Who Really Hates America? October 21, 2025 Hint: He Is Putin’s Most Powerful Ally. I’d rate this a must-read. And this, a must-watch: Though long dead, Christopher Hitchens (via A.I.) Explains Everything (9 minutes, though you needn’t watch all the way to the end if time is short). And Chess — the thoroughly modernized 1988 musical, now in previews — a knock-your-socks-off must-see. It reminds us of the time Russian tanks rolled into Budapest to crush the Hungarian freedom fighters. Now it’s Ukraine’s freedom fighters they’re bent on crushing. Trump is not big on freedom, either — be it freedom of the press, academic freedom, or democracy. He prefers dealing with dictators and autocrats. The only change Trump made to the 2016 Republican Party platform was its support for Ukraine. He rolled out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska — literally — but this past Friday gave Zelenskyy the back of his hand, urging Zelenskyy to accept Putin’s terms or be ‘destroyed’ by Russia. And guess where he and Putin are summoning Zelenskyy to meet them. Budapest. But don’t ask why, or the White House press secretary will evoke “your mom” and call you a moron. Join Indivisible. Support “my” 26th annual DNC LGBT Leadership Council dinner even if you’re not L, G, B, or T and even if you can’t come. An adequately funded opposition party is not sufficient, but absolutely necessary, for democracy to prevail. Have a great day!
Well, Pardon ME! October 20, 2025October 20, 2025 If you have less than two minutes today, skip the rest of this column and watch this: Thirteen presidents speak on a topic of great concern. Could any contrast be starker? Then . . . If you have four minutes purely for fun: SNL’s latest Weekend Update. Among other targets, they have a little fun with George Santos. Trump sprung him from prison after just 84 days of his 2,557-day sentence. But is it any surprise? Trump sees a lot of himself in Santos — an entertaining liar and conman. In a social media post, Trump reportedly called Santos “somewhat of a ‘rogue'” who had the “Courage, Conviction, and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN!” So 2,473 days off for good behavior. (And who cares that he lied and cheated his way into office? Congress’s role, as Trump reads the Constitution he took an oath to defend, is purely ceremonial: to approve and applaud whatever he wants. Like Putin’s Politburo.) On a more serious note, when I most recently complained about Trump’s blanket pardon of the January 6 rioters who bludgeoned cops and sought to hang the Vice President, Carl responded with this: Biden sparks outrage with last-minute commutation of man convicted of killing FBI agents. The implication: well, isn’t that just as bad? (Or else: two wrongs do make a right.) I don’t click all the links Carl sends — he provides feedback several hundred times a year — but I sometimes do, and this was one of them. The headline refers to Biden’s commutation (not pardon) of Leonard Peltier’s life sentence. There is some reason to think he was wrongly convicted, but let’s assume not. He had served FIFTY YEARS. Ailing, he was not pardoned or set entirely free; he was remanded to home confinement for his remaining days. (Kind of like moving Ghislaine Maxwell to “Club Fed” — but after 3 years instead of 50.) Is Biden’s decision to grant this change of imprisonment at the end of his presidency in any way comparable to Trump’s pardoning more than 1,500 January 6 rioters and commuting the sentences of 14 others on his first day in office? They were guilty. Many plead that way. Many were sentenced by Trump-appointed judges. Whereas: . . . Amnesty International, which has long campaigned for Peltier’s release noted that former U.S. Attorney James Reynolds, who prosecuted the case, has said Peltier should be freed as well. The judge who oversaw his 1986 appeal, Gerald Heany, has also called for Peltier’s release. Thirty-three members of Congress wrote a letter also urging his release. Did any of the January 6 prosecutors or judges appeal on behalf of those Trump set free? Any members of Congress? I’m pretty sure not. So, as generally happens when I click a link Carl has sent — well-intentioned though it may be — it doesn’t seem to make the case Carl thinks it does. (Yes, immigrants commit some awful, shocking crimes — but at a far lower rate than native-born Americans. Etc.) Finally, today, a word about No Kings #2. You sent me dozens more great signs — MAKE AMERICA ETHICAL AGAIN! THE LYING KING MIKE JOHNSON BLOCKED ME ON GRINDR THEY’RE EATING THE CHECKS / THEY’RE EATING THE BALANCES IN A TIME OF UNIVERSAL DECEIPT, TRUTH-TELLING IS A REVOLUTIONARY ACT — George Orwell MAKE ORWELL FICTION AGAIN! — but what I want to mention is “the mainstream media’s” coverage of the protest. Specifically (because I haven’t had time yet to watch the Sunday shows), NBC’s Weekend News with José Diaz-Balart. He reported “hundreds of thousands” of us taking part across the country — but it was millions. Some of his correspondents reported “thousands” of protestors in their city when it was clearly tens of thousands. And he reported that the 2,500 protests were “largely peaceful” — when in fact all were. How about showing clips of Trump predicting a low turnout, and others warning of riots, and then reporting, “Taken together, the millions who turned out from Florida to Alaska today may have been the largest nationwide protest in American history. And contrary to some predictions, it was entirely peaceful.”
