improved my understanding of what is happening in both Venezuela and Ukraine, plus some interesting nuggets about U.S. intelligence failures.

“Lots of people at the senior level, even people who came in with this administration, don’t like him … Because he goes too far, because he’s such a zealot. Because, frankly, he’s just so fucking weird.” Of course, we all know how calm and reasonable Super-MAGAs can be.

More than 80 years and this is still 💯!

This was a gang-style execution, three point blank shots to her head, condoned and abetted by a declining mob boss.

One would think that someone experienced in the hotel biz would consider the self-harm such extreme fees produce. The United States isn’t the only place these tourists can go. The aging mob boss not only authorizes official murders, but he scares away customers. Not wise.

Cigna, Comcast, General Mills are among many that deserve boycott. But support the few who kept promises: Farmers Insurance, AirBNB, Expedia, Nike, Clorox, Eversource Energy, Holland & Hart, Qurate Retail, Lyft, Whirlpool. Some made other questionable decisions, but support them if you are able.

This wasn’t a simple murder, it was a gangland execution. Three shots to the head. Fitting, given that their Dear Leader is nothing but a mob boss.

Excellent analysis of how the aging mob boss has regressed U.S. foreign policy to the dynastic struggles of the 16th century. The key difference is that the Trumpistas are nowhere near as competent as the Habsburgs.

The aging orange senile tyrant is pulling the United States out of almost anything good and helpful. As a trade guy, I’m particularly incensed by the withdrawals from UNCTAD and ECOSOC.

Trump’s goons are murderous stormtroopers. They have no right to respect or cooperation in any community.

Congressional appropriators just might - might - be pushing back against the old orange tyrant’s massive proposed budget cuts.

There appears to be a small flaw in the Trump/Putin plot to divide the world into spheres of influence. Xi isn’t interested in that old game.

The aging orange tyrant’s Venezuelan oil fantasy is a hoax like nobody has ever seen before. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

If the senile orange tyrant attacks Greenland could Denmark invoke NATO Article 5 against the United States?

Is NATO’s Article 5 still operable if the attacker is another NATO member?

The United States needs a similar approach, but that will never happen. We have too many people invested in producing our own internal propaganda and conspiracy theories. Many of these same people appear to soak up and believe the foreign-sourced propaganda.

They’ve already nailed the Donroe Doctrine.

The culture of ideological tyranny settles in at the Department of State.

Jen Rubin isn’t holding back today. 💯

A rare reasoned commentary about the bought-and-paid-for Trumpian hysterics in reaction to European enforcement of rules that apply to Big Tech companies.

China needs to slash tariffs on consumer goods to encourage consumer demand, but these cuts could be usefully emulated by Trump if he is sincere about building American industries. His tariffs on intermediate goods hinder industrial recovery. But such a policy change ain’t gonna happen.

U.S. majors seem unexcited by Trump’s demand that they go into Venezuela. Some say that it will take 5-7 years to bring the Venezuelan industry back into profitable production. Betcha Trump ignored any briefings on this, even if his sycophants could bring themselves to tell him.

Selection must have been tough, but I would have also emphasized destruction of the Foreign Service, attacks on Europe and NATO, and imperialism towards Canada, Panama and Greenland. Also Trump’s paralysis of dispute settlement in trade, forestalling foreign legal challenges to Trumpian tariffs.

🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮…

Austria is a conservative society that defaults to oppose change. There is a strong hunting culture, wild game is celebrated (and delicious), and many gun clubs. What the country doesn’t have is a 2nd amendment to fetishize and a belief that firearms are a key to personal prowess and manliness.

Congestion pricing is a concept well proven by Singapore, London and other cities. The real story here is that Americans can sometimes, even if reluctantly, learn from other countries. Hopeful.

Genocide by other means.

Students learning English as a foreign language display Hawaii’s immigration patterns. The #1 language they speak is Chuukese from the island of Chuuk (known to many as Truk). Marshallese is 3rd, also a Micronesian language. Ilocano drops to 2nd. But Spanish leaps to 4th, a recent development.

I hadn’t seen this 2022 analysis, “Immigration and Entrepreneurship in the United States”. The bottom line is that immigrants are almost twice as likely to start businesses as native-born Americans. Something the Trump dynasty won’t recognize. Sorry, I’m unable to gift it to you.

While I’m sure many of the people who worked on the Navy study are sincere about environmental protection, the U.S. Navy has lost any benefit of the doubt in Hawai’i due to its deceptions about the Red Hill fuel spills and years-long slow-walking on cleaning up Kaho’olawe.

Like most tyrannies, the aging mob boss insists on pay-to-play. Small biz is of no concern and may become prey.

“The renaming spree evokes a dog marking its territory …”

The orange tyrant just isn’t getting the job done for the manly men he favors.

All hail the true heroes of 2025! I might add a few rare universities and law firms.

The new Trumpian plan to vett foreign visitors’ social media posts will likely decimate Hawaii’s tourism industry. Foreign visitor spending (normally about 25% of total) is already down about 3% before the new threat, but will likely plunge if it enters into effect.

"Are high trade deficits an emergency? And even if they aren’t, do they have bad effects on the US economy? The answers are no and no." A worthwhile reading by David R. Henderson (Hoover Institution). www.hoover.org/research/tra...

Excellent discussion of the aging tyrant’s National Security Strategy. Trump has declared hostilities against Europe and has mostly surrendered to China. His declaration of dominance in the Americas is delusional.

Tariff Man is going to see many more such suits.

America’s would-be tyrant cannot conceive of what real leadership might be.

Just in case you are among the deluded who insist cryptocurrencies are a safe “investment”.

The Trump regime appears to enjoy cruelty and, sometimes, murder. But they prefer the victims be black or brown. Trump has not yet reached the numbers put up by Mao or Stalin, but he’s working on it.

So it’s not from mythical tariff revenues that have already been “spent” several times. Instead, soldiers will get a $1776 check in one pocket while the orange fraud picks their housing allowances from another pocket. Some Christmas gift.

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and to prevent the lawful transfer of power.” - Jack Smith to House Judiciary Committee, 12/17/25

This is an important read for any of you concerned about the continuation of the GATT/WTO system. I find much in the U.S. position to object to, but there also some kernels of truth to which we should pay attention.

Multiply this one story by hundreds.