Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Tuesday, April 01, 2025
It'll Go Lower
Any time that "days since European was detained" counter hits zero, that number will start to plunge further.
French hotel group Accor SA warned that forward bookings from Europe to the US this summer are down 25%, as travelers that feel put off by President Donald Trump’s border clampdown divert to other locations.No European tourist bookings are not the most important thing, but they're obvious visible consequences of unjust and ultimately impractical policies.
Miserable Failure
I'll outsource the explanation to Dday.
Really wild situation in the House. Johnson lost a vote attacking expectant and new mothers in his workplace, and is so whiny about it he shut down the whole chamber for a week.
— David Dayen (@ddayen.bsky.social) April 1, 2025 at 7:48 PM
[image or embed]
Oh No
Bet it's more.
Tesla has about $200 million worth of Cybertrucks in inventory in the US, as the truck is extremely difficult to sell.
Don't Be Chickenshits
The pain points aren't exactly a mystery.
Now, with Washington threatening to punish the EU further, not only for its existing tariffs but also for what it sees as nontariff barriers such as its tech regulations, Brussels is preparing to up the ante.
“We will approach these negotiations from a position of strength,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday, the eve of Trump’s big tariff announcement.
“Europe holds a lot of cards. From trade to technology, to the size of our market. But this strength is also built on our readiness to take firm countermeasures. All instruments are on the table.”
Seems Bad
Even during Trump I, you'd probably get about 10 pundits writing pieces about how this was bad, and now you won't.
The lawyer working for Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who now leads the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has a history of violence and racist remarks, 10 people who knew him allege.No one pundit matters much, of course, but the collective Discourse does have an impact on things.
3) Profit
I actually haven't seen anyone try to get at the heart of just why Trump is obsessed with tariffs. I'm not looking for someone to impose some rational structure onto it. It would be more like "he saw it in some movie."
Stay Away
Unsurprising and it's going to get worse.
Driving the news: Advance bookings for Canada-U.S. flights in April-September are down over 70% compared to this time last year, per aviation data firm OAG.Being turned away at the border or airport is a mildy amusing story in the later telling. Being locked up is not!
Monday, March 31, 2025
Self-Driving Trucks
People on the internet reminded me that in 2016 it was conventional wisdom that self-driving trucks were certainly coming very soon and that anyone would be insane to train as a trucker. This was in the midst of a serious driver shortage!
Even I was less skeptical than I should have been - some long haul trucking is an easier problem than urban taxis - but 9 years later... you can still get a job as a trucker.
Even I was less skeptical than I should have been - some long haul trucking is an easier problem than urban taxis - but 9 years later... you can still get a job as a trucker.
Old Friends
Well, uh, not really.
China, Japan and South Korea reached a consensus that the three countries will jointly respond to US tariffs, a social media account affiliated with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said on Monday.
Shaking My Head
What is this world coming to when the opposing politicians can be prosecuted and convicted. Not sporting!
France's Marine Le Pen has been barred from running for office for five years after being found guilty of misappropriating European funds to finance her far-right National Rally (RN) party.These things should always be resolved at the ballot box.
Of Course
Our beautiful farmers.
Ahead of President Trump’s plan to impose sweeping tariffs across the globe this week, his administration is weighing a new round of emergency aid to farmers, who are likely to be caught in the middle if America’s trading partners retaliate.
Cunning Plans
One possibility I haven't seen raised elsewhere is that Trump intends to announce massive tariffs lasting years, the Republicans will "book" this revenue when they do their budget bill, cut taxes on rich people accordingly, and then just erase (some of) the tariffs.
Some budget shenanigans are above my pay grade, so I don't know if this makes any sense.
Some budget shenanigans are above my pay grade, so I don't know if this makes any sense.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)