Like everyone expected, except for Donald Trump, who has never been to Realville.
... "Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.” ...
Meanwhile . . .
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Friday, August 8, 2025
Jim Lovell was the greatest of Americans
This is a fabulous tribute to the man who kept his head while all others were losing theirs.
Apollo 13 moon mission leader James Lovell dies at 97
... One of NASA’s most traveled astronauts in the agency’s first decade, Lovell flew four times — Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and Apollo 13 — with the two Apollo flights riveting the folks back on Earth.
In 1968, the Apollo 8 crew of Lovell, Frank Borman and William Anders was the first to leave Earth’s orbit and the first to fly to and circle the moon. They could not land, but they put the U.S. ahead of the Soviets in the space race. Letter writers told the crew that their stunning pale blue dot photo of Earth from the moon, a world first, and the crew’s Christmas Eve reading from Genesis saved America from a tumultuous 1968.
But the big rescue mission was still to come. That was during the harrowing Apollo 13 flight in April 1970. Lovell was supposed to be the fifth man to walk on the moon. But Apollo 13′s service module, carrying Lovell and two others, experienced a sudden oxygen tank explosion on its way to the moon. The astronauts barely survived, spending four cold and clammy days in the cramped lunar module as a lifeboat. ...
“I think in the history of space flight, I would say that Jim was one of the pillars of the early space flight program,” Gene Kranz, NASA’s legendary flight director, once said. ...
The Apollo 13 crew of Lovell, Haise and Swigert was on the way to the moon in April 1970, when an oxygen tank from the spaceship exploded 200,000 miles from Earth.
That, Lovell recalled, was “the most frightening moment in this whole thing.” Then oxygen began escaping and “we didn’t have solutions to get home.”
“We knew we were in deep, deep trouble,” he told NASA’s historian.
Four-fifths of the way to the moon, NASA scrapped the mission. Suddenly, their only goal was to survive. ...
EV sales achieve record high 9.1% of total sales of passenger vehicles in July, 90.9% sold still internal combustion lol
EV sales soar as Trump axes $7,500 tax credit: ‘People are rushing out’ to buy, analyst says
Consumers are racing to buy electric vehicles before a fast-approaching deadline to claim tax credits worth up to $7,500, according to auto analysts.
Legislation championed by Republicans on Capitol Hill and signed by President Donald Trump in July eliminates the tax breaks — available for new, used and leased EVs — after Sept. 30.
The Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act had originally offered the tax breaks to consumers through 2032.
“We’re expecting Q3 may be [a] record for EV sales because of the tax incentives going away,” said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, a senior analyst at Cox Automotive.
“People are rushing out” to buy, she said.
Consumers purchased nearly 130,100 new EVs in July, the second-highest monthly sales tally on record, behind roughly 136,000 sold in December, according to Cox Automotive data. The July figures represent a 26.4% increase from June and nearly 20% increase year-over-year, Streaty said.
The share of EV sales in July also accounted for about 9.1% of total sales of passenger vehicles that month, the largest monthly share on record, according to Cox.
“We’re seeing significant volume in new EVs,” said Liz Najman, director of market insights at Recurrent, an EV marketplace and data provider. ...
Mad King Ludwig tariffs gold bars, making liquidity more expensive for big banks
Gold futures climbed to a record high on Friday after a report that the United States had imposed tariffs on imports of 1-kg gold bars, while spot gold stayed on track for a second straight weekly gain on tariff turmoil and U.S. interest rate-cut hopes. ...
U.S. gold futures for December delivery were up 0.9% at $3,484.10, after hitting an all-time high of $3,534.10.
The price spread between New York futures and spot prices widened by more than $100 after the Financial Times reported on Thursday that the United States had imposed tariffs on imports of 1-kg gold bars, citing a letter from Customs and Border Protection.
The letter, dated July 31, said 1-kg and 100-ounce gold bars should be classified under a customs code subject to higher tariffs, a move that could impact Switzerland, the world’s largest gold refining hub.
The tariffs on gold bars “will create a dislocation or rather some issues in terms of settlement by big banks” and this was reflected in liquidity prices this morning, with prices jumping everywhere, said Brian Lan, managing director at GoldSilver Central, Singapore. ...
Thursday, August 7, 2025
The Treasury Secretary is such a kiss-ass and knows damn well that the Fed's so-called full employment mandate was a set of handcuffs put on the Fed in 1978
And why did the Congress do that to the Fed?
So the Congress could evade responsibility for high unemployment as well as for high inflation, that's why.
A bunch of cowards six ways to Sunday they are.
