Wednesday Flotsam and Jetsam
Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.
The USDA announces that they plan to outlaw the purchase the farmland in the US by the Chinese or other foreign nationals. They also plan to claw back all past purchases. Color me skeptical because I heard something similar to the replacement all Huawei routers in our communications systems which was never fully funded so never fully happened... He’s not wrong… New 25% tariffs against Japan and South Korea are scheduled to go into effect August 1st. I would look for trade deals from one or both of these nations to be signed before then. Also don't be surprised if the date is pushed back if significant progress in talks are made... Did Julian Assange explain the Epstein client list situation long ago?... Senators John Fetterman and Pete Ricketts have introduced a bipartisan bill that would make China owning agricultural land in the US illegal. So this could actually happen... Donald Trump is a wrestling fan - you have to wonder with this Epstein client list story if the Donald is planning one of the biggest heel turns in history?... The banks would be a good place to start… Like Kevin Love but I hardly feel bad for him. He had a 17-year NBA career where he was a 5-time all-star, won a championship ring with Cleveland, and made more than $272 million. Hardly feel bad for him if the Utah Jazz do cut him... He's not wrong... Think a good use of AI might be an updated Rip Van Winkle story where the title character sleeps for the 30-years between 1995 and today... Reminder that JP Morgan had to pay a $75 million fine because their banking helped facilitate the underage trafficking on Epstein's Island. Why did they have to pay millions if there was no raping going on? That had to be proven in a court of law - and it was. And JP Morgan knew it was happening too which is why they never complained about the verdict... Wait - bacon spice isn't a thing? If it isn’t then it should be - that and bacon cologne... If there was no Epstein client list why did Senator Dick Durban vote to block its release when he was in power? Answer me that...
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JP Morgan voluntarily settled - they didn't "have" to pay anything since there wasn't a judgment or verdict against them. They paid 75M to the Virgin Islands and 290M to the victims in a class action. Of course, they had to be "victims" of something.
Your final question is profound and needs to be answered.