WendyMcElroy.com

Hat tip to David. From Stansberry Research on May 26.

Here's a new wrinkle to the White House portfolio story...Earlier this month, a filing from the Office of Government Ethics showed that President Donald Trump (either personally or through a financial adviser) placed more than 3,600 trades in the first quarter. And a few of those trades were in companies that the president has mentioned publicly...

For one, Trump bought at least $1 million (and as much as $5 million) in Dell Technologies (DELL), with the last trade coming on March 23. That puts his entry price somewhere between $125 and $160 per share. Last week, Dell's stock shot up to a new all-time high above $260 per share after Trump said to "go out and buy" Dell computers during an event at the White House.

The president's account was also shown to have added up to more than $6 million in Nvidia (NVDA) shares while Trump approved the company's chips for export licenses to China, asked China to open up its economy to companies like Nvidia, and described Nvidia's CEO as the "Great Jensen Huang."

Those are just a couple of the president's trades. He also bought much smaller stakes in defense contractors after the start of the conflict with Iran, as well as placing a buy of up to $5 million in an S&P 500 fund days after the Iran conflict began.

Cryptocurrency. From Zero Hedge: Trump Reports Over $1.4 Billion In Income From 2025 Crypto Earnings. [Ed: in case you wondered how he can afford to forego his salary.] From the Mises Institute: Bitcoin Is Not Freedom: The Delusion of Digital Escape. While Bitcoin in its early days promised freedom from the tyranny of fiat currency, those days are gone. Instead, Bitcoin owners are now satisfied if its value goes up against the dollar. [Ed: it was once freedom. And it can still be used as a freedom tool by savvy individuals.]

From the Waggington Post: Loyal German Shepherd steps up to be protector of orphaned baby deer.

Expanded Executive Power. From Jonathan Turley: A New Deal for Presidents? Supreme Court Overturns Humphrey’s Executor and Reaffirms Executive Power. Below is my column in the New York Post on the historic ruling in Trump v. Slaughter, reinforcing the authority of presidents in managing the executive branch. [Ed: Trump's hands have been untied.] From Reason: Here Are Some Ways SCOTUS Can Constrain Federal Agencies That Are Now Subject to Trump's Untrammeled Control. The Supreme Court has "no shortage of tools" to enforce the separation of powers, Justice Neil Gorsuch notes. "The only real question is whether we will use them."

From FOX News: Thousands of police deployed across South Africa as deadly anti-immigration protests spread to multiple cities. [Ed: immigration has been handled badly across the globe.]

Israel. From Consortium News: Craig Murray: Iran MOU vs Greater Israel. Greater Israel is not a concept. It is a reality being created before our very eyes. From antiwar: Americans Want Peace, Israel Wants War [Ed: Israel demands war and creates war.] AND Gen Z is Tired of War.

AI. From Zero Hedge: AI Hallucinations Are Exploding In U.S. Courts, New Study Finds. According to the report, documented AI-related filing errors climbed from just 25 cases in early 2025 to 249 by the fourth quarter of that year, with the pace continuing into 2026.

Ukraine-Russia. From Politico.EU: Russia to import gasoline as Ukrainian strikes force Putin to use reserves. Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia have impacted Vladimir Putin’s country’s ability to produce fuel. [Ed: Ukraine has been targeting refineries.]

From Cuteness: Rescue Dog Comes Home With Anxiety, But Everything Changes When He Finds His Voice

From Shooting News Weekly: When Locals Refuse to Enforce Unconstitutional Gun Bans From the Independent: Supreme Court Will Hear AR-15 Case. [Ed: whether 'assault' guns/rifles laws violate 2nd amendment

From the Telegraph: Venezuelan rescue dog saves 13 people from earthquake rubble. Heroic border collie Tsunami finds man trapped in rubble for six days during his final mission

USMCA. From CNBC: U.S. won’t renew USMCA, opening door for negotiations with Canada and Mexico. From Office of the U.S. Trade Representative: Ambassador Greer Issues Statement on the USMCA Joint Review.

