The only thing that mattered in the Trump indictment was the perp walk. And we didnāt get it. Something about ex-president, secret service, white collar, blah blah blah. Hereās a hot take: heās not going to prison. (Not for this charge, at least.)
More serious charges await Captain Orange Von Fucknugget, and this warm up was just to get the juices flowing. If the other charges somehow die on the vine, then the hush money case will likely bolster Trumpās standing among his followersāand maybe even annoy enough fence-sitting Republicans who steered clear of Trump the last go around to come back over to his side. No one plays the victim like the Donald. Couple of interesting side notes to ponder.
āOne of us.ā
The Donald is back in NY. Over the last six years or so, Iāve found it fascinating to watch the divide in NY over Trump. Itās different from the usual divide. Because heās āone of us.ā Trump has been a household joke for as long as I can remember. Anyone in business knew not to do business with him. The guy fucked everyone over. And yet, he somehow became the hero of the working class. Amazing. I had countless conversations with fellow New Yorkers who loved the guy and Iād say something to the effect of, āI donāt get it. We know this douchebag. Heās a crook. Doesnāt pay his workers. The only guy that couldnāt make money in the casino business. A total joke. Right?ā Only to get a shrug in return and a, āYeah, but fuck Hillary. At least heās one of us.ā
At least heās one of us. The biggest lie of them all.
One of them.
And, because Trumpās indictment is all the media will be talking about for days and weeks on end, hereās a sober reminder of U.S. hypocrisy from Jeremy Scahill, who rightly calls into question what constitutes a crime when it comes to U.S. leaders.
The Prosecution of Trump Is a Good First Step. Now Do Bush.
When it comes to the power structure, Donald Trump is resoundingly NOT āone of them.ā For all those who believe the Donald is teflon, remember that the last āTeflon Donā died in prison. While I just established that heās unlikely to go to prison, it doesnāt mean heās teflon or truly power of the powerful elite. That gangster designation is reserved for true war criminals like Bush, Cheney, Reagan, Clinton and (yes) even Obama. These mass murderers slaughtered tens of thousands to millions of people in far off nations, and yet, not one of them was ever called to answer for these crimes.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague just issued an arrest warrant to Vladimir Putin. (Hold your breath.) While youāre at it, hold it for Trump too. What past presidents have done make Donald Trump look like a school teacher. Sure, he did some reckless shit and could be called out for the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani as an example, but his crimes against humanity donāt come close to the criminality of his predecessors. He couldnāt even get that right. Punk.
China.
In the spirit of those wondering about Chinaās diplomatic entry into the Middle East and what it portends for U.S. dominance in the region, hereās Spencer Ackerman, now writing for Ghost:
The 'Indispensable Nation' Learns It Might Not Be Great-Power-Competitive
This is an outstanding analysis written in typical Ackerman plain language, with opposing viewpoints vetted and considered in a way that contextualizes rather than rationalizes. Spencer has a way of breaking down complicated relationships and histories. Read it. Subscribe if you dig it.
Oil.
OPEC announced cuts of 1.6 million b/d through the end of this year, which pushed oil prices up in recent days. Now, recall that I promised you recently that oil prices would increase this year because Wall Street would manifest increases in its never ending search for yield. The OPEC increase is perfect cover for this, though if you go further into the numbers, youāll see that global supply is still meeting demand; and while OPEC might be cutting, Venezuelaās daily capacity has increased by 300,000 b/d, and the U.S. has similarly risen already by 400,000 b/d. Just these two cases make up for nearly half of OPECās projected supply cuts.
OilPrice.com: The Oil Bulls Are Back On The Attack
EIA: U.S. Crude Oil Production Will Increase to New records in 2023 + 2024