Today was busy as the White House squared off against opponents. The president has personified his administration to such an extent that it increasingly feels like it is less a clash of political parties that fuels today’s political animosities than it is him against the world.
I just pre-ordered John Bolton's book. I'm sure it will be fascinating, but it also gets bonus points for simultaneously defending the First Amendment and being a huge "one-fingered salute" to Trump.
Let me echo the thanks of all of us for the many hours of hard work you put into these 'Letters from an American'. They comprise an important part of my soul's daily bread. They nourish my mind and spirit, and provide a perspective that helps keep me oriented and at least marginally hopeful. The realization that we have, as a nation, faced so much in the past that threatened our continued existence, and somehow managed to wobble our way forward is a wee, small glimmer in the dark tunnel of these times. Gosh, that sounded pretty dark coming from a woman who's a cockeyed optimist at heart!
“Christian organizations should never be forced to hire people who do not align with their biblical beliefs and should not be prevented from terminating a person whose lifestyle and beliefs undermine the ministry’s purpose and goals.” So then based on Graham's statement, if I don't want to hire, say, a Republican because they don't align with my moral and political beliefs that should be my right. Considering his statement, I guess we could fill in the blanks. I don't want to hire people because their skin color, gender, heritage, etc do not align. "Christian organizations", their hypocrisy makes me so enraged.
Whole lotta news to digest yesterday! I am not terribly surprised by Trump's response to the SCOTUS LGBTQ ruling. He has never really cared about sexuality except when he is riling up his base and his policies regarding sex/gender discrimination have been oxymoronic as a result: telling the press that Caitlin Jenner can use "whatever bathroom she wants to" while trying to remove protections for trans* people in the military. One reason for this is Ivanka's support for her personal coterie of LGBT friends, without whom she could never have functioned as a businessperson in the fashion world. I am far, far more worried about protections for women's bodily integrity and autonomy being eviscerated by this court.
Trump's reaction is no surprise. He likely had not yet been told what his opinion should be. He has no opinions of his own, he isn't smart enough to hold one.
Unless someone inside the WH leaks information to the contrary, I would think DT feels confident that the Supreme Court majority his ally Senator McConnell has secured for him, will not act to his personal detriment. He may be surprised, and we may be heartened, if they support the right of Congress and the courts to conduct investigations that touch on his finances. Personally, I have no idea what they will do but I am prepared to be disappointed.
Based on this vague waffle -- "we live with the decision of the Supreme Court…. Very powerful, very powerful decision actually, but they have so ruled” -- it sounds very much like he hasn't read it or had it explained to him yet!
"Minister Franklin Graham, who has said that God ensured Trump’s election, wrote on Facebook that it was an attack on religious freedom. 'Christian organizations should never be forced to hire people who do not align with their biblical beliefs and should not be prevented from terminating a person whose lifestyle and beliefs undermine the ministry’s purpose and goals.'”
If anybody in the world needs to be careful what they wish for in this realm it is Franklin Graham.
The most shocking thing he said was “I’ve read the decision." He sounded almost convincing until he reverted to one of his favorite adjectives and called it a "powerful" decision. One wonders if he's even aware of Justice Jackson's famous line from Brown v. Allen that gives power to every SCOTUS decision: "We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final."
His past behaviors suggest to me that he's hopping mad at Gorsuch. And fawning all over Kavanaugh. Oh to be a fly on the wall in the WH yesterday. By Saturday Steve Miller will have shifted talking points to lure religious conservatives back into the fold: "Worst opinion ever issued by SCOTUS."
Though tough to stomach, it could be an interesting display in Tulsa. He really can't slam the Court too hard since he's named 2 justices in what was supposed to be part of the grand plan to shift the bench. But he has yet to demonstrate oratory skill necessary to deliver such nuance. That takes patience and practice, two skills missing from his quiver. If the West Point delivery is any indicator, expect his greatest hits with a hot mess of race and gender topics sprinkled in. One thing's for certain: Sarah Cooper must be giddy with anticipation.
Took a step back from the SCOTUS decisions (huzzah!) to a view of that body as a whole. Alito and Thomas are roughly 70 years old. Do you think it's possible we may see another "retirement" on The Trump's watch? The goal: To bring in another/other young-by-comparison frat boy(s) to ensure the conservative tilt of the court? What substance/advantage is there to talk of growing the number of SCOTUS justices if Biden is elected? Do I ask a lot of questions? Yes/no?
I just want to say thank you for all of the hard work that goes into your letters every day. I have learned so much from them. They really make this time of chaos endurable. Thank you!!!!!
