New Ghislaine Maxwell documents allege that Bill Clinton was at Jeffrey Epstein's island.

Ghislaine Maxwell. 

New documents released from a 2015 civil trial involving Ghislaine Maxwell allege that former President Bill Clinton had visited Jeffrey Epstein's island. Fox News. The records come from a 2011 deposition by Virginia Giuffrie, a woman who claims she was trafficked, abused and raped by both Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell when she was underage. In the conversation Giuffrie said that Clinton was there with Epstein, Maxwell an unidentified person named "Emmy" and two "young girls". She also said that Clinton owed Jeffrey Epstein favors. Bill Clinton has denied these claims. Maxwell, in the same deposition claimed that celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz and billionaire Les Wexner had information about Epstein raping underage girls. The documents also show that Maxwell kept in touch with Epstein long after she supposedly broke off her relationship with him, with a new e-mail chain showing she was in contact with him until 2015.

The documents can be found here. Be aware that due to heavy traffic the site might run slowly or not at all. 

My Comment:

There was nothing huge in these documents that I have seen so far. We already knew that Clinton had dealings with Epstein and both Alan Dershowitz and Les Wexner were already big players in this scandal. The new developments are significant but not completely shocking. 

The big news here is, of course, Bill Clinton. If it was true that Clinton as at Epstein's island it's pretty damning. Especially if he was in the company of young girls. Granted, the documents didn't specify if those girls were underage or if Clinton did anything with them, but it still looks extremely bad if a victim of sex trafficking says she spotted you at the island where the trafficking and rape occurred.

Far more damning is the idea that Bill Clinton owed Jeffrey Epstein a favor. Former Presidents shouldn't owe anyone a favor so the idea that Epstein had something on Bill Clinton is a very disturbing one. Especially if you buy the idea that Epstein was a front for an intelligence operation, either domestic or foreign. It means that both President Clinton and Hillary Clinton could have been, and might still be, compromised by a foreign power, or even a domestic one. 

You would think that this would be pretty huge news but other than Fox News I haven't seen much coverage of this. Most of the articles I read for this post didn't mention Bill Clinton at all, even though it's undoubtedly the biggest revelation here. As usual, the national and international press are covering for a prominent Democrat... You would think with Hillary Clinton's political career nothing but a bad memory they would loosen up on the favorable coverage but I guess things never change. 

As for the other revelations, again, they aren't that shocking. Alan Dershowitz doesn't come off that well, but I will say that what Giuffre said is true. As Epstein's lawyer he almost certainly had knowledge of Epstein's crimes as that was his functions. It doesn't mean that he did anything illegal though, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he did. 

The communication between Maxwell and Epstein is mildly interesting. It does show that Maxwell was lying about not being in contact with him. And it also shows what her defense strategy was, downplay her relationship with Epstein and act like she had no involvement.

However, these new documents allege that she was very actively involved in the process. She was the one that recruited Giuffre in the first place, she actively abused and molested her and she's the one that trafficked her. I sincerely believe that the book should be thrown at her as I tend to think Giuffre is a credible witness. 

I do hope that she lives long enough to either plead guilty and turn on other people (most notably Prince Andrew who doesn't appear to figure as much in this release) or at the very least is tried and convicted for her crimes. She's just as bad as Epstein in my view and I hope she is punished for her crimes.

That being said, I am also extremely concerned about her safety. Epstein famously committed "suicide" in his cell and I worry a similar fate could befall Maxwell. I do think that this release does make her very slightly safer as the information her enemies don't want to come out is coming out anyways. Regardless, I hope her prison guards are more competent than the ones that guarded Epstein... 

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issues a new mask mandate...

Governor Tony Evers. Campaign photo.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has issued a new mask mandate. Chicago Tribune. The mandate is for everyone over the age of five and includes all enclosed spaces outside of the home and outdoor bars and restaurants. Anyone who violates the order would be subject to a $200 fine and is set to run until September 28th. Evers will likely face a legal challenge and he may very well lose. Wisconsin's conservative controlled court overthrew Ever's Coronavirus lockdown and may do so again for the mask mandate. 52,000 people have contracted the virus in Wisconsin.

