Skipping meals, driving and prescriptions are just a few trade-offs that a third of Americans say they're making to pay for health care. A new poll by West Health-Gallup Center on Healthcare in America found that as millions continue to face higher insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, many people say they are having to cut back on other necessities to afford it.
A top federal judge in Washington on Friday blocked Justice Department subpoenas to the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors after determining the government "produced essentially zero evidence" to support a criminal investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, according to an unsealed court opinion.
Elements from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli have been ordered to the Middle East, according to the U.S. official, who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is sparking controversy -- inside and outside the military -- with public comments on the war with Iran that are heavy on taunts and talk of retribution, a stark departure from the way his predecessors have communicated during wartime. read more
With three weeks until Donald Trump meets Xi Jinping, Beijing is frustrated by what it sees as insufficient U.S. preparation ... read more
Semisonic - Down In Flames (1996)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
t's not the pain, that I'm used to it
It's feeling like I'm already dead
I see from a ceiling of misty spirit
Rising from a place in my head
And I never even get to go down
Down in flames
I said, friend you have a life to see
Why do you want to scare me so?
All the suffering and mystery me
I can't even pretend to know
So you never even get to go down
Down in flames
You never even get to go down
Down in flames
We had plans to explore the stars
Be rejected by stage door guards
Mining for gold, the time unreels
Not stifling behind Suburban wheels
Not stifling behind Suburban wheels, yeah
The plan was to burn up when the air was clear
We'd all wear our visors down
An arc welder's spark in the atmosphere
Not this man-sized hole in the ground
...
Pres Trump to his MAGA cult ...
Edelweiss - Bring Me Edelweiss (Tourist version) (1988)
www.youtube.com
Lyrics excerpt ...
...
So when you really love me
Darling, bring me Edelweiss (Uh-oh)
So when you really love me
You should bring me edelweiss (Uh-oh)
...
[yeah, a rock song that has Swiss yodeling in it.]
The ongoing Strait of Hormuz blockage will impact the semiconductor and AI industries with Aluminum, Helium and LNG shortages -- and with no timeline for re-opening, supply chains face significant challenges
www.tomshardware.com
... If you can't make the chips and you can't run the turbines, you can't run an industry. ...
And then there's helium ...
Helium prices soar as Qatar LNG halt exposes fragile supply chain
www.reuters.com
... Disruptions to Qatar's natural gas processing from the Iran war have driven helium prices sharply higher, exposing the fragility of a small but critical market that supports industries from semiconductors to medical imaging.
Helium spot prices have doubled since the Middle East crisis began, according to Phil Kornbluth, president of Kornbluth Helium Consulting, as buyers scramble to secure supply.
State energy giant QatarEnergy, the world's second-largest LNG exporter, announced a production halt at its 77 million tons per annum (mtpa) facility last week and declared force majeure on LNG shipments, amid the conflict.
Because helium is extracted as a byproduct of natural gas processing, any disruption to LNG output directly cuts helium supply.
Qatari Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi told the Financial Times last week that it would take "weeks to months" for deliveries to return to normal even if the conflict ended immediately.
Qatar is a pivotal supplier rather than a marginal one. ...
@#3 ... Fortunately, my wife and I aren't affected by higher prices in our day to day decisions ...
Well, I filled up the gas tank of the car before the gas prices started to spike. That fill-up will last me a couple months, based upon my usage of the car.
But, there is a longer-term and wider non-oil effect of the closing of the Strait of Hormuz.
For example ... fertilizer ...
Nitrogen, Ammonia, and the Strait of Hormuz
www.science.org
... We find ourselves in a situation where chemistry is intruding on current events, and I'm referring to something that not everyone seems to have thought about: fertilizer, and especially nitrogen fertilizer. What it is, how it's used, and especially where it comes from. ...
The world nitrogen fertilizer market has really been shaken up by the situation that we have now caused in the Persian Gulf. And after those last couple of paragraphs it's easy to see why. The Gulf has extraordinary amounts of natural gas, and thus countries in that region have taken advantage of that value-added business opportunity and have become major fertilizer exporters. But not at the moment. Not right when it's needed in the Northern Hemisphere.
All that stuff comes out on huge container ships, down the Gulf and right out the Strait of Hormuz, just like the oil and the liquified natural gas. Prices for all the nitrogen fertilizers were already running high by historic standards before all of this, but now, well. Farm organizations here in the US are calling for financial help from the administration, but after all the tariff nonsense you have to wonder what they're expecting. Given the reports of mine-laying in the Strait, we might be looking at significant disruptions for some time. ...
Biden administration imposes toughest sanctions on Russian oil and gas (January 10, 2025)
www.theguardian.com
... Measures targeting Russian energy sector attempt to leverage peace deal for Ukraine in Trump administration ...
@#1 ... Why didn't this Islamic nutball go back to Lebanon to kill Israelis? ...
The answer is ... he didn't.
But the real question in my mind is... why didn't the US counter-terrorism team smoke him out before he did this?
Oh wait ...
Trump Administration Pulls Plug on Domestic Terrorism Tracking and Analysis Project (March 2025)
www.asisonline.org
... The Global Terrorism Database's Terrorism and Targeted Violence (T2V) in the United States project is an open-source database that contains information on thousands of domestic terrorist attacks that have occurred in the nation. It includes data on a range of attacks, including targeted attacks, such as workplace violence, school shootings, hate crimes, attacks on critical infrastructure, and more.
It was an invaluable resource for law enforcement, researchers, security practitioners, and policymakers until Tuesday, 25 March. That's when the Trump Administration pulled its funding"roughly $3 million, according to The Washington Post"and the site was taken down.
The database was led by the University of Maryland (UMD), which also runs the Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)"a university-based research and education center.
The Post reported that it reviewed an email from the Department of Homeland Security, which told email recipients that "the scope of work performed under this award no longer effectuates Department priorities." No specific details were provided in the email. ...
Then there's this ...
Hegseth ignored military officials when he slashed offices that limit risk to civilians
www.politico.com
... Top military officials warned the Pentagon unsuccessfully last year not to gut oversight offices that limit risk to civilian casualties and investigate responsibility for their deaths, such as the recent strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed hundreds of children.
Then-Central Command chief Erik Kurilla and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown pushed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth not to slash the Civilian Protection Center of Excellence and other similar initiatives at American command posts, according to Wes Bryant, the Pentagon's former chief of civilian harm assessments and two other people familiar with the matter.
Opponents of the move, which also included Adm. Christopher Grady " the former vice chair of the Joint Chiefs " argued that the staff were critical to preventing risks to civilian populations before U.S. strikes and to probing deadly Pentagon attacks, according to the people, and would ultimately save resources for military operations. Hegseth instead chose to reduce the number of employees working on the issue from 200 to less than 40.
The high level of opposition to the cuts, which has not been previously reported, hints at the tension between top military officials and their civilian leader over the rules of engagement in combat, which the Pentagon chief has called "stupid."
It also comes as preliminary reports suggest the U.S. may have accidentally targeted the elementary school, which killed more than 170 students and is the largest U.S.-led killing of civilians in decades. ...
@#2 ... "The Trump administration is not jeopardizing healthcare access for anyone." ...
OK, then now let's talk about Pres Trump's multi-trillion tax-cuts for the wealthy, while cutting health care for Americans.