Trump Wants Raid Affidavit Released, DOJ Is 100% Against Idea

By William Teach August 16, 2022 – 10:30 am

Is Trump winging it here, or, does he have an idea what’s in the affidavit?

Former President Trump gives first interview since FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid, vows to ‘help country’

Former President Trump called for the immediate release of the “completely unredacted” Mar-a-Lago affidavit in a late night post on Truth Social.

Trump said the move would be in the interest of “TRANSPARENCY.”

“There is no way to justify the unannounced RAID of Mar-a-Lago, the home of the 45th President of the United States (who got more votes, by far, than any sitting President in the history of our Country!), by a very large number of gun toting FBI Agents, and the Department of ‘Justice,'” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “But, in the interest of TRANSPARENCY, I call for the immediate release of the completely Unredacted Affidavit pertaining to this horrible and shocking BREAK-IN.”

Trump also called for the judge on the case to be recused from the case.

It would be very interesting to see the affidavit, because so many of the investigations into Trump and his people, happening since 2016, were based on false/manufactured/ginned up information, starting with the whole Russia Russia Russia investigation. Crossfire Hurricane. The pee tapes. Spying on a presidential candidate. Abuse of targets. And so much more

Trump’s post comes after the Justice Department filed a motion opposing the release of the affidavit that was used to justify the search of Mar-a-Lago.

“If disclosed, the affidavit would serve as a roadmap to the government’s ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and likely course, in a manner that is highly likely to compromise future investigative steps,” the 13-page filing says.

“The fact that this investigation implicates highly classified materials further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential for harm if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly.”

Wait, I thought the news and Democrats were saying that it didn’t really involve classified documents? Regardless, there had been negotiations for months, Trump had declassified most, if not all, as he can do when being president, and Team Trump had been cooperating. This wasn’t done for Obama’s 30k documents. This is continuing to look like a partisan fishing expedition. Heck, a couple of agents could have shown up with a warrant to look at the material, all nice and quiet, not a pre-dawn raid with lots and lots of agents to be shown on the Trump hating Credentialed media outlets. If this was against, say, Obama, the NY Times, among others, would be running furious opinion pieces, not a “straight news” article trying to defend the DOJ.

Many are thinking this has to do with the FBI and DOJ protecting themselves, along with previous employees, and Hillary Clinton

Read: Trump Wants Raid Affidavit Released, DOJ Is 100% Against Idea »

Posted in Current Affairs, Democrats, Donald Trump | 29 Comments | Trackback URL

Your Fault: U.S. To Soon Have “Extreme Heat Belts” Or Something

By William Teach August 16, 2022 – 7:00 am

By soon, they mean 2053. Unless you are forced to pay a tax and take out long loans for an EV

A quarter of the U.S. will fall inside an extreme heat belt. Here are the states in the red zone.

Last month, just as record-setting heat waves scorched the U.K. and parts of Europe, some 60 million Americans experienced a string of hot and humid days that topped 100 degrees.

Prepare for more of these extremes.

New research and an accompanying planning tool show that across the U.S., on average, the local hottest 7 days are expected to become the hottest 18 days by 2053.

By that year, 1,023 U.S. counties are expected to exceed 125°F, an area that is home to 107.6 million Americans and covers a quarter of the U.S. land area, says nonprofit First Street.

First Street on Monday released the latest installment of a tool called Risk Factor that’s accessible free of charge, and increasingly incorporated into real estate listings, specifically through a partnership with Realtor.com.

Here’s what it looks like, per the pain in the butt formatted Axios piece, with all their bullet points, which have to be changed up to work with WordPress. The graphic is interactive at the link

I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that most of those areas vote Republican, right? They aren’t trying to bring the scaremongering in a way to influence Republicans, right? Hopefully it means Liberals will stay away

According to First Street, the most severe shift in local temperatures is found in Miami-Dade county in Florida where the seven hottest days, currently at 103°F, will increase to 34 days at that same temperature by 2053.

BS

What’s more, the First Street model finds 50 counties, home to 8.1 million residents, are expected to experience temperatures above 125°F in 2023, the highest level of the National Weather Services’ heat index.

