jerrymahoney

Again no problem. From Marx Brothers Duck Soup (1933): Mrs. Teasdale: Your Excellency! I thought you'd left. Chicolini: [Impersonating Rufus T. Firefly] Oh, no, I no leave. Mrs. Teasdale: But I saw you with my own eyes! Chicolini: Well, who you gonna believe? Me or your own eyes?

Get with the program. That was the plan all along. Karoline Leavitt said so. But per NY Times: White House officials repeatedly tried to suggest that today’s change in policy was a premeditated strategy designed to secure favorable deals. But Trump himself acknowledged that his decision was made in response to the market turmoil, particularly in the bond market. “You have to be flexible,” the president said. “Over the last few days, it looked pretty glum.”

Well that was not the original quote but no problem.

Thank you Steven Cheung WH Communications director and Ms. Karoline Leavitt's boss in the Department of Alternative Facts.

(Per NYTimes) Mr. Trump himself acknowledged that his decision was made in response to the market turmoil, telling reporters Wednesday afternoon that “you have to be flexible,” and that “over the last few days it looked pretty glum.”

Re the backpedaling reference above from NY Times this morning: In announcing the pause, the White House repeatedly tried to suggest it was part of a premeditated strategy. Ms. (Karoline) Leavitt accused reporters of having “failed to see what President Trump is doing here,” and Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, said it was Mr. Trump’s “strategy all along.” Or as Chico (not Groucho) Marx once put it: Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?

REDUX NY Times headline today: Markets soar after Trump backs down on tariffs

NB It was Forbes who noted that team Trump had lied about not knowing the size of Trump's apartment that started the wheels on the NY State civil trial where Trump was fined by the judge $400 million.

Sometimes I just put my hands on my ears and yell (Thai) PLEASE!

What happens at times for me is that I am using an ATM and maybe an involved transaction and there is (usually) a woman at the ATM next to me talking so loud on the phone I can barely think.

The Definitive Net Worth Of Donald Trump Mar 31, 2025 BE — Everyone has an opinion, but Forbes has the answer: $5.1 billion, according to our most recent tally, updated in March. https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/article/the-definitive-networth-of-donaldtrump/

REDUX Because Rush Limbaugh and Roger Ailes at Fox made conservatism cool for stupid people.

From NY Post retelling of NY Times article: Economist Brent Neiman shocked to learn Trump admin used his formula to justify tariffs: ‘Got it wrong’ Published April 8, 2025, 7:06 a.m. A top economist was shocked to learn the Trump administration used his research to justify its hefty tariffs — insisting the White House got his formula “very wrong” and grossly miscalculated the levies for each country. Brent Neiman, a University of Chicago economics professor, said in a New York Times op-ed that President Trump’s sweeping tariff regime should have been roughly four times less if Neiman’s study had been followed correctly. https://nypost.com/2025/04/08/us-news/economist-shocked-to-learn-trump-admin-used-his-formula-to-justify-tariffs-it-got-it-wrong/

From the NY Post link above: The majority of the high court ruled that the plaintiffs, nine non-profit organizations who had sued to reinstate the employees, lacked standing to sue. "The District Court’s injunction was based solely on the allegations of the nine non-profit-organization plaintiffs in this case. But under established law, those allegations are presently insufficient to support the organizations’ standing," the court said in an order.

If it's the NY Post, it must be true. If it's the NY Times, it's: Well, whatabout Hunter's laptop. HUH? From the NY Post link above: And so far, nothing has happened. It’s all speculation about what COULD happen. And what COULD happen is this from Pensacola, FL: Trumps China Tariffs Face Legal Challenges From Conservative Group

I go with this (abbreviated) quote from Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) to explain the topic heading: But you're not crazy, you're mean.

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday ordered President Donald Trump’s White House to lift access restrictions imposed on the Associated Press over the news agency’s decision to continue to refer to the Gulf of Mexico in its coverage. Ruling to take effect on Sunday, giving White House time to appeal White House does not immediately respond U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, ruled the White House must allow AP journalists access to the Oval Office, Air Force One and events held at the White House while the AP’s lawsuit moves forward. <SKIP> "The Court simply holds that under the First Amendment, if the Government opens its doors to some journalists — be it to the Oval Office, the East Room, or elsewhere — it cannot then shut those doors to other journalists because of their viewpoints," McFadden wrote in his ruling. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/judge-lifts-trump-white-house-restrictions-ap-while-lawsuit-proceeds-2025-04-08/

Per NY Times this morning: re: Musk v. Navarro Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, tried to downplay the feud. “Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue,” she told reporters.

Shes wrong too Things could get interesting if it turns out Justice Barrett has no problem ruling on the administration's "wrong side".

Then maybe this will help:

With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806 –1861) How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Uh well, let me see, there's always ... Can you repeat the question?

I will miss photos like this as to is REALLY running the Cabinet meetings:

As modified and attributed to Senator William McKinley Dirksen (even though he claims he never said it): A trillion dollars here and a trillion dollars there, and pretty soon you're talking real money.

Trump version 2 is just getting started.

Noted that Justice Barrett partially joined the dissent.