My Comment:

I'm of two minds on this one. As a Wisconsin resident the order is pretty much redundant. My local government has already pushed a mask mandate through so this new order doesn't change much. There really isn't much that is changing for me at least. Besides, the only places I have been going lately is work and the grocery store, which mandate masks regardless.

On the other hand, I don't like Tony Evers just unilaterally deciding that we are going to have to wear masks. The local mandates at least went through the process, with the public being able to weigh in and at least try to convince their elected officials one way or the other.  That's a huge difference between Evers just deciding to do it. 

And I don't think that things are really that bad here except in Milwaukee, which has had a problem with the virus for a long time. We are still getting cases in Northeast Wisconsin but not that many and it hasn't been serious here since April. I don't really think a mask mandate is necessary for here, let alone the more rural parts of the state that have hardly been affected by the virus. 

It's also important to note that though we have had 52,000 cases less than 10,000 of those cases are active. Most of those active cases are located in the urban areas, and that probably is what angers me about this the most. There is absolutely no reason why we should treat urban areas and mid size cities, who actually have a virus problem, the same way we treat rural areas, which don't have one.

There is also the question if masks are even worth it. Though I do think they have some effect on reducing new cases, I don't think they are a silver bullet. I also think it's just stupid to require them for outdoor events. Unless you are outside yelling and screaming (like rioters) you probably won't be spreading the virus. 

I also have to say that even if masks are worth it, I think it's worth trying to reign in Governor Evers. It's clear that the main difference between our situation and Michigan is that the rest of our government is controlled by the Republicans. If we give Evers and inch he will take a mile and then some. 

As for people complying with this order, I have no idea. The last few times I went to the store everyone was masked up already but I think it's very possible that people will now refuse to wear masks. I'm going to continue to wear mine in situations where it makes sense, but I feel bad for all the people that are going to have to try and enforce this ban. A lot of people are not going to go along with it and that probably includes a lot of local cops who have better things to do than be the mask police. 

Regardless, I think I am at a very low risk of catching the disease anyways. I don't get out that much these days outside of work and even there I am pretty sure we reached herd immunity back during our outbreak in April. At least 45% of our workers got sick and I am sure that number is increased by people that were asymptomatic. 

I do have to say that I am getting tired of security theater. I personally think it's long past due to go back to normalcy. Sure, we should keep vulnerable people protected but it's also clear that this virus mostly targets the old, sick and/or unlucky. Shutting down the state was a mistake and this mask mandate is probably one as well. 

U.S. to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany.

President Trump salutes after getting out of Marine One. Reuters. 

The United States is going to withdraw 12,000 troops from Germany. Reuters. This will reduce the number of troops by 1/3rd from 36,000. The move is due to Germany not paying enough for their defense. Half of the withdrawn troops will be sent home with only temporary deployments to Europe. The other troops will be deployed throughout Europe with some being deployed to Baltic countries and Italy. Germany is upset about the plan and says it will damage NATO efforts to counter Russia. The withdrawals will not be a quick process as time will be needed to build new bases and move the troops. 

My Comment:

This is the right move. Germany has not paid their dues to NATO and I have heard reports that their military is hugely unprepared for any conflict. Much of their military is not able to even deploy and their tanks and helicopters are in desperate need of maintenance. The only way to fix that is to invest their money into fixing it and the Germans have refused to do so. 

I don't buy the idea that this will help Russia. Deploying troops to the Baltic is a bigger threat than having troops in Germany. That's more of a forward position and I doubt the Russians will be all that happy with this news. 

Germany is going to be in trouble as well. They will almost certainly have to spend more on their military but that's not the only problem. These bases provide a lot of income for local people and that money is now going away. This will likely damage Germany's economy. 

I personally welcome this move. It's been clear for a long time now that Russia is not our #1 geopolitical foe. China is and they are a lot more dangerous than Russia ever could be. China is actively messing with us and is largely responsible for the massive Coronavirus outbreak. And they have been very aggressive with their neighbors. A war with Russia seems almost totally impossible. But a war with China? Seems pretty likely. 