So, next year? Who’s held responsible for the scaremongering? Who is held responsible at news organizations publishing this doomsaying with zero pushback, zero accountability, zero skepticism, zero making them prove it? Will all the news outlets publishing this follow up to see the results next year?

By 2053, 1,023 counties, about 25% of the total U.S., are expected to exceed 125°F. This emerging area, concentrated in a geographic region that First Street calls the “extreme heat belt,” stretches from the northern Texas and Louisiana borders to Illinois, Indiana, and even into Wisconsin.

The piece is sorta leaving out that it will be the heat index, not the actual temperature. It’s very convenient using a timeframe that no one will remember. Much seems arbitrary. Why Wilson, Durham, Harnett, Nash, and Orange counties yes in 2053, but, not Wake, right in the middle of them? Which has a higher population, higher growth, and more urbanization and suburbanization?

Read: Your Fault: U.S. To Soon Have “Extreme Heat Belts” Or Something »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 5 Comments | Trackback URL

Only 12% Of Americans Think IRA Will Reduce Inflation

By William Teach August 16, 2022 – 6:45 am

If we’re lucky, it won’t increase inflation. Though, screwing around with energy production most likely will spike it short term

The Big Lie Failed: Just 12% of Americans Think the Inflation Reduction Act Will Reduce Inflation

The Democrats named their tax and spending bill the Inflation Reduction Act, but Americans are not buying it.

The law was hastily thrown together after Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) struck a deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to vote for a bill that would increase spending by hundreds of billions of dollars and increase taxes by even more. Although both the Congressional Budget Office and the Penn-Wharton Budget Model say the bill will do next to nothing for inflation, Democrats have been bragging that the bill is already working.

Polling from the Economist and YouGov indicates that the American public does not believe the bill will bring down inflation.

Just 12 percent of Americans say the bill will reduce inflation. Forty percent say it will increase inflation. Twenty-three percent say it will do nothing. Twenty-five percent say they are not sure what the effect would be.

Even Democrat think it won’t help, with just 25% saying it will reduce inflation. Just 7% of Independents think it will reduce inflation. And, bad news with the mid-terms coming, 41% of Independents say it will make inflation worse.

Meanwhile

Two Thirds of Biden Voters Have a Dim View of U.S. Economy

President Joe Biden’s attempts to talk up the U.S. economy are not convincing many American. Not even his own supporters.

The most recent polling from the Economist and YouGov shows that 66 percent of Biden voters say the economy is either poor or fair. Only five percent say the economy is excellent and 28 percent describe it as good.

Forty-three percent of Biden voters say the state of the economy is fair. Twenty-three percent say it is in poor shape.

Hey, y’all voted for Biden, embrace the suck. I’d love to see a poll of #NeverTrumpers, see what these turncoat Republicans think about the state of the economy.

Read: Only 12% Of Americans Think IRA Will Reduce Inflation »

Posted in Democrats, Economy | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Soundbar: Samsung HW-Q700A 3.1.2 With Dolby Atmos

By William Teach August 15, 2022 – 7:53 pm

This is the fourth soundbar I’ve tried. I gave the Vizio M512a-H6, which is a 5.1.2, a try. It went back. I did not like how the voice was really centered , was distracting. Plus, the volume was problematic. Then the LG SP8YA. It went back. Same centered voice issue. Then the Philips B8405, which us a 2.1.2, with Dolby Atmos like the others. I really, really liked the sound, and, being a 2.1.2, the voice came out of all the speakers. I was interested in it having Play-Fi, meaning you could hook a bunch of things, especially speakers (not those satellite ones which provide atmosphere, actual speakers). However, the volume was dumb. Had to be around a 30 to hear anything, 50 for good volume, and every press of the remote made it go up or down 3-6. Went back. On to the fourth. And I’m liking the Samsung HW-Q700a a whole lot better.

