Mon Blogcast: Food tariffs; Nickel for your thoughts; Broncos recap(s)

Just One Thing: Trump says release the Epstein Files

I've long believed that it's unlikely that there is very bad information in the "Epstein Files" about Trump. For one thing, if it were there, the Biden people likely would have leaked it to impact the 2024 election. If anything, there might be potentially harmful or embarrassing stuff about business; that strikes me as more likely than stuff about underage girls despite what we know about Trump and women. So why did he go from (lukewarm) support of releasing the information to aggressively opposing it? Don't know if we'll ever get the answer to that. Maybe he really did just think that the release, even if it wouldn't hurt him, was another example of a Democrat "hoax" that he didn't want them to get away with. Again, I don't know. But now that the discharge petition -- to require a vote on releasing the information -- passed (with 4 Republican votes), the actual vote is likely to get dozens, even over 100 Republican votes. And therefore, we get this news: Trump demands release of Epstein files in U-turn

Trump on social media: "As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat “Shutdown.” The Department of Justice has already turned over tens of thousands of pages to the Public on “Epstein,” are looking at various Democrat operatives (Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, Larry Summers, etc.) and their relationship to Epstein, and the House Oversight Committee can have whatever they are legally entitled to, I DON’T CARE! All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT, which is the Economy, “Affordability” (where we are winning BIG!), our Victory on reducing Inflation from the highest level in History to practically nothing, bringing down prices for the American People, delivering Historic Tax Cuts, gaining Trillions of Dollars of Investment into America (A RECORD!), the rebuilding of our Military, securing our Border, deporting Criminal Illegal Aliens, ending Men in Women’s Sports, stopping Transgender for Everyone, and so much more! Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory. Some “members” of the Republican Party are being “used,” and we can’t let that happen. Let’s start talking about the Republican Party’s Record Setting Achievements, and not fall into the Epstein “TRAP,” which is actually a curse on the Democrats, not us. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

The reasoning is obvious:

First, by taking the side that's obviously going to win, Trump ends up being a winner or at least, given that everyone sees the timing here, much less of a loser. (That's probably the most important thing for him.)

Second, he avoids putting Republican members of Congress in a slightly difficult position of voting against Trump's desires

Third, and related, he allows more Republicans, i.e. those who would have voted Trump's way rather than voting the way their districts would have wanted or their consciences (to the extent they still have any) would have directed, to vote to release the information and removes it as an election issue for all of them. The closer this is to a massively bipartisan "yea" (yes) vote, the more the issue is taken off the table as a bludgeon against Trump (as long as there's no important negative information, and so far there isn't. The Dem attempt last week to make Trump look bad by releasing three emails got traction within Dem circles for a couple of days and then faded because it was so transparently cherry-picked and edited in a way to raise the most suspicion.)

I do have concern that the release of the files will include names of people who were loosely in the Epstein orbit but didn't have anything important to do with him nor with his underage sex-trafficking yet nevertheless get tarnished by association with the guy, including association well before anybody knew about Epstein's evil-doings. I hope that such names will be redacted but I'm not optimisitc.

By the way, I don't really have an opinion on this, but what if he’s innocent? Clearly it's possible, but is it probable? Or was this an act?

'I can't take any more of this': Prince Andrew allegedly pleaded with Epstein to deny allegations - ABC News

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One More Thing: Is there a unifying principle for Republicans (or for Democrats)?

Some friends of mine were discussing why Republicans have been doing so badly in elections over most of the past decade. One of the thoughts was that the GOP is in need of a unifying principle that candidates and voters can rally around. I have thoughts...

Please read (and subscribe for free) to my Substack:

Can there be Republican (or Democratic) unity?

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Today's Guests

Three guests (one in each hour of the show) to talk about Sunday's Broncos-Chiefs game: 6:09 AM Rick Lewis, 7:19 AM Susie Wargin, 8:17 AM Dave Logan.

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Amanda Dixon is Counsel at the Becket Fund representing Catholic parents and preschools who are suing the state to get equal access to state funding for "universal" preschool.

Amanda Dixon - Becket

Catholic parents and preschools ask Supreme Court for equal treatment - Becket

St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy - Becket

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Other Stuff

President Trump just lowered tariffs on about 1000 items, many of which are food and many of which relate to pharmaceutical production. The list is here: annex.pdf

I think he had to do this but it's not without real risk for him as you can read about in my Substack: "Tariffs don't raise prices. Oh, wait, we need to lower tariffs to make things more affordable."