This Was So Fun! October 19, 2025October 19, 2025 I started to wear yellow, but when I looked in the mirror I was torn between my deep, deep desire to save democracy and my deep, deep desire to look good. I chose the latter; but tried to make up for it by bringing hundreds of blue paper clips and five Amazon-bought signs, a tribute to my laziness and lack of creativity. I gave away four and highlighted this one (that’s my thumb): Almost everyone else made their own, which I liked a lot more. Among my dozen favorites: And finally . . . . . . drum roll, please . . . . . . drum roll . . . . . . drum roll . . . . . . drum roll . . . So true! It took two hours to walk two miles. I met a lot of great people and handed out a lot of paperclips. None of my friends joined me, despite caring as much as I do — and I love that. Because think about it: If 7 million of us showed up for No Kings #2 yesterday when most of us didn’t quite make it — the largest protest in American history — there’s the potential for twice as many next time. And three times as many the time after that. Movements take time to build. FINALLY . . . forgive my repeating this, but I think it’s really important: “Antifa” is short for anti-fascist, as Coca Cola is shortened to “Coke.” The only people who oppose anti-fascists — let alone call them “terrorists” — are pro-fascists. If your parents or grandparents were on Hitler’s side in World War II, they were pro-fascist. If they were on our side, they were anti-fascist. Antifa, for short.
Simple And Plain To See October 17, 2025 IT’S THIS SIMPLE “Antifa” is short for anti-fascist, as Coca Cola is shortened to “Coke.” The only people who oppose anti-fascists — let alone call them “terrorists” — are pro-fascists. Or perhaps fascists themselves. If your parents or grandparents were on Hitler’s side in World War II, they were pro-fascist. If they were on our side, they were anti-fascist. Antifa, for short. It’s that simple. IN PLAIN SIGHT Think about it: > The only thing in the 2016 Republican Party platform Trump had changed — the only thing — was its support for Ukraine. The person who wanted that change was the murderous dictator, who would go on to invade Ukraine, with whom Trump enjoys a special relationship.* > He was pleased to address CPAC this year in strongman Viktor Orban’s Hungary — the NATO country widely considered most friendly to Putin. > He spent sat for more than three hours on January 6 watching the Capitol under attack, rebuffing pleas for help, before finally, grudgingly, asking his supporters to go home. He had sworn an oath to defend the Constitution — the foundation of America — but just sat and watched. I could add dozens more bullet points. But c’mon: if you’re anti-fascist, if you love free speech and freedom of the press, if you respect the separation of powers as enumerated in the Constitution — if you prefer democracy over autocracy — doesn’t that mean you love America, not hate it? *Don’t be jealous, if you’re reading this, Kim — he has room in his heart for multiple murderous dictators. Heck, he kept by his bedside a book of speeches by the most murderous of them all. Where are you protesting tomorrow? There’s a rally or march near you! Grab some friends and the kids and — joyfully, peacefully — join us! BONUS Borowitz: Mike Johnson Accuses No Kings Protesters of Blatantly Exercising First Amendment Rights. (No need to read: the headline says it all.)