From the Babylon Bee: Ranch Dressing Futures Skyrocket To $120 Per Barrel. [Ed: apparently, visitors to the U.S. for the World Cup were blown away--in the good sense--by Ranch Dressing.]

From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: – Trump Requested Briefing For War Renewal

Vehicles. From Zero Hedge: Wave Of Cybertruck Owners Report "Zero Ability To Charge" As Power Conversion System Nightmare Deepens. Quoting The RED Review: The Power Conversion System (PCS2) is quietly breaking down on Cybertruck owners across the country — bricking their trucks, killing AC charging, and leaving them with a $2,500+ repair bill that Tesla won't warn you about. There's no recall yet, and most owners have no idea it's happening. From the Independent: DOJ ends its crackdown on drivers who remove diesel emissions controls. The pollution impact will equal 9 million trucks. [Ed: excellent. The controls cost money, which is life--all in the name of a hoax.]

From Townhall: Oh, So Dr. Fauci's Pardon From Joe Biden Is Not 'Bulletproof'?

From Awful Announcements: Freddy, beloved German World Cup fan, deletes account after heartbreaking loss. [Ed: actually, it was not deleted because of Germany's defeat.]

Citizen Vigilante. From Variety: Armie Hammer’s ‘Citizen Vigilante’ Secures Worldwide Distribution Following Dramatic Elon Musk Intervention From Forbes: ‘Citizen Vigilante’ Has One Of The Highest Rotten Tomatoes Audience Scores Of 2026. [Ed: I am pleased to see this movie take off and soar.] From Newsweek: ‘Citizen Vigilante’ Director Explains Film’s Success: ‘Inconvenient Truth’ [Ed: I have read reviews that say this is not a well made movie. Hard to take them seriously, however. I'd have to see it for myself.]

Birthright Citizenship. From Jonathan Turley: The 28th Amendment: Will Trump v. Barbara Be the Final Word on Birthright Citizenship? From Cato at Liberty: Trump Violated the Constitution by Trying to Deport US-Born Americans

From Jim Bovard: How I Busted the Ruby Ridge Coverup

From Moneywise: Vegas nurse practitioner indicted in $906 million fraud scheme targeting hospice elderly — bought $594K Ferrari and $865K Bulgari necklace

SAVE Act. From Just the News: House cancels votes for remainder of week, sends lawmakers home amid tension over SAVE America Act. The House was initially expected to have votes on Wednesday and Thursday, but House Republican leaders canceled those votes and have now sent lawmakers home after final votes took place at 5:15 p.m. Eastern. [Ed: this should be interesting. Trump is 100% determined to get SAVE passed. What will he do?] From the New Republic: Mike Johnson Accidentally Tanks Defense Budget Bill Over SAVE Act. Republicans revolted against Donald Trump’s signature legislation.

From Dogman Ray: From around the world. Part XIII [Ed: 3 delightful stories.]

New Democrats. From Breitbart: Fetterman: The ‘Dirtbag Left’ Is Clearly Anti-America. From WFIN: DSA’s third major primary win deepens Democrats’ fight over the party’s future. [Ed: primaries in Colorado.]

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

From the AP: Billionaire Bannon Ally Sentenced to 30 Years. Prosecutors say self-exiled Chinese businessman Guo Wengui destroyed lives with $1B scam.

From Greater Good: Shelter Dog Freezes When She Sees Who Came Back For Her.

From Ars Technica: Sony erases digital content from libraries; we’re reminded we don’t own what we buy. Sony has been scaling down its digitial store for a few years. From Reclaim the Net: Sony Deletes 551 StudioCanal Movies PlayStation Owners Paid For. The deletion is coming on September 1 and so far the company has said nothing about giving anyone their money back.

From the Daily Sceptic: Fear Is Overwhelming Us. ...an accumulating culture of fear which is having a paralysing effect on wider society. ...[Ed: a must read.]

