Lotta Stuff — No Kings #2 September 5, 2025September 5, 2025 Job growth down, prices up (bought coffee beans lately? up 59% from a year ago?), stagflation looms. But at least he ended the wars in Ukraine and Gaza — on Day One, no less — and shortly thereafter pardoned the violent January 6th attackers who aimed to kill the Vice President . . . and is now giving kids a better chance of developing measles immunity the old-fashioned way, by contracting it. Jonathan Alter argues that Trump is more a mob boss than a dictator. But why not both? And a murderer, to boot: When the Court Says Trump Is Above the Law, Who Protects the Eleven Dead on That Boat? If Hartmann’s account is accurate, it was “a small vessel that couldn’t possibly travel as far as America.” So why did we kill those Venezuelans? Isn’t murder something Americans mostly oppose? He’s so strong! So macho! (A man’s man! Grab ’em by the pussy!) And so . . . Trump to rebrand Defense Department as War Department To which news VoteVets reacted: Let us remind you, though at this point you already know. Donald Trump never served. Never wore the uniform. Matter of fact, he did everything he could to avoid serving. Dodged the draft multiple times, a real Fortunate Son. Even called dodging STDs in the 80s his personal Vietnam. That matters today, and here’s why: World War Two was the deadliest war in human history. Nearly 100 million people were killed, civilian and military. War is hell, and after World War Two people started to recognize that war should only be waged as a last resort. American leaders, both civilian and military, named the Department of War the Department of Defense because they recognized the truth — war is hell. Defense, not war, should be our priority. But Trump’s an idiot, a coward with soft hands and a silver spoon. Only somebody who dodged the draft five times and let somebody else go in his place would want to command the Department of War. It might sound insignificant with everything else happening, but this kind of thing is still important. It’s about how this nation perceives itself and is perceived by the world. Project strength, prioritize peace, and resort to war when you have no other option. As long as we have breath in our lungs, VoteVets is going to fight this. Changing the name of the Department of Defense requires an act of Congress, and we’ll fight like hell to make sure that act never passes. If you can, make a donation and so we can gear up our team and stop this. No Department of War. BACK TO BUSINESS Sick Profits: How Healthcare Companies Have Gotten Richer From The Trump Tax Cuts While Submitting Their Customers And Patients To Higher Costs And Substandard Care CNF One of those stocks many of us bought with money we could truly afford to lose announced terrible First Half of 2025 Unaudited Financial Results. The only bright side is that it has done a 1-for-10 reverse split. Ordinarily, that makes no logical difference — instead of 10 dimes, we have one dollar — but with CNF, the 2-cent-a-share annual custodial fee we’ve been charged — which seemed fairly trivial when the stock was $3 or $4 and I hoped it would quintuple — has become crazy high, percentage-wise, as the stock did the opposite and fell ever lower. I’m holding my shares (bought a few more yesterday at 25 cents, which is now a tenth as many at $2.50) in hopes of a recovery. But only with money I can truly afford to lose — because, so far, and on paper, boy have I ever! HYMC This crazy speculation, by contrast, is doing better. It’s rallied nicely of late, perhaps in part because some people see gold going even higher — JP Morgan: Gold could surge as high as $4,250 next year amid uncertainty over Fed — and perhaps in part because investors are heartened by recent news and what the company sees as its significant potential. I’m not selling. SIGN UP! There were 5 million of us at the first one. October 18 there should be more: October 18 — No Kings #2 Start making your sign and recruiting friends to join you. Saving democracy can be fun. Have a great weekend!