I don't have a lot of love for the German government regardless. To me they have made mistake after mistake. From the refugee crisis to their failure to keep their military well armed and supplied, they are not a country with good leadership. 

Of course even though this is the right move the usual suspects are against it. I don't buy their arguments. As I said before this isn't helping Russia as we are keeping many of these troops in Europe and in a better position. And Germany has been a pretty terrible ally. I don't know why we should continue to help them when they refuse to help us. 

Police departments are withdrawing from the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee.

The site of the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 

 Police departments are withdrawing from the Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. At least 100 departments have withdrawn their officers due to concerns over Milwaukee's insistence to not use pepper spray and tear gas. The plan was to bring 1000 officers to help secure the site of the convention. However, with towns like Fond du Lac, Franklin, Greendale, and West Allis have pulled out. Only 60 agencies remain and it is not guaranteed that those agencies won't withdraw as well. The police have cited the danger of civil unrest and the inability to handle violent riots without the use of tear gas and pepper spray. 

My Comment:

I think all of the officers involved should refuse to go to Milwaukee in the first place. The Democrats have made hating police and making them a target for violence. It's in their platform that they want to de-fund the police and they have painted cops as racist thugs that murder black people for no reason. Why would any cop want to support that? 

Of course even under better circumstances the police would be hard pressed to control crowds with their hands tied behind their backs. Having tear gas and pepper spray is necessary as they are non-lethal ways to control the crowd. If you don't have it you either have to let the rioters do whatever they want, try and control them with nothing but riot shields, or use lethal force. None of those are acceptable for obvious reasons. 

It's insane to me as I know that Milwaukee needs all the help they can get. Though Wisconsin hasn't been hit as hard as other states when it comes to riots, it still has the potential to be bad. We have a lot of bad actors in Madison and Milwaukee and it's only a short drive from Chicago where there have been riots for weeks now. They need as many cops as they can get but now they aren't going to get them.

And the Democratic National Convention was always going to be a disaster. I'm convinced we were always going to see a wave of riots in the summer of 2020, but the Coronavirus and the George Floyd death kicked them off a couple of months early. Antifa and the other bad actors on the far left are furious with the DNC for not picking Bernie Sanders and they want their payback. Plus they hate President Trump too and think that their rioting will end with a communist/anarchist revolution against them. It was always going to be bad and I don't think there is any reason why it won't continue to be bad. 

I'm expecting Milwaukee to be a disaster. Not only has their been civil unrest for awhile now, I think there is a good chance of a riot. And given that I think that Kamala Harris is going to be Biden's VP, I think that Black Lives Matter will likely show up as well. Activists, rioters and criminals of all stripes will show up and cause problems. 

But with the police handicapped and unable to disperse crowds? It's going to be even uglier. I'm hoping things won't be as bad as Minneapolis but there's a good chance that it could be even worse. We are talking arson, property damage, violence and perhaps even death. 

As a resident of Wisconsin it greatly angers me that the Democrats are holding their convention here. Not only do I worry about what will happen to our cops, I also worry that my tax dollars will go to rebuilding the city after Antifa and Black Lives Matter destroy it. If it were up to me not a single dollar of my taxes would go to it and every single cent in damage would be charged to the Democratic Party, who, along with the media, I hold responsible for these riots. 

Report: Conservative justices refused to take up 2nd Amendment cases because John Roberts would have supported the liberals.

Chief Justice John Roberts. National Review/Reuters. 

Conservative justices on the Supreme Court refused to take up 2nd Amendment cases because Chief John Roberts indicated he would side with the liberals. National Review. This June the court rejected 10 cases on gun rights while punting on a case from New York, declaring it moot after the city repealed the law. The courts four most conservative justices did not believe that Roberts would vote to uphold the 2nd Amendment. Roberts has become the Supreme Court's swing vote with Roberts frequently siding with the liberals. 

My Comment:

If true this is horrible news for the Supreme Court, the 2nd Amendment and the country. Capturing the Supreme Court was supposed to be the biggest coup of the Trump presidency but it appears that Justice Roberts has betrayed the conservatives that put him on the bench in the first place. 

