Saturday, February 1, 2025
Black Hawk helicopter collision with passenger jet was part of a routine, annual re-training of night flights on a standard corridor for a continuity of government mission
Crashed US Army Black Hawk unit was responsible for doomsday readiness
... The three soldiers killed in the collision were part of the 12th Aviation Battalion at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, whose responsibilities in a national crisis include evacuating Pentagon officials. Another 64 people were killed in the passenger plane. ...
Incompetence from sea to shining sea: Trump releases water needed for summer agricultural irrigation in the San Joaquin Valley to fight fires but that water will simply evaporate in Tulare Lake
... The two reservoirs are used to hold supplies for agricultural
irrigation districts. Nemeth noted that winter is not the irrigation
season for farms, which require more supplies to grow crops in the
summer months, “so there isn’t a demand” for the water in the San
Joaquin Valley at this time. ...
Peter Gleick, a water scientist and senior fellow at the Pacific Institute, said dam managers would typically only release large quantities of water in the winter when major storms create a need to make space for large inflows of runoff. But Southern California has been very dry and the snowpack in the southern Sierra remains far below average, so “there is no indication that that’s why these releases occurred.”
“In addition, when those kinds of releases do occur, they’re always done in consultation with local and state agencies,” Gleick said.
“I don’t know where this water is going, but this is the wrong time of year to be releasing water from these reservoirs. It’s vitally important that we fill our reservoirs in the rainy season so water is available for farms and cities later in the summer,” Gleick said. “I think it’s very strange and it’s disturbing that, after decades of careful local, state and federal coordination, some federal agencies are starting to unilaterally manipulate California’s water supply.”
Vink agreed, saying that given how dry it has been in the region this winter, there was no need to make such a release. In fact, he said, farmers were counting on that water to be available for summer irrigation.
“This is going to hurt farmers,” Vink said. “This takes water out of their summer irrigation portfolio.” ...
It's great to be a Trumpist
Trump Media gifts DJT shares to FBI pick Kash Patel, Linda McMahon and president’s son
Trump Media this week gifted thousands of shares of company stock to President Donald Trump’s nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, to Trump’s eldest son and to four other board members, new regulatory filings show.
The company awarded 25,946 stock shares each to Patel, Donald Trump Jr., and the president’s pick for Education secretary, Linda McMahon, who all serve as Trump Media directors, the filings Thursday reveal.
Three other directors — former U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, Eric Swider and Kyle Green — received the same number of DJT shares at no cost, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
The filings said the awards were granted Tuesday. Trump Media that day closed trading at $30.04 per share.
At
that price, the shares have a paper value of more than $779,400. But
most of the stock awarded has restrictions on when it can be sold. ...
Friday, January 31, 2025
Core pce inflation in 2024 at 2.8% remains higher than at any point since 1992, progress down looks stalled since 1Q2024: The Fed's weak tea hasn't worked
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Gold hits new record high of $2,800.99, climbs as high as $2,817.23 before the close
Gold prices scaled an all-time high on Friday, briefly touching the $2,800 mark, as market participants rushed to the safe-haven asset after U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his tariff threats.
Spot gold steadied at $2,795.52 per ounce, after hitting a record peak of $2,800.99 earlier in the session. Prices rose more than 6% for the month and 1% for the week.
U.S. gold futures were little changed at $2,820.10.
More.
PM Update:
Gold prices surpassed the key $2,800 mark for the first time ever on Friday, fuelled by a rush to safety on U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, which heightened concerns about global economic growth and inflationary pressures.
Spot gold rose 0.6% to $2,810.55 per ounce, after hitting a record high of $2,817.23 earlier in the session.
U.S. gold futures were little changed at $2,822.90, trading at a premium to spot gold rates.
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Trash headline from Drudge says airline CEO blames US Army for last night's collision at DCA
I've watched the videos. He doesn't blame anybody. The helicopter collided with the passenger jet on its descent to land at Reagan National. We don't know why.
Meanwhile Trump is already shooting his mouth off about DEI under his predecessors being to blame when there are still bodies in the wreckage in the water.
Trump sucks. Drudge sucks.
You'd think a 71-year old guy like RFK Jr would know something about Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D, but you would be wrong
He is not qualified, on top of being a lunatic.
RFK Jr. stumbles over basics of Medicare, Medicaid during Senate confirmation hearings
When asked what Medicare Part A is for, Kennedy said it is “mainly for primary care or physicians.” Hassan clarified that it is coverage for seniors who receive inpatient care at hospitals.
Kennedy, when asked what Medicare Part B is, said it is “for physicians and doctors.” Part B is coverage for a range of medical services such as doctor visits, outpatient care, home health, certain medical supplies and preventive services.
When asked what Medicare Part C is for, Kennedy called it “the full menu of all the services – A, B, C and D.” Hassan noted that Part C is also known as Medicare Advantage, which are privately run plans contracted by Medicare. Those plans serve as an alternative to traditional Medicare plans.
Kennedy insisted that he “just explained the basics” of the program, but Hassan said she had to correct him on several things.
On the surface today's report of real gross domestic product is actually pretty good
The first estimate of real GDP for 4Q2024 and for annual 2024 has been reported here, 2.3% and 2.8% respectively.
On a big picture basis, the compound annual growth rate for real annual GDP 2020-2024 came in at 3.55% per annum, which compares very favorably with 1929-2007 at 3.45% per annum.
Unfortunately 2007-2024 is still wallowing at 1.957% per annum.
The country got over the Great Depression, but we're still working on the Great Recession.
Germany's Friedrich Merz angers ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel over harder line against "irregular migration" supported by AfD
Merz, determined to show his center-right Union bloc’s commitment to cutting irregular migration after a deadly knife attack last week by a rejected asylum-seeker, put a nonbinding motion to parliament calling for Germany to turn back many more migrants at its borders, although it might need AfD’s backing to pass. The measure squeaked through thanks to the far-right party’s support. ...
Merz took over the CDU after Merkel, a former rival, stepped down as chancellor in 2021. A more conservative figure, he has taken a more restrictive stance on migration. He said last week that Germany has had a “misguided asylum and immigration policy” for a decade — since Merkel allowed large numbers of migrants into the country. ...
AfD lawmakers celebrated after Wednesday’s vote while others sat stony-faced. Merz said he had sought a majority in the “democratic center” and he regretted that didn’t happen. But he also insisted that “a correct decision doesn’t become wrong because the wrong people approve it.”
On Friday, the [Christian Democratic] Union plans to call a vote on months-old proposed legislation that calls for an end to family reunions for migrants with a protection status that falls short of asylum. The measure also could pass with AfD votes, though it would need approval from parliament’s upper house, which is uncertain.
More.
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
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