WendyMcElroy.com

I like this image because I've seen Murray sit in this manner so often. And, yes, his offices were always that cluttered.

From USA Today: House Passes Farm Bill Without Controversial Pesticides Provision.

From the Toronto Sun: Dog saves family from house fire, helping reunite him with his owners. [Ed: Butter/Cooper was reunited with his original family.]

All Things Covid. From the New York Post: Miranda Devine: The Biden admin’s COVID vaccine cover-up and lies can no longer be denied – or the damage they caused. [Ed: death and damage.] From the Brownstone Institute: The Next Indictment Should Be Against Greg Folkers. The Department of Justice does not need to wait for Dr. David Morens to turn on his colleagues; the evidence to charge the next key advisor to Dr. Anthony Fauci is already in the public record.

Redistricting. From the Babylon Bee: Op-Ed: If We Stop Discriminating Based On The Color Of People's Skin, The Racists Will Have Won. From WTVR: Elections board unable to certify Virginia redistricting results amid legal challenges. Two Republican-led lawsuits challenging the April 21 redistricting referendum are blocking the Virginia State Board of Elections from certifying a new congressional map that favors Democrats 10-1. [Ed: informative because it is a Richmond, Va. news site.] From Just the News: Justice Dept says it will enforce SCOTUS ruling in every state with racially gerrymandered districts. [Ed: there are several states in which enforcement will be necessary...California, Virginia, Oregon...]

Ukraine-Russia. From Table Briefings: Russia is stepping up its air strikes against Ukraine: The number of attacks has reached a new high

From Real Clear Science: Trump Fired the National Science Board. Good. Here's Who He Should Put on It [Ed: he fired all 24 members.]

Everyday Finances. From Zero Hedge: This Is The Salary Needed To Live Comfortably In US Cities. From the Organic Prepper: Bleach, Hand Sanitizer, or Natural Cleaning Products? What to Use When. [Ed: this is a frugal measure--using cheaper or homemade cleaners--to which I am returning right now.] From Money Wise: ‘They never expected to live this long': Surviving to 100 is easier than ever — not outliving your money is the real challenge. "Couples face a coin-flip chance that at least one partner reaches 90. How to keep your money from running out."

From Garden & Gun: An Unruly Retriever Helps His Owner Exorcise Some Demons. A humorist’s bold attempt to rewrite a family legacy of failed Labradors

Iran War. From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Trump Leans Towards Another Attack on Iran as More Weapons Arrive in Theater; Further Confirmation of US Base Damage in Theater, El Niño as Famine Multiplier. From FOX News: 'Killing off the country': Iran executes dozens, arrests 4,000+ in war crackdown. From Reason: A Pointless War: How Iran Hawks Finally Got Their Way. President Donald Trump and his predecessors spent decades putting the U.S. on a path toward war against Iran. AND Trump Had 60 Days To End the Iran War. Instead, He's Just Pretending It's Over.

Strait of Hormuz. From Al Jazeera: Hormuz effect? How US, China are ramping up tensions over the Panama Canal Aljazeera

From Wikipedia: Moose (December 24, 1990 – June 22, 2006) was a wire-hair Jack Russell Terrier who portrayed Eddie Crane on the American television sitcom Frasier. AND THEN Enzo, his son took over the role.

Cuba. From the Guardian: Cuba is running out of time. We need fuel now to save lives. "At its core, this is not a political issue. It is a human one." From Zero Hedge: Trump Hits Cuba With New Sanctions; Rubio Warns Of Havana's Foreign Influence Ops. "That's not going to happen under President Trump."

Gaza. From National News: ‘Another famine would be a nightmare’: Gaza’s descent into new food crisis. From Thomas Fazi: From Iran to Lebanon: the “Gaza model” is now a standard Israeli-American tactic of war. "Israel’s approach approach envisages no negotiated resolution to conflicts — only a military solution pursued through the massive use of force and the deliberate destruction of civilian infrastructure." [Ed: they make a desert and call it peace.]

From the Garrison Institute: OK, “Gun Control” Had Its Chance — Here Are The Results. [Ed: by the excellent Thomas Knapp.]

From Law & Liberty: Abundance Liberalism's Statist Heart. There are deep and intractable problems in abundanista-land. "In one sense, the debate about abundance is about the future of the left in America." [Ed: "abundance" is becoming quite a political buzzword.]

Big Picture Economics. From Mish Talk: ISM Employment Contracts 31 Months, Prices Rise 19 months. From Wolf Street: Inflation in the Entire US economy Is Rocking and Rolling, and It’s Not Just Energy. The 6-month core services PCE inflation index, accelerating since August, hit 3.7% annualized. Chip prices and software wreak havoc amid consumer electronics. [Ed: the true economy is not Wall St.; it is inflation.]

Israel. From +972 Magazine: In East Jerusalem, ‘a whole Palestinian community is about to be expelled’. Israel is forcing out Al-Bustan’s 1,500 residents to build a biblical theme park. To avoid paying huge fines, families are demolishing their own homes. [Ed: +972 was founded by 4 independent Israeli journailsts.]

