Saturday, April 18, 2026
I should have guessed who was behind this ridiculous episode: Chaos agent Bill Pulte involved with Trump's Christ-like healer meme
Try to imagine Dwight Eisenhower golfing with a friend on a leisurely Sunday and discussing an image such as this one.
Trump discussed "Jesus" meme with Bill Pulte before posting it, sources say
... The original image of Trump as Christ-like healer didn't include the horned creature. It was published in February in a since-deleted X post by MAGA influencer Nick Adams, who wrote at the time that "America has been sick for a long time. President Trump is healing this nation."
Him is blocking voter ID lol
REP. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-FL): John Thune is a problem. I do not like what he's done because he has every ability, and really it's him that's blocking voter ID. He has every ability to embrace the standing filibuster or remove the filibuster.
Here.
-- B.S. Biology, University of West Florida
In case you aren't convinced yet, Iran shot at the Sanmar Herald this morning
Iran says Strait of Hormuz is closed again as vessels attempting to cross come under gunfire
... Shortly after the Iranian statements, the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker reported being fired on by two gunboats operated by Iran’s IRGC. The incident happened 20 nautical miles northeast of Oman, the UKMTO said. The tanker and its crew were reported safe, and authorities are investigating, the UKMTO said. ...
Buffoon says what?
Trump says U.S. has ‘good news’ on Iran as Tehran says the Strait of Hormuz is closed again
... Ghalibaf, quickly disputed Trump’s claim that Tehran had cleared the strait for transit.
“With the continuation of the blockade, the Strait of Hormuz will not remain open,” Ghalibaf wrote in a translated X post.
Indeed, video footage from ship tracking firm Kpler shows a number of tankers and cargo ships did try to exit the waterway on Friday, but turned back.
“They’ve clearly not been given approval to pass through,” Matt Smith, director of commodity research at Kpler, told CNBC. ...
Friday, April 17, 2026
Friday night fright night for Ukraine as Trump keeps Russian oil unsanctioned for a second consecutive month
Trump is an asshole.
Update from CNBC Saturday:
U.S. renews Russian oil waiver after pressure from countries dealing with Iran war price shocks
... “As negotiations (with Iran) accelerate, Treasury wants to ensure oil is available to those who need it,” a Treasury Department spokesperson said. Just two days earlier, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not be renewing the waiver for Russian oil and another for Iranian oil, which is set to expire on Sunday. ...
U.S. lawmakers from both political parties had slammed the administration over the sanctions waivers, saying they stood to help the economy of Iran while it was at war with the U.S. and of Russia as it was at war with Ukraine. ...
It's not
Published last night at 2040:
U.S. oil price plunges below $84 as Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open, easing supply fears
Published at 0900 this morning:
Iran declares Strait of Hormuz open to shipping but Trump says U.S. blockade still active
The Joint Maritime Information Center Update 033 for the Strait of Hormuz April 16 2026 15:56 hours includes 2 full days of the Iran blockade April 14-15
"Historically average daily transit through the Strait of Hormuz is approximately 138 vessels per day."
Transit Average April 9-15 Strait of Hormuz: 5.1 vessels per day
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Inflation, whether pandemic induced or war induced, has been berry berry good for hiding price increases to boost corporate profits
... Sonu Varghese, the global macro
strategist at the Carson Group, a financial firm, said many of the
companies he tracked viewed inflation pressures from “outside shocks,”
such as this war, “as an opportunity to raise prices and boosts
margins,” which can, in turn, raise profits.
“I think we’re actually going to get some margin expansion,” Mr. Varghese added. ...
A liberal who hates filing his very complicated taxes wants our payrolls run through the government, our incomes tracked, and our taxes automatically deducted
Yeah, that'll be popular.
... Some years ago, I traveled to the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of Denmark, to report on their tax authority, which is arguably the best in the world. There, all normal wages are routed through a central government database, which automatically keeps track of how much you are making, and what benefit programs you are eligible for.
While this computerized system is quite sophisticated and required a lot of initial investment, it is incredibly easy to operate. For an ordinary worker, what you owe automatically comes out of the paycheck, and any benefit payments automatically go right into your bank account. Ordinary employees don’t have to file their taxes or any enrollment paperwork (if they have a child and become eligible for the Faroese child allowance, for instance, the money just starts showing up), while employers don’t have to hire a payroll processor to handle their tax payments. ...
Why the world has the petrodollar, not a petroyuan
Don’t call time on dollar dominance just yet, say analysts as ‘petroyuan’ call sparks debate
... “Oil is not priced in US dollars simply because the United States has long acted as the world’s policeman,” wrote Sonal Desai, Franklin Templeton’s fixed income CIO.
“Oil exporters have a strong self-interest in getting paid in USD, because of what dollars represent: access to the deepest, most liquid capital markets in the world, backed by an institutional and legal framework that protects property rights and enforces contracts, supported by a strong, dynamic, and innovative economy.” ...
Franklin Templeton’s Desai added in the note that building the right infrastructure for a credible replacement, consisting of “deep markets, rule of law, full convertibility, a track record of macro stability”, takes decades, not years. ...
Desai added that the dollar’s recent weakness is simply a function of its characteristics.
“Some dollar softness is perfectly consistent with global reserve currency status,” Desai wrote.
“Unlike the renminbi, the dollar is a freely floating currency. It floats – up and down.”
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
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