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Trumpnomics
My Take

Trump Vows Tariff Revenge after SCOTUS Ruling; Accept Your Loss and Move On, Mr. President

Could Donald Trump be Donald Trump without trying to one-up an opponent and attempt to turn defeat into victory? The answer is no, as we just witnessed on television, as Sir Donald basically vowed to raise tariffs even higher after the Supreme Court ruled that he didn’t have the power to set tariffs by himself. The SCOTUS ruling applied only to tariffs that Trump set using IEEPA, the International Economic Emergency Powers Act, but in his talk this morning, Trump referenced other laws that he would use to resurrect his “Independence Day” tariffs and up the ante, raising some levies even higher. Nice going, Mr. President. It’s time to accept your losses. Farmers will be happy that the tariffs are gone. Maybe they can sell their products overseas again now. Consumers will be happy. Maybe they can stock up on Chinese-imported goods so necessary for daily life. Bon vivants will be happy as the prices of French and Italian wines will go down. The stock market is already happy, going up after being down in early trading. You see, Mr. President, your loss is everyone else’s gain. We’re hoping you’ll just accept the decision and go back to making trade

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Tariffs
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Bye, Bye, Trumpnomics: SCOTUS Pulls the Plug on President’s Tariff Authority

It was worse than even I envisioned. I figured the Supreme Court vote overriding President Trump’s willy-nilly tariff authority would be 6-4, with Amy Coney Barrett being the swing vote. Alas, it was a decisive 6-3 majority that did in the Trumpster’s view of economics, which can be summed up as: “Do unto your neighbor as they would do unto you – but worse.” So much for Trump’s comic-book idea that tariffs could replace the income tax. Trump had relied on the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) to sling tariffs at nations that didn’t respect him enough, but SCOTUS would have none of it. “Had Congress intended to convey the distinct and extraordinary power to impose tariffs, it would have done so expressly,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. The majority opinion was silent on whether the administration would have to refund tariffs it had collected under Trump’s “Independence Day” restructuring of global trade with the U.S. It was this silence that drove Justice Brett Kavanaugh to dissent, saying the decision would result in a “mess” and cause “significant consequences for the U.S. Treasury.” Joining Kavanaugh in dissent were Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Before this ruling, the Supreme Court

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GazaRiviera2
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Trump’s UN Lite, the Board of Peace, Meets in Fantasyland

The White House became Fantasyland today as President Trump’s alternative to the United Nations, his much-ballyhooed Board of Peace, held its first meeting. The board, of course, is part of Trump’s 28-point plan to secure peace on the Gaza Strip and then transform the area into a version of the French Riviera (pictured). So far, the board members have pledged $8 billion for reconstructing the wartorn and devstated peninsula. As the Trump plan envisions, the board will also oversee peace in Gaza with an announced but still-undefined International Stabilization Force. But a huge hurdle stands in the way of both peace abd reconstruction: Hamas must disarm before the board can take over. As things stand now, Hamas has shown no intention of ever disarming and accepting their free lifetime vacation passes to Qatar. Also, if those $8 billion ever do materialize, they will hardly make a dent in reimagining and rebuilding Gaza. Change the B in billion to the T in trillion, and you might have enough to do the job. Trump, who (natch) is chairman of the board, wrote on Truth Social in advance of the gathering this morning: “The Board of Peace will prove to be the most

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Andrew
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Epstein Fallout Takes Toll in Britain as Former Prince Andrew Arrested

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) has become the first senior member of the British royal family to be arrested in modern history. His arrest comes as a result of his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein and follows the recent release in the U.S. of voluminous files on l’Affaire Epstein. The arrest occurred on his 66th birthday following an investigation by the Thames Valley Police. He was detained on suspicion of misconduct in public office, a serious offense related to allegations that he shared confidential government information with Jeffrey Epstein during his time as a UK trade envoy. While this is an unprecedented moment for a modern senior royal, there are important distinctions regarding other family members and historical figures. Modern Comparison: Convictions vs. Arrests: Before this event, other royals faced the legal system, but they were not formally arrested or taken into police custody in this manner: Princess Anne: In 2002, she became the first member of the modern royal family to have a criminal record. She pleaded guilty to a charge under the Dangerous Dogs Act after her dog bit two children. She was also convicted of speeding in 2001. However, she was issued a court summons rather than being

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SmithA3
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Smith-Fetterman: The Dems’ Best Ticket to the White House

Donald Trump has endorsed him for his party’s presidential nomination but would never actually vote for him. “Him” is Stephen A. Smith, ESPN sportscaster and featured guest on almost every news show to answer questions about current affairs — and about his own future in politics. That future, of course, would be a presidential run in 2028. From what I’ve seen and heard of Smith’s politics, I’d have to characterize him as a Trump version of a moderate Democrat. He thinks the border needs to be shut up tight and that illegal immigrants should be escorted out of the country — but with courtesy and mercy (if that’s possible). Smith is nothing if not outspoken, whether on sports or politics, and he himself says he is a Democrat but a centrist one. He does make a lot of sense and would no doubt have huge appeal to Middle America voters, who swing between the two parties, so long as he moderates his on-air sportscasting personality. If you’ve seen him on ESPN, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I think Smith (D.-ESPN), allied with Senator John Fetterman (D.-PA), would make a formidable combo in a presidential run. They both speak the

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AOC3
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AOC Stumbles and Mumbles on the World Stage

They were there to kowtow to the socialist elite of Europe and put on display their credentials for the presidential sweepstakes in 2028, but they didn’t do too well, especially Bartender Sandy, aka AOC, or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by birth. “They,” of course, refer to Demofiends who flew to Germany for the Munich Security Conference 2026, whatever that is. Governor Gruseome of California was there as well, presumably to give grooming tips to his balding counterparts on the European stage, or should we say the global stage, as I’m sure they all thought it was? These leftist usurpers of truth hoped to draw a contrast to that known MAGA criminal, Marco Rubio, currently U.S. Secretary of State, the keynote speaker. Indeed, Rubio’s featured speech appeared to have closed some gaps between the U.S. and the EU when it comes to NATO. That being said, the assembled whatevers no doubt drooled without showing it over the prospect of Sandy or Gruesome replacing Donald Trump as president in 2028. AOC had a couple of big problems, however, when it comes to her comments and answers to questions. First, she couldn’t locate the equator — placing Venezuela below it when lambasting Trump for “kidnapping”

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TutTomb
My Take

Beware: Curse of the Pharoahs Unleashed on This Day in 1922

I love all things Ancient Egypt, and in my several decades of life, I have been able to view King Tut exhibits twice in Los Angeles, as well as visit the pyramids in Egypt (which are not “along the Nile,” as a famous song once intoned). It was thus fascinating for me today, on the anniversary of Howard Carter’s uncovering the tomb of Tutankhamun in1922, to read again of the Curse of the Pharaohs. The curse was supposedly unleashed by the opening of Tut’s tomb. According to legend, the most prominent victim of the curse was Lord Carnarvon, who financed the Carter expedition to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. Lord Carnarvon (whose house is featured in the TV series “Downton Abbey”) died just four months after the Tut discovery from an infection borne from shaving. He had two half-brothers who also suffered bizarre deaths. Prince Ali Kamel Fahmy Bey of Egypt was fatally shot by his wife not long after having his picture taken at the Pharaoh’s tomb. American railroad magnate George Jay Gould died suddenly of a fever after visiting the tomb. He was vacationing on the French Riviera at the time of his demise. In all,

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