Trump Implements Major Rollback of Food Tariffs - WSJ

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Most folks won't have it top of mind...because I think foreign policy is interesting and important. In this case, I saw all three of these stories about Latin America on Google News's home page at the same time and thought that itself was notable. And all three have a common thread: a population upset about crime and violence in their countries:

Chile votes for next president in contest dominated by crime and migration fears | Chile | The Guardian

Thousands protest crime and corruption in Mexico City as 'Gen Z' protests gain momentum

Peru’s Indigenous guards battle coca growers in the Amazon : NPR

Speaking of Peru...but also of Colorado: Douglas County teacher removed from US to Peru: ICE officials | FOX31

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It does feel like Weiser is catching up after Bennet seemed to have a significant initial lead. That said, my take is more of a hunch than being based on data. Why Weiser has an advantage over Bennet to become Colorado's next governor | CALDARA - Denver Gazette

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I get the concept but it really only makes sense if you don’t understand the mortgage market: Portable mortgages explained: What they are and how they work | New York Post

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This may sound crazy, but I think I believe her -- at least a little: Marjorie Taylor Greene apologizes, says she’s turning a new leaf after years of divisive comments in CNN interview | CNN Politics

Of course she also posted a "question" on social media trying to tie the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC to Trump's wanting to suppress the Epstein Files. Seems like more of the populist MAGA right and far-rights ongoing dalliance with antisemitism.

But Trump isn't playing along: (16) Commentary: Trump Truth Social Posts On X on X: "Wacky Marjorie “Traitor” Brown (Remember, Green turns to Brown where there is ROT involved!) is working overtime to try and portray herself as a victim when, in actuality, she is the cause of all of her own problems. The fact is, nobody cares about this Traitor to our Country!" / X

That statement from Trump is interesting in the context of his statement (a little further down on this page) about Thomas Massie getting married. Really low, angry, and unnecessary...makes me think the guy is feeling a lot of pressure right now and lashing out everywhere. (And of course both of them were instigators and supporters of the Epstein discharge petition so, again, he says he doesn't care if the information is released but he's not acting that way.)

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AI is changing everything and seems to pose significant risk to creators. The headlines about this song are all over the place but the truth is a little different, per the second article below:

AI artists blow up on country music chart - Axios Nashville

No, AI Artist Breaking Rust's 'Walk My Walk' Is Not a No. 1 Hit | TIME

This is a scummy comment even for Trump.

Seriously, a serial philanderer who has been found liable for a sexual assault and bragged about grabbing women by the p**sy is going to attack a guy who got married a year after his wife died?

One wonders if it's enough to help Thomas Massie in his primary. There isn't much polling and what little I've seen has Massie running behind a MAGA challenger...but the plurality response is "undecided."

I'm less of a Massie fan than I used to be but nobody deserves a comment like Trump's.

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It still seems to me that this issue won't be as difficult as businesses seem to think. Either round up a price that ends with .X8 or .X9 and down with .X6 or .X7, or just round everything down and make up the loss by raising the prices of a few things by a penny.

Supermarket to host 'Double Exchange Day' for pennies

The Great Penny Debate | NACS

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A few stories about Trump and the economy:

Interesting to get this from Charlie Gasparino at the NY Post. Charlie isn't a Trump shill but is conservative-leaning and working at a publication that often supports Trump: Trump’s dinner with top CEO’s consisted of praising a ‘booming’ economy while addressing tariff concerns | New York Post

This is why Trump's claims of prices going down are falling flat: Affordability for Dummies - by Stephen Roach - Conflict

When Trump touts Walmart's announcement that this year's prepackaged Thanksgiving meal is cheaper than last years, you should immediately ask one basic question: Does it include the same stuff as last year. It absolutely does NOT: Fact check: Cheaper Walmart Thanksgiving meal touted by Trump has fewer items than last year’s | CNN Politics

Walmart Thanksgiving meal basket is 25% cheaper but has half as many items as last year | Fortune

This is the bottom line: White House Hunts for Ways to Lower the Cost of Living - WSJ (and there's not a lot a president can do.)

Trump is absolutely right about this but it is certainly against what much of his base wants to hear or wants to support: Trump destroys Laura Ingraham on H-1B visas; America needs talent 

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The headline, and then how Reuters (and Turkey) framed it (and then deleted their headline after they were rightly criticized):

Standoff over 200 trapped Hamas fighters a key to Gaza negotiations

This is an unfortunate result: Israel allows 200 Hamas terrorists to be deported from Gaza | The Jerusalem Post

Israel should have done everything that Bill Murray did to the gopher tunnel in Caddyshack.

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Amazing...the future of medicine (perhaps): Tiny robots swim through blood, deliver drugs — and then dissolve

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Interesting dynamic between two strong-willed politicians: Marjorie Taylor Green extends an olive branch to Trump after a bitter split.

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This is silly, but I like the story anyway: Lost child found driving stolen golf cart in Palisade | FOX31

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Today's Videos

This made my day

The Louvre better be careful showing too much stuff, lest it get stolen