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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 19h

“Every time Donald Trump opens his mouth, he sows more seeds of his own destruction.” - me

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

"The only thing I like about Donald Trump is that he is his own worst enemy." - me

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

The only thing I like about Donald Trump is that he is his own worst enemy.

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

On the night of the midterm elections in 2018, Nancy Pelosi said Democrats’ victory was about two things: restoring Congress as a check to Donald Trump, then in his first term, and stopping “assaults” on health care. This year, health care is once again a vulnerability for Republicans.

economist.com

What’s even more politically toxic than high prices at the pump?

The soaring cost of health care is a problem for Republicans

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

...social media post that he was quitting as an Anthropic researcher, on the dangers of AI.

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Heard in a New York City Council hearing: "The companies run on a startup mindset: move fast, break things, fix them later. That works for a photo sharing app. It does not work for building the most powerful technology ever built." —Jacob Coxon, who recently announced in a widely-shared... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

But all of society fails when women are treated like objects in the environment that shapes the intellectual elite, and impunity and silence cover up sexual violence.” 2/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Considering the gang-rape allegations at Cornell University, the editorial board of El País, a Spanish daily, writes, “Institutions fail when they don’t guarantee that university women study in the same conditions as their male classmates. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Read how that has changed their shenanigans’ likely outcomes—and about the kind of Democrats likely to be elected in November. 2/2 [me: I like that republicans will be unintended participants in their own downfall.]

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

There is an art to gerrymandering: you want to put just enough of your voters in as many districts as you can to form comfortable majorities in each one. But the polls have moved since the Republicans kicked off their gerrymandering wars by redrawing the map in Texas. 1/2

economist.com

When gerrymandering meets a blue wave

The unexpected consequences of Republicans’ effort to redraw electoral maps

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

The judge in his case called him a “serial child molester”. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker of the House of Representatives (1999-2007) in its history, died aged 84. After his political career he was jailed for covering up payments to victims of sexual abuse he committed while a high-school teacher and wrestling coach. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

He will be killed by firing squad. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Mr Trump ordered the execution of Nidal Hasan, who committed the deadliest ever mass shooting on an American military base. In 2009 Mr Hasan killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas; of Palestinian descent, he was motivated by opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and remains unrepentant.1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Ms Hochul’s measures would expand the personnel authorized to give vaccines and cut red tape. It has been the worst year for measles in America since 1991. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York, declared a state of emergency to combat a measles outbreak, making hers the first state to do so. New York has 108 cases, mostly in rural areas. (Neighboring Pennsylvania has had about nine times as many.) 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

...AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, frequently used in mass shootings; and whether the Trump administration can deport people to countries they are not citizens of. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

The Supreme Court began a new term, hearing a case on whether the city and county of Boulder, Colorado can sue energy companies for the harms of climate change. The term could also see culture-war cases over Texas’s law requiring the ten commandments in classrooms; whether states can ban the... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

The ads cost the government around $20m. The president’s MAGA Inc organization will now pick up the bill. 2/2 The Economist [me: Didn't there used to be a TV show about the World's dumbest criminals?]

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Mr Trump said his super PAC would, after the fact, pay for controversial television ads originally paid for by taxpayers, and which looked a lot more like puffery for the president than a public service. In one spot, a chorus sang “love me” while endless images of Mr Trump flashed on the screen. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Last month diesel prices reached a record $6.50 a gallon. Mr Trump recently ruled out a plan to ban diesel exports. 2/2 The Economist [me: This will prove to be too little, too late to help republicans.]

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Donald Trump eased restrictions on the use of tax-exempt red diesel—typically reserved for off-road use in sectors such as farming and construction. The move is part of an effort to bring down fuel costs ahead of November’s midterm elections. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

...support. Many Spaniards also fear ushering Vox, a populist-right party, into government. At the very least, Mr Sánchez will hope to close the poll gap to narrow a right-wing majority. 4/4 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

...him after eight years in power. They blame his government for the housing crisis, mass immigration, polarized politics and a string of corruption scandals. Polls give the combined right a 15-point lead over the left. But Mr Sánchez is a formidable campaigner and rent controls enjoy broad... 3/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

...had rented for 70 years triggered protests. A decree from Mr Sánchez to control rents and suspend evictions was rejected in parliament. The Socialist Party leader wants to turn the election into a referendum on the welfare state. Conservative opposition parties see it as a chance to oust... 2/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

Spain gets a surprise election Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s embattled prime minister, will dissolve parliament on Tuesday after calling a snap general election for November 29th. He has seized on public discontent over housing. Last month the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from the apartment she... 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

But it would add to a growing sense that the AfD’s long exclusion from power is nearing its end. 4/4 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

The outcome of that vote, not expected until December, remains uncertain. What seems more likely is that Tobias Rausch, another Af D MP, will be elected president of the parliament—a first for the party in Germany—when the chamber sits on Tuesday. Mr Rausch’s role would be mostly ceremonial. 3/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

...remains three seats short of a majority in the 83-seat chamber. He hopes to convince the Alliance for Social Justice and Economic Reason, a small pro-Russian outfit that scraped into parliament, to help him become Germany’s first nationalist right-wing leader since the second world war. 2/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 20h

The AfD’s dominance in Saxony-Anhalt On Tuesday the parliament of Saxony-Anhalt, a state in eastern Germany, convenes for the first time since the populist-right Alternative for Germany secured a historic 44% of the vote in an election one month ago. The AfD’s lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund... 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Tuesday’s results should show whether an intoxicating summer of football was enough to compensate for the broader slump in drinking. 4/4 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

...ever media investment in the sport. The boost would be welcome. Americans are drinking less alcohol , while tariffs on aluminum have pushed up the cost of Constellation’s beer cans. The company’s shares have fallen by 60% since their peak in April 2024 and recently hit an 11-year low. 3/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Investors will watch for signs that the World Cup, which ran from June 11th to July 19th, lifted sales. Constellation leans heavily on Hispanic customers in America, where its Mexican beer brands are matchday fixtures. The company bet heavily on football this summer: Modelo made its largest... 2/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Constellation banks on a World Cup bonanza Constellation Brands, the American maker of Modelo and Corona beer, reports second-quarter results for three months to August on Tuesday. Analysts expect the company to report revenue of around $2.57bn, 3.6% higher than a year earlier. 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

...their highest since 2002. The threat of a broader antigovernmental movement is growing. 4/4 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

France is six months away from a presidential election, and the mood is tense. The price of fuel at the pump is high. Budget cuts are planned for 2027 in a bill that will soon go to parliament. And the government remains under pressure from the bond markets: ten-year yields hit 4.9% last week... 3/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

They are unhappy about teacher shortages, heavy timetables and run-down buildings. Over 400 lycées were closed on official orders on Monday in an effort to contain the violence. The government is worried that the demonstrations could widen, drawing on a general sense of discontent. 2/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

France nears boiling point Violence could resurface in France on Tuesday when angry secondary-school pupils take to the streets for a nationwide “day of action”. The young protesters took to the barricades last week, but this time they will be joined by the country’s trade unions. 1/4

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

...with over 4,000 deaths. The virus spread to Uganda earlier this year, but was contained quickly. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Kenya reported its first death from Ebola. Officials have traced 28 people who may be infected through contact with the patient, who had travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The incident marks Kenya’s first confirmed case. The outbreak in Congo is the second largest on record... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Markets seemed happy. Brazilian stocks had their best day since 2020, while government bonds and Brazil’s currency also performed well. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Right-wing candidates who crashed out in the first round of Brazil’s presidential election threw their weight behind Flávio Bolsonaro, the unexpected winner. The right-wing populist will now almost certainly prevail in his run-off against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva later this month. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

India’s opposition parties are demanding the resignation of the country’s chief election commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, over alleged irregularities in the voter roll. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Indian opposition MPs led a demonstration from parliament towards the headquarters of India’s election watchdog in Delhi. Rahul Gandhi was detained after breaking through police barricades and waving India’s flag in protest. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

...clients, including an employee of a foreign intelligence service. Mr Hanning ran the BND, Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, from 1998 to 2005. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Germany’s former spy chief, August Hanning, was arrested on suspicion of treason. Mr Hanning’s former chief of staff was also detained for reportedly smuggling thousands of classified documents to his boss. Information from these documents was shared with Mr Hanning’s private consulting... 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Last month diesel prices surpassed $6.50 a gallon for the first time. Mr Trump recently ruled out a plan to ban diesel exports. 2/2 The Economist

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

Donald Trump eased restrictions on the use of tax-exempt red diesel, which is typically reserved for off-road use in sectors such as farming and construction. The president wants to bring down America’s fuel costs ahead of November’s midterm elections. 1/2

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A Buffoon Walks Into The Oval Office... @alter-idem.bsky.social · 21h

More than 700 police officers have been injured, and over 6,000 people arrested since the protests began. 2/2 The Economist

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