Always look on the brighter side of life
(Though you're likely delusional)
The lawyer for writer E. Jean Carroll has requested Trump’s DNA in her defamation lawsuit against him. Carroll has claimed she has a garment with his semen on it from that attack. Trump has not agreed to provide his DNA.
His niece, the psychologist Mary Trump, has offered hers.
Top issues for the midterms
ABORTION
43% occur in the first month and a half of pregnancy. 79% occur in the first two months plus a couple of days. By the end of the first trimester (13 weeks), 92% have occurred. At 15 weeks (3-1/2) months, 95% have occurred. Typically, abortions after that occur because something has gone severely wrong medically for the fetus or the woman.
Opponents of abortion for many years have displayed videos of fetuses with hands, feet and beating hearts. Yesterday, The Guardian published pictures of the actual cell clumps from 4 to 9 weeks. By 9 weeks, even the amniotic sacs haven’t formed that will shelter the fetuses. A mostly transparent gestational sac has developed that will become the amniotic sac. The last pic at the link shows the size of each, side by side, at 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 weeks.
At 9 weeks, it’s 3 inches long and still no discernible human form has emerged. And remember, that by 9 weeks, 79% of all abortions have occurred. The page is worth your attention to understand what states have been outlawing when.
Please pass it forward.
INFLATION
For most, especially the crucial independent swing voters, this remains their top issue. Oil prices are a key part of that, impacting all goods requiring transportation. Both Saudi Arabia, as I predicted, remain unwilling to budge on their decreased oil production, as their leaders prefer to see President Biden dislodged and replaced with Trump in 2024.
But there’s more to that Big Oil story as Senator Sanders recently pointed out.
Typically, pro-Wall Street media analysts blame inflation on rising wages but also, typically, they bury the reality that most big corporations are making record profits and record compensation during inflationary periods. This is not a result, but a major cause of inflation.
Most voters remain unaware of how stock market economics work. They’re aware that prices are going up and they blame it on presidents. It doesn’t matter that Biden’s helped create record job growth, that wages have risen more than any time since the 1990s, that homeowners are seeing their homes increase in value at exceptional rates. This is how human psychology works in wealthy countries.
Which does not bode well for Democrats in the midterms, even though Bernie Sanders has it exactly right.
Though I favor the use of antitrust laws to break up mega-corporations in numerous sectors, the trends continue in the other direction. It looks like Kroger’s about to buy Safeway/Albertsons and they’ll hold so much power over food prices then that I fully expect inflation to worsen before the Fed’s interest rate hikes start drawing inflation down.
There is no foreseeable happy ending to this. The wealthiest Americans, intentionally or not, will ultimately cause greater poverty and greater homelessness across the globe while denying any responsibility.
THREAT TO DEMOCRACY
This is the third biggest issue with most voters, ranking much higher with Democrats. But it’s still not driving enough voter enthusiasm to guarantee a good Democratic turnout. The top issue motivating Democratic voters is women’s rights in the wake of the SCOTUS reversal of Roe v Wade.
Voter enthusiasm is significantly higher for Republicans. Again, not a great portent for Democrats or for retaining our democracy.
I’d love to be proven wrong.