MAGA HYMC OPRT October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 “America Needs a Mass Movement—Now,” writes Davud Brooks in The Atlantic. “Without one, America may sink into autocracy for decades.” Option One: DON’T READ IT. (It’s long.) If you don’t, you can’t feel bad about choosing not to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Which is Option 2. For example: Join today’s weekly 3pm Indivisible call and gather your friends for the Saturday protest nearest you. A turnout of millions won’t be enough to turn the tide. Not remotely. But it’s an indispensable part of the process, showing the world — and ourselves — that resistance to fascism still runs deep and will ultimately prevail. (Did you take a minute Tuesday to see these signs? They drive home the point.) MAGA Versus Themselves. This minute won’t persuade any MAGAs . . . indeed, mocking them just fans fury. (Case most on point: Look what Obama’s exquisite White House Correspondent’s Dinner performance likely led to.) So don’t share it with your MAGA friends, who are neither fools nor “deplorables.” They’ve just been conned into something deeply unAmerican. HYMC I’m hoping it might triple again from here — who knows? But I finally sold an eighth of my IRA-tax-sheltered shares yesterday at $8.62. Maybe I should have sold more, but you know me and my happy gene. OPRT Will they really earn “$1.10-$1.30” this year, as they have said? I don’t know, but at $5.50, it’s selling at 5X projected earnings. And yesterday’s announcement . . . Oportun Adds Additional Warehouse Capacity, Reduces Warehouse Financing Costs and Pays Down Additional Higher Cost Corporate Debt . . . suggested they are on track. If I didn’t already have so much, I’d buy more.
Artificial Intelligence October 15, 2025 [I’m taking the day off, so letting Jon Stewart, Rex Woodbury, and Andrew Yang do all the work. Well, and Geoffrey Hinton.] Kris M: “John Stewart’s podcast — AI: What Could Go Wrong? with Geoffrey Hinton — is a must-listen for anyone interested in the potential of AI. For the first 50 minutes or so, Professor Hinton explains how AI works and how we got to where we are now. That may be too rudimentary for some; it was absolutely essential for me. Then, he and John Stewart talk about possible future developments. AI is likely to be a major factor, beginning as soon as the 2026 mid-terms. If there’s a way we can make every Senator and Representative listen to this (and pass a quiz administered by Professor Hinton), we should do it. Right now, the decisions coming out of D.C. regarding regulation are being made in ignorance driven by greed.” Related: Rex Woodbury: How to Productize AI Anxiety. Andrew Yang seven years ago: The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future. Andrew Yang this week: On the depletion of Hollywood.
Fight Truth Decay! October 14, 2025October 14, 2025 SATURDAY Find your protest on this map . . . or register your own and invite friends! Bob L.: “I don’t do protests.” Me, neither. But this is different. I’ve done three so far. They’re fun! And way better than sitting home, quietly acquiescing. Here are some signs to inspire you. Make your own (how about: FIGHT TRUTH DECAY! ?). Or just buy one of these. WHY PROTEST WHEN HE IS BRINGING PEACE? His vision of a peaceful, prosperous Middle East is one we all share. To the extent he pulls it off — much to be hoped for though still to be seen — he should be applauded. It would be a huge boon to the world. What he’s done and is doing to this country, on the other hand, has caused tremendous harm and will do much more. Peaceful protest is a must. ENERGY Trump looks backward; China, forward. Why China Built 162 Square Miles of Solar Panels on the World’s Highest Plateau China’s clean energy efforts contrast with the ambitions of the United States under the Trump administration, which is using its diplomatic and economic muscle to pressure other countries to buy more American gas, oil and coal. China is investing in cheaper solar and wind technology, along with batteries and electric vehicles, with the aim of becoming the world’s supplier of renewable energy and the products that rely on it. [L]ast month President Xi Jinping made a stunning pledge. Speaking before the United Nations, he said for the first time that the country would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions across its economy and would expand renewable energy sixfold in coming years. Trump’s Wind Energy Assault Stings Red States reports the Wall Street Journal. Wind provides more than 10% of U.S. electricity, but in Iowa it was responsible for roughly 59% of net generation in 2023, federal data show. Wind turbines, which help reduce local property taxes and make tens of millions in annual lease payments to farmers, help Iowa enjoy some of the lowest electricity prices in the nation. Some Iowa Republicans are increasingly expressing frustration about Trump’s stance on wind. AND, YES: PUTIN IS WINNING We need to talk about Russia, says Carole Cadwalladr. What’s key to remember in all of this is that Russia’s information warfare against the west is exactly that: it’s warfare. It’s a military strategy and it’s been overwhelming successful in the last decade.
