The Energy, Market, And Political Page, T+43 -- December 18, 2018 -- It Looks Like Trump Blinked; Space Is "Officially" Militarized

December 18, 2018, T+43: it looks like Trump blinked on the wall. Instead, US State Dept gives Mexico $5 billion in aid, to help stabilize southern Mexico. So, we've gone from [not providing] $5 billion to strengthen our own southern border to giving Mexico $5 billion to strengthen their southern border. LBJ knew that when he "lost" Walter Cronkite, he lost his presidency. Some weeks ago, Trump lost Tucker Carlson.

Global warming: I assume before the year is over, President Trump will give in to his daughter Ivanka and support the Paris Protocol on global warming. The US still has an outstanding IOU / pledge of $3 billion to transfer to poor nations in the name of global warming.

George Carlin: said he did not vote. He said it did not matter. History is proving him correct. On almost every "issue" it appears we are about back to where we were November 7, 2016. The only good news that might yet come out of the Trump presidency: at least Hillary did not get elected.

Flynn: I have very little understanding of the "Flynn" case but any US general officer doing "business" with Turkey that is not directed by POTUS or DOD probably ranks right up there with Benedict. From a news story:

Later in the hearing, though, [Judge] Sullivan ripped into Flynn, calling his plea "very serious" and accusing him of being an unregistered agent of a foreign country [Turkey] while serving as national seucrity adviser.

The judge even asked prosecutors if Flynn could have been charged with treason, which they hesitated to answer.

"Arguably, you sold your country out," Sullivan told Flynn, saying he would not hide his "disgust" or "disdain" for the offense.

Protecting their own: those ethics charges against Brett Kavanaugh? Chief Justice Roberts hands the case off to federal court which handles cases in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. That court, the Tenth Circuit Court, says it's not in their jurisdiction. Blows off the charges and that's that last we will hear of that. No link; "blogger" blocks links that that site.

Pompeo: in the big scheme of things, Trump may be correct that this has all been a witch-hunt, but more and more, the president and some of his best folks are coming down on the wrong side of how some of his supporters see things. 

Ryan Zinke: incredibly disappointing.

2020: Pence vs Beto? Unlikely. But not ruling it out.

Theme song for 2019:



Space Command: I spoke too soon. Space is "officially" militarized. Trump to establish the nation's eleventh "combatant command":

The science is settled: