https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/11/welcome-to-googles-nightmare-us-reveals-plan-to-destroy-search-monopoly/

Eagerly awaiting the DOJ’s upcoming reinvigorated assault on Microsoft’s various monopolies! (Desktop, Office, …)

«16 Find allies in unlikely places. One of my most surprising sources of support during my trial(s) was hard-right Brexiter David Davis. Find threads of connection and work from there.

17 There is such a thing as truth. There are facts and we can know them. From Tamsin Shaw, professor in philosophy at New York University: “‘Can the sceptic resist the tyrant?’ is one of the oldest questions in political philosophy.»

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/17/how-to-survive-the-broligarchy-20-lessons-for-the-post-truth-world-donald-trump

If it’s an old question, then the answer is “yes.”

And the story on # 16 is…

https://bylinetimes.com/2022/02/14/on-trial-freedom-of-the-press/

«Recognising the serious issue this poses, Conservative MP David Davis, in a parliamentary debate last month on ‘lawfare’, claimed that there exist people with “nefarious intentions… exceptionally deep pockets and exceptionally questionable ethics”, who use the justice system to silence journalists.»

https://newrepublic.com/post/188693/15-democrats-give-trump-powers

Huh. Colin Allred. Burnishing his anti-terrorism creds for another run at the senate?

Anyway, Biden will veto, I HOPE.

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/you-dont-have-votes-trump-matt-gaetz-attorney-general

«Hours later, Gaetz abruptly resigned his Florida congressional seat to preempt the release of a House Ethics Committee report that dovetailed with the federal investigation into whether he sex-trafficked a 17-year-old and paid other adult women for sex at drug-fueled orgies. On Thursday morning, CNN reported that the 17-year-old had two sexual encounters with Gaetz—including one that involved another woman. Prior reports indicated that there was only one such encounter.»

Goodbye, Mr. Gaetz. I hope we never hear about you again.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/politics/matt-gaetz-second-sexual-encounter-minor/index.html

«After being asked for comment for this story, Gaetz announced he was backing out as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee.»

Is he really tho?

I’ve decided to start a turmeric supplement. Bottle says “take with a meal that has fat.”

Well… Ok, then. If I must.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-elections/exit-polls

This just feels like it was a “it won’t happen to me” election. Leopards eating faces, yada yada, but it seems to me that vast numbers of people did not (do not) see increased chance of personal harm to themselves or anybody near them in their futures as a result of this election. And that’s what they based their votes on.

Increased harm to somebody else? Not on the radar. Calls from various religions (including atheism as a religion here) to act to reduce harm to the the Other? Not on the radar.

https://www.wral.com/story/riggs-appears-to-win-nc-supreme-court-race-but-griffin-calls-for-a-recount/21729251/

Current margin is 625 votes, out of 5.5+ million.

«In 2020 another race for a Supreme Court seat — the chief justice race between Republican Paul Newby and Democrat Cheri Beasley — went to a recount in which Newby eventually won by 401 votes. That process lasted until mid-December.»

Votes surely do matter.

Ouch. (The headline is wrong. It should be “Democrats”, not just “Biden”. The article basically blames the entire Dem establishment. But….)

The problem with an analysis like this is that it only carries weight in the context of the one poll that matters.

https://www.vox.com/policy/385932/biden-inflation-record-worse-unpopular-mistakes

(Wish I could make this a gift link, but I can’t. 😦 $5/month, though! (Less for a full year.))

«Democrats had also likely been conditioned to ignore concerns about inflation after a decade in which deficit hawks had constantly warned of imminent inflation that never seemed to arrive, and after Trump had spent freely with no practical or political consequence.»

«Given norms against presidential influence on interest rate decisions,»

More norms!

https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/how-to-stop-president-elect-trumps

«The fact that past presidents have done so relatively rarely is more a product of longstanding political norms than hard legal limits.»

Too late now, but maybe (if we get another chance) folks should game out how all the “norms” can be broken and strengthen them with some actual laws. Even if it won’t be Trump again, it’ll be somebody else.