Let’s say the pre-Trump economy is worth $100 trillion, and a particular billionaire’s share is $2 billion. Let’s say Trump catastrophically decreases the economy’s value to $50 trillion, while increasing corruption such that that Trump is getting more power, and the billionaire’s share is $10 billion.

This is followed by a collapsing market that creates a dip in share prices or private valuation, the assets of which can be bought for pennies on the dollar, eventually leading to that billionaire having $30 billion in a total economy worth $20 trillion.

Win/win for Trump and the billionaire, at the cost of everyone else.

That’s basically what’s happening, and will continue to happen.

Ehhh…The thing about the cycle of violence is it’s a circle. I’d feel better seeing her get just punishment for treason and aiding and abetting murder that lasts the rest of her life with no escape.

Sounds like… You gave up on you? It’s really not important information, but I tried.

When you pinch the ends. You’re effectively bending the two-dimensional space of the paper towel into three dimensional space encompassing the bug.

Put a paper towel flat on a table (long side left to right, if you have a half size towel). Take your pointer finger and thumb on each hand, and touch the left thumb to the bottom left corner of the towel, left pointer to the top left, and mirror on the right hand. Keeping the left-right length of towel taut, slowly pinch both hands. From the side view, the towel’s center will rise on the left-right axis (the U-shape). Finish pinching to complete the motion.

The bug’s center of gravity is above the feet, so it turns out that as long as you keep the paper towel taut, the body is lifted and it quickly attaches its feet to the towel.

For anyone wondering:

Take a paper towel, grip both ends, gently place paper towel over the stinkbug and close both ends keeping the length taut (not putting any pressure or touching where the stinkbug is, just letting the U-shaped fold in the center where you are not touching enclose the stinkbug). Gently twist to seal exits while not squeezing the stinkbug.

You are now holding a paper towel with a non-activated stinkbug. Do what you will with that stinkbug.

Yes, all well and good, and upvoted for the rational response of course.

I understand there are standards. But the enemy of the good is the perfect, and if journalistic standards require perfect evidence and won’t otherwise represent the best-fit explanation, then they are easily exploited by bad actors like Trump who will intentionally withhold perfect evidence. The public good is served by reporting from a reasonable person’s perspective what the most likely explanation is, including the terminology that goes with it. Here, that is a “lie.”

I’d also argue their concern in this case isn’t standards, but legal liability for defamation. At least from a legal perspective, reporters and publications have clear defenses at this point to saying “lie” since regardless of subjective momentary intent, the preponderance of people / jurors should accept contextual evidence of intent like his prior statements.

And even journalistic standards should be addressable by calling it something like an “apparent” lie to allow the possibility of other explanations, while still calling it what it almost certainly is.

I mean, let’s just sit back and observe the stupidly obvious fact that Trump is lowering tariffs to lower grocery store prices, which necessarily confirms Trump knows that creating tariffs raised the grocery store prices, despite that he has said the exact opposite.

So tell me, mainstream media: Did we do it? Did we catch Trump in a lie so logically incontestable that your reporters would feel empowered to finally report it as a “lie”?

[Scans article]

…sigh.

When you think of Elon panting for Trump’s attention, who in turn is acting out of unresolved need for his daddy’s attention, it could be argued our entire democracy is being dismantled to please the dead Fred Trump.

They’re still a corporate entity, and they still want access to markets to make money.

ADL: If it looks like a nazi, and quacks like a nazi, it deserves a bit of grace, the benefit of the doubt, and we should hope for healing and work towards unity in the months and years ahead.

Living in America right now is like being in a room with a dead body.