It is a 3.1.2, with all the Dolby codecs, including Atmos (not that many movies or shows have it). I’ve had an older Samsung 2.1 since 2016, figured I’d give it a shot, especially since it is 47% off. The sound quality is pretty darned good, and, while the voice is isolated a bit in the center, it sounds spread out a bit more, so I’m not focused on the center of the soundbar. The side speakers provide excellent quality. Still not as good as the Bose 301s with my receiver, but, good for most things.

I tried many of the same movies, shows, and songs as before. Carnival Row, which does have Atmos, did pretty well. Like most soundbars, it seems a little week on the mid-level sound. It’s slightly week on the bass from the bar, and the subwoofer won’t blow you away. Sadly, cannot bluetooth the one that came with the old Samsung, as that thing is huge. The TV shows I watch made hearing voices much better, and the songs I try, like Steely Dan’s Aja and Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell (great for deep bass and guitar) were just fine. I’ll still send to stereo first, though. Have the Bluray connected via optical cable to a device that converts to RCA, stream Iheart and Spotify from there. Otherwise, have to change TV to PCM (2.0 output) audio output.

Interestingly, I was watching Expedition Unknown, play it a lot late night, soothing to fall asleep to, like movies such as the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, and heard sounds I’d never noticed before. This one is probably a keeper. I have the old Samsung connected via optical cable so I can switch back and forth quickly, getting an idea of the sound.

Read: Soundbar: Samsung HW-Q700A 3.1.2 With Dolby Atmos »

Posted in Film, Web/Tech | 2 Comments | Trackback URL

Secretary Granholm Says Americans Can Save Money By Spending Lots

By William Teach August 15, 2022 – 3:00 pm

These people are truly deluded. Demented. Out of touch with most Americans

Granholm Defends Inflation Bill By Explaining How Americans Can Spend More Money On Their Homes

The Biden Administration’s energy secretary Jennifer Granholm was schooled by CNN’s “State of the Union” host Brianna Keilar, Sunday, after making a series of comments regarding the Inflation Reduction Act.

The comments came after Keilar noted that there are three studies that show the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act will have no major impact on inflation and many major items in the bill will not take effect until 2023 or later, a clip of which was shared on Twitter. “So what specifically will this bill do to lower costs for Americans right now?” Keiler asked Granholm.

“First of all, immediately, people will be able to lower their fuel costs in their homes,” before describing how families can only lower these costs if they can prove they have installed energy efficient windows and other appliances on their homes.

“That is right away. Then, on top of that of course, if citizens want to install solar panels on their roofs so that they can generate their own power, that’s another 30% tax credit,” Granholm continued, “and of course there are the tax credits that are at the dealership for the automotive sector for electric vehicles and if you install an electric vehicle charging station in your home, you can get a tax credit.”

See? Spend tens of thousands, at least, and you can spend a bit

It’s unclear whether Granholm could hear herself during the clip, as her comments were so beyond out of touch that it’s hard to believe she knowingly said them out loud. “Jennifer Granholm wants you to believe spending tens of thousands of dollars on “green” home improvements, solar panels and an EV in exchange for some tax credits will lower your cost of living today,” Daily Caller News Foundation managing editor Mike Bastasch shared on Twitter.

She doesn’t care.

The average cost of an electric car hit $66,000 in July, according to Electrek, meaning that families would have to spend that money or a similar amount on other home improvements in order to receive a tax credit. Keiler was quick to pick up on the bizarre nature of Granholm’s comments, and explained to her that the people who can spend money on such things “aren’t the ones who are living paycheck-to-paycheck, and inflation is hitting the most.”

Keiler should have asked if Granholm has gotten rid of all her own fossil fueled vehicles and replaced them with EVs. If she uses an EV for her government travel. If she’s stopped taking fossil fueled flights, both personal and for government work, and is now taking the train.

“Well actually, no, people who are able to qualify, for example, to weatherization, there was a massive increase, billions of dollars, for people who are low, moderate income to be able to weatherize their home and save money right away,” Granholm responded, noting a government program that part of the Infrastructure Bill.