That Shoeshine Boy October 12, 2025 But first . . . ASK NOT WHETHER THESE 10 SECONDS WERE GENERATED BY AI They have the ring of truth. WELL, DUH! Trump administration says immigration enforcement threatens higher food prices Of course it does! U.S. farmers face labor shortages and potential food price hikes due to Trump’s immigration policy, the administration acknowledged in a Federal Registry document. And construction prices will be rising, too — just when everyone agrees we badly need workers to build more houses. And all this even before considering the effect of tariffs, which are also making food and construction more expensive. Coffee, anyone? Lumber? JIM DOESN’T WANT DEMOCRATS TO CAVE EVEN IF IT MEANS KEEPING HIM OUT OF WORK LONGER He makes a compelling case (2 minutes). Meanwhile, Kristi Noem abuses her power to tell travelers stuck in airport security lines that the shutdown is the Democrats’ fault. JAMES SCURLOCK’S WARNING More Working-Class Americans Than Ever Are Investing in the Stock Market, reports the Wall Street Journal. Which is three cheers for capitalism, I guess; but it immediately made me think of Joe Kennedy and that shoeshine boy. James Scurlock warns: The United States is in much worse shape than it was in 2008 to deal with what’s coming. That said, the kinds of crazy speculations suggested here from time to time will certainly fall when the market does (as they did Friday) but are largely independent of the economy or the market. In turbulent times, the price of gold can actually rise when the market is falling. HYMC is a potential gold mine. PRKR‘s prospects are almost entirely dependent on the outcome of lawsuits, not the health of the ec0nomy or mood of the market. This analysis from a year ago proved way too bullish but the gist is still the same. If ANIX proves truly to have an effective breast cancer vaccine or ovarian cancer therapy — giant IFs, of course — it would be a home run “regardless.” Similarly, VERU, as suggested here (down 25% since then, adjusted for the one-for-ten reverse split). All of them — and the others — to be bought only with money you can truly afford to lose! Even BOREF is not dead! If WheelTug ever happens (another of those big IFs) it could be big . . . because ground time matters.
He Hates Us October 10, 2025October 10, 2025 ISRAEL/GAZA Fantastic news. Just as the Abraham Accords were a definite bright spot in Trump 1.0, we can only hope this first step toward peace comes off as planned and leads to 19 more. And to a whole new era in the Middle East. GOOD/EVIL Listen to Rep. Bob Onder of Missouri: ” Everything has changed. If we didn’t know it already, there is no longer any middle ground. Some on the American left are undoubtedly well meaning people, but their ideology is pure evil. They hate the good the truth and the beautiful and embrace the evil the false and the ugly. And they literally will kill those with whom they disagree.” Our ideology — affordable health care, equal rights, progressive taxation, consumer protection, soft power earned abroad, free speech, adherence to the Constitution, environmental protection, a minimum wage, reproductive choice, sensible gun safety, a preference for democracy over autocracy — is “pure evil”? We “hate the truth?” So “alternative facts” are the real ones? The Dominion voting machines really were rigged? He never raped — or even met — E. Jean Carroll? But Onder is just one over-zealous Congressman. You’d never hear his leader saying such things. Except that . . . oh, wait . . . you would. The Speaker of the h=House: > Trump Shares Meme Calling Dems the Party of “Hate, Evil and Satan” Amid His Demands for Them to Tone Down Rhetoric > Trump Straight-Up Says He Hates Democrats BOREF Still alive and kicking: How WheelTug is Contributing to Ground Efficiency and Easing Airport Congestion. With a $7.5 million market cap, the stock can fall 100%. But there remains some slim chance they will raise the funds needed to gain FAA certification. One day, it could sport a market cap 100X as high.
