Only a "fraudster" would care if they miss a Social Security check, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said in a new interview this week. Lutnick discussed how he believes Americans would respond to going a month without a Social Security check during an interview on the podcast All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg. During the appearance, Lutnick said the average American, using his mother-in-law as an example, would not complain about not receiving their checks for a month but that someone who was hacking the system would do so. "Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this months. My mother-in-law is 94, she wouldn't call up and complain. She just wouldn't. She would think something got messed up and she'd get it next month," he said. "A fraudster always makes the loudest noise, screaming, yelling and complaining." read more
Dominic Lawson: Republicans who think the US president will fight for Taiwan are deluded. read more
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday, said Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners. read more
Trump on Saturday posted on social media a single sentence that appears to encapsulate his attitude as he tests the nation's legal and constitutional boundaries in the process of upending the federal government and punishing his perceived enemies. read more
Republican lawmakers are pushing back against sweeping cuts to the federal government launched by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, as their downsizing crusade begins to hit GOP constituents. read more
The US occupies a tiny portion of the planet's surface (www.weforum.org). So many other places to go, people to encounter, things to see and experience. Especially when ignorant, bloviating, xenophobic loons in the States have been given free rein (and pardons) to bang on, doing their thang for at least the next few years. Too many poorly educated, rude yahoos with guns. Find somewhere nice, instead.
Any idea who came up with the F-47 designation for the new stealth development, which Orange Julius, our 47th president, has declared "a beautiful number" (www.nytimes.com)?
Boy, Howie Lutnik really likes to yammer; as a dinner partner he'd drive a normal to suicide. The "Real America" blather is at, roughly, 0:42:47-podscripts.co
Trump's performative suck up Commerce Sec Howie Lutnik (estimated worth $1,500,000,000.00) claims you wouldn't hear a peep from his 94-year-old mother-in-law if her check didn't arrive. Only "fraudsters" would complain. "Real America" would be cool, getting stiffed. (No, this is not made up: www.newsweek.com)
(Betcha Howie would hear the peep that became a screech, pronto.)
Howie Lutnik (estimated worth $1,500,000,000.00) claims you wouldn't hear a peep from his mother-in-law if her check didn't arrive.
Only "fraudsters" would complain.
"Real America" would be just fine getting stiffed.
(This is not made up: www.newsweek.com)
(Betcha Howie would hear the peep that became a screech, pronto.)
Howie Lutnik hawking Tesla stock? Hmmmmmm ...
Lutnick may have stood to gain personally from his appearance, as well: the financial firm he founded, Cantor Fitzgerald, had nearly $300 million in Tesla shares on its books as of the end of last year, according to recent filing.
"Reports and subsequent speculation regarding significant proprietary positions by our firm were completely false," a Cantor Fitzgerald spokeswoman said after this article was published. "These filings arose from either hedging customer transactions or routine market making activity."
Lutnick told lawmakers during his Jan. 29 confirmation hearing that he would sell all of his holdings within 90 days of that date. The document that would accompany such a divestiture doesn't yet appear on the U.S. Office of Government Ethics website.
Lutnick vowed in the ethics agreement he submitted during his nomination that he wouldn't "participate personally and substantially in any particular matter" that could impact Cantor Fitzgerald's finances.
www.barrons.com
Well, as they've been saying for a while now, to everything there is a season ...