I was surprised at Trump's comment about the Supreme Court LGBTQ ruling, too. But I have learned that liars lie, a simple statement, but true. So, I imagine Trump said what he said for some deceptive purposes, for example, paving a small patch to stand on that "shows" his "respect" for the independent judiciary.
I salute US forces for their stance on this. I knew that your military have the right values and a command chain that supports those. Keep up with your good traditions!
North Korea just blew up the joint liaison office and deployed troops to the border. Now, let us see what Trump's miracle friendship can do with that. Don't hold your breath, I bet it will be a Singapore 2. Same go for the Balkan peace talks and the Middle East. Singapore 3 and 4.
There's an interesting development at the Treasury, relating to an esoteric aspect of federal funds: Normally, the Treasury keeps about $200-400B on hand to pay for things. It can either hold the funds in its own Treasury General Account (TGA) or it can place the funds in commercial bank accounts. Holding the funds in the TGA is like keeping your money under your mattress -- it's still there, but it's not part of the larger money supply, circulating around. When the Treasury places its funds in commercial bank accounts, it is A LOT like when the Fed injects liquidity into the system through the loan repurchase ("repo") market -- a large pool of cash is made available to fund a range of business/economic activities, and it generally leads to a boost in the markets.
So here's where things potentially get weird. It appears the Treasury is now sitting on $1.5T in its TGA -- about FIVE TIMES the normal amount. Now, one could argue that it's simply because stimulus money is passing through there, but there is growing speculation that the White House is actually holding onto those funds so that it can provide a large injection of liquidity (and send stocks skyrocketing) right before the election. They know that the Fed won't allow the markets to completely collapse in the interim. Whatever the case, it's highly unusual for them to amass funds on that scale. As an aside, a really surprising twist would be if Mnuchin is refusing to disclose how the $500B was distributed because it *hasn't* been distributed, and they don't want to have to explain that it's part of an October surprise.
I find it amazing that the Supreme Court only took 56 years - 56 YEARS!!! - to decide that LGBTQ individuals are actually human and have rights too. Now how about women? And with all due respect to those of faith - I’ll understand the evangelicals‘, such as Franklin Graham’s, position when they pay their fair share in taxes.
I just pre-ordered John Bolton's book. I'm sure it will be fascinating, but it also gets bonus points for simultaneously defending the First Amendment and being a huge "one-fingered salute" to Trump.
Let me echo the thanks of all of us for the many hours of hard work you put into these 'Letters from an American'. They comprise an important part of my soul's daily bread. They nourish my mind and spirit, and provide a perspective that helps keep me oriented and at least marginally hopeful. The realization that we have, as a nation, faced so much in the past that threatened our continued existence, and somehow managed to wobble our way forward is a wee, small glimmer in the dark tunnel of these times. Gosh, that sounded pretty dark coming from a woman who's a cockeyed optimist at heart!
Onward and upward!
“Christian organizations should never be forced to hire people who do not align with their biblical beliefs and should not be prevented from terminating a person whose lifestyle and beliefs undermine the ministry’s purpose and goals.” So then based on Graham's statement, if I don't want to hire, say, a Republican because they don't align with my moral and political beliefs that should be my right. Considering his statement, I guess we could fill in the blanks. I don't want to hire people because their skin color, gender, heritage, etc do not align. "Christian organizations", their hypocrisy makes me so enraged.
Whole lotta news to digest yesterday! I am not terribly surprised by Trump's response to the SCOTUS LGBTQ ruling. He has never really cared about sexuality except when he is riling up his base and his policies regarding sex/gender discrimination have been oxymoronic as a result: telling the press that Caitlin Jenner can use "whatever bathroom she wants to" while trying to remove protections for trans* people in the military. One reason for this is Ivanka's support for her personal coterie of LGBT friends, without whom she could never have functioned as a businessperson in the fashion world. I am far, far more worried about protections for women's bodily integrity and autonomy being eviscerated by this court.
Trump's reaction is no surprise. He likely had not yet been told what his opinion should be. He has no opinions of his own, he isn't smart enough to hold one.
Unless someone inside the WH leaks information to the contrary, I would think DT feels confident that the Supreme Court majority his ally Senator McConnell has secured for him, will not act to his personal detriment. He may be surprised, and we may be heartened, if they support the right of Congress and the courts to conduct investigations that touch on his finances. Personally, I have no idea what they will do but I am prepared to be disappointed.
Based on this vague waffle -- "we live with the decision of the Supreme Court…. Very powerful, very powerful decision actually, but they have so ruled” -- it sounds very much like he hasn't read it or had it explained to him yet!