Because every middle and working class American has all that money to spend right now to save a little bit on their taxes later. Utterly out of touch

Read: Secretary Granholm Says Americans Can Save Money By Spending Lots »

Posted in AGW Socialism, Democrats, Global Warming | 7 Comments | Trackback URL

If All You See…

By William Teach August 15, 2022 – 1:00 pm

…are umbrellas needed to protect us from the Sun as climate change makes it hotter, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Doug Ross @ Journal, with a big linkage post.

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 8 Comments | Trackback URL

Joe Manchin To Soon See His Permitting Deal Crash And Burn

By William Teach August 15, 2022 – 10:30 am

In order to get the utterly misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, which was really just Build Back Better version 4, passed with the support of Joe Manchin, Chuck Schumer promised him permitting reform. I wonder how that will work

Democrat calls for stand-alone vote on permitting deal, saying he doesn’t feel ‘obligation’ to vote for it

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) told The Hill on Friday that he will push for the permitting deal between Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Democratic leadership to be a standalone vote — rather than attached to another vehicle that may incentivize more of his colleagues to vote for it.

Grijalva said that he and a handful of colleagues planned to make a request on Friday that the vote — on an agreement he fears will weaken environmental standards — be a standalone.

He said he hopes the reforms are not attached to must-pass legislation such as a continuing resolution, which keeps the government funded temporarily in the absence of an appropriations bill.

“We’re going to start early to urge a separate vote,” said Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and former co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Why a separate vote? Because Democrats do not want permitting reform for oil, gas, and, to a small degree coal, to happen. They do not want to streamline permits. They do not want new permits. They don’t want existing permits to have a chance. They won’t give up their own use of fossil fuels, of course. If they have a separate vote they can kill it off, rather than seeing it jammed up in some other legislation. So, the chances of Manchin getting what he wanted in order to get his vote for the IRA are low. How many Democrats will vote for it in the House? Will there be enough? How about the Senate? Can it get the votes? If so, will Biden sign it? Heck, Democrats might slow walk it and let the clock run out.

He acknowledged that there is a deal between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to advance the permitting reform deal, but said he doesn’t feel an “obligation” to uphold a deal that he did not help negotiate.

“I don’t feel an obligation … to support the deal,” Grijalva said. “I didn’t shake hands, I wasn’t part of the negotiations.”

When Manchin and Schumer announced they had reached a deal on the climate and tax legislation, they also agreed to take up reforms to the environmental reviews that are required in order to permit energy or other construction projects.

Good job, Joe. You sold out. Should have demanded the permitting be in the IRA, though, it might not have passed reconciliation. And even if passed, it doesn’t mean that the courts and the federal bureaucrats will allow streamlined permitting, as this Salon piece points out. Especially for the Mountain Valley Pipeline

While many of these permitting reforms stand to benefit both fossil fuel producers and clean energy providers, one provision stood out for its clear benefit to a group of oil and gas companies. The summary includes a requirement to “complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline,” a 303-mile pipeline that delivers natural gas from northwestern West Virginia — Manchin’s home state — to southern Virginia.

But whether Congressional intervention can help the pipeline cross the finish line is unclear. The one-page summary requires “relevant agencies to take all necessary actions to permit the construction and operation of the Mountain Valley pipeline” and “give the D.C. Circuit jurisdiction over any further litigation.” (A change in venue may help the pipeline developers who have been repeatedly rebuffed in the Fourth Circuit court.)

It’ll probably never happen. A separate vote in the Senate a week ago was shot down, with only Republicans and Manchin supporting it. You sold out West Virginia and the middle and working classes for nothing, Joe.

Read: Joe Manchin To Soon See His Permitting Deal Crash And Burn »

Posted in Current Affairs, Democrats | 10 Comments | Trackback URL

Experts Predict Flooding Doom For California Coming Sometime

By William Teach August 15, 2022 – 7:15 am

Of all the articles I’ve perused on this little bit of doomsaying, I’ve yet to see one which gives a timeframe

Experts warn California of a disaster ‘larger than any in world history.’ It’s not an earthquake.

Megadrought may be the main weather concern across the West right now amid the constant threat of wildfires and earthquakes. But a new study warns another crisis is looming in California: “Megafloods.”