Besides, core personal consumption expenditures is the Fed's key metric, as everyone knows, and that is an inflation metric, not an employment metric.
And The Humphrey-Hawkins Full Employment Act specifically recognizes that reducing inflation is the Fed's main job, actually mandating ZERO inflation, not 2% inflation as widely misinterpreted.
Meanwhile there is another report of employment besides the total non-farm payrolls report which the Fed can consult, and it shows employment continues near all-time highs in July.
No change to DFF was the appropriate response of the Fed to persistent core inflation way above 2%.
Oh well, I guess you'll just have to become your own brain surgeon
Learn to code, they said.
Student loan caps a ‘punch in the face’ for aspiring doctors: American Medical Association president
... Starting next year, the legislation caps the amount of federal loans students can borrow for graduate school at $100,000 over a lifetime — and sets a lifetime loan limit of $200,000 for professional programs, such as medical, dental or law school. Grad PLUS loans will also be eliminated entirely. Those changes go into effect for new borrowers on July 1, 2026. ...
However, for aspiring doctors, the limits may mean drastic changes. The average cost of medical school already exceeds $200,000. At private institutions, the average cost is more than $300,000, according to 2024 data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. ...
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
Giant prick sprouts in Texas
It's Pritzker's party: Hell yes, he's messing with Texas...
... Newsom is offering voters a professor at the very moment they want to elevate a brawler. Pritzker’s primetime slugfest with Abbott and Paxton is designed to leave no doubt in voters’ minds that he’s a brawler.
There’s also the practical fact that the billionaire governor’s stacks of cash are a more immediate help to Texas Democrats than they are to Newsom’s longer-term play. State Democrats had ruled out a “quorum bust” due to cost and logistical challenges, until Pritzker offered to finance and organize the operation. Now they give official press conferences in front of Pritzker’s campaign logo. If Pritzker wants to be seen as the party’s “can-do” Democrat, this is a great way to start. ...
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Monday, August 4, 2025
The cost of groceries is a major source of stress for 53% of US adults according to AP-NORC poll, followed by the cost of housing
... Esther Bland, 78, who lives in Buckley, Washington, said groceries are a “minor” source of stress — but only because her local food banks fill the gap. Bland relies on her Social Security and disability payments each month to cover her rent and other expenses — such as veterinary care for her dogs — in retirement, after decades working in an office processing product orders.
“I have no savings,” she said. “I’m not sure what’s going on politically when it comes to the food banks, but if I lost that, groceries would absolutely be a major source of stress.”
Bland’s monthly income mainly goes toward her electric, water and cable bills, she said, as well as care of her dogs and other household needs.
“Soap, paper towels, toilet paper. I buy gas at Costco, but we haven’t seen $3 a gallon here in a long time,” she said. “I stay home a lot. I only put about 50 miles on my car a week.” ...
Bland, the Washington state retiree, said she’s paid for pet surgery with a pay-later plan. ...
More.
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Mike Shedlock, veteran critic of the BLS since the Great Recession: This is a clear case of shoot the messenger
Did Trump Fire the BLS Head for Cause, Being the Messenger, or Something Else?
... “The process of obtaining the numbers is decentralized by design to avoid opportunities for interference.”
Trump wants you to believe hundreds if not thousands of people are in on the scheme and they are all silent.
The Cult sucks it up as if that makes sense.
I do not defend the antiquated procedures of the BLS. I have been writing about the flaws for years.
Yet, I can say that in all my conversations with BLS technicians (dozens over the years), I have found BLS [personnel] to be knowledgeable, courteous, and helpful. ...
Sorry Cultists and conspiracy theorists, the data is not rigged. And don’t pee your panties because it won’t be under Trump either (or someone will point it out).
Regardless, Trump’s tariffs ensure it will get worse. I expect many small businesses will go under. Trump has only himself to blame.
US Treasury yields retreated 3% from their July average in the aggregate on Friday in a flight to safety
The July average yield of the aggregate of eleven US Treasury issues was 4.2927. Friday's 3% retreat left the aggregate at 4.1636.
Yields on Bills pulled back to 4.2175 from 4.2925 in July, or 1.7%.
Yields on Notes pulled back to 3.866 from 4.042 in July, or 4.3%.
Yields on Bonds pulled back to 4.80 from 4.92 in July, or 2.4%.
VFSTX is now ahead 4.45% year to date.
VFICX is now ahead 6.37% year to date.
VWESX is now ahead 4.47% year to date.
VBTLX is now ahead 4.67% year to date.
VTSAX is now ahead 6.26% year to date.
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