From Sunny Skyz: Missing Dog Rescued From 13th-Story Ledge After Two Days Trapped On High-Rise

Oil Shock. From Responsible Statecraft: The US will suffer more from oil shock than China, Russia, or EU. This will surprise many Americans because Trump and Co. are flooding the zone with age-old misconceptions in order to prevent panic and opposition to the war. [Ed: even with a flow of Venezuelan oil?] From Oil Price: $6 Gas in California Signals New Phase of the Global Energy Crunch. From antiwar: Soon Comes The Mother of All Supply Shocks.

From Sunny Skyz: Man Risks His Life To Save Dog From Icy River In Dramatic Rescue Caught On Camera

From International Man: The Covid Playbook Returns: Energy Rationing and the Politics of Crisis Control. This recent headline from New Zealand should itself send chills down your spine… "Government reveals details of fuel crisis rationing plan – and who will be prioritized."

Strait of Hormuz. From Son of the New American Revolution: The Bogus Blockade Claim of the US Department of War. [Ed: a must read because I think Larry Johnson gets his facts straight.]

From Zero Hedge: Fidelity, Vanguard Halt Donations To SPLC After Federal Indictment. "Fidelity and Vanguard have stopped processing donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center through their donor-advised fund platforms, citing. the organization’s recent federal indictment on fraud charges." [Ed: pausing donations, not eschewing them.]

Covid Fall-Out. From the Libertarian Institute: COVID Conniving Receives First Federal Indictment. by James Bovard. From Western Journal: Leading California Governor Candidate Vows to Bring State Charges Against Anthony Fauci. [Ed: Steve Hilton.] From the New York Post: Pressure Builds to Indict Fauci Before May 11 Deadline. [Ed: there is a 5-year legal deadline.]

Media. From CNN: FCC Makes Huge Move Against ABC. Agency orders early review of licenses of 8 company-owned stations. [Ed: disney owns ABC, and 2 of the stations being reviewed are NYC and Chicago.] From NPR: Alex Jones-Infowars-Onion Battle Takes Another Turn. Appeals court grants emergency stay for conspiracy theorist to halt satire site's takeover of Infowars. [Ed: an appeals court in Texas.]

From People: Surrendered Dalmatian Left Without a Home Ends Up with a Firehouse Full of Adopters (Exclusive). Ember the dog will help teach children about fire safety with the DeFuniak Springs Fire Department in Florida.

Louisiana and Other Elections. From CNN Politics: Louisiana delays US House primaries after Supreme Court ruling but lets other races go forward. "...House primary elections — the May 16 primary and June 27 runoff — suspended until July 15 or until the state Legislature redraws the state’s congressional maps." From the Hill: Cassidy pans Landry for moving forward with Louisiana Senate primary after voting rights decision. [Ed: Cassidy is a La. Senator; Landry is La. governor.] From AOL: Gov. Ivey calls special session on redistricting following Supreme Court decision. [Ed: Alabama is following suit and it benefits the GOP in the House.]

Upcoming Election Integrity. From Palm Beach Post: Federal judge upholds Florida's stricter ballot initiative law. From Jonathan Turley: “Incredible, Unstoppable Titan of Terror!”: The Lobster That Devoured Virginia’s Constitution. [Ed: the redistricted map is like an incredible lobster that denies all representation to the GOP. SCOTUS?]

From the BBC: US to cut troop levels in Germany by 5,000 amid Trump spat with Merz.

Packing SCOTUS. From Jonathan Turley: Contempt of Court: Hakeem Jeffries Denounces the Supreme Court as “Illegitimate”. [Ed: well, trying to pack the court didn't work for FDR.]

From the DailyBB News: Garbage Collector’s Call Sparks Heartwarming Reunion of Puppy and Mother Dog

Rise of anti-semitism in UK. From Spiked: Islamism, not the cost-of-living, is the root of this anti-Semitic violence. The Greens’ attempt to pin the Golders Green stabbings on Reform and food prices was desperate and cowardly. [Ed: this refers to the stabbing of two Jewish men in north London.] From Reuters: UK raises terrorism threat level after stabbings as Starmer says Jews are scared. [Ed: PM is being called "Starmer, Jew Harmer".]

Trump's Gravy Train. From Moon of Alabama: Trump And His Family Are Enriching Themselves. [Ed: by an incredible amount.] From MS Now: ‘Crypto king’: How Trump has nearly tripled his net worth since retaking the White House. [Ed: IMO, a crypto scam...and stablecoin, not real crypto.] From DNYUZ: Trump scam cost MAGA devotees over $4B: expert.

Robots. From Real Investment Advice: A Robot Economy: Who Gets Rich, Who Gets Left Behind. The optimists call what’s coming the “age of abundance”... [Ed: I agree that a robot economy--or, at least, a far-reaching one--is now inevitable.] From Zero Hedge: Meta Buys Robot Brain Startup As Zuck Wants Humanoids In Homes. This seems like a more reasonable bet than the Metaverse. [Ed: I am looking forward to a domestic robot.] From Interesting Engineering: Robot Dives 1.5 Miles, Maps French Shipwreck With 86,000 Images And Recovers Artifacts. The visibility is excellent. You almost can’t tell it’s so deep...

War with Iran. From Zero Hedge: Trump Issues Letter Rejecting Congressional Oversight For War, Citing Ceasefire Has 'Terminated' Hostilities. [Ed: good summary of evolving status.] From Mediaite: POLL: Trump’s Iran War Is Now as Unpopular as Vietnam and Iraq.

From Today: Pit bull's heart stops after being stabbed while protecting family home. Now, his tail wags again

From FOX26 Houston: Spirit Airlines preparing to shut down, other airlines say they're ready to help. Reports are stating that Spirit Airlines could shut down late Friday night or on Saturday. Other airlines have already said they're ready to help customers affected should the shutdown occur. [Ed: I've heard it closed as of 3 a.m. today.]

From Pay Day Report: Livestream of Mayday from across the U.S. [Ed: I wish tax $ wasn't busing schoolchildren to attend.]

Hegseth and the House Armed Services Committee... From the Hill: War Powers Deadline Is Paused, Hegseth Argues. Defense secretary tells senators the ceasefire stopped the clock. [Ed: I think this is a new legal theory...as so many are these days.] From Zero Hedge: $25 Billion: Hegseth Accused Of Lowballing Cost Of Iran War. Intense back-and-forth with House Armed Services Committee...

From the Greater Good: Tiny Abandoned Dog Refuses To Leave His Injured Best Friend Alone On The Freeway

From the Epoch Times: Congress Passes 45-Day Extension Of FISA Section 702, Sending It To Trump's Desk. Much more important than voter ID, obviously... [Ed: yes, the last remark is sarcasm, IMO.]

Big Picture Economics. From the Hill: National Debt Crosses a 'Scary' Milestone. It has now edged above 100% of GDP. "One in seven federal dollars now goes to interest..." From Mish Talk: AI Provided Nearly All the GDP Growth in the First Quarter. [Ed: this makes the growth fragile.] From Reason: Even Laws That Haven't Passed Can Have Unintended Consequences. Mere proposals can change the risk calculus for business and investors. Politicians, and the public, should be wary.

From the Post Millennial: Judge rules Texas must permit 400-acre Muslim city to be built. The ruling opens the door for a 402-acre Muslim community that includes more than 1,000 homes, apartment buildings, a K–12 Islamic school, a mosque, health clinics, retail stores, and more.

US Troops in EU. From FOX News: Trump Weighs Pulling US Troops From Germany Amid Clash With Chancellor Over Iran War. [Ed: also over Merz should be doing more to halt Ukraine-Russia war.] From the Guardian: Trump threatens to withdraw US troops from Italy and Spain – Europe live. The US president said he would carry out of a review of US military presence in Europe after public criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

From Wamiz: Dog scolded for barking at 4:30am goes on to save entire family's life

War on Iran. From Iran War Cost Tracker: Tracker here in real time. From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: – Trump To Decide On Three Options. [Ed: a lot depends on whether Iran buckles under the pressure.]

Midterms and SCOTUS. From Reuters: US Supreme Court Under Roberts Takes ‘Wrecking Ball’ to Voting Rights Act. [Ed: I don't agree with the headline's assessment but many people seem to, which raises the possibility of real violence surrounding the midterms.] From CNN: Louisiana delays US House primaries after Supreme Court ruling but lets other races go forward. [Ed: meanwhile Kathy Hochul (NY) is defying SCOTUS by pushing redistricting.]

Comey. From CBC: Comey appears in court on '86 47' allegation that legal experts say could be tough to prove. Former FBI director charged after posting a photo of seashells arranged on a beach. [Ed: Comey will appear in Greenboro, NC on May 11.] From the Hill: Charging Comey is a free speech trap: by Jonathan Turley.

From the White House.gov.: PROMOTING RETIREMENT-SAVINGS ACCESS FOR AMERICAN WORKERS BY ESTABLISHING TRUMPIRA.GOV. [Ed: a new executive order that is supposed to help retirement accounts. I have not reviewed it.] From Jonathan Turley: Shell Speech: Why the Second Comey Indictment is Likely to Fail.

From Orvis News: Airline Stops Vet and His Service Dog from Boarding a Flight. . .and You Won’t Believe the Irony

From International Man: Doug Casey on Energy Lockdowns and the New Era of Government Control AND Why Iran Can’t Be Bombed, Invaded, or Nuked Into Submission.

From the Epoch Times: Canada's Culture Minister: Regulating Online Content A Duty Of Federal Government

From Council on Foreign Relations: China’s “Fake” De-Dollarization. From Mish Talk: Offshore US Dollars Surge Over the $14 Trillion Mark, Where’s De-Dollarization?

Israel. From the Cradle: Apartheid without borders’: Israel abducts dozens of Gaza flotilla activists in international waters. From Press TV: Israel suffers heavy toll from Hezbollah drone strikes, faces operational collapse. From Al Mayadeen: Netanyahu plans to rush to Washingon as Trump pushes ceasefire.

From the Laughing Squid: Golden Retriever Holds Onto the Leash of His Emotional Support Rubber Ducky During Hydrotherapy Session