Such a thing isn't that shocking. Roberts was the deciding vote on the Obamacare law. Even back then there was no question that Roberts wasn't going to be someone conservatives  could rely on. And he has sure lived up to the reputation of being a swing vote. It's not just 2nd Amendment issues, he has been bad on religious liberty and immigration as well. 

The weakness of Roberts has basically killed any chances of getting these unconstitutional laws overturned. There is no doubt in my mind that these laws are illegal but if the Supreme Court isn't going to act then there isn't much we can do. 

It's a major disappointment too. I personally had very high hopes that we would see a major change with a supposed 5-4 majority at the court. We should have seen assault weapon laws, magazine limits and even getting rid of the suppressor and short barreled rifle laws. Instead it's status quo ante. 

One wonders why Roberts has been so terrible. Roberts has said that his primary concern is the integrity of the court. When the Democrats threatened to get stack the court in response to gun rights cases I think Roberts took it seriously and backed down. 

If so then Roberts is a fool. I have no doubt that the Democrats will stack the Supreme Court regardless. Even though it's pretty clear that the 5-4 majority was smoke and mirrors, Roberts is still a swing vote and he could occasionally vote against the Democrats which means that the Democrats will stack the court if they ever get the chance to do so. 

The other option is that Roberts has been compromised in some way. I know a lot of people believe this and I think it's very possible, but I haven't seen any evidence of it personally. I do find it strange that he has been so willing to stretch the law to fit whatever the Democrats want it to do and though him being spineless is certainly possible I do wonder if he hasn't been blackmailed or something. 

For Republicans this should be a wake up call. If President Trump loses in 2020 then the Supreme Court will remain in the hands of Democrats for a generation or two. And though RGB is the obvious candidate for retirement, Clarence Thomas is getting up their in years as well. Instead of the court being a 5-4 republican majority with Roberts now counted as a liberal that may occasionally vote for conservative things, we could end up with a 6-3 liberal majority. 

So my advice would be this. If you care at all about gun rights you pretty much have to vote for President Trump. The Democrats are incredibly hostile to the right to keep and bear arms, even though the twin crisis's of Coronavirus and the George Floyd riots has destroyed their arguments completely, and now we can't rely on the Supreme Court to bail us out. We need a conservative President who will appoint more conservative judges as a check to the utter insanity that is the left right now. 

Ukraine announces a ceasefire in their civil war.

File photo from the Ukraine conflict. Reuters. 

Ukraine has announced a ceasefire between the government and the rebels. Reuters. Ukraine claims that the rebels have already violated the agreement but they haven't responded yet. The ceasefire is backed by both by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Zelenskiy campaigned on ending the war which has raged since 2014 and has resulted in 13,000 deaths. Major combat between the two sides ended in 2015 but violence has continued in the past five years. 

My Comment:

Just a quick post about a topic that has gone unnoticed for a long time. Though the war in Ukraine has continued, most people have ignored the conflict for years now. The only time I have heard the media focus on it is when they tried to change the Joe Biden scandal into a Donald Trump one. 

However the war has continued and a lot of people have died. Though the violence isn't anywhere near as bad as it was it used to be it still exists. The violence has continued even through other cease fires. 

Will this cease fire hold? Well the Ukrainians already say that it hasn't with the rebels opening fire. However, I don't know how much I trust that, the Ukrainians aren't always truthful either. And I do have to note that there have been a lot of these cease fires in the past. They have always fallen apart in the end and this might end the same way. 

But I do think there is a lot of motivation to end the war. Neither side is anywhere near strong enough to defeat the other and this constant state of skirmish is not good for either of them. Ending the war would probably be a major embarrassment for both sides but at least it would end the death. 

I personally think that the western media's narrative on Ukraine was wrong from the start. Ukraine's former government put a bunch of racist anti-Russian laws and then the Russian speaking Ukrainians rebelled. What they did makes sense and though their behavior has been bad and Russia has been helping them, they are hardly the villains the Western media has made them out to. And the Ukrainians have used actual Nazis, the Azov Battalion, to fight them. Neither side has a monopoly on morality here. 

