What a week. Putin threatened the entire world with nuclear strikes and it barely caused a murmur on the news.
Trump declared a trade war and already the blowback is affecting our economy; Mexico buys corn from Brazil instead of the US, a major appliance manufacturer has stopped plans to build a quarter of a billion dollar plant in the U.S., and the EU has placed 100% tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
But there were some winners, too. Trump’s advisor Carl Icahn saved millions by serendipitously divesting from steel and his Russian friend (handler?) Oleg Deripaska jumped from aluminum to nickel and palladium right before Trump announced those steel and aluminum tariffs. Lucky them! You and I, however, are going to pay as inflation hits like a ton of bricks since everything is going to cost more from cars to beer. Lucky us!
Republicon Senate leader Mitch McConnell is bent on teaching those whippersnapper kids who is boss; he shelved gun control debate and moved to banking reform. That of course, means removing regulations that keep banks from stealing our money.
Puerto Rico was plunged into darkness again as their fragile electric grid collapsed, and there is no relief in sight for their misery.
At 405 days into his presidency, Trump spent his 100th day at Mar-a-Lago at our expense; so far to the tune of about a $100 million dollars. Ben Carson spent $31,000 on a dining room set after cutting $6 billion from housing for those in need.
Meanwhile, we find that Trump’s chief advisor, son-in-law Jared, has been using his office to reward countries who favor him with money and to punish those who do not. His other trusted advisor, daughter Ivanka, is being investigated for illegal money laundering in Panama, and the understaffed White House is still shedding personnel like a dog sheds fur in summer.
Crises abound the world over that requires a United State president who is a true leader; instead we have a man consumed with his hair, FOX teevee and celebrity Twitter fights; now he wants to be our Papa Doc for Life.
Frightening times.