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Tuesday, May 12, 2026

The United States remains the largest travel market in the world and retained its position in 2025. However, it is losing ground. Last year, the U.S. experienced a slump in visitor numbers and international spending, driven in part by Canadians choosing to stay away. This has cost the country billions of dollars in revenue, and if the downward trend continues, it could lose its top position to China.


The court said law-abiding residents who have deep community ties have stronger constitutional protections than those who are detained at the border.


Chief Justice John Roberts warned that the Supreme Court must be cautious about overruling precedent, saying doing so for ideological reasons can damage the legal system.


A new poll shows that a large majority of Americans say they think there is too much money in U.S. politics. Politico released a poll on Saturday showing that 72 percent of Americans say there's too much money in politics, whereas 5 percent say they disagree.


Monday, May 11, 2026

Politico released a poll on Saturday showing that 72 percent of Americans say there's too much money in politics, whereas 5 percent say they disagree. read more


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Related ...

FIFA World Cup hotel bookings falling short of expectations in US cities, report finds
www.abc10.com

... The anticipated hotel boom tied to the upcoming FIFA World Cup may be falling short of expectations, according to a new report.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association released a report on Monday, highlighting the challenges faced by hotels across the U.S. in the lead up to the international soccer tournament. The report said that, across host cities, hotels have not seen strong bookings and that domestic travelers are outpacing international visitors.

"Hotels across host markets have spent years preparing for the World Cup, and while there is real excitement, the data points to a more nuanced outlook," Rosanna Maietta, president & CEO of AHLA, said in a news release. "A range of factors have tempered early optimism, though forward indicators show there is still meaningful opportunity ahead."

According to AHLA, the FIFA room block cancellations, international travel barriers and rising costs have contributed to the shortcomings. ...

Kansas City had the highest number of hotel owners, roughly 85% to 90%, report below expectations, just trailing behind a typical June or July without any major events. In Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle, nearly 80% of respondents said booking pace was less than expected, with some calling the tournament a "non-event" due to FIFA room releases and weak international fan visits.

According to the report, Miami and Atlanta have reported the strongest numbers with just 50% of hotelier respondents saying the bookings are in line or ahead of expectations.
...



More from the article ...

... Several reports indicate the U.S. is losing international visitors. According to a new assessment by the World Travel & Tourism Council, 80 million more people traveled internationally in 2025 compared with 2024, making it a bumper year for global travel. However, the U.S. did not benefit from the increase. Visitor numbers dropped by 5.5%, and international spending fell to $176 billion from $184 billion.

Canadian travelers have turned away from the U.S. in large numbers. There were 4.2 million fewer Canadians crossing the border in 2025, discouraged by the Trump administration's tariff policies and comments about making Canada the 51st state.

Visitors from Germany, India, and France have also declined significantly. As a region, North America saw just 1% growth, compared with global tourism growth of 4.1%.

It has not helped that several countries updated their travel advisories for the U.S. last year, adding warnings about anti-LGBTQ+ policies and stricter border scrutiny.

Tourists have reportedly been detained and deported, and the U.S. is considering expanding reviews of visitors' social media history. Policies like these have made travelers wary, with more choosing alternative destinations.

In contrast, China is gaining ground. In 2025, international visitor spending there rose 10.5% to $135 billion. The report notes that the world's second-largest tourism market is closing the gap, while the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing globally. ...


Camper Van Beethoven - Good Guys and Bad Guys (1986)
www.youtube.com

Lyrics excerpt ...

genius.com

...
[Verse 1]
Well, there are good guys and there are bad guys
And there are crooks and criminals
There are doctors and there are lawyers
And there are folks like you and me

[Chorus]
So let's get high while the radio's on
Just relax and sing a song
Drive your car up on the lawn
...



A fun tune ...


@#14

Whoa ...

Transcript: Donald Trump's Taped Comments About Women (2016)
www.nytimes.com

... Following is an unedited transcript of the tape in which Donald J. Trump repeatedly made vulgar comments about women. Mr. Trump was filmed talking to the television personality Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood" on the set of "Days of Our Lives," where Mr. Trump was making a cameo appearance. They are later joined by the actress Arianne Zucker. The transcription is by Penn Bullock of The New York Times. ...

Donald J. Trump: You know and ...

Unknown: She used to be great. She's still very beautiful.

Trump: I moved on her, actually. You know, she was down on Palm Beach. I moved on her, and I failed. I'll admit it.

Unknown: Whoa.

Trump: I did try and --- her. She was married.

Unknown: That's huge news.

Trump: No, no, Nancy. No, this was [unintelligible] " and I moved on her very heavily. In fact, I took her out furniture shopping.

She wanted to get some furniture. I said, "I'll show you where they have some nice furniture." I took her out furniture "

I moved on her like a bitch. But I couldn't get there. And she was married. Then all of a sudden I see her, she's now got the big phony ---- and everything. She's totally changed her look. ...


@#52 ... Under no circumstances should a candidate ever use a wonky phrase like the "Overton window", no matter how well-intentioned. ...

Why?

Overton window
www.britannica.com

... Overton window, political model describing the range of policies considered acceptable by the majority of a population at a particular time. The concept of the Overton window was developed in the 1990s by Joseph Overton, a libertarian political scientist.

The model portrays a spectrum of positions, with more government regulation on one end and less government regulation on the other end. The extreme sides are considered to be the least widely accepted by voters.

Overton argued that this spectrum describes how politicians choose which policies to endorse, and he suggested that they will most likely favor options in the middle of the spectrum rather than the extremes that, according to the model, would be the least palatable to voters. His theory was further developed into strategies for shifting the Overton window.

Critics of the Overton window challenge its theory of change and its inability to explain the phenomenon of the eroding moderate center. ...


Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust
www.youtube.com

Great cover version of the song.

... The White House released a wide-ranging counterterrorism strategy describing narco-terrorists, Islamist terrorists, and violent left-wing extremists ...

OK, it's been a couple of weeks, but here are the current numbers ...

President Trump Job Approval
www.realclearpolling.com

...
RCP Average 4/20 - 5/7
Approve: 40.5
Disapprove: 56.3
Spread: -15.8
...

Oh, that ain't good, especially when you look at the graph on the cited page and see the trend.


That aside, more numbers ...

President Trump Job Approval - Immigration
www.realclearpolling.com

...
RCP Average 4/8 - 5/5
Approval: 45.7
Disapproval: 52.0
Spread:-6.3
...

Oh dear, Pres Trump now seems to be underwater on his immagration policies?

OK, moving on to inflation ...

President Trump Job Approval - Inflation
www.realclearpolling.com

...
RCP Average 3/30 - 5/5
Approval: 29.1
Disapproval: 67.9
Spread: -38.8
...

Holy freakin' pasture pasture pastries ...

Pres Trump is underwater by nearly 40% on inflation?



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