4.11.2025

It's Friday - Let's Get Out of Here

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Random Friday Morning Thoughts




When Jordan Spieth was going to be the next big thing.

  • In Wichita Falls, the former Sheriff of Knox County was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison because of a traffic accident where a 22 month old was killed. This is not a case involving drugs or alcohol. 


  • While you were sleeping:


  • An awful helicopter crash happened in New York which was caught on video. "The Spanish CEO of one of the world’s biggest tech companies, his wife and three young children died Thursday in a helicopter crash off Manhattan. Agustin Escobar, his wife Merce Camprubi Montal, and their children aged 4, 5, and 11 all died when their tourist flight to see New York City plunged into the Hudson River. The 36-year-old pilot, who has not been named, was also killed."

  • We had a Supreme Court ruling in the case of the man who, as everyone agrees, was sent to the El Salvadorian hell-hole of a prison because of an "error." A federal district judge told the Trump Administration to go and get him and bring him back and, astonishingly, the Administration declined and appealed saying, "Well, we think he was an MS-13 gang member anyway and, plus, it's now out of our hands because he is in El Salvador."  These headlines of the Supreme Court's ruling late yesterday are grossly misleading. 


    • Look at what the Supreme Courts actually said. Yes, it did rule that the district court judge was absolutely right in saying that the Administration must "facilitate" in trying to get him back. But as far as the district judge ordering that Trump's government must also "effectuate" his return -- you know, that really important part of actually causing his physical return, the Supreme Court ruled that the judge may have gone a little too far.  So the high court ordered the whole case sent back to the district judge so she can clarify what she meant by "effectuate" because any court must give "due . . . deference" to the power of the President to conduct "foreign affairs."
    • Uh, quick side note:  Is there no sense of urgency here? There is a man who is illegally sitting in that crazy and dangerous prison in El Salvador!!!

    • Trump, through his personal Justice Department which does what he says, declared the Supreme Court's ruling a win. 

    • Then, in the middle of the night, the district court judge issued a new order and said that by "effectuate" she meant "to take all available steps to facilitate" the man's return "as soon as possible." Sheesh. That doesn't help at all.  A hearing has been set for 1:00 p.m.
    • So what do I think is going to happen? Trump's government lawyers are going to eventually say, "We tried the best we could, but they won't give him back. Sorry."  Yes, a man who should not be there will rot or die in that prison, and your government doesn't care because he's not one of "us" - the "real" Americans.
    • It's over. This is Authoritarianism. We are living it, and we are only seeing the beginning. 
  • Why do I rant so much about Trump these days? I wholeheartedly believe that we are in a full red alert free fall. It's something new every time I turn around that proves we have actually entered into fascism. You know, like taking over a private school you have already strong-armed by withholding federal funds:

    • Or shaking down another law firm whose only sin is is representing Dominion Voting Systems in that massive lawsuit against Fox News, and represented others who are your buddies:

    • And talking like this at the cabinet meeting yesterday as though these shakedowns are for his own personal benefit. Good lord. 

    • Or how at the same cabinet meeting they are sending every message that the Executive Brach is going to take over future elections in the U.S. and spreading false propaganda to do it:  

  • The Texas House passed its biggest budget ever last night but, get this, due to a constitutional spending limit, they will still have $40 billion of your tax dollars that won't be spent. 

    • "Fun" fact: Their session ended last night at 3:13 a.m.. It was "budget day" which is typically the longest one of any session, and this one clocked in at the third longest in the last 30 years. 

  • Longhorn trouble.
  • Lauren Whitener Clock: 5 years and 283 days. 



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4.10.2025

Random Thursday Morning Thoughts




The story was pretty crazy.  Six of them actually got indicted on felony charges, but it looks like the cases ended with only one of the pleading to a misdemeanor probation. 

  • Trump has no idea what he's doing, and we'll all pay the price for it. For now, there is still a 10% tariff imposed across the board while the tariff on Chinese goods has gone to 125% and rising. 


