Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

“Alexa, change the president.”

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Innocent people do not delay justice.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Bark louder, little dog.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. ~Thomas Jefferson

Sometimes the world just tells you your cat is here.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

It is not hopeless, and we are not helpless.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Thursday Morning Open Thread

Thursday Morning Open Thread

by | 151 Comments

This post is in: 

Can’t tell y’all how relieved I was to see Anne Laurie checking in here yesterday. We’ve been bumbling along as best we can without her, but it’s not the same. Especially in the morning, at least for me.

It’s like looking forward to a breakfast of eggs, home fries, bacon, toast with jam and dark roast coffee (an AL morning thread), and then someone plops down a bowl of plain oatmeal and cup of decaf Sanka (this post). I mean, you’re hungry, so you’ll eat it. But damn.

Anne Laurie, you are beloved and irreplaceable, and we’re all rooting for the fastest and most pain-free recovery possible so that you can be speedily restored to your feisty critters and Spousal Unit. And us.

***

If you’re a Democrat or other variety of non-fascist in the state, Florida politics are relentlessly depressing, but sometimes there’s a bright spot in the form of a slap-fight among terrible elected Republicans. That’s happening now as Ron DeSantis’s governorship lumbers toward its ignominious end and the knives come out among would-be power centers in the statehouse.

Ron set his wife up for a grift-o-rama and possible run for governor her own self with a charity called Hope Florida. They rolled it out with great fanfare, but it’s basically a referral service that funnels needy folks to existing programs, including GOP-aligned religious proselytizing/grift outfits.

It turns out Hope Florida also functioned as a dark money laundromat that directed $10 million in refunded Medicaid dollars to oppose a 2024 ballot initiative that would have made recreational pot legal in the state. Statehouse Republicans are investigating, and Ron isn’t pleased.

“We have this almost 3-to-1 supermajority of Republicans in the Florida House of Representatives, and it is rotten,” DeSantis said last week. “They are behaving more like Democrats. They are colluding with the left. They are colluding with the media to try to sabotage all of the great success that Florida has had over these last six years.”

The governor went on to call out what he said were manufactured smears against him and his wife.

“Some people feel threatened by the first lady. Let’s just be clear about that,” the governor said. “They know this; you saw her up here. You know, if you’re looking at 2026 and you’ve got some horse, you don’t want her anywhere near that. You’re very worried because she runs circles around their people. Everybody knows that.”

Everybody doesn’t know that! However, it’s true that Casey DeSantis, a former local Fox affiliate TV personality, can simulate humanity more effectively than her lumpen spouse. But that’s true of cypress stumps and fence posts from Pensacola to Key West. Anyhoo, rooting for injuries!

***

In other news, Trump tried to repeal the Civil Rights Act via executive order last night to — get this — “restore equality of opportunity and meritocracy.” The irony of a daddy-funded, serially bankrupt, corrupt felon yapping about “meritocracy” aside, do the Trump people even know how any of this shit works? Like laws and stuff?

It’s just Fox News theater, I guess. Seriously, take a look at that propaganda site every now and then if you want to understand what your brain-wormed neighbors are thinking. We aren’t living in the same country and haven’t been for a long time.

***

Lastly, to end on a more positive note, who wants to see a Roseate Spoonbill poop? You do!

Everybody poops. #birds

[image or embed]

— Betty Cracker of Florida (@bettycrackerfl.bsky.social) April 24, 2025 at 5:06 AM

You are welcome.

Open thread!

ETA: To elaborate on the weird DeSantis quote above, the “other horse” Ron’s referring to is U.S. House Rep. Byron Donalds, whom Trump has already endorsed for governor. I don’t think Donalds has even officially thrown his hat into the ring, but Trump will never forgive DeSantis for running against him in the primary, so he moved to preemptively cut Casey off at the knees.

Reader Interactions

151Comments

  3. 3.

    JiveTurkin

    I’m beginning to think maybe Trump is playing 4 dimensional chess after all.  I assume he is always corrupt, 100% of the time.  For exampl, the day he told his followers to buy stocks right before the announcement of the tariff delay.  The market went up 10% that day afterwards.  How much did the billionaires make?  What was their kickback to Trump?  Now he’s auctioning off access to him for investing in his $Trump coin.  The coin jumped 58% after this was announced.  We know he doesn’t give a shit about the country, maybe the tariffs are just another grift for himself and his kids.  African money is pouring into his kids business ventures, just a bribe for tariff relief.  Bribes are a way of life in many African countries, I understand why they would do it.

  4. 4.

    Phylllis

    home fries

    What kind of Yankee nonsense is this? Cheesy, peppery, buttered grits or gtfo.

  7. 7.

    Albatrossity

    An excellent poop! I keep a shit list of pooping birds that I have photographed, and Roseate Spoonbill is not on my list. Perhaps I will have to start a virtual shit list of pooping birds that I have seen on the intertubes!

  8. 8.

    Jackie

    I’ve been following the Pudd’n Boots/Tacky Jackie O Wannabe stealing from Medicaid story the past week or so… very glad it’s making the news! And that FL state republicans are rebelling!

    Spoonbill pooping! Def a full service blog!

  9. 9.

    New Deal democrat

    Despite T—-p’s claims that the trade war will ease (and – memo to Wall Street – 65% are still huge tariffs), China is going to let T—-p and the US stew for awhile:

    “China on Thursday said that there were no ongoing discussions with the U.S. on tariffs, despite indications from the White House this week that there would be some easing in tensions with Beijing.

    “‘At present there are absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between China and the U.S.,’ Ministry of Commerce Spokesperson He Yadong told reporters in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He added that ‘all sayings’ regarding progress on bilateral talks should be dismissed.

    “‘If the U.S. really wants to resolve the problem … it should cancel all the unilateral measures on China,’ He said.”

    https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/24/china-says-no-talks-with-the-us-on-trade-calls-for-canceling-unilateral-tariffs.html

    Xi is going to ritually humiliate Trump, but only enough so that he becomes a supplicant, and not so much that saner heads in the US become truly belligerent.

  11. 11.

    danielx

    Seriously, take a look at that propaganda site every now and then if you want to understand what your brain-wormed neighbors are thinking.

    I just can’t do it.

  12. 12.

    geg6

    @Phylllis:

    Ick, grits.  I’ll stick with home fries.

    I do not understand the allure of grits.  I know Southerners love them but I found them to be just…ick.  And yes, I’ve had them a few times because people keep telling me I’m wrong and I need to have “good” grits.  Nope, no such thing.  And since I will never step foot in the south again, I can stop trying to like them.  We Northerners prefer our potatoes (which I am not really a big fan of either, LOL, but they’re edible at least).

  13. 13.

    Bg

    Betty, to me you are eggs benedict.
    The DeSantis thing is blatant corruption. The money came from a lawsuit settlement about a medicaid ripoff by a big corporation. The law firm representing the state negotiated a $67 million settlement to be paid to medicaid. The state fired the law firm and negotiated a new settlement for the same amount but $10 million of it would go to Casey’s “charity “, which laundered it to a PAC. So the money originally would have gone to medicaid and they stole it.

  16. 16.

    Jackie

    Other Florida news:

    “Former Republican Rep. David Jolly, who has made a national name for himself as a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, took a step Thursday toward a possible run for governor of Florida in 2026 by launching a state political committee,” Politico reports.

    “Jolly also switched his no-party affiliation voter registration to Democrat on Wednesday afternoon, which would make him eligible to run statewide under the party’s ticket by next year’s qualification period in June.”

    Jolly is a regular commentator on Nicolle Wallace’s Deadline White House program. I’m glad he finally registered as Dem; he’s been a RINO for years now as a rabid anti-Trumper, anti MAGA. Florida will never elect a Democrat for governor if they’re labeled progressive, so if Jolly should run – he’ll run as a conservative leaning Democrat.

  17. 17.

    Betty Cracker

    @geg6: I love both grits and potatoes, but it would be more accurate to say I love them as a platform to which you add stuff that makes both essentially bland foods taste good. Salt, pepper, cheese, butter, etc. Yum!

    And now I’m hungry, but our well pump blew up last night, so I’m waiting for the repair guy to show up and will have to settle for a banana. :(

  19. 19.

    New Deal democrat

    I was struck by the following post by a Dane, Lars Christensen, in re T—-p’s threats of aggression:

    “I have always considered myself a non-American American patriot. I grew up with a deep admiration for the United States — for its ideals, its energy, and its global leadership. But after the events of the past few months, I find it increasingly difficult to view the US as a friend of Denmark.

    “…. The Trump administration’s reckless rhetoric about Greenland, the open threats towards an ally, and the abandonment of Ukraine — a country fighting for its survival — have left many of us stunned. But perhaps even worse is the silence. The lack of outrage. The apparent indifference from much of the American public.

    “…. This is a break in trust.”

    The first response to this post was from an American, who wrote:

    “The Trump administration does not represent the American people on many issues. Many of us are probably more upset by them than you are.”

    And supplied a graph showing that, disturbingly to my mind, showed that only 57% of Americans fully opposed annexing Canada, and worse, only a minority of 49% firmly opposed annexing Greenland (the respective numbers in favor were 17% and 19% respectively, almost all GOPers).
     
    Christensen’s response: “ I can’t hear or See them.”

    https://bsky.app/profile/mamomvpy.bsky.social/post/3lndzsbzdak2o
     
    The last is something of a common refrain. I’m not sure if it reflects a media blackout on coverage of the massive April 5 protests, or a response to the lackadaisical attitude of probably most Americans, who aren’t taking T—-p’s threats seriously.

    On a personal level, a Canadian garden flag now flies in my yard facing a major street in my neck of the woods. The only neighbor who approached me about it was totally clueless.

  21. 21.

    Old School

    Someone on Threads noticed you can type any random sentence into Google, then add “meaning” afterwards, and you’ll get an AI explanation of a famous idiom or phrase you just made up.

    Some amusing content at the link.

  22. 22.

    billcoop4

    @Jackie:  he’ll run as a conservative leaning Democrat.

    And that’s fine. Madame Speaker’s words always ring true:  “Just win, baby.”

     

    BC

  23. 23.

    New Deal democrat

    @Baud:

    Trump’s win was a free gift to them (and Russia). They’re not going to squander it.

    Making T—-p stew is not going to squander it, so long as they ultimately allow him an off-ramp after teaching him a lesson. In fact, teaching him a lesson will help.

  24. 24.

    Baud

    @Old School:

    I nominate “you can’t lick a badger twice” for the rotating tag.

    ETA: Thanks for the link. That’s good stuff. Hours of family fun to be had.

  25. 25.

    Betty Cracker

    @Jackie: & @Baud: Yeah, I’ve always got a whiff of the Crist Curse when Jolly talks about a run, but who knows? Also, I hate to say it, but if Donalds is the R nominee, Dems might have a chance as long as they run a generic white man.

  26. 26.

    Bill_K

    “…you’ve got some horse, you don’t want her anywhere near that.”

    Does Mrs. DeSantis have some peculiar tastes we should be concerned about?

  27. 27.

    WTFGhost

    What the hell? There are bits of bacon, potato peels, toast crumbs, sticky with jam, and dark coffee stains on my laptop!

  30. 30.

    NeenerNeener

    Interesting that St. Upid tried to repeal the Civil Rights Act yesterday. I blew up a 50 year old friendship the day before because said former friend responded to a FB post that I found very offensive. It was 3 pictures, one of a KKK member, one of a blond guy in a hoodie with a black bandana over his nose and mouth, and the third was one of the college protestors wearing a “Palestine” headband. There was a question attached: “Which ones are Democrats?” and former friend responded “A, B and C”. I responded to her comment with the history of the KKK pre and post Civil Rights Act, then unfriended her. I should also have responded to B as being a Jan 6th insurrectionist, so Republican, and C as a foreign student who isn’t a citizen and therefore not allowed to vote, but I didn’t think of it at the time.

