No. Trump is paralyzed. A durable negotiated ceasefire results in a loss by the U.S., recognizing a strategic mistake of the military attack of Iran. There is insufficient political support for a ground invasion with the goal of regime change. And the status quo causes economic deterioration.
The year before, in 1985, Trump signed Doug Flutie to play for the USFL New Jersey Generals. He over paid paying over $8 million. Then Trump unsuccessfully tried to get the other USFL franchises to chip in to reduce his cash outlay.
The company incurred $1.6 billion of debt to pay stockholders. Trump took away $32 million. Over 2,000 Holiday employees lost their jobs. When Trump tried this tactic repeatedly, Wall Street caught in that he could not follow through. He lost credibility and was ignored.
The playbook is very old. Refer to the greenmail by Trump of Holiday Corporation. He acquired five percent of the outstanding stock financed by debt. He pretended to Wall Street that he had the means to acquire the company. He did not. But the company took his threat seriously.
Let me guess: time table is two weeks.
Empathy is not the same thing as being non-judgmental. The latter is easiest to achieve by simply be apathetic. Empathy, is contrast, requires actual work, and becomes all the more important if you believe that life constantly demands we make judgments but care about their meaning and consequences.
Frankenstein (1910). Kind of wild to consider that its release is closer in time to the publication of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel than to the present day
John Mark Comer’s advice for lost, phone-addicted young Christians might sound like that of any viral wellness personality—but he has a unique framing: the practices of Jesus. @nancywalecki.bsky.social spoke with the pastor and spent six months trying his practices.
Much of the internet is still maintained by small teams of dedicated, human bug-fixers. Powerful AI models are now putting them under huge strain.
Premature assessment. Iran controls the Strait. U.S. Naval forces are still in place.
chart showing Number of potential FTB families by how long it would take them to save for a 5 per cent deposit on a starter home if they saved 5 per cent of their current income after tax and housing costs: GB, 2025-26 nowcast
One-fifth of potential home buyers would need to save for at least a decade to have enough for a deposit.
Read 'Credit where credit's due' here ⤵️ buff.ly/0OaFqsX
Breaking News The S&P 500 hit a record high as investors appeared to be treating an end to the war in Iran as a foregone conclusion.
The US is hoping its blockade will cause oil-hungry China to pressure Iran to come to the negotiation table, but China has reserves of more than a billion barrels
Breaking News: War in the Middle East has upended the global economy, the International Monetary Fund warned in a report, raising the possibility of a worldwide recession.
Consumer sentiment is at the lowest level ever. This is not what you’d predict given inflation, GDP, spending data. But one variable from UMich sheds some light on the subject: the percent of people who are saying prices are nominally high is at an ATH.
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-04-12...
The percentage of Americans who think their personal finances are fine has not substantially changed in the last decade - most people are doing fine!
What has shifted is people's evaluation of the local and (moreso) national economy.
www.federalreserve.gov/publications...
I have eight zones of speakers. One Arcam and two Sonos amps. Bowers and Wilkins towers and subwoofer. Sonos sound bars and two portable speaker. Several ceiling speakers. A 65 and 55 OLED display panels.
Have central banks (through end-2025) diversified out of the US dollar? Yes, no, and "it depends" #EconSky
econbrowser.com/archives/202...
Americans’ paychecks are falling into their gas tanks.
Consumer prices in March rose at their fastest annual pace in two years thanks to the Iran war, which sent gas prices skyrocketing. The surge has quickly eaten away at earnings.
A look at the impact: on.wsj.com/4dZ8FzB
The Quiet Revival report was retracted after YouGov acknowledged problems with bogus survey respondents. In this NYT story, I comment on why the initial report got so much attention.
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/world/europe/...
Building homes that empty-nesters *want* to downsize into should be a centerpiece of grand zoning strategy going forward
The Dallas Fed trimmed mean inflation gauge suggests firm February PCE inflation reflected larger increases in a smaller subset of items.
Trimmed mean PCE inflation printed at a 1.8% annualized rate in February.
The 12-month reading fell to 2.3%, the lowest since August 2021.
Women in Their 20s May Not Be Having Babies, but by 45 Most Probably Will
The record-low U.S. birthrate could be temporary. (gift link)
www.nytimes.com/2026/04/09/u...
“If we look at oil markets today, the dollar is still far and away the dominant currency that's used. But there has been some erosion and most of that erosion has taken place with countries that have been sanctioned by the US,” says Professor @danielmcdowell.bsky.social. @supolisci.bsky.social
General, you are very familiar with the president’s authority and the military order process to use nuclear weapons. Would you please address this subject in the context of the war with Iran?