That being said I do hope that this war finally ends. There is no real point in keeping the fighting going and all it will accomplish is making people die. The war needs to end and I hope that this cease fire holds long enough to finally end this war. 

Another Coronavirus relief package is planned with another round of $1200 checks expected.

White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow. CNBC/Getty.

Another Coronavirus relief package is planned and if passed it will result in another round of $1200 checks. CNBC. Republicans in the Senate have finalized the bill and will introduce it tomorrow. The bill is worth $1 trillion and will provide funds for the checks along with funding for additional unemployment benefits, liability protections for businesses, funds for schools to reopen and tax incentives for employers to rehire workers. The package would also extend the federal eviction ban, which doesn't allow evictions from housing that receives federal funds. The unemployment benefit might be a sticking point as Democrats want to reinstate the $600 a week supplement while Republicans want to reduce it to $100 a week and cap unemployment at 70% of lost wages. 

My Comment:

I have little doubt that this plan will pass. The Democrats do not want to be known as the party that prevented a Coronavirus relief bill in an election year. To do so would be awful optics for them and the voters might not forgive them for it. They may extract some concessions, particularly on unemployment benefits, but the bill will pass. 

The $1200 checks are obviously the big news from this. The last round of checks was extremely popular among the people that got them. Not only does a large cash payment help people pay off their bills, it will also be used to make purchases, which could help the economy. 

On a side note, I do have to say that I personally don't need anymore checks. My company has been taking good care of me, giving me several coronavirus related bonuses, hazard pay and wage increases. Giving me another $1200 seems pretty dumb under those circumstances, but I sure as hell am not turning the money down! 

I do have to say that I have some skepticism about the utility of the $1200 from an economic standpoint. For the people getting the checks who are broke it's a godsend, but for everyone else I'm not sure. I personally will probably just leave it sit in the bank as there are few big ticket things I want to buy right now and travel isn't an option either. If everyone does that then the economic benefits won't be there.  

The evictions thing is interesting too. I think no matter what there is going to be a major wave of evictions and all the bans are doing is delaying the inevitable. If people can't pay their rent then they will get kicked out eventually. All delaying that from happening does is hurt the landlords. Yes, many landlords are terrible but they still provide a critical service and they should be allowed to kick out people who don't pay. 

As for unemployment benefits I hope the Republicans stick to their guns. The now expired $600 bonus created some pretty perverse incentives where it was more profitable to remain on unemployment than to get a lower wage job. That worked out great for the people on unemployment but not so well for businesses that needed workers. The new lower rate would still help the unemployed but not so much that they would give up on trying to find a job. 

Still, I do have to say that as far as the GOP is concerned fiscal conservatism is dead. I doubt there is going to be much outcry in the fact that we are spending another $1 trillion dollars. In the past the GOP would have been up in arms about this but people mostly seem to be on board. Part of it is the extreme circumstances we are in but it just goes to show how much the party has changed in recent years. 

Politically this is a win for President Trump. He won big with the checks the last time they got sent out with even demographics that don't usually support him praising him. I saw a lot of young black males on Twitter loving President Trump for this, despite the fact that Congress of both parties had a role in it. Though Twitter shouldn't be taken as proof of anything I do think it shows that this is a winning move for President Trump. 

US Navy's UFO program is continuing, consultant says the government recovered items "not of this world".

The Pentagon. National Review.

The US Navy's UFO program is continuing and a consultant says that the government has recovered items "not of this world". National Review. Eric W. Davis worked as a consultant for the Navy's program as late as last March and said that he had given briefings to a defense agency and the Senate's Armed Services and Intelligence committees about UFO's and claimed that in some cases his unit was unable to determine the origin of recovered materials. Davis came to believe that those materials were not made on Earth. Many other people who worked in the unit have also said the same thing but they are unable to prove their claims due to classification. Regardless, the encounters between UFO's and military aircraft and bases are concerning even if the incidents have a terrestrial explanation. This is why after the original unit was disbanded, the program continued under the US Navy. The unit has said that they will be releasing some information to the public every six months. 

My Comment:

I know I'm a day late with this post but I figured it would be a nice change of pace from all the negative news stories out there. I guess this one could be viewed either way but at least it's something different than crime and coronavirus! 