    I have no patience with people on the wrong side of history.

  31. 31.

    Nancy

    Betty Cracker

    I hope all is well with you–as well as can be hoped for as you move through your ordeal–and thank you for the reminder about Anne Laurie. I “read” her post in sleep mode, a way of going back to sleep that I’ve inadvertantly discovered. If the writing is interesting, it will put me out. I won’t remember reading. Phone or tablet found beside me in bed is the only clue.

    Anyway I hope she reads comments to your kind and very true words. I wish smooth and only slightly frustrating healing for her. And I miss her wit and cutting commentary on current insanity.

  33. 33.

    Jackie

    @Baud: He was; but in today’s FFOTUS/Muskrat regime – PLUS the ultra heinous MAGA Byron Donald running on the repug ticket, Jolly could be more appealing. I’m not a Floridian, so… <shrug>

  35. 35.

    Fair Economist

    @New Deal democrat: I think Xi wants to make China the world superpower and is delighted for the US to destroy itself. Maintaining these tariffs would cripple our economy and cause a depression here, leaving China the leading superpower. For Xi, that’s well worth some short term pain in China.

  36. 36.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: I wonder if Trump’s endorsement of Rep. Donalds has cleared the Republican field. His endorsement of Ramaswamy didn’t clear the Ohio field; Ohio Attorney General Yost threw his hat in the ring and Tressel, the Lt. Governor might run for Governor as well.

  37. 37.

    Snarki, child of Loki

    When the tRump DOJ announced that they weren’t going to be enforcing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, it said to the world “we’re open for business, baby! gratuities accepted!”

  40. 40.

    RandomMonster

    I would never accuse you of serving Sanka, BC. Plus, your breakfasts feature a butter lamb once a year.

  42. 42.

    YY_Sima Qian

    The PRC is emulating the US’ playbook on export controls, now on rare earth elements & rare earth magnets:

    China-US Economic Ties
    China Follows US Playbook in Rare Earth Crackdown; Tesla Hit
    April 23, 2025

    China seems to be taking leaves from the American playbook as it steps up its retaliation against Donald Trump’s tariff war
    China is taking a leaf from the United States’ playbook as it looks to choke supplies of critical rare earth metals to the country and step up the pressure on companies like Tesla.
    Beijing has recently issued warnings to several South Korean companies to not send products containing China’s rare earth minerals to US defence firms, according to a report by the Korea Economic Daily (KED).

    While the report did not specify the date of those warnings or the specific companies that were targeted, it said the Chinese government delivered the message in letters to Korean companies that make power transformers, batteries, displays, electric vehicles, aerospace and medical equipment.

    Targeting South Korea, a close US ally, is reminiscent of similar steps taken by Washington in the last couple of years to execute its strict export controls on the flow of semiconductors to China.

    Under the former Joe Biden government, South Korea faced tremendous pressure to choke off supplies of advanced chips to China — its largest trading partner.

    Beijing’s decision to also target South Korea is in line with growing concerns in Seoul that the country is getting increasingly caught in the middle of the US-China trade war.

    …

  43. 43.

    Anonymous At Work

    On Florida and the pot ballot initiative, DeSantis vetoed a Republican-backed bill to outlaw delta-8 THC in Florida because it was less than a month before the election and he wanted to keep the pro-pot crowd quiet.  That he was funneling dark money into opposition doesn’t surprise me, that Republicans are investigating does unless they really are gonna stick him with 34 daggers in the well of the Florida Lege.

  44. 44.

    Anyway

    @Baud: Oh no, last thing we need.

     

    PS No on cereal, grits, … breakfast in general but black coffee yes! lots of it.

  45. 45.

    dww44

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Since  2009 if I enter a public place or even my dentist’s office and Fox News is on I asked them to change it to The Weather channel or some other non political programming. Obama’s election literally broke the brains of many white citizens. We would not have Trump were it not for that election and Fox  News propaganda.

  46. 46.

    no body no name

    Grits can be great.  It has to be shrimp and grits or cheesy grits and the place has to know it but I’m down for that.  Though if I could have any breakfast in the world I’d got with liver and onions.

  47. 47.

    SFAW

    @Betty Cracker:
    Yeah, yeah, whatever re: potatoes or grits.
    The only thing that matters is bacon. It’s all four of the basic food groups, and (as far as I’m concerned) should be all seven levels of the (former*) FDA’s “food pyramid.”
    * The current FDA has replaced it with Skump steaks for four of the levels, Skump hamberders (only available for purchase with $Trumpcoin), and Skump unpasteurized milk.​
     
    ETA: And the pyramid now has 23 levels, because it’s a “big, beautiful pyramid, the BIGGEST food pyramid,” etc. etc.

  50. 50.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @New Deal democrat: That kinda describes the feelings of Black folks right here IN America— a very deep *betrayal of trust.*

    Maybe it’s not all Americans*, but “‘tis enough, ‘twill serve. Ask for us tomorrow and you shall find us a grave nation.”

  52. 52.

    LAC

    Miss AL and continue to wish her a restful recovery.  Her posts are the best and get my day going.

    I hope DeSantis reign of error ends with legal consequences,  but I will not hold my breath.  Accountability seems to be hard to find these days.

  53. 53.

    Professor Bigfoot

    @billcoop4: A “conservative” Democrat still believes that women, Black people, LGBTQIA+ people and immigrant people are still PEOPLE.

    Which, as I think on it, makes them not “conservative” at all…

  55. 55.

    jonas

    @New Deal democrat:  And supplied a graph showing that, disturbingly to my mind, showed that only 57% of Americans fully opposed annexing Canada, and worse, only a minority of 49% firmly opposed annexing Greenland (the respective numbers in favor were 17% and 19% respectively, almost all GOPers).

    The vast majority of voters couldn’t locate Canada — you know, all tucked away down there — or Greenland on a map or tell you what they were to save their lives. They just hear the words “should the US take over…” and are like “yeah, sure, whatever, more the merrier, amirite?”

  56. 56.