Japan-China. From the Japan Times: China blacklists more Japanese entities as row deepens. [Ed: I have largely ignored the deepening schism between China and Japan but it is persisting and deserves attention.] From Straits Times: Japan protests against China’s maritime claims near southern island. From Bloomberg: Yen Hits Four-Decade Low in Historic Slide That’s Rattled Japan [Ed: meanwhile Japan's economy has been teetering. Some people predict that a global depression would follow the collapse of the Yen.]

From Politico.EU: German politicians vow to stop VW’s mass layoff plan. The giant automaker’s planned cuts are among the clearest signs yet of Germany’s industrial decline. [Ed: VW wants to lay off 100,000 workers.]

From PupVine: Idaho Shelter Realized This Huge Dog Needed A Pack, Not Another Quiet House

Iran. From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: – Vance-Rubio Struggle – Oman Supports ‘Fees’. "Rubio has long be captured by the Zionist lobby while Vance is creature of tech tech billionaires. Which side has more firepower if there is a competition?" [Ed: I don't necessarily agree with this analysis but it is thought-provoking.] From the Guardian: US-Iran talks over $6bn Iranian assets to restart. Two sides yet to have face-to-face meeting since signing deal to reopen strait of Hormuz. [Ed: the $6bn is Iran's red line on negotiating.] From Anadolu Agency: Iran says ‘no need’ for outside help in Hormuz mine clearance. 'Iran knows its responsibilities better than any other party and has the ability to fulfill them,' foreign ministry spokesman says. [Ed: Trump has been angling every way from Sunday to have foreign supervision, involvement, presence in the Strait. Iran is adamantly against it.]

From Property and Freedom: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Cites Rothbard on the Alliance between the State and Big Business. [Ed: Hat tip to good friend Stephan Kinsella.]

SAVE Act. From the Hill: Johnson announces gambit to attach SAVE America Act to must-pass defense bill. "Johnson said that he will use a process called MIRVing." [Ed: better known as a merge onto the rule.] From Center for American Progress: The SAVE Act May Be Stalled in Congress, But State Versions Are Being Advanced All Across the Country. "Fourteen states now have SAVE Act-like laws on the books requiring Americans to provide proof of their citizenship..."

From FOX News: Former Treasury advisor says probe into 'subversive' anti-AI Singham network is 'enormous'. New report links Singham-backed activists to campaigns that stalled $23.6B in AI and data center investment across 14 states.

Birthright Citizenship. From Zero Hedge: Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order. "In a massive 194-page, 5-4 ruling..." From Reason: Supreme Court Affirms Original Meaning of Birthright Citizenship, Strikes Down Trump's Executive Order. Understanding Trump v. Barbara. [Ed: this issue is not over. Trump will not allow it to be.]

From Dogman Ray: From Around the World. [Ed: 3 charming stories.]

The Cost of Living. From White House.gov: Lowering the Cost of Living by Promoting the Freedom to Fix. [Ed: narrowly applies only to the repair of automobiles.]

From Brownstone Institute: The U.S. Should Exit the U.N. by Wendy McElroy

The New Democrats. From American Greatness: The New Socialists: Elite, Ungrateful, And Toxic As Ever. The new socialist movement believes it can remake America - but its growing radicalism may prove the very thing that drives voters away and fuels a counterrevolution. From Zero Hedge: Democrat Politicians Are Being Attacked By The Woke Mob They Helped Create. Being a Democrat is no longer protection from the rabid activist fold... From Reuters: Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeats incumbent Diana DeGette in Colorado House primary. [Ed: so...not confined to the NYC burroughs.]

From Zero Hedge: Largest US Power Grid Declares Emergency To Prevent Blackouts. "PJM has implemented several alerts and actions to maintain reliable system operations..."

