Mostly, about now, journalists are chasing their tails.
Recession
Right now, there is bullshit that cancels itself out. In disgust, I might post on Twitter about it, but not see fit to post here about it. For example,
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promises more coronavirus relief: “There will be a bill and it will be expensive” https://t.co/CCUQIBfFGi pic.twitter.com/TQ7wOBj4Hj
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 26, 2020
It would appear we are back to posturing as Mitch McConnell has promised to oppose any such relief.
So @SpeakerPelosi can make promises knowing the @SenateGOP will defeat them, knowing that ultimately, her #neoliberal values will not be compromised. https://t.co/bP0QpGxzvG
— David Benfell, Ph.D. (@n4rky) April 26, 2020
What’s happening here? A neoliberal is lying, again, trying to sound progressive, again, but absolutely nothing of substance. A big fat zero. I didn’t even look at the CNN story and I certainly didn’t archive it.
To get an idea how far off the table further stimulus really is, consider that while Nancy Pelosi ostensibly wants to force the inclusion of aid for states in the next stimulus package, Donald Trump wants to force states into reopening early by withholding further aid.[1] In addition, Mitch McConnell blames richer states’ liberal budget priorities and wants them to use bankruptcy instead, even though this would likely lead to another big-D Depression.[2] Which means none of this is going anywhere.
My standards for bullshit are higher than this.
Which meant that yesterday, I really didn’t have enough to publish here. Hell, I couldn’t even come up with a headline for what I had.
Robert McCartney, “McConnell’s rejection of federal aid for states risks causing a depression, analysts say,” Washington Post, April 27, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/mcconnells-rejection-of-federal-aid-for-states-risks-causing-a-depression-analysts-say/2020/04/26/1fd4731c-8632-11ea-a3eb-e9fc93160703_story.html
Pandemic
That said, yesterday, there was a new blog post entitled, “Elite priorities: Why social, animal, and environmental justice remains essential with COVID-19.”
Phoebe Weston, “‘We did it to ourselves’: scientist says intrusion into nature led to pandemic,” Guardian, April 25, 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/25/ourselves-scientist-says-human-intrusion-nature-pandemic-aoe
North Korea
To the outside world, North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un has gone missing. Rumors are flying. Nobody really knows what’s going on.[3] This has been going on for a few days now, and it seems to me the tenor of the speculation has reached a certain pitch even as the South Koreans, who should be (but aren’t necessarily) better at reading these tea leaves than anyone, say there’s nothing to it.[4] Here, I archive these stories more as a precaution, but really, they’re just a summary of, well, nothing.
Choe Sang-Hun, “South Korea Confident That Rumors of Kim Jong-un Illness Are Wrong,” New York Times, April 27, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/world/asia/kim-jong-un-health.html
Didi Tang, “South Korean officials say Kim Jong‑un is ‘alive and well,’” Times, April 27, 2020, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/kim-jong-uns-train-offers-clue-to-north-korean-despots-mystery-absence-q9g5h3fq2
- [1]Jonathan Chait, “Trump Wants to Starve the States Into Opening Before It’s Safe,” New York, April 20, 2020, https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/04/trump-coronavirus-open-state-governors-protests.html↩
- [2]David Frum, “Why Mitch McConnell Wants States to Go Bankrupt,” Atlantic, April 25, 2020, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/04/why-mitch-mcconnell-wants-states-go-bankrupt/610714/; Robert McCartney, “McConnell’s rejection of federal aid for states risks causing a depression, analysts say,” Washington Post, April 27, 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/mcconnells-rejection-of-federal-aid-for-states-risks-causing-a-depression-analysts-say/2020/04/26/1fd4731c-8632-11ea-a3eb-e9fc93160703_story.html↩
- [3]Didi Tang, “South Korean officials say Kim Jong‑un is ‘alive and well,’” Times, April 27, 2020, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/kim-jong-uns-train-offers-clue-to-north-korean-despots-mystery-absence-q9g5h3fq2↩
- [4]Choe Sang-Hun, “South Korea Confident That Rumors of Kim Jong-un Illness Are Wrong,” New York Times, April 27, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/world/asia/kim-jong-un-health.html↩