First though, I think I should offer an important caveat. It's the opinion of these workers that the materials recovered are not from Earth. That's kind of different than the government saying it itself. Still, it's a big step in a different direction that these men are being allowed to speak out about this and it seems like the Pentagon is taking the idea seriously, which is a major change to past actions when it comes to UFO's. 

And I totally agree that this is a national security threat. Some of these objects have interacted with our military forces, including the much publicized incidents with our U.S. Navy. Other objects have been seen near US military bases and nuclear power facilities. The mere fact that is the case and we don't know what these objects are is a major threat. 

Even if the explanation is terrestrial then it's still a huge deal. That would mean that a government has developed technology so powerful and materials so advanced that we can't even identify them. That would be a game changing scenario and would obviously shift the global power scheme in favor of whoever has this technology, assuming it's not the US government and it's a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. 

Of course the other option is even more of a huge deal. Not only would we not be alone in the universe, the aliens are already hear and are messing with our military defenses. That is, to say the least, concerning. Though I doubt we could mount any kind of defense to an alien invasion even knowing that they are here is bad news. Of course, in such a scenario we would be pretty blind to what the aliens would want regardless unless they decided to openly communicate with us. 

There are other options of course. Something a lot stranger could be going on, even stranger than aliens. These objects could be from another dimension or even time travelers from the future. Or perhaps supernatural in origin. The fact is we just don't know at this point. 

The last option though is probably the most likely and the one the skeptic community has latched onto. And that is that these objects are natural phenomenon not related to advanced technology or aliens. The sightings are due to human or mechanical error, not due to manned objects. Though this is the most likely outcome, it is also the most boring. 

Finally, I have to say that regardless of the origin of UFO's it's a good thing that they are being investigated and studied. Even without the obvious military concerns, doing so is advancing human knowledge. Even if we only get a normal non-alien explanation it's still advancing the cause of science and we could be making major breakthroughs studying what these investigators have found. I personally am eager to hear what this unit reveals once the findings are made public. 

A&E's ratings plummet by half after canceling Live PD...

A screenshot from Live PD. The Federalist. 

A&E's primetime ratings have dropped by 49% since canceling the popular Live PD show due to demands of Black Lives Matter. The Federalist. After the death of George Floyd, BLM demanded the show be canceled as they claim the show portrays police in a positive light. Doing so has been a disaster for A&E as not only did they lose 49% of their viewership, they also lost in key demographics with 18-49 down 55% and 25-54 down 53%. In addition to Live PD, the network also canceled its sister shows, Live PD: Police Patrol and Live PD Presents: PD Cam, which accounted to 85% of the networks programming. A&E says they expected a ratings hit and are retooling their network but many Live PD fans are boycotting the network. 

My Comment:

I know a lot of people are saying "go woke get broke" but this seems like a different saying is more applicable. Don't kill the golden goose. A&E had a show that basically printed money for them. The production costs were extremely low but millions of people were tuning in. To cancel the show makes about as much sense as strangling to death your golden goose because some moron told you to. 

I was never a fan of Live PD, though I did like it's spiritual predecessor, COPS, which also got canceled. It seemed like a show that I would have liked though and if A&E had more of a backbone perhaps I would be watching it now. I do know a lot of people that loved the show, including my Mother who was fairly upset when it got canceled. 

Canceling the show never made sense in the first place. One of the big things that Black Lives Matter and other police critics were demanding was police accountability and transparency. What better way to do that than have a film crew following the police around? The cops would be on their best behavior and anything bad they did would be broadcast across the country. 

Of course that was never the goal of Black Lives Matter. Their true objection to the program is that it portrayed police as people, not slavering monsters that go around killing black people for fun. It showed just how difficult being a cop was and how bad the people that commit crime actually are. Given that BLM and the modern left worship criminals and hate cops, they couldn't have evidence that their beliefs are wrong reaching the rest of the public. 

I never really understood why A&E did this. Their parent company, Disney, is woke but they are also in dire financial straits due to the Coronavirus shutting down their parks. I doubt that they actually believe in the BLM's goals but they did cave to them immediately. 