From the DoDo: Shelter Dogs Can't Stop Hugging When Their Biggest Dream Finally Comes True

NYC Rent Freeze. From the City-Journal: The High Cost of New York’s Rent Freeze. The Rent Guidelines Board’s vote provides relief to some tenants while leaving the city’s deeper housing problems unresolved. In 1971, the Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck offered a famous critique of rent control: “In many cases rent control appears to be the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing.” From the Daily Economy: Housing board votes to freeze New York rents in victory for Mamdani. [Ed: I'm glad I spent time in NYC decades ago.]

From YouTube: I Wanted a Dog, But God Gave Me a Comedian! [Ed: rather long video so I watched it in pieces. Delightful.]

From the Mises Institute: US Taxation Is Fueled by Quiet Envy. Forget equity and fairness and reducing so-called wealth gaps. The current “tax-the-rich” movement is driven by an unspoken pathology: envy.

Cryptocurrency. From Coin Telegraph: EU Watchdog EBA Details Big Crypto Fines As Landmark Laws Bite.The European Banking Authority laid out a proposed penalty framework that can strip non-compliant significant token issuers of up to 12.5% of their annual revenue... [Ed: it is easy for crypto issuers to move elsewhere. And probably prudent.] From Courthouse News: Convicted crypto bros seek relief in the 11th Circuit. The convictions centered on how the federal government defines securities in the opaque world of cryptocurrencies.

From Of Two Minds Blog: The US Economy In a Nutshell: Privatize the Gains, Socialize the Costs. [Ed: in terms of gov.'s goals, this captures it.]

NATO Summit 2026. From Middle East Eye: Turkey Bans Protests Across Many Provinces Ahead Of Major NATO Summit. Annual summit set for July 7-8 with President Trump's expected attendance... From AP News: NATO deputy commander wants Turkey summit to spur more defense spending and show unity.

From Zero Hedge: GM Replaces 1,000 Factory Zero Workers With 50 Robots. The decision reflects a broader shift across the auto industry as manufacturers lean more heavily on robotics and AI to improve efficiency while labor groups warn about the impact on employment.

Iran. From Zero Hedge: Iran Contradicts Trump, Refuses Talks 'At Any Level' For Coming Days, While US Delegation Travels To Qatar. Trump earlier Monday: "Iran has requested a meeting. It will take place tomorrow in Doha." [Ed: this could be embarrassing to Trump. An embarrassed Trump is an unhinged Trump.] From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: – Iran’s Negotiators Are Under Pressure

From the Daily Sceptic: Is There Any Point In Getting To Know Andy Burnham? We should be polite but there’s no real point in spending too much time getting to know him, because he’ll be replaced with a new model in a matter of months... [Ed: I think Farage will be the new P.M.]

From Pawbuzz: Great Dane Walks Up To Her Hospital Bed, Now Keep Your Eyes On The Dog’s Back

Europe and Air Conditioning. From Machinocene: Make Europe Cool Again. From Zero Hedge: Did The World Cup Just Start A War In Europe Over Air Conditioning? Europeans are clashing with their political leaders after visiting the US and getting a taste that sweet, cold indoor air... "The World Cup has triggered one of the most surprising global cultural awakenings in decades and almost no one saw it coming." [Ed: it is rather delightful.]

SCOTUS. From ScotusBlog: Supreme Court allows Trump to fire FTC commissioner and overturns major restraint on presidential power. "Sotomayor used one of the court's strongest protest tools Monday: a lengthy dissent read aloud from the bench." AND Court prevents Trump from firing Fed governor. [Ed: difference is the allegedly independent status of the Fed.] AND Justices uphold state law allowing for late-arriving mail-in ballots. [Ed: well, the Constitution does give states the authority to set most of the rules for elections.] From NPR: SCOTUS Rules 6-3 on 'Geofence' Warrants. Demands for location data constitute a search, justice say, though wider issue is unresolved. [Ed: intriguing that one of the dissents was Clarence Thomas, the closest to a libertarian on SCOTUS.]

From Cato at Liberty: The UN’s Drug Report Makes an Unintended Case Against Prohibition

From Reason: Local Officials Vow To Shield the Public from Virginia's Authoritarian New Gun Laws. A new chapter in the never-ending battle between centralized power and local control.

