March 2, 2025

Watching Rachel which is a rerun from yesterday. I'm even more frightened and pissed.

She is running through the actions taken to benefit Russia and here’s what I remember:

Bondi shut down the group that tracked Russian Sanctions violators
Bondi shut down the Russian cyber attack investigative unit
Head of CIA sent an unencrypted email to the White House with operatives names in it.
Trump’s real estate buddy had a 3.5 hour meeting with Putin and came home and said Ukraine started the war
Russia Kremlin/ media guy was in the Oval Office for the disgraceful Fiasco yesterday despite him not being on the approved Media list

Please correct me I misheard anything.

March 1, 2025

My public service announcement after speaking with tax accountant

Just met with a new tax accountant and I wanted to share this advice:

*Anything that is mailed in will take much longer to process
*Do everything online if possible
*Get an ID Pin so that only you or your accountant with your pin can file a return. He has a client whose identity was stolen and now every year has to file an identity theft affidavit which is a manual process for the IRS. I followed all the steps including first getting a meID and uploading a picture Id (drivers license, passport, government issued picture ID). I did it by using my iPad but when it came time to click on a link they give you via text to upload and take. Selfie I used my iphone. You will be given a new pin each year. It took me about 10 mins to do it all. If you aren’t big on online transactions get someone you trust to help you if you want the protection.

https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin

My 2 cents:
*Once you have the meID and log into IRS.gov and make payments if you owe or if you do estimated payments. After I retired at first I mailed mine in, now I do it electronically.
*Do not keep your SS card in your wallet! I took my sister to the Dr recently and right there for all to see and possibly become a purse snatcher’s dream was her SS card. So, that with her Driver's license = Identity theft for the so inclined

Best wishes!

February 28, 2025

I wouldn't blame the non-dictator nations if they sanctioned the US for aiding and abetting Russia.

February 24, 2025

New DeNiro series on Netflix is a political thriller that is excellent with some references to today's environment.

I didn’t post this in the Lounge because I wanted to mention tie ins to today’s political environment.

February 14, 2025

One of my favorite local Mexican/Indigenous restaurants was targeted by federal agents.

https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/021225_la_indita_ice/ice-probes-tucson-restaurant-la-indita-known-indigenous-focus-activism/

When Denise Schafer arrived at her restaurant on Tuesday afternoon, three federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations, a part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, were waiting in the lobby for her.

As the Trump administration launches a "shock and awe" program aimed at undocumented migrants and legal immigrants with criminal records, enlisting agents from across federal law enforcement to fill quotas, ICE agents in Tucson have engaged in targeted arrests and launched investigations into a number of small businesses.

Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, an employee at La Indita — a Tucson stalwart that has served Mexican and Indigenous-style food for more than 40 years — called Schafer to tell her the ICE agents were at the eatery and were asking questions about employees.

Schafer and Shawn Soulsby, the operations manager, called their attorney and rushed to the business on North Stone Avenue.

When they arrived, the agents handed Schafer paperwork, but there were errors on the original, which had been haphazardly scratched out and rewritten by hand, she said.

Schafer said she felt "intimidated" because the agents showed up in the middle of the day, not wearing uniforms and pushed her to sign paperwork and give her ID. However, they were stymied by attorney Stacy Scheff, who "kind of stopped them in their tracks and said that the paperwork that they had was didn't look legit."

Schafer said the lead agent, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said he wasn't with ICE — HSI's parent agency. The other agents, both young and "much more intimidating physically" were along for training, she said.

February 9, 2025

Thank you DUers for your insight, support, kindness and now hearts!

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🩷🩷🩷🩷❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙

January 31, 2025

LA Times changes slant of an OpEd against RFK Jr and gives it a pro RFK Jr title

https://www.rawstory.com/rfk-jr-la-times/

A medical expert recently sent the Los Angeles Times a blistering editorial condemning the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department -- and now he's claiming that the paper changed it to give it a pro-Trump spin.

Eric Reinhart, an anthropologist, psychoanalyst and psychiatry resident at Northwestern University, came out swinging after the paper ran what was supposed to have been his anti-RFK Jr. editorial with the headline "Trump’s healthcare disruption could pay off — if he pushes real reform."

Writing on X, Reinhart directly called out billionaire LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, who promoted the editorial on the same platform using what Reinhart said was blatantly misleading framing.

January 23, 2025

Ask egomaniacal, psychopathic billionaires to play nice. What could go wrong?

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/musk-clashes-openai-ceo-sam-202634686.html

Elon Musk is clashing with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the Stargate artificial intelligence infrastructure project touted by President Donald Trump, the latest in a feud between the two tech billionaires that started on OpenAI's board and is now testing Musk's influence with the new president.

January 7, 2025

It irks me to hear Mike Johnson and John Thune eulogize President Jimmy Carter.

It’s heartbreaking hearing such hypocrites eulogize such a decent, caring, smart, kind, forward thinking, actual Christian who walked the talk.

November 25, 2024

Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-picks-scott-bessent-the-investor-favorite-for-treasury-secretary-000710469.html

President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday evening that investor Scott Bessent will be his nominee for Treasury secretary, picking a campaign trail partner and early frontrunner for the job after a long and contentious process.

Trump called him "one of the World's foremost International Investors" in his announcement, adding that he is "a strong advocate of the America First agenda."


Bessent beat out a series of other candidates from former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to Apollo Global Management (APO) CEO Marc Rowan to cap a drawn-out process that saw candidates’ chances seem to rise and fall by the day. (Disclosure: Yahoo Finance is owned by Apollo Global Management).

Assuming he is indeed nominated and then confirmed, Bessent will face the difficult challenge in the months ahead of simultaneously working to calm US and global markets while also being tasked with selling many of the president-elect's economic plans.

The issue is that many of those ideas remain unpopular in business world corners — specifically renewed tariffs and, perhaps, increased deficit spending.