    • Trump's reversal on tariffs was probably due (gift link) to the 10 year bond market trending towards a crash.  Short version: The more people don't trust in the stability of the United States, the more interest rates will rise on the 10 year U.S. bond in order to get people and entities to buy them. After all, "The higher the risk, the greater the return."  So if you think there is a legitimate chance the U.S. won't be stable enough (or exist) in 10 years to repay your bond, you want a higher return before you'll risk your money.  That's what was happening because the world now has concerns about the stability of the America.

    • When reporters jumped on the Press Secretary, who ran out of the Oval Office to do damage control after Trump announced the tariffs reversal, she said  . . . 

  • Visa revocations continue.  No one can get a straight answer as to why these visas are being revoked, but many have been targeted for opposing Israel's heavy handed tactics in Gaza.  Welcome to the new America.

  • The actual biggest story yesterday may be that Trump, from the Oval Office no less, said that he was signing Executive Orders ordering (!!!) AG Pam Bondi to investigate two people he appointed during his first term for the words they have spoken and written. Specifically, he's targeting one of them for saying the 2020 election was not stolen. This is not normal. This is fascism.   And there will be more of this to come. It's over. 




  • Random odd news.

  • If you want a wild follow on Twitter, check out Jenna Ryan, the real estate agent who flew from the metroplex to D.C. on the "private jet" and was later convicted and sentenced to 60 days in prison.  "Short version": She later sued PayPal for "debanking" her because of her January 6th involvement, but the federal judge found there was a binding agreement between the two to arbitrate any dispute, stayed the lawsuit, and referred it to arbitration.  Her lawyer then withdrew.  There has been no arbitration. She has since tried to represent herself and filed some crazy motions and amended complaints despite the stay being in effect. (Court's docket here.) She then issued a press release a few days ago saying that she had "secured" a $185 million default judgment against PayPal. She really believed she had because PayPal didn't respond to her amended pleadings (although they had no obligation to do so because of the stay.)  That prompted the federal court to issue an Order yesterday that basically said, "No you didn't."  She went on a scorched earth rant last night about the judge but has since deleted the tweets.

  • I'm a little worried abut the Official Liberally Lean Girl.

  • Messenger - Above the Fold

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4.09.2025

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts





The accident was at the Williamson-Dickie building off of 287 at Blue Mound Road. His lawyers had asked the jury for $15 million. 

  • Texas AG Ken Paxton announced he will challenge Sen. John Cornyn. And we are a still a year away from the primaries. 

    • Cornyn's team responded. This is going to be nasty.  And can you imagine the number of TV ads we will see? : 

  • There is some video coming out from inside the club before and during it was happening.


  • This was in the Tanglewood area on Overton Park Drive.

  • Is Ronny Jackson moonlighting? "The experienced agent . . .  was cuffed last Monday after becoming irate when staff at the iconic Hotel Amigo refused to reopen the bar after hours." 

  • Trump gave a nearly two our "dinner speech" last night. 
    • The man who single-handedly is wrecking everything with tariffs still has no idea who pays them.  

    • Followed by this. And although I seriously doubt this is true, it's the best answer as to why Trump has imposed the insane tariffs. He just wants to be the center of attention. 

    • Breaking News Edit: China didn't take too kindly to those remarks. New this morning . . .


  •  Guess who was playing dress up again yesterday? And the guy to her left seems to be in a bit of danger. 

  • For all those illegal immigrants who paid taxes and were promised by the U.S. government that their data would be kept away from any other agency or third part, the government is about to sell you out. 
  • Yesterday, I tried to get a tiny bit into the weeds of the ongoing immigration cases at the Supreme Court.  I should have just posted this dystopian headline.
  • Trump went on a big push for coal mining yesterday. 
    • But he had to go into cartoon mode.

    • And we had to have the obligatory North Korean-like worker take the mic to sing Trump's praises. 

  • The Business Second™.  Someone need to check on the West Texas oil patch? The price of oil:
  • After the clean toxicology report, his attorney asks for a PR bond or a bond of $1 for each charge.  I'm stunned to see he was still in jail. 
  • The actual logistics of setting and collecting the correct tariff on, say, a single box in a shipping container on a massive cargo ship sitting in a U.S. harbor, would seem to be a very difficult task these days. 

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