The New Democrats. From Jonathan Turley: ‘You’re Next!’: Democrats Discover the Mob has a Mind of its Own. [Ed: a must read, for the contrast of the American and French revolutions, if nothing else.] From the Victory Girls Blog: The DSA Didn’t Hijack the Democratic Party. It Found an Open Door. [Ed: well, there was a void. Hating Trump isn't a policy or principle...but its all the Old Dems. got.] From Newser: Warnings Keep Coming for Establishment Democrats. With another test looming in Colorado, party is struggling to cope with its left flank. [Ed: the public and private faces of the Old Dems must be very different. They cannot condemn the new rock stars but they cannot allow them to grab power.]

From CTV News: ‘Nightmare that I want to wake up from’: Kitchener family escapes burning home thanks to their dog

Redistricting. From NBC: Colorado Supreme Court deals blow to Democrats’ redistricting push. The ruling is the latest blow to efforts to Democrats seeking to put more congressional seats in play for the party by redrawing congressional maps. [Ed: this is a real blow in the redistricting wars.] From the Redistricting Data Hub: What’s New. Our team keeps this list updated regularly with new data that is uploaded to the site. [Ed: definitive source of where things stand.]

From DOJ.gov: DOJ Sues States Over Alleged Failure To Turn Over Food Stamp Data. Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania refused to turn over information to the USDA that would let federal officials identify fraud... [Ed: makes these states look very bad.]

Citizen Vigilante. From American Thinker: Citizen Vigilante Should Terrify Western Governments [Ed: I want to see this movie.] From Mediaite: MAGA Raves About Controversial Anti-Immigrant Movie Banned in Germany: ‘A Must Watch’ [Ed: thank God Musk rescued it by hosting a time-limited free viewing on X.] From World of Reel: Uwe Boll’s ‘Citizen Vigilante’ Hits No. 1 on Amazon and No. 2 on Apple TV]

From Simplicius: 'Mystery' Valdai Meeting Between Putin and Lukashenko Stirs Speculation Amidst Zelensky's Latest Threats. From Kyiv Post: Zelensky: Belarus Builds Military Infrastructure Along Ukraine’s Border, Cites Russian Influence

From the Bored Panda: Woman Shares Her Epic Dog Saga On Twitter, And It Will Bring You Tears Of Laughter.

SCOTUS. From Zero Hedge: Supreme Court Expected To Rule On Cook, Elections, And Trans Athletes. No president has attempted such a firing in the Fed's more than century-long history... [Ed: Cook is the Federal Reserve Board of Governors member who Trump removed.] From Click on Detroit: The Supreme Court nears the end of its term with momentous cases about Trump's power to be decided [Ed: the birthright case will probably be the last one decided before the judges leave the building.] From Raw Story: Supreme Court quietly doubling its police force — and 'loathes' acknowledging it: report

From Daily Happy Dog: This Pit Bull Never Goes On Walks Without A Stuffed Toy In His Mouth

From the Burning Platform: Data Collection Off the Tracks: Old NSA Data Center vs. New Hyperscale AI Data Centers. [Ed: hat tip to the Lady Anne.]

The Fed. From the Zero Hedge: Kevin Warsh Just Took 30 Years of Fed Culture to the Wood-Chipper. "The financial world changed last week." From Academy Securities: The Path To A September Rate Cut (Despite AI Inflation). This is a case for September Rate Cuts that is entirely consistent with Warsh’s messaging... [Ed: loosening money.]

From the Post Millennial: LA spends $5.5 MILLION to construct just 100 beds for homeless as Newsom's 1,200 tiny homes project remains unfinished after three years. [Ed: and no one does an audit?! Like foxes auditing the hen house.]

Iran. From CNN: Fragile US-Iran ceasefire strained, Bahrain and Kuwait targeted by Tehran AND US and Iran will ‘stand down for now’ and talks ‘on track,’ US officials say after strikes exchanged. [Ed: who knows what's going on?]