    Soprano2

    @New Deal democrat: The (white) people here have had some type of democracy for almost 250 years. They take it for granted and think we can’t lose it no matter what happens. Many people have no idea what FFOTUS is doing because it doesn’t directly affect their life so they aren’t paying attention to it.

  57. 57.

    Scout211

    Has this been posted yet?

    One day after longtime Sen. Dick Durbinannounced he would retire and not seek reelection, Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, launched her bid for his seat.

    She is the first contender to enter what Democrats here are expecting to be a jam-packed field for a senatorial seat that hasn’t been vacant in nearly 30 years.

    Any thoughts, Illinois jackals?

  58. 58.

    jonas

    @O. Felix Culpa: A Native American friend (Diné) said after the election, “I feel so hurt.” Her words struck deep.

    No doubt. The kicker is — and this shocked me — is that FFOTUS got 40% of the native vote nationwide, with the men’s share much higher than women, as in most other demographics. That’s nowhere like the 60% he scores with white people, but damn.

  60. 60.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Soprano2:

    so they aren’t paying attention to it.

    The very essence of (white) privilege. They don’t pay attention because they almost never have needed to. Vulnerable minorities, on the other hand, must always be on high alert, always scanning, scanning….

  61. 61.

    Miss Bianca

    @O. Felix Culpa: Funny how a lot of the top tribal brass were all out loud and proud about their support for Trump, tho’, ain’t it? Among ’em the head of the Dine tribe himself, unless I’m misremembering.

    But yeah, I’m with your friend there. And all of the Pueblo folks I know.

  62. 62.

    NotMax

    Random media notes.

    1) Wickedly odd series, Black Ops now available on Hulu. A respectable B+.

    2) Triple header of turkeys coming up Friday evening on TCM. Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, Red Sonja and She>. Get the giant tub of popcorn ready.

    3) Average at best but in a good way as Dawn (The Vicar of Dibley) French brings a certain je ne sais quoi to the anthology series Murder Most Horrid which has shown up on Prime.

  63. 63.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Miss Bianca: @jonas:

    Sadly, cupidity and stupidity know no demographic/ethnic bounds, especially among men in our culture. I wish I had solutions to the misogyny/toxic masculinity that’s so deeply embedded here.

  64. 64.

    David Collier-Brown

    @jonas: They’re just resentful that they only got 13 of 20-odd the colonies when they broke off. They missed out on Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec (“Lower Canada”), Ontario (“Upper Canada”),  the north-west territories and what later became British Columbia.

    They invaded Canada in 1775 , again in 1812, and sponsored a whole bunch of raids. See  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Canada, and maybe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Bacon (:-))

    I’d hoped they’d got over that.

  65. 65.

    Soprano2

    @O. Felix Culpa: That’s exactly right. Most people tend to believe their life will go on as it has before, until it doesn’t. I think they vaguely know he’s doing some stuff that’s bad, but mostly they just don’t pay attention because they don’t think it will hurt them.

  69. 69.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Meanwhile, geopolitical tectonic plates continue to shift:

    Ishiba Pens Letter to Xi as Japan Aims to Avoid Trade Crossfire
    By Mari Kiyohara and Sakura Murakami
    April 22, 2025 at 11:30 AM GMT+8

    Updated on April 22, 2025 at 1:21 PM GMT+8

    A high-level Japanese delegation will deliver a letter from Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, as Tokyo strives to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of escalating trade friction between China and the US.
    Tetsuo Saito, the chief of the ruling party’s junior coalition partner Komeito, will deliver the letter during a three-day visit from Tuesday to meet with Liu Jianchao, the head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, among other dignitaries.

    “The prime minister told me that he would like me to deliver a letter, as it may take some time before he can visit China,” Saito told reporters on Monday.
    The gesture highlights Japan’s desire to balance managing its relationships with China, its largest trading partner, and with the US, its sole formal security ally, as it proceeds with official trade negotiations with Washington seeking an exemption from sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration earlier this month.
    …

    Japan is not going to align w/ the PRC agains the US any time soon, but it will also not decouple from the PRC as the price for a [temporary] reprieve from MAGA extortion.

  70. 70.

    StringOnAStick

    @Old School: those AI responses are like a computer has finally achieved sentience and become the half sloshed know-it-all at the end of the bar.  Just what modern life needs, Cliff from Cheers answering everyone’s questions with authority.

  73. 73.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Geminid: Good question. I was worried about the voter tendency to swing to the opposing party every eight years (NM limits governors to two terms), especially since Michelle Lujan Grisham has had a disappointing second term. By disappointing I mean a combination of strange decisions against the Dem majority in the Roundhouse and being noticeably AWOL otherwise.

    That said, I was encouraged when Deb threw her hat in the ring. She has a good chance of winning both the primary and the general. I haven’t seen any strong Republican candidates yet, which is a hopeful sign.

  74. 74.

    trollhattan

    BBC overnight had equally depressing tales of the impacts of US withdrawing from WHO, just as they’re finalizing the pandemic response agreement, and a Trump official attending some kind of energy summit in the UK and declaring that any stanching of fossil fuels threatens humanity.

    Also unsurprisingly, the war is simply Ukraine’s fault and stop not giving up on Crimea and those other bits. –Donny.

    What’s the next level beyond Always Wrong? Because we’ve reached there and I’m startled at how bad has become worst imaginable.

  75. 75.

    MarkB

    @Phylllis: I think the spoonbill in Betty’s video produced a heaping helping of grits.

    Home fries or a nice toasted bagel with butter. A REAL bagel, not a flavored one. A nice flaky biscuit would be good as well.

    ​

  76. 76.

    StringOnAStick

    @Betty Cracker: I’m inclined to believe Ed Zitron’s assessment of AI, especially his reveal of how Microsoft is backing away from creating huge amounts of computing power and energy generation for what will be at best a slight improvement in some tasks, but not the Next! Amazing! Thing! from Silly Valley, and layered with useless to harmful authoritative crap like “you can’t lick a badger twice”.  I’m pretty sure I was clear on the idea that I didn’t need, want, nor desire to lick a badger once, and twice is right out.