Climate change is increasing the risk of floods that could submerge cities and displace millions of people across the state, according to a study released Friday.

It says that an extreme monthlong storm could bring feet of rain – in some places, more than 100 inches – to hundreds of miles of California. Similarly unrelenting storms have happened in the past, before the region became home to tens of millions of people.

Now, each degree of global warming is dramatically increasing the odds and size of the next megaflood, the study says.

How much? Because we’ve only seen a minor 1.5F increase in global temperatures since 1850. What’s the timeframe for this flooding?

In fact, the study found that climate change makes such catastrophic flooding twice as likely to occur.

As compared to when? What happened during the previous Holocene warm periods? How about during the cool periods

Long before climate change, California’s Great Flood of 1862 stretched up to 300 miles long and 60 miles across. According to the study, a similar flood now would displace 5 million to 10 million people, cut off the state’s major freeways for perhaps weeks or months with massive economic damage, and submerge major Central Valley cities as well as parts of Los Angeles.

So, what caused it in 1862, not long after the Little Ice Age ended?

The researchers used new high-resolution weather models and existing climate models to compare two extreme scenarios, according to UCLA: one that would occur about once a century in the historical climate of recent decades and another in the projected climate of 2081-2100.

And there we go, computer models with extreme doom built in.

“Parts of cities such as Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno and Los Angeles would be under water even with today’s extensive collection of reservoirs, levees and bypasses. It is estimated that it would be a $1 trillion disaster, larger than any in world history,” according to the statement.

Not seeing the downside.

Read: Experts Predict Flooding Doom For California Coming Sometime »

Posted in AGW Scaremongering, Global Warming | 40 Comments | Trackback URL

CBS News Finally Lets Us Know Inflation Reduction Act Probably Won’t Reduce Inflation

By William Teach August 15, 2022 – 7:00 am

Man, if only we had a news media which did their job before massive, citizen behavior changing, IRS enforcement and tax increasing, energy killing legislation is passed

One thing the Inflation Reduction Act may not do: Lower inflation

The Inflation Reduction Act is aimed at tackling a host of problems, from climate change to catching tax cheats, but there’s one issue it may not solve: reducing inflation.

That’s the conclusion of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, a group of economists and data scientists at University of Pennsylvania who analyze public policies to predict their economic and fiscal impacts. Its analysis, published Friday, comes as inflation remains near a 40-year high, crimping the budgets of consumers and businesses alike.

The Inflation Reduction Act would invest nearly $400 billion in energy security and climate change proposals, aimed at reducing carbon emissions by approximately 40% by 2030. It also would allow Medicare to negotiate with drugmakers on prescription prices, and would limit out-of-pocket drug expenses for seniors to $2,000 annually. The bill also directs $80 billion in funding to the IRS, aimed at helping the underfunded agency hire more auditors and beef up its customer service and technology.

Yeah, see, that’s the problem, all anyone, from the Credentialed Media to those who voted for it (and most didn’t read it), can talk about are things that have nothing to do with inflation reduction

But the impact on inflation “is statistically indistinguishable from zero,” the Penn Wharton Budget Model said on Friday.

The article could pretty much end right there. That’s really all you need to know.

The legislation, which passed the House of Representatives on Friday and is headed to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law, has wide-ranging goals yet does little to directly tackle the underlying causes of inflationary pressures pushing up the cost of everything from food to housing, the economists predict. Still, the bill could help some Americans lower their health care costs, through its provisions for seniors’ prescriptions and another item that would lower what consumers pay for some Affordable Care Act plans.

In other words, the bill had nothing to do with reducing inflation. It didn’t even try. Not even some lip service.

Read: CBS News Finally Lets Us Know Inflation Reduction Act Probably Won’t Reduce Inflation »

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If All You See…

By William Teach August 14, 2022 – 3:10 pm

…is an Evil drink full of carbon pollution, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is bluebird of bitterness, with a post on Sunday funnies.

It’s drinking week!

Read: If All You See… »

Posted in If All You See | 3 Comments | Trackback URL
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