From Paws So Cute: 6 Month Old Golden Retriever Puppy Saves His Mom from a Rattlesnake

Venezuela. From Zero Hedge: Boots On The Ground? US Military Begins Humanitarian Operation In Quake-Ravaged Venezuela. Socialist Nightmare: "There, millions of homes were built for Venezuelans living in poverty. Most were in La Guaira and were made with low-quality materials." From AP: Search for Survivors Passes Critical Point. Death toll in Venezuela tops 1.4K as aftershocks hinder rescuers

From International Man: The Coming Return Of Commodity-Backed Money. [Ed: a step in the right direction.]

From Foss Force: The Quiet Clause That May Save Linux From Age?Verification Laws. [Ed: Linux is about to become even more popular.]

From Good News Network: Community Spares No Effort to Reunite Lost Dog with Owner After Their Car Was Rolled in a Crash

From the BBC: Pakistani strikes kill dozens in Afghanistan, Taliban officials say "Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan of harbouring terrorists who carry out attacks on its soil, a claim the Taliban government rejects."

The New Democrats. From Zero Hedge: "Wants To Be More Political Than His Daddy": Alex Soros Plows $103 Million Into Unhinged Democrats Ahead Of Midterms. "... was funneled through the Democracy Political Action Committee." [Ed: nice to have Musk as a counter-balance.] From CNN: Progressives look to Colorado as next test of a rising movement From USA Today: I am a centrist Democrat and I am terrified of success. We appeal to 'the center,' which is an ambiguous blob-like thing that exists only in the minds of Democratic strategists whose brains stopped working in the 1990s. [Ed: for sincere old-style Dems., this must feel like something they love is dying.] From the Post Millennial: ‘Genocide Joe’: Biden booed, heckled by activists during Maryland speech. Outside the event, demonstrators protested Biden’s appearance, holding signs reading “Biden at Dems gala WTF” and “Go Home Genocide Joe.”

From the New York Post: Mexican ‘Batman’ vigilante wanted for chasing down suspected motorbike thieves, taping them to lampposts

From Hot Air: Death from Heat in Europe. [Ed: the first section of the Sunday review. Good overview of how Net Zero kills people.]

From Politico: Iran’s ‘disaster World Cup’ comes to a dramatic end. The team endured off-field hardship and on-field heartbreak. AND Iranian diplomat blasts ‘pseudo-VAR’ interventions after World Cup exit. [Ed: VAR=Video Assistant Referee.]

From Breitbart: Trump Hate Crime Hoaxer Jussie Smollett Mocked in Return to Limelight After Harlem Pride Show: ‘Did He Sing His #1 Hit, This Is MAGA Country’

From Hot Air: Ghost of Alexis de Tocqueville Returns -- What America Can Learn From Him. [Ed: a recommended fun read. Well, fun for me.]

Israel. From antiwar: Obliterating Gaza’s Children: The Damning UN Report AND Part 1. Congress Is Preparing To Surrender American Sovereignty on the Eve of America’s 250th Anniversary. Take Action to Defeat a Dangerous Expansion of the National Security State, Military Power Over Civilian Government, Foreign Policy Entrenchment, and the Erosion of Constitutional Self Government. Part 2. The NDAA Proposed Merger of the US and Israeli Military Is Strategically Unwise and Inherently Unconstitutional by Dennis Kucinich. [Ed: it is good to see Kucinich writing on war again.]

From the Bored Panda: Guy Shows How He Wakes Up His Blind And Deaf Dog Without Scaring Her, Receives Almost 13 Million Likes

From Unherd: South Africa’s warning for Britain Anti-immigrant violence is escalating

Fraud. From Just the News: More than $10 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars spent on improper SNAP payments. in 2025. Alaska, the District of Columbia, New Mexico, Delaware, and Georgia had the highest average payment error rates, all surpassing 15%, with Alaska’s topping 23%. From the Department of Justice: Man Taken into Custody in Somalia for Role in Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme.