Thursday Evening Tabs

Lie down with dogs you get up with fleas edition.

Alex Jones and Our Weird Bankruptcy Laws

The conspirator is living large while his victims go unpaid.

What Constitutes Business Failure?

If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.

Cash Apps Aren’t Banks!

Who knew?

Making Alex Jones Pay

The huckster is exploiting bankruptcy laws and the financial regulations to circumvent court judgments.

Robert Blake, 1933-2023

The Baretta actor and acquitted murderer is dead at 89.

Rural Hospitals Not Offering Obstetric Care

A growing trend has healthcare professionals and communities concerned.

Ben Sasse to Leave Senate to Become Florida President

The Nebraska Republican got an offer he can’t refuse.

Obama’s Top Economist Opposes Biden Debt Relief Plan

An unlikely source argues that it’s too big and poorly targeted.

Katie Hill Bankrupt After Losing Revenge Porn Suit

The law is behind the times.

Meat Loaf, 1947-2022

The singer and actor, born Marvin Lee Aday, is gone at 74.

America’s Poverty Dependence

Our love for cheap goods and services requires lots of people willing to work for very little.

Not Will Rogers’ Democratic Party

The case of Katie Porter’s committee assignments.

Student Debt and the For-Profit Connection

The loaners, the dreamers, and schemes.

How Much Student Loan Relief?

Now, we’re just haggling over price.

Amazon Eying Empty Sears, JC Penney Stores

The online behemoth is consolidating its market position during the pandemic.

Is Email That Bad?

A new company has reinvented the communication tool that people love to hate.

Brooks Brothers Bankrupt

The venerable apparel company is having a hard go of it.

Gregory McMichael Was Not a Good Cop

A look at the employment records of one of the men involved in the Ahmaud Arbery shooting.

President Donald J. Trump listens to a reporter’s question during the coronavirus (COVID-19) update briefing Sunday, March 22, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks) President Donald J. Trump listens to a reporter’s question during the coronavirus (COVID-19) update briefing Sunday, March 22, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks)

Quid Pro Quo Federalism

This isn’t how it is supposed to work.

Boy Scouts File for Bankruptcy

The venerable youth organization has fallen on hard times.

The Iowa Caucuses Debacle

It’s more embarrassing than we thought.

newspaper newspaper

Newspaper Endorsements At Odds with Polls

The leading papers in Iowa and New Hampshire are backing Klobuchar and Warren, respectively.

Paul Volcker, Fed Chairman Who Slew The Inflation Dragon, Dies At 92

Paul Volcker, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board who put an end to the rampant inflation that threatened to choke the American economy, has died at 92.

Farm Bailouts

The costs of irresponsible policy.

After Weeks Of Protests, Puerto Rico’s Governor Will Resign

After weeks of protests and years of frustrations, Ricardo Rosselló, the Governor of Puerto Rico, announced last night that he will be resigning from office.

Are Our Critics and Commentators too White?

Should the pundit class look more like America?

Lee Iacocca, Who Headed Two Of The Big Three Automakers, Dies At 94

One of America’s fist celebrity CEO’s has passed away at the age of 94.

U.S. Puts Its Thumb On The Scale In The Middle East, Again

Recent comments by the U.S. Ambassador to Israel make it clear that the United States cannot be considered a neutral party In the Middle East peace process.

Former Stormy Daniels Lawyer Charged With Fraud, Other Charges

Michael Avenatti, the former attorney for Stormy Daniels who briefly flirted with the idea of running for President, has been charged with multiple counts of fraud and other charges, some of them in connection with his representation of Daniels herself.

Progressives In The Democratic Party May Have Misread The Signals For 2020

Based on the early stages of the campaign for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination, it appears as though the party’s progressive wing has misread the signals being sent by the party’s voters.

Leak Reveals A Decade Of Trump Tax Information, But Nothing Very Illuminating

The New York Times has obtained about ten years worth of Donald Trump’s tax returns from the late eighties to early nineties. They don’t tell us much that we didn’t already know.

Taxing the Very Rich

It’s a lot harder than it looks.

The Biden Backlash

The early frontrunner for the Democratic nomination is drawing fire from multiple fronts. It may destroy his candidacy before it begins.

Elizabeth Warren Formally Enters Presidential Race

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is the latest entrant into an already crowded field for the Democratic nomination.

Is There Room For Forgiveness And Redemption In The #MeToo Era?

Can society forgive the men caught up in the #MeToo movement? Is it even our place to decide?

Trump Shutdown Longest Ever and Violates Law

Federal employees deemed “essential” missed a paycheck yesterday in violation of US labor law.

Shutdown’s Impact Likely To Be Limited

While the political media is spending a lot of time talking about it, the actual impact of this latest government shutdown is likely to be limited and possibly even unnoticeable to most Americans.

GM Cutting Workers, Cars

A decade after being bailed out by the Federal government, the giant automaker is slashing jobs.

Cesar Sayoc, 56, Arrested And Charged In Connection With Political Bombing Attempts

Authorities have arrested a Florida man named Cesar Sayoc, a 56-year-old Trump supporter, in connection with the wave of bombing attempts directed at critics of the President.

Sears Files For Chapter 11, Faces An Uncertain Future

Once the iconic American retail store, Sears now faces the possibility that it may end up fading into history.

The Beginning Of The End Of Sears Appears To Be At Hand

A once iconic American retailer appears to be on its last legs.

Trump’s Wealth Originated In Shady Financial Maneuvers And Possible Tax Fraud

Much of what Donald Trump has claimed about how he built his fortune is a lie, and at least part of it originated in his father’s shady efforts to evade taxes.

Trump Still Thinks He Did A ‘Fantastic Job’ In Puerto Rico

Despite the evidence, the President thinks he did a great job handling a disaster in which nearly 3,000 American citizens died.

Apple Tops $1,000,000,000,000 In Value

Forty-two years after being founded in a California garage, and twenty years after nearly going broke, Apple Computer has become the first publicly traded company to top $1 trillion in value.

Donald Trump And The Mainstreaming Of Racism

Donald Trump may or may not be racist himself, but he has most certainly exploited and helped widen racial divisions ever since bursting on the political scene in 2015.

Harvey Weinstein Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been charged with rape and sexual assault in a New York Court.

Welcome To The Era Of Trump’s Trillion Dollar Budget Deficits

We’re set to return to the era of trillion dollar budget deficits, and Republicans won’t do a thing about it.