Fairly Quickly

I have to admit that his optimism isn't entirely insane.  Predictions about the effects of the closure were much more catastrophic than we are currently seeing. That could change!

Everyone said it was going to be $300, $400 a barrel, it’s 98 dollars a barrel but that’s not a big price to pay if you look at the possibility of them having a nuclear weapon,” he said.

...

He even said it’s possible the US naval blockade around the waterway will remain in place through Labor Day — Monday, Sept. 7 — meaning a full summer of elevated fuel prices and likely harm to Republicans in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

“I don’t know. I mean, I think it could be [closed through Labor Day], but I think it’s unlikely. I think that we’ll have it. I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly,” he said.

Solidarity

There are journalists and journalism worth defending,  but I learned long ago that there is little point in wasting an effort defending American journalism broadly as other journalists rarely show solidarity for each other.

You see that every time Trump insults a reporter for a question and the next one doesn't respond by repeating the question.

I am sure Pelley has plenty of money and will be fine, but while the gossip will be covered, that CBS is completely corrupt will not be remembered on an ongoing basis.

For my part, new management has instructed me to inject falsehoods and bias into a politically sensitive story. I’ve been told to include assertions that are unverified. To date, in every case, I have managed to ignore these instructions or refuse them. Recently, politicians have been invited to choose correspondents for interviews on the broadcast. Giving politicians control over 60 Minutes interviews is not how this is done,” he added. “Finally, incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc. In a case involving one of my stories, the entire program came within 19 minutes of not getting on the air at all.”

Journalists refused to acknowledge what Fox News was for years - oh sure the opinion stuff is over the top but their news people are good, claimed people who never watched the network - and they certainly won't do any different for CBS. 

Morning

Wacky Wednesday

Happy Hour

Get happy 

It's Iran Deal Week, Again

Will the press ever stop reporting on imminent deals as real things. Will THE MARKETS ever stop soaring?

Trump can't manifest reality without a lot of help, which he gets. The question is whethere there will be a coyote falling event.

Afternoon

Busy with life stuff

Kavanaugh Stops

I can believe Kavanaugh is dumb enough not to have understood this would be the result, but he can find a way to fix it any time if he wishes.

Woman held by ICE for 25 days, despite U.S. citizenship claim, gets a passport

Attorneys for Dulce Consuelo Diaz Morales had presented a Maryland birth certificate and other documents as proof of her U.S. citizenship.

"Evil Foreigners"

That is pretty funny.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says 24 commercial vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz over the past day.

These ships obtained permission and coordinated with the IRGC navy, Iran’s state-owned broadcaster IRIB reported.

“Intelligent control of the Strait of Hormuz will be carried out with authority, and evil foreigners will have no place in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said in a statement.

Cultural Wasteland

This is a complete vibes-based post, but as a longtime observer of The Discourse, it seems that anything other than low culture has largely been driven from it? And I am not opposed to low culture, but maybe it is a problem if it is the only thing.

What I mean is that once upon a time, the chattering classes would exhibit their general familiarity with new novels or plays, maybe the occasional art exhibit.  They would at least skim the NYT book section to stay current.  That kind of thing.

I am not asserting that there was some past golden age of deep engagement by our supposed public intellectuals, but they at least seemed to fake it more. It was what people of a certain class did for "dinner party chat."

Again, all vibes here, but that seems to be missing?

It is not unrelated to the eager embrace of the MAGA CULTURAL TAKEOVER we were promised.

Mr. Trump, Sir, Bibi Is Making You Look Bad

Trump only ever does the right thing (occasionally) for the wrong reasons. Maybe he won't appreciate being humiliated by his Israeli counterpart!

United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that Hezbollah and Israel have agreed to halt hostilities in a major de-escalation effort after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered attacks on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday.

Netanyahu’s office on Monday said attacks on Beirut would proceed if Hezbollah continued attacks on Israeli cities, while military operations in southern Lebanon would continue as “planned”.

It seems Trump set the line at Beirut, but that doesn’t really solve the little Iran issue. 

Trump's people have continued the Biden practice of telling Axios how mad they are at Netanyahu. That, without consequences, gets silly very quickly!

Happy Hour

 Get happy

Have Some Passwords

I suspect we are going to have so many "AI"-related security issues. Aside from allowing for password theft,  I am quite sure they are eating lots of sensitive private data and just making it accessible to public queries. 

I Didn’t Want To Go To My Party Anyway

I admit I am a bit curious about why they couldn't get anyone for Trump's party. Or, maybe, I think others should be a bit curious.

It wasn't that long ago that we were assured that there would be a full MAGA conquest of the culture. Some performers object for personal political reasons, but others have decided that it would be brand poison.

Why would Trump association be brand poison with all those MAGAs lining up to spend money?

About That Deal

I am starting to think we can always take Trump at his word about what is happening 

...er I meant can't.  I blame airplane wifi.

Is It Too Late To Get In On This

Could've helped the retirement fund.

At least $2 million in settlements has been agreed to after employees and other critics were fired or penalized over their posts about Charlie Kirk following his killing.

It was brief, but that was maybe the most absurd period of all. Kudos to The Kids who took over the internet with Charlie memes and highlighted what a joke the efforts to canonize him were. 

Lie Back And Think Of Donams

 Stock futures up!

The US carried out what it said was “self-defense” strikes in Iran over the weekend – as President Donald Trump sent back changes to a proposed deal to extend the existing ceasefire in the region and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The weekend strikes in Iran targeted Iranian radar and command and control sites and were a response to “aggressive Iranian actions that included the shootdown of a US MQ-1 drone that was operating over international waters,” US Central Command said Sunday night.

“US fighter aircraft swiftly responded by eliminating Iranian air defenses, a ground control station, and two one-way attack drones that posed clear threats to ships transiting regional waters,” Central Command said.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have struck a US air base used to launch an attack on a telecommunications tower on Iran’s Sirik Island, according to a statement carried by several Iranian state-run news outlets.

Morning

Badass Monday.

Happy Hour

Get thee to happiness. 

Totally Badass

Memories

The reason they made their announcement and explained their reasoning as a group, in an op-ed in The Washington Post, is because they had already formed a bond over their national security background – especially the five women: Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, both ex-CIA officers; Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania who was in the Air Force; Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Rep. Elaine Luria of Virginia were Naval officers.

They met on the 2018 campaign trail as first time candidates who kept bumping into each other at events with mutual donors and supporters.

When they got to talking, these five would-be congresswomen realized that they had a lot in common, despite being from different parts of the country: they all had careers in national security they were trying to parlay into elected office.

They became fast friends, and called themselves the “badasses.”

“I think badasses kind of came organically from the group since we all had either served in the military or in the CIA,” Houlahan said.

Prat

I love this city so much that I will leave it if I'm not its ruler and protagonist.

"If Karen Bass gets re-elected or Nithya [Raman] gets elected, I will be done with trying to live in LA."

[Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt doubled down on his threat, and said when he wins the lawsuit, he's packing up to find a new American Dream.

One maddening thing about Andrew Cuomo was that even if you set aside all of the OTHER MADDENING THINGS, the dude fucking hates New York City.