  77. 77.

    YY_Sima Qian

    More detail on the impact of the PRC’s export control of rare earth magnets on Tesla:

    Elon Musk Warns Rare Earth Magnet Shortage May Delay Tesla’s Robots
    China’s halt this month on exports of magnets containing heavy rare earth metals has affected Tesla’s plans to manufacture Optimus robots.

    By Keith Bradsher Reporting from Shanghai

    April 23, 2025

    Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla, said on Tuesday that China’s halt on exports of certain magnets was affecting his plans to build humanoid robots, in the clearest signal yet that China’s action is beginning to affect big American businesses.
    China this month suspended exports to any country of so-called heavy rare earth metals and magnets made from them, as part of its retaliation for President Trump’s increases in tariffs on U.S. imports of Chinese goods. The Chinese government has stopped allowing shipments until it can devise an export license system.
    China produces the entire world’s supply of heavy rare earth metals, from ore mined in China and Myanmar, and 90 percent of magnets made with these metals. Japan produces the rest of the magnets, but uses raw materials from China.
    Rare earth magnets are used inside electric motors that need to fit in compact spaces. Robots have many small electric motors, typically one or more for each joint, that each require a magnet. The use of the heavy rare earths in most of these magnets keeps them from overheating and malfunctioning when motors are confined in small spaces.
    …

  82. 82.

    Betty Cracker

    @Scout211: Also wondering what our Illinoisians think about a successor for retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky. I’m generally in favor of people in their late 70s and 80s stepping aside, and I’m glad Schakowsky did since she drew a primary challenger (Kat Abughazaleh) who was basically running on “lets put Jan on the ice floe.” Schakowsky has been a stalwart as far as I know, so I’m happy to see her avoid what could have been a nasty battle.

  85. 85.

    trollhattan

    Here’s a smart gal. Hope she enjoys hanging with the joeys and marmite on toast.

    TBH I’d still worry about being kidnapped by the GRU, hauled back to Russia and sent to gulag. Also, hire a food taster.

    Daria Kasatkina says she feels “emotional” after switching allegiance from Russia to Australia but “didn’t have much choice” after publicly criticising her country’s LGBTQ+ laws and the war in Ukraine.

    Kasatkina has been living in Dubai and has not returned to Russia in two and a half years.

    The 27-year-old had her application for permanent residency accepted last week and will represent Australia for the first time at this week’s Charleston Open in South Carolina.

    “It’s my first official day as an Australian player. Honestly, it feels different, I’m not going to lie. It’s emotional for me,” said the world number 12.

    “I have to get used to it. But I’m really happy to start this new chapter of my life representing Australia on the big stage.”

  86. 86.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Geminid: As an addendum, I’ve stepped down from party leadership, so don’t have access to insider scuttlebutt info anymore. My opinions are therefore impressionistic. Haven’t seen any polling data yet.  It’s probably too early for that.

  87. 87.

    RevRick

    @Phylllis: @geg6:

    Grits?! Seriously, you might as well eat the bowl, for all their nutritional value. What it’s really about is making a virtue out of necessity.

  88. 88.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Geminid: Ben Ray isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, but he’s a good guy and knows the state. I think he’s right about Deb.

  90. 90.

    trollhattan

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Australia has noticed the imbalance.

    Today, Australia launched a bold power play to help corner the global market on the critical resource, but there’s a massive secret to rare earths that no one is talking about.

    The US is on a quest to break free from its reliance on Beijing, with Trump recently eyeing up Greenland, Canada and Ukraine – nations rich in minerals.

    But, despite the name, rare earths aren’t actually that rare.

    Australia holds at least four percent of the world’s rare earth reserves – the fourth largest in the world.

    Today PM Anthony Albanese pledged to establish a $1.2 billion dollar national stockpile of the coveted minerals.

    The plan? To ensure an ongoing supply for local industry and key allies like Japan and South Korea, as well as using the supply as a sweetener to negotiate a Trump tariff carve out.

    It’s one thing to have the raw materials, another to have processing to bring them to market, but this seems important over the long term.

  91. 91.

    trollhattan

    @RevRick:

    Cheese grits are heaven in a bowl, grits grits not so much.

    Sadly, the place that served them here burned to the soil and nobody has stepped in to remedy that.

  92. 92.

    Melancholy Jaques

    It’s like looking forward to a breakfast of eggs, home fries, bacon, toast with jam and dark roast coffee (an AL morning thread), and then someone plops down a bowl of plain oatmeal

    Sadly, my cardiologist insists that I do just that. I don’t have to have decaf & I get fruit with the oatmeal, but bacon, eggs, hash browns, biscuits & gravy was always my favorite meal.

  93. 93.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Molson Hart & Ryan Petersen on the oncoming COVID-like supply shock, a degree of which is already baked in, as the consequence of the cold turkey decoupling from the PRC that the Trump gang (possibly?, who knows) stumbled into:

    molson @Molson_Hart
    The White House has put itself and the country in a bad situation but doesn’t realize it yet.
    Around April 10th China to USA trade shut down.
    It takes ~30 days for containers to go from China to LA. 45 to Houston by sea, 45 to Chicago by train. 55 to New York by sea.
    That means that there are no economic effects of what was done on April 10th until about May 10th.
    Around that time (it’s already started to happen) trucking work is going to dry up. Warehouses will start doing layoffs because no labor is needed to unload containers and some products will be out of stock, reducing the need for shipping labor.
    All this will start in the Los Angeles area. After about 2 weeks, it’ll start hitting Chicago and Houston.
    Let’s say the White House, after 3 weeks, changes its mind, on May 31st. “This isn’t working out like we thought it would. Tariffs back to 0.” Let’s say China says “bygones be bygones, we’ll go back to how things were”. Let’s say every factory in China that got screwed by their orders being cancelled says the same thing “no problem, we’ll make and ship”.
    The problem is, even under the most favorable conditions of China and the factories restarting economic ties as though nothing happened, it will be at least another 30 days before economic activity is revived.
    And that’s just in LA. In Chicago/Houston, you’ll need to wait another 45 days. New York, at that point, will still be getting containers from before April 10th, they will then have 50 days (May 31 minus April 10) of zero economic activity at the ports, in trucking of Chinese goods, in warehousing.
    The whole situation is a bit like lockdowns. Once you shut down, it takes a long time to get economic activity back to where it was, if you ever can. And again, this assumes, that China and its factories, which make things you can’t buy elsewhere, will start right back up again as though nothing happened, which is unlikely.
    It’s almost like we’re speeding towards a brick wall but the driver of the car doesn’t see it yet. By the time he does, it’ll be too late to hit the brakes.

