Just One Thing: The Durham Whimper
After 3 1/2 years, the Durham investigation into the corrupt behavior by the FBI during the 2016 election resulted in a whimper, even if a long 306-page whimper. At least if you were looking for prosecutorial fireworks.
Yes, Durham noted that the DOJ and FBI’s investigation of Donald Trump and the Trump campaign was based on “raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence” with no actual evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia.
But the bottom line is that almost nobody faced serious punishment for any of this. One guy got in a little trouble for lying to get a FISA warrant on the hapless Carter Page. Beyond that, Durham lost two trials including that of Igor Danchenko (pictured in today's Blogcast "thumbnail" photo.)
Takeaways from the Igor Danchenko acquittal and what it means for John Durham | CNN Politics
Donald Trump said that Durham would uncover the crime of the century. It looks like he couldn’t even prove the crime of the year, though we all know that the FBI was thoroughly corrupted.
That said, the Durham report is truly damning of the FBI's behavior, not least how they were incredibly passive and slow in investigating potential crimes involving the Clinton campaign (and gave Clinton "defensive briefings") while being overly aggressive, based on no reasonable predicate, in going after Trump (and NOT giving him similar defensive briefings.)
So the issue seems to come down to this: The FBI utterly failed the nation and themselves as an institution. They behaved corruptly even more than incompetently. But not in ways that were obvious and provable violations of law. So maybe the laws need to change?
Live updates: John Durham's report on Trump-Russia probe released (cnn.com)
Donald Trump is mad, and I don't blame him: Trump says there 'must be a heavy price to pay' for Comey, Democrats after release of Durham report | Fox News
THE FULL REPORT IS HERE: Report on Matters Related to Intelligence Activities and Investigations Arising Out of the 2016 Presidential Campaigns (documentcloud.org)
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Today's Guest
Julia Carpenter is a reporter with the Wall Street Journal.
She recently wrote an interesting piece about new research on the marital dynamics of marriages in which wives outearn their husbands. Years ago, marriages in which that was the case had a significantly higher chance of divorce than marriages in which the husbands outearned the wives. As you can imagine a LOT more women outearn their husbands now than a generation (or two) ago. So what's happening in those marriages?
More Wives Now Outearn Their Husbands. They Also Stay Together Longer. - WSJ
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Other Stuff
Colorado Springs will elect their next mayor today: Colorado Springs mayoral race: Progressive newcomer Yemi Mobolade faces veteran Republican Wayne Williams - Axios Denver
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This, and I don't mean the short-term issue with the debt ceiling but rather the long-term issue of immoral, unacceptable, disgusting government spending is our nation's single most important domestic policy issue, though if you talk to a Democrat you might not know it. A lot of folks believe that Janet Yellen is exaggerating when she says that the US may not be able to pay all of its bills as soon as early June. Don't focus on the "default" rhetoric. That's designed to scare you. But this is a real problem and it needs to be addressed. There is a reason that the date was so much earlier than folks had been predicting just a few months ago: far lower tax revenues during the April "tax season" than the government had estimated.
US on track for June 1 default without debt ceiling hike, Treasury says | Reuters
Why the Debt Ceiling Deadline is Closer Than Previously Expected
Why plunging tax receipts are raising fears about the debt ceiling | The Hill
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis often goes too far, but at least is usually going in the right direction. Whereas Biden is always going too far in the wrong direction and Trump, well, who knows?!?
DeSantis signs bill banning DEI degrees at Florida colleges (axios.com)
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Have you ever been this drunk? Police say suspected drunk driver tried to switch places with dog | FOX31 Denver (kdvr.com)
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Fine with me as long as they're well-behaved (and probably preferable to most children): More dogs could show up in outdoor dining spaces. Not everyone is happy about it | AP News
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I don't think religion will decide the next election; I think that's a hope from a Democrat as some Americans become less religious. Still, it does show some weakness if the GOP focuses excessively on religiously-based issues.
The Religious Landscape is Undergoing Massive Change. It Could Decide the 2024 Election. - POLITICO
America's belief in God hits new low (and yet the numbers are still very high)
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Apparently GM and other auto makers who are chasing "green energy" subsidy dollars didn't notice the news of every other automaker around them making the same noises. The New EV Gold-Rush: Automakers Scramble to Get Into Mining - WSJ
What could go wrong?
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A slightly surprising ruling from SCOTUS: Prop. 12, on humane sale of pork in California, upheld by Supreme Court - The Washington Post
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I guess culture really does impact us bigly: ‘Yellowstone’ characters inspire most popular baby names for 2023 (nypost.com)
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I may have to try this: Amazon Will Pay You $10 to Pick Up Packages — Best Life (bestlifeonline.com)
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Today's Videos
Does he poop around the house? (I mean the squirrel, not the guy)
If this story is true, it's fantastic