"Minister Franklin Graham, who has said that God ensured Trump’s election, wrote on Facebook that it was an attack on religious freedom. 'Christian organizations should never be forced to hire people who do not align with their biblical beliefs and should not be prevented from terminating a person whose lifestyle and beliefs undermine the ministry’s purpose and goals.'”
If anybody in the world needs to be careful what they wish for in this realm it is Franklin Graham.
The most shocking thing he said was “I’ve read the decision." He sounded almost convincing until he reverted to one of his favorite adjectives and called it a "powerful" decision. One wonders if he's even aware of Justice Jackson's famous line from Brown v. Allen that gives power to every SCOTUS decision: "We are not final because we are infallible, but we are infallible only because we are final."
His past behaviors suggest to me that he's hopping mad at Gorsuch. And fawning all over Kavanaugh. Oh to be a fly on the wall in the WH yesterday. By Saturday Steve Miller will have shifted talking points to lure religious conservatives back into the fold: "Worst opinion ever issued by SCOTUS."
Though tough to stomach, it could be an interesting display in Tulsa. He really can't slam the Court too hard since he's named 2 justices in what was supposed to be part of the grand plan to shift the bench. But he has yet to demonstrate oratory skill necessary to deliver such nuance. That takes patience and practice, two skills missing from his quiver. If the West Point delivery is any indicator, expect his greatest hits with a hot mess of race and gender topics sprinkled in. One thing's for certain: Sarah Cooper must be giddy with anticipation.
Took a step back from the SCOTUS decisions (huzzah!) to a view of that body as a whole. Alito and Thomas are roughly 70 years old. Do you think it's possible we may see another "retirement" on The Trump's watch? The goal: To bring in another/other young-by-comparison frat boy(s) to ensure the conservative tilt of the court? What substance/advantage is there to talk of growing the number of SCOTUS justices if Biden is elected? Do I ask a lot of questions? Yes/no?
I just want to say thank you for all of the hard work that goes into your letters every day. I have learned so much from them. They really make this time of chaos endurable. Thank you!!!!!
I was surprised at Trump's comment about the Supreme Court LGBTQ ruling, too. But I have learned that liars lie, a simple statement, but true. So, I imagine Trump said what he said for some deceptive purposes, for example, paving a small patch to stand on that "shows" his "respect" for the independent judiciary.
I salute US forces for their stance on this. I knew that your military have the right values and a command chain that supports those. Keep up with your good traditions!
North Korea just blew up the joint liaison office and deployed troops to the border. Now, let us see what Trump's miracle friendship can do with that. Don't hold your breath, I bet it will be a Singapore 2. Same go for the Balkan peace talks and the Middle East. Singapore 3 and 4.
There's an interesting development at the Treasury, relating to an esoteric aspect of federal funds: Normally, the Treasury keeps about $200-400B on hand to pay for things. It can either hold the funds in its own Treasury General Account (TGA) or it can place the funds in commercial bank accounts. Holding the funds in the TGA is like keeping your money under your mattress -- it's still there, but it's not part of the larger money supply, circulating around. When the Treasury places its funds in commercial bank accounts, it is A LOT like when the Fed injects liquidity into the system through the loan repurchase ("repo") market -- a large pool of cash is made available to fund a range of business/economic activities, and it generally leads to a boost in the markets.
So here's where things potentially get weird. It appears the Treasury is now sitting on $1.5T in its TGA -- about FIVE TIMES the normal amount. Now, one could argue that it's simply because stimulus money is passing through there, but there is growing speculation that the White House is actually holding onto those funds so that it can provide a large injection of liquidity (and send stocks skyrocketing) right before the election. They know that the Fed won't allow the markets to completely collapse in the interim. Whatever the case, it's highly unusual for them to amass funds on that scale. As an aside, a really surprising twist would be if Mnuchin is refusing to disclose how the $500B was distributed because it *hasn't* been distributed, and they don't want to have to explain that it's part of an October surprise.
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/dollar-liquidity%3A-2-catalysts-2020-06-15
I find it amazing that the Supreme Court only took 56 years - 56 YEARS!!! - to decide that LGBTQ individuals are actually human and have rights too. Now how about women? And with all due respect to those of faith - I’ll understand the evangelicals‘, such as Franklin Graham’s, position when they pay their fair share in taxes.
Disappointed by Bolton not jumping in the impeachment fire, but never underestimating Bolton.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Trump’s response to SCOTUS decision makes me wonder, “is this a gimme?”