    Supply chains are like refrigerators. Everyone needs them. No one knows how they work.
    1. Air freight will not solve this. It’s too expensive and there isn’t enough capacity in planes to replace boats, which move more goods by cubic volume.
    2. You also cannot solve this the way the world did with Russian oil. Unless, the U.S. Customs starts encouraging major customs fraud and allowing everyone to relabel their Chinese goods as Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese (the other nearby port countries), this product cannot come here. There will be massive amounts of cheating, more than ever, but we cannot solve this through rerouting.
    3. This is not just about empty shelves and it’s not solved by buffer inventory. It’s also about jobs, jobs in warehouses, jobs in the port, jobs in trucking and logistics, and jobs in purchasing.
    And trust me, it doesn’t matter what your buffer is, you will go out stock because some products always sell more than forecast.
    Final thoughts: When Trump was first elected, I sent my resume to 3 connected people in the hope that I might be able to assist the administration and, more importantly, the country. The responses I got ranged from silence to “get out of here, no way.”
    I’m politically independent and spoke to the Biden administration when I had an opportunity, but this administration is not (yet?) listening. It’s been odd to see them attempt goals that I support (bringing manufacturing back and American economic revitalization), but do so in a counterproductive way.
    And now I am close to having lost all hope that these goals can be achieved in a way that benefits us, Americans. We will see what happens…

    Ryan Petersen@typesfast
    In the 3 weeks since the tariffs took effect, ocean container bookings from China to the United States are down over 60% industry wide.
    The U.S. imports $600B worth of goods from China every year, 95% of that via ocean freight. Those goods sell at retail for ~$2T. (Typo, $400B worth of imports not $600B.)
    If the tariffs on China continue at this level w will we see a $2T hit to economic activity in our country, the failure of tens of thousands of American businesses, and the laying off of millions of employees.
    We will also have mass shortages this summer as the goods don’t show up. The first ships carrying goods paying the duties arrived on Monday. And the decline in freight arrivals will hit in the coming weeks.
    Companies stocked up on inventory in anticipation of April 2nd, so it will take a while before shortages hit. If Trump reverses course very soon, he can head off the worst of this catastrophe. But everyday it gets worst.
    With bookings down 65%, ocean carriers canceled 25% of their sailings from China the last two weeks. Those ships are already being repositioned to other trade lanes.
    Soon we may find ourselves in a bullwhip scenario where Trump relaxes the tariffs, all those cancelled orders get rebooked creating a huge surge. And with all the cancelled services and repositioned vessels, there won’t be enough throughput in the ocean network to keep up.
    The result will be surge pricing on ocean, perhaps higher than we saw in 2024 with the Red Sea being cut off, and approaching levels from 2021-22 when container rates from China to the U.S. hit $20k.
    Air freight rates also surged that year, as just 1% of ocean freight volume being converted to air is enough to send prices back above $10/kilo as we saw during Covid.
    It’s a strange time in the logistics world as we have to plan for the unimaginable (autarky in the United States) while hedging for regression to the mean (relatively normal trade relations).
    Thankfully we are well versed in operating in crisis mode at Flexport. It’s why we like working in this industry. We have learned to run tight Observe-Orient-Decide-Act Loops so we can outcompete any other company in ability to respond to new developments.
    We’re operating on a simple set of principles to come out ahead: Preserve Cash, Be Decisive, Take Market Share, Be the Hero of the Crisis
    Our customers are suffering right now, and desperate to see the Trump administration step back from the cliff before these policies destroy their businesses completely.
    Everyone breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Trump said tariffs on China would be much much lower than 145%. Now we just need him to act quickly to avoid creating insane surge pricing and covid level logistics bottlenecks as this bubble of cancelled orders gets rebooked.

    Hart said he voted for Trump. I would not be surprised if Petersen did, too. One could say they are reaping what they sowed. However, they are also highlighting the mechanics of the damage to the US economic from Trumps escalated trade wars, at a level I have yet to see the MSM reach.

  95. 95.

    trollhattan

    @evodevo:

    WTAF???

    Like many in our community, I was thrilled to hear that RFK Jr. endorsed Trump. This endorsement shows that people across the political spectrum recognize Trump’s positive impact on our nation, including in Indian Country. It’s a powerful reminder that Trump’s message of empowerment and self-determination resonates with many, regardless of party affiliation.

    All I can add is when that fucker shows up in Navajo territory with free blankets for all, run like hell and take any bears with you..

  97. 97.

    They Call Me Noni

    @trollhattan: I have fixed shrimp and grits for people who claim to not like grits.  They each cleaned the bowl.  You MUST use stone ground grits.  Cannot be found in grocery stores in my area so I have to order online.

    Same for pine nuts when making pesto  They are outrageously priced in the grocery stores.

  99. 99.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @trollhattan: The Australian mines are still sending the rare earth materials to the PRC for processing/refining, & what refining capacity is being built is licensing Chinese technology &/or have Chinese investment.

    Obviously, the PRC’s actions to restrict REE/REM exports, even if just to the US, will precipitate reactions to diversify supply, including processing/refining. However, that takes a lot of time & capital investment & the projects relies upon high REE prices to be financially viable. In the meantime the PRC is playing this card to exact short term pain to decisively defeat Trump & MAGA in the current trade war. (As appears to be the current expectation, analysts are already throwing about parallels to the Suez Crises for Britain & France).

