Locator: 48395QQQ.
.
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Stargate -- From One-Half Trillion To One-Trillion-Dollar Investment In The USA -- March 29, 2025
Locator: 48394LDC.
This was the first mention of Stargate on the blog. Since then we've talked about Stargate three or four times, but I seem to be able to find "only" a half-trillion-dollar commitment. Now, tonight, it's being reported that Softbank is planning to commit $1 trillion in large data centers in the US.
One just hopes the next president doesn't screw up what Trump is envisioning. The good news is that what Trump is envisioning really cannot be done offshore (outside of the US). Maybe we'll talk about that someday.
Parting Shot -- Saturday -- March 29, 2025
Locator: 48393SOCIALSECURITY.
There's a story out there that says for a spouse to receive spousal social security benefits, he/she must provide a certified copy of the marriage certificate.
So, is that true? Does that mean the "end" of common law marriages?
Nope, google it. The SSA still recognizes common law marriages and the requirements for "proving" a common law marriage are about as lax as requirements to prove one's citizenship when voting in federal elections.
Schadenfreude -- March 29, 2025
Locator: 48392GERMANY.
This graph is meaningless -- okay, it's not meaningless but it's of limited value when provided out of context. But it sure is interesting. We knew Germany was in trouble but we did not know to what extent. Schadenfreude.
Great News! The Blogs Are In Great Shape! March 29, 2025
Locator: 48391ARCHIVES.
Earlier this week I posted a stand-alone note suggesting that my blogs were starting to be blocked by most browsers. I had no idea what that was all about, but continued blogging and hoped for the best.
All of a sudden, about three days ago, everything seemed to return to normal. Knock on wood.
On a separate note: is it just me or does it seem like we're getting a huge news story every six hours and President Trump is giving a formal or informal press conference at least twice a day and Judge James Boasberg is now the "shadow president" and nothing makes sense any more?
This is so much more interesting now that we have a president -- good, bad, indifferent -- in the Oval Office.
By the way, I assume President Trump is golfing just as much as he always has, but the press is not reporting it as often.
Elon Musk Declares Victory; Announces Intention To Step Down -- Is This The Beginning Of The End Of The Oligarchy? March 29, 2025
Locator: 48390MUSK.
Links everywhere.
xAI folded into X. Or was it the other way around? Yes, I do believe it was other way around. xAI acquired x for $33 billion.
No one understands that move / deal but it's huge.
From the screenshot above: "US president Donald Trump's billionaire ally Elon Musk has signalled that he is planning to step down ....."
There was no similar announcement the Democratic Party's biggest billionaire ally George Soros was stepping down.
Week 13: March 25, 2025 -- March 31, 2025
Locator: 48362TOPSTORIES.
President Trump has been in office for only 68 days.
IN PROGRESS.
Top story: massive (adjective used by the press) national security breach; reaches level of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, VP JD Vance, SecDOD Mike Hespeth; reporters smell blood in the water.
- Two weeks after the breach, Trump says he was unaware of the story or the breach.
Background:
- Massive (adjective used by the press) security breach: story broke Monday, March 24, 2025
- breach apparently occurred March 11, 2025
- reported by top journalist at The Atlantic, March 24, 2025
- dates need to be fact-checked
- chat group was apparently led by the National Security Advisor Mike Waltz whose staff would have compiled the "guest" list;
- VP JD Vance; SecDef Hegseth were on the call and apparently unaware of the others on the call
- transcript suggests participants unaware of journalist on the group chat;
- transcript suggests juvenile discussion; certainly not professional nor diplomatic
- Trump, when asked about an event that occurred more than a week ago, says he was not aware
- two issues here:
- how did it happen; what's the damage; and,
- what will it take for this story to go away
******************************************
Top Stories
***************************
The First 100 Days
January 20, 2025 - April 30, 2025
Tenth Week Of President Trump's Presidency
**********************************
The Top Stories
Most important story of the week:
- GDPNow estimates 1Q25 GDP to be down 2.8%.
- US equity market in the dumps; NASDAQ now down 10% off its highs.
Top stories of the week:
- Hespeth -- group chat debacle
- Boasberg -- the "shadow president"
- DAPL lawsuit dismissed
- Elon Musk announcement: will step down from DOGE in two months
- Elon Musk folds X into xAI; valued at $113 billion.
- US Navy keeps pounding Yemen; non-stop
- military earning their medals
- incredible real-world experience for future ops over Iran, Taiwan, Greenland
- one gets the feeling that Trump is beginning to like the US military
- Palestinians now protesting Hamas; beginning of the end of Hamas
- Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis. -- the 3-H club becoming more and more irrelevant
- VP JD Vance indicates US still interested in peaceful takeover of Greenland
- in geographic size, Greenland dwarfs Taiwan, just saying
Top international energy story:
- Federal judge dismisses case against ET and DAPL pipeline
- environmental impact study not complete; it's been years -- a decade?
Top national non-energy stories:
- Columbia University president finally gives up the fight against Trump; steps down;
- the top vaccine official at the FDA has tendered his resignation;
- the real president? Trump? Stay tuned; JD Vance? Nope. Elon Musk? Nope.
- more and more it looks like the real president of the US right now is a federal judge
- setting immigration policy
- setting deportation policy
- setting domestic spending policy
- setting international aid policy
- tariffs. Trump says there will be a "25% tariff" on autos and auto parts imported into the US
- staggering amount of money being pledged by companies to avoid Trump's tariffs
- measles epidemic that started in Texas is now a nationwide epidemic and may go international; Africa to be devastated
Top national energy story:
Focus on fracking: current link here. Generally updated late Sunday night.
Top North Dakota non-energy story:
Top North Dakota energy story:
Whoo-Hoo! Another Story Not Found On Bluesky -- Judge James Boasberg Dismisses DAPL Lawsuit -- March 29, 2025
Locator: 48389DAPL.
Prescient: this was posted early last evening, well before this story broke -- at least before I learned of the DAPL - Judge Boasberg story! Nailed it!
Who's the real president?
- the real president? Trump? Stay tuned; JD Vance? Nope. Elon Musk? Nope.
- more and more it looks like the real president of the US right now is a federal judge -- and specifically it's Judge James Boasberg
- setting immigration policy
- setting deportation policy
- setting domestic spending policy
- setting international aid policy
- setting in-state pipeline policy
- setting Gulf of America drilling policy
******************************************
DAPL: Free At Last! Free At Last!!
Two huge wins for ET and the oil sector in North Dakota and US Big Oil in past month -- first 100 days of the Trump administration.
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