HOPE GOLD PRKR ANIX CHEESE October 9, 2025October 9, 2025 HOPE How To Save The American Experiment It’s not at all clear we can — Putin has been winning for a long time now — and the author doesn’t provide a specific road map. But we’ve been here before, a century ago. At the outset of the 1920s, a wave of attempted assassinations and political violence crested alongside new barriers to immigration, a campaign of deportations and a government crackdown on dissenting speech. America was fresh off a pandemic in which divisive public health measures yielded widespread anger and distrust. Staggering levels of economic inequality underlaid a fast-changing industrial landscape and rapidly evolving racial demographics. Influential voices in the press warned that a crisis of misinformation in the media had wrecked the most basic democratic processes. Even presidential elections eerily converge. In 1920, national frustration over an infirm and aging president helped sweep the Democratic Party out of the White House in favor of a Republican candidate offering the nostalgic promise of returning America to greatness, or at least to normalcy. A faltering President Woodrow Wilson gave way to Warren Harding and one-party control over all three branches of the federal government. Yet what is striking about the 1920s is that, unlike the German interwar crisis, America’s dangerous decade led not to fascism and the end of democracy but to the New Deal and the civil rights era. Across the sequence of emergencies that followed — the Great Depression and eventually World War II — the United States ushered in an era of working-class political empowerment and prosperity. The nation ended Jim Crow in the South and established free speech with court-backed protections for the first time in its history. It is an interesting read by the author of The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America. GOLD With the metal topping $4,000 an ounce, our HYMC has more than doubled since discussed here in June. I still think it could be a gold mine. See also (though only vaguely related to our stock’s prospects) Paul Krugman yesterday: Ingots We Trust. PRKR It has jumped as well, presumably on this recent news: ParkerVision Granted Rule 54(b) Motion in Qualcomm Patent Case, Paving the Way for Immediate Federal Circuit Appeal. One of its directors reportedly exercised options to purchase 800,000 more shares. Endless waiting can often lead . . . nowhere. And with so many shares now outstanding, the once dreamt of $10+ per share now seems fanciful. But 5X or 10X from today’s 38 cents does not strike me as impossible, so I’m dreaming about that instead; albeit only with money I can truly afford to lose. ANIX This one is also showing signs of life: Anixa Biosciences Announces Completion of Final Patient Visit in Breast Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trial. It will be interesting to see what sort of results they report December 11. Not to mention last month’s headline: Anixa Biosciences and Moffitt Cancer Center Complete Dosing of Fourth Cohort in Ovarian Cancer CAR-T Clinical Trial; Multiple Patients Surpassing Median Expected Survival. With a market cap under $200 million, the upside — for those with gambling money they can truly afford to lose — would seem to be a little bit enormous. CHEESE As promised . . . When in Parma, see how it’s made. We learned that each cow produces something on the order of 30 liters of milk a day. Could that be true? It must be exhausting! The family cheese makers we visited contract with seven farms for the 9,000 gallons (liters? I should have taken notes) they receive each day (week?) in order to produce 18 wheels of cheese a day. (Of that, I’m quite sure.) Each weighs about 60kg at first, but as the saltwater they’ve soaked in dries, they get lighter — about 40 kg after a year (88 pounds), and even a little less if you buy a two- or three-year aged wheel. THE MILK GETS PUMPED INTO VATS EARLY IN THE MORNING BY THE TIME I’M AWAKE, THE CHEESMAKER HAS GONE HOME AND THE VATS ARE SPOTLESS THE WHEELS FLOAT IN BRINE FOR A FEW DAYS (WEEKS?). SOMEBODY TURNS THEM EVERY SO OFTEN SO THEY GET SOAKED ALL OVER: THEN EACH GETS TIGHTLY WRAPPED WITH A SORT OF BRAILLE SLEEVE . . . . . . TO IMPRINT THE DATE AND PLACE ON THE RIND: AN INSPECTOR COMES EVERY THREE MONTHS TO TAP EACH WHEEL WITH A MALLET, LIKE YOUR DOCTOR TAPPING YOUR CHEST, AND GRADES EACH ONE AS #1 (GOOD) #2 (GOOD ENOUGH) OR #3 (SELL IT FOR PIZZA OR SOMETHING) THOUGH ONLY ABOUT 10% OF THE WHEELS ARE DEEMED INSUFFICIENTLY DENSE TO EARN THEIR LABEL (SEE THE LITTLE MALLET? SHE’S NOT THE INSPECTOR, SHE’S THE GRAND-DAUGHTER OF THE ORIGINAL CHEESEMAKER GIVING THE TOUR) THEN THE WHEELS GO INTO THE GIANT ADJACENT WAREHOUSE TO JOIN 10,000 OTHERS TO SIT IN 80% HUMIDITY AND JUST THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE FOR ONE OR TWO OR THREE OR EVEN MORE YEARS: AND THEN WE EAT I forgot to take a picture of that.