    Once Trump de facto capitulates & a [temporary] deal is struck, the PRC can then turn on the spigots agin & flood the market & crater the prices, making the new ventures financially unviable. It will take sustained & consistent state support, at significant expense, to establish alternatives to the PRC.

  100. 100.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @evodevo: Emphasis on Dine men. We have a men problem in this country,  and it’s not limited to one ethnic group.

    Obligatory not all men. I have two adult sons,  both of whom seem to have avoided the worst symptoms of toxic masculinity.

  102. 102.

    suzanne

    Man, I just love when the worst people in the world are fighting and humiliated and miserable.

  104. 104.

    TS

    @trollhattan:

    Australia is also in the midst of an election campaign and the PM is saying many things that he thinks will bring in votes. The overwhelming sentiment at the minute is we should not be allowing trump to dictate what happens in our country.  LW parties in Canada & Australia will probably ride to victory on an anti trump sentiment. Prior to the trump election the polls were showing a loss to our current government.

  106. 106.

    Old Man Shadow

    @Old School: Terrorist attack on tourists in Kashmir. 26 killed. India is understandably mad.

    India blames Pakistan and now they’re canceling visas, closing airspace, and India canceled a water sharing agreement.

    At some point, the bullets and bombs will probably start flying because they hate one another.

    At this point, I hope saner heads prevail and nobody else has to die and the nukes stay firmly on the ground.

  107. 107.

    RevRick

    @MarkB:  A bagel with cream cheese and lox platter is what’s for brunch for me ( which includes lettuce, tomato and onions with a side of capers and a crunchy dill pickle).

  108. 108.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @New Deal democrat:

    @Fair Economist:

    I think this is a very good articulation of the sentiments in the PRC, & a very plausible articulation of the PRC’s strategy in the current trade/tech/Cold War:

    CN Wire @Sino_Market
    CHINA’S FOREIGN MINISTRY: CHINA AND US HAVE NOT HELD CONSULTATIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS ON TARIFFS. CHINA COMMERCE MINISTRY: IF US REALLY WANTS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE, IT SHOULD LIFT ALL UNILATERAL TARIFF MEASURES AGAINST CHINA.

    tphuang@tphuang
    Aside from ultra-nationalist, this is not even discussed on Chinese social media, except for mocking US. Your avg coastal elite in China doesn’t feel impact of this trade war. A full decoupling from US would hurt Chinese economy less than 2022’s 0-COVID lockdown. What’s next?
    China has prepared 7 yrs for this & is in no hurry to end it. There is no domestic pressure to end it. Trump admin is clearly feeling the heat & offers will only get better. But this won’t end until main street sees the crash in 2 wks. When Western MSM gloat abt Trump’s failure.
    Only after China demonstrates it can put any country in deep recession will it be able to deter anyone from siding w/ US in an economic containment strategy. China’s 1 party system & supply chain dominance means it can always tolerate more pain in a trade war than the other side.
    This is a major catastrophe for US. When MSM inevitably gloats & pile onto Trump, it will accelerate narrative of unipolar -> multipolar, bc global audiences still pay attention to Western media. -> elevates China’s standing, especially in Global South imo, will help RMB adoption

  109. 109.

    espierce

    Betty C:

    I’m pretty sure Meatball and Tacky aren’t too concerned with Donalds. It’s Don Gaetz in the Florida Senate that’s pulling the strings on Hopegate for that kiddy diddler son of his.

    Let them fight is the correct response!

  112. 112.

    NotMax

    @RevRick

    As you’re on the periphery of Pennsy Dutch country, I might have guessed smierkase and apple butter instead of lox.
    ;)

  113. 113.

    Betty Cracker

    @StringOnAStick: Same. I know there are great use cases for it in scientific research and manufacturing and so forth, but as a consumer product that has to be shoved down everyone’s throat immediately whether we want it or not? Feh. It’s the most overhyped thing since, well, that last thing they set heaping pallets of cash on fire to boost and then failed to find a broad market.

    Meme showing a girl with a tuba over the face of another girl.

  114. 114.

    Geminid

    @O. Felix Culpa: I was impressed by Representative/Interior Secretary Haaland. Then I read Deb Haaland’s Wikipedia biography, and I was really impressed. That’s a determined and resiliant woman, and I’m looking forward to her campaign.

  115. 115.

    RevRick

    @NotMax: I was born and raised in the NYC metropolitan area. I’m still an auslander as far as the Dutchies are concerned.

    I tried scrapple once. God, it was awful.

    Oh, and I’m in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch country, which is basically a 75-mile arc extended out from Philadelphia.

  116. 116.

    Soprano2

    @YY_Sima Qian: I was telling my manager last night that by fall we’ll be in a recession. He thinks we already are, I said not by the numbers yet but it’s coming. A couple of months ago he stocked up on Mexican tequila and Canadian whiskey; he said we’ll see how much prices have to go up when he has to buy it again. Our whole economy is speeding toward a brick wall but most of the press here is still sticking their fingers in their ears and singing “lalalalalala”. I’ve been telling people I feel like Cassandra, and I’ve discovered no one knows what that means anymore! LOL

  118. 118.

    Bill Arnold

    @StringOnAStick:
    “LLMs give you information-shaped text, that can pass off as information. It is not real information, except by accident.”
    (Seen, while ago, notes say “perhaps a tweet”.)

  123. 123.

    YY_Sima Qian

    More subtle movements in the geopolitical tectonic plates, that could portent earthquakes:

    Finbarr [email protected]‬

    In case you missed it last night: China is dropping sanctions on EU lawmakers, in place since 2021, as it looks to capitalise from the US’ hostile turn towards Europe

    European Parliament in ‘final stages’ of talks with China to remove sanctions on lawmakers

    ‘It has always been the EP’s intention to have sanctions lifted and resume relations with China,’ spokesperson says.

    Finbarr Bermingham‪@fbermingham.bsky.social‬

    EU spokesperson tells me: no plans to drop sanctions on China just because Beijing s lifting sanctions on some MEPs “The EU has not observed changes in the human rights situation in China/Xinjiang. Therefore, the Council maintains the China/Xinjiang – related designations”

    As China eases up on EU lawmakers, Brussels stays the course on Xinjiang sanctions
    European Union’s diplomatic arm says no plans to reciprocate Beijing’s overture as it has not observed improvements in far western region

    I don’t think the PRC government cares about the European Council’s sanctions related to Xinjiang, it cares about clearing the obstacles toward ratification of the Sino-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment that has been on freeze at the European Parliament, shortly after it was signed in early 2021 (w/ a lot of energetic lobbying by the then incoming Biden Administration). The EU placed sanctions on CPC regime officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, & the PRC countered by sanctioning leading anti-PRC/CPC Parlimentarians in the EP, which in turn put the CAI in deep freeze.

    For the EU, it wants significant PRC investment in batteries & EV supply chain, w/ tech transfer & possibly under JVs w/ the European legacy automakers, to ensure that the European auto industry does not get left in the dust, or alternatively, having to junk the climate goals to protect the auto industry). I think the PRC’s ask will be ratifying the CAI, capping the tariffs against imports of Chinese EVs at a relatively moderate level. I’ve read reporting that the PRC has already agreed to price floors for exported EVs to the EU, to help cushion the impact on the European legacies.

  125. 125.

    YY_Sima Qian

    @Soprano2: I too have read suggestions that the US is already in recession.

    Also, people don’t know Cassandra?! What has happened to classical education in the US?!

  127. 127.

    catclub

    @Baud:

    FCPA prohibited US companies from bribing foreign officials, not the other way around.

    Because we used to have laws against bribery of US officials, so that part was already taken care of. The FCPA was written in those more innocent times.​

  129. 129.

    catclub

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    I too have read suggestions that the US is already in recession.

     

    You may have also already read (in 2023) that the US was in recession. It wasn’t.

     

    Is there a term like onomatopoeia for an expression using al – al

    then read -read?

  133. 133.

    Paul in KY

    @trollhattan: TFG is the kind of evil jerk who would have laughed at the stupid Indians as he sold them the smallpox infected blankets he had gotten for free.

  138. 138.

    MCat

    @Phylllis: Hi Phyllis. Coming from Boston, I’ve never understood grits. But anything with butter, pepper and cheese has got to be great

  141. 141.

    Ruckus

    @JiveTurkin:

    shitforbrains is not playing 4 dimensional chess.

    He doesn’t understand even 2 dimensions, let alone 4.

    He is an educated moron. Maybe he’s not technically a moron but his “thought” process is moronic. Moron is all he knows. It’s the best he can do. Especially as he is aging out. I mean he’s never been much of an actual human being, but every day he has a bit less upstairs to work with and loses what little humanity he had. Notice how much he is in public now? I wonder who is managing the strings that operate his physical being, you know like a puppet? We all slow down as we age, ask me how I know this. And we all age in our own way but he seems to be on the Rapid 1 bus, rather than the slow boat.

  144. 144.

    Ruckus

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    Very good summation of the process.

    People like shitforbrains do not really understand how much this is an entire world now, not the US in domination over everyone else. It hasn’t worked that way in quite some time. But people like shitforbrains have zero clue how much the world depends on each other for so much any more, how big the process of food and on and on cost and where things are made or how they are made. They don’t see this because they don’t look or listen and likely wouldn’t understand even if it was explained at an elementary school level.

  145. 145.

    Citizen Alan

    @geg6: Expatriate southerner here. The only way I will eat grits is if you load them up with cheese and then top them with shrimp and andouille to hide the taste.

  146. 146.

    Citizen Alan

    @Baud: To a degree, but I suspect it was mainly the repulsive oiliness. Not having seen Jolly on TV, I don’t know if he’s as repellant as Crist was.

  147. 147.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:

    It is important.

    So many idiots fail to realize that few nations can actually exist in the modern world without global trade. Maybe exist is too strong but exist and prosper isn’t. This isn’t 200 years ago, like some in this country seem to think it is. Most of the world depends on some level of world trade because much of the world today depends on materials, and bits and pieces that other countries make. I worked for decades making tools that others used to make products that if I named them most everyone would know. We were not the only company that did this, many others did as well. The world has changed rather dramatically in the last 50-75 or so years, in technology, in who manufactures/produces what. It is world wide trade and innovation and production now. Where was your phone made? You know the one in your pocket or purse. It is an entire world now, not just one country.

    And it can end a hell of a lot faster than it could be rebuilt/replaced. What would things cost if not imported, you know, has to be made here? I worked in making tools that others used to make products that most everyone would know. That business has changed significantly and will continue to do so, as business does. The world is a hell of a lot different than when I was born (I’m an OLD in case no one knew) and in so many ways that if one hadn’t watched it change one might not believe it. And many humans don’t watch because they don’t think about – really anyone else. It’s always been a big world, that hasn’t changed, but there is a hell of a lot more ability to see a lot more of it. Of course a lot of people don’t look.

  149. 149.

    WTFGhost

    @NotMax: I’ve had what I was told was “polenta” and it didn’t have the same flavor as grits. To me, “polenta” tastes like cornmeal, for good or ill. Grits don’t taste like cornmeal to me – they taste like cornmeal that someone did something bad to, to remove the corn flavor. (No offense to you grits fan – just, that’s my personal taste.)

    And, to be brutal, that makes sense. Grits are treated with lye to remove the hulls and the germ, and those are what would give the corn-like flavor to the cornmeal. So, to me, grits can’t be polenta.

    That said: I don’t know who sets the rules for these things. I just had some pedant explain that we don’t have yams in the US, we just have sweet potatoes with a different color flesh. So maybe polenta (which I remember having a distinct corn meal taste) really does count as grits (which I remember having a distinctly *not-cornmeal* taste), and it’s not my fault, it’s just the rules committee trying to screw with breakfast.

  151. 151.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:

    Not that it’s pleasant to say but we are talking about shitforbrains…

    The next level is Always Fucking Wrong.

    There is no next level without swearing.

    Don’t like it but whatcha gonna do…

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