Next Draft - The Skeptic Tank
I'm searching for the right word to describe the Supreme Court's reaction to Colorado's citing of the 14th Amendment to remove Trump from the ballot. Dubious? Doubtful? Incredulous? Mistrustful? Suspicious? Unconvinced? Wait, I think I've got it: Skeptical. I saw that word in nearly every headline covering Thursday's oral arguments. "Their main concern was whether Congress must act before states can invoke a constitutional provision that was adopted after the Civil War to prevent former officeholders who 'engaged in insurrection' from holding office again. There also were questions about whether the president is covered by the provision. Without such congressional legislation, Justice Elena Kagan was among several justices who wanted to know 'why a single state should decide who gets to be president of the United States.'" The Supreme Court seems poised to reject efforts to kick Trump off the ballot over the Capitol riot. In the face of all this skepticism, a little cynicism is in order. So allow me... There's today's SCOTUS hearing on the 14th Amendment, there are the Jack Smith Cases, there's the Georgia Case, there are the NY cases, but in the end, the big, horrific problem facing America is that one political party still massively supports a treacherous, deranged, criminal. No court case can undo that reality.
2This Bet is a Lock"The world of gambling, once so anathema that the NFL refused to air a television ad for Las Vegas, has become woven directly into the fabric of pro sports. Online sportsbooks like FanDuel Inc. and DraftKings Inc. — which allow bettors to wager on games straight from their phones — have signed big-money sponsorships with major leagues, feeding casual TV viewers a constant stream of gambling analysis and oddsmaking. The bookies that once haunted Old Las Vegas are now in your pocket, leaving the city free to host the games directly." Bloomberg (Gift Article): Once a Sports Desert, Las Vegas Bets Big on Luring Pro Leagues. 3Money Talks (and Talks)One of the weirder aspects of our weird era is that people who have the biggest, loudest, and most covered voices are often the biggest and loudest voices of concern over free speech. William D. Cohan on one aspect of this weirdness in the NYT (Gift Article): How Loud Billionaires Convert Their Wealth Into Power. "Whether you think Mr. Ackman is a billionaire blowhard or a courageous iconoclast, he is part of a paradigm shift in social media in which rich people are increasingly able to convert financial capital into social capital. He’s hardly even the first or most outrageous beneficiary of this unfortunate reality: That distinction probably belongs to his fellow billionaires Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who, like Mr. Ackman, have also discovered that unfiltered, limitless social media platforms are heaven for those with unconventional opinions and God complexes." (I've got both of those and I still can't seem to go viral.) 4Metal Medal Mettle"It's the opportunity for the athletes to bring back a piece of Paris with them ... The absolute symbol of Paris and France is the Eiffel Tower." Eiffel Tower metal will be included in Olympics and Paralympics medals. (Let's hope they don't take it from the bottom.) 5Extra, ExtraIraq and a Hard Place: "A leader of Kataib Hezbollah and two of his guards were in a vehicle when it was targeted in the east of the Iraqi capital. All three of them died. The Pentagon said the commander was responsible for directing attacks on American forces in the region." US drone strike kills Iran-backed militia leader in Baghdad. 6Bottom of the News"A lawsuit filed on Tuesday accuses Walmart and Post Consumer Brands of hiding boxes of Snoop Cereal and incorrectly saying it was out of stock." Snoop Dogg and Master P sue Walmart over cereal sabotage claim. (Hopefully this will be resolved quickly because for some reason, I'm starving.) Read my 📕, Please Scream Inside Your Heart, or grab a 👕 in the Store. |
Older messages
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Servitude
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Congressional Follies, Walk 'n Talk Therapy
Raising Cain
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Shooter's Mom Guilty, Trump No Immune.
Just Duet
Monday, February 5, 2024
An American Song, California's Drenched
Made in the Shade
Friday, February 2, 2024
Shading the Earth, Weekend Whats, Feel Good Friday
What Episode Are You On?
Thursday, February 1, 2024
National Obsession, A Biden Doctrine?
You Might Also Like
How Amazon’s new office mandate will impact Seattle traffic | Smartsheet COO resigns
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Port of Seattle won't pay bitcoin ransom | Videos show remains of OceanGate Titan sub ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: Get your ticket for AWS re:Invent, happening Dec. 2–6 in Las Vegas.:
☕ Hot to go
Thursday, September 19, 2024
How Smokey Bear comes to life online. September 19, 2024 Marketing Brew PRESENTED BY Roku It's Thursday. Pizza Hut is letting people put their résumés on pizza boxes to send to potential employers.
☕ Weed the people
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Cannabis retail and the presidential election. September 19, 2024 Retail Brew Hey there, it's Thursday and a sad day after iconic container brand Tupperware filed for bankruptcy amid mounting
The Fed slashes interest rates.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
What to make of the Fed's larger-than-expected 0.5% interest rate cut. The Fed slashes interest rates. What to make of the Fed's larger-than-expected 0.5% interest rate cut. By Isaac Saul • 19
Paging The Hague: Israel’s Exploding Electronics Might Be War Crimes
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Experts on international law pointed to the indiscriminate nature of the blasts in Lebanon and the prohibition on booby traps. Most Read The National Guard Knows Its Armories Have Dangerous Lead
Beam us up some support, Scotty!
Thursday, September 19, 2024
The Conversation tells you about everything space-related, astronomical and more
Multiverse Islands
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Somewhere in the multiverse, a copy of you is enjoying more great reading every day Multiverse Islands By Caroline Crampton • 19 Sept 2024 View in browser View in browser Walking Faroe Islands Chris
📺 ‘Agatha All Along’ More Than Pays Off
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Plus: NASA's Artemis I mission brought back some very practical — and promising — information about protecting astronauts from radiation. Inverse Daily The 'WandaVision' spinoff takes cues
Deadly reminder that phones are ultimate tracking device
Thursday, September 19, 2024
+ what Fed rate cut means for the economy
Harris' Turn To The Dark (Money) Side
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Despite a history of decrying dark money, Harris is now reaping the rewards of big, secret political donations. Kamala Harris once vowed to end dark money in politics. But now that she's benefiting