The only thing I can think of was that Disney was terrified of a boycott or worse. BLM is a terror group after all and they can bring loads of people to your place and then destroy it if they don't get what they want. I am guessing they were afraid that BLM and/or Antifa would show up at one of their parks and destroy it. At least I hope so, the idea that Disney is so ideologically captured that they would cancel a show that prints money for them is a very disturbing one. 

I am kind of surprised that nobody has stepped up to replace Live PD. It's formula is a very simple one as all you need is a camera crew and a cooperating police department to pull it off. Any network out there that is struggling could put up a replacement fairly quickly and then have a hit show on their hands. Even if they are worried about the controversy, they probably could wait until after the election as you know BLM will be an afterthought by that point.  

Judge orders Ghislaine Maxwell/Jeffrey Epstein documents released.

Ghislaine Maxwell. CNBC/Reuters.

A judge has ordered the release of civil documents relating to Ghislaine Maxwell. CNBC. The judge will give Maxwell's lawyers a chance to appeal the ruling. The judge said that the public's interest in seeing the documents far outweighed Maxwell's interest in not being embarrassed by the contents of the documents. Maxwell's lawyers argued that she would not be able to have a fair trial for her recent arrest for human trafficking if the information to come out. The documents are part of a civil case that was settle with Virginia Giuffrie, who was a 17 year old who accused Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew of having sex with her while underage. 

My Comment:

I am guessing we won't see these documents in a week. Maxwell's lawyers are going to appeal this ruling and that will, at the very least, delay the release of these materials. Whether they win on appeal is another question but I would be very surprised if a week passes and we see these documents. 

Does Maxwell have a point about her not getting a fair trial if these documents are released? I don't think so. She's already world famous for her actions and pretty much everyone knows about her relationship and work with Jeffrey Epstein. These documents probably won't help her case but I can't imagine there is anything in these files that wouldn't be as damaging as what's going to come out in her criminal case. 

There are other interests here as well. There are many people that are expected to be named in this document, most notably Prince Andrew. Though the accusations against him are  well known more details could be released. Also, Bill Clinton could be implicated as well. 

Of course the big fear is that Maxwell won't make it to trial. Jeffrey Epstein famously "committed suicide" in his cell. Most people believe that he was murdered and there is a great fear that the same thing will happen to Maxwell as well. If that happens then it is feared that we will never get any justice in any of these cases and all the rich and famous people guilty here will run free. 

Regardless, I think that Maxwell is probably screwed. I can't see her winning this case on appeals and her criminal case is likely to end in conviction. It's very clear to me that she's guilty of being Epstein's pimp and helped him abuse underage girls. She deserves a long, healthy live behind bars. Let's hope she lives long enough to get that. 

President Trump announces Operation Legend, an effort to deal with the massive crime wave hitting America's cities.

President Donald Trump.

President Trump has announced Operation Legend in an effort to deal with the massive crime wave hitting America's cities. Politico. The operation was named after LeGend Taliferro, a 4 year old who was shot and killed in Kansas City. It will involve hundreds of officers from federal law enforcement including FBI, ATF, DEA, US Marshals and DHS. 200 officers have already been sent to Kansas City and a similar number will be deployed to Chicago. 35 more officers will be sent to Albuquerque. Unlike federal actions in Portland, these officers will be going after murders and gang violence. Reactions are mixed from Democratic mayors who have been critical of actions against rioters in Portland but are optimistic that this deployment could help solve crimes. 

My Comment:

This move is overdue, it's been clear for awhile now that crime has been increasing in our inner cities and that the Democrats that run these area have little interest in stopping the deaths. Indeed, I blame this wave of violence is due almost exclusively due to the Democrats actions. 

The Ferguson Effect is a well documented effect of high profile shooting cases involving police. The bad press these events cause police to be reluctant to pursue charges against criminals. It happened in Ferguson itself and it happened in Baltimore. And now with national riots it will happen everywhere. Why on earth would cops take any chances if they know that they can be charged with murder for defending themselves, just like in the Rayshard Brooks case?

This has led to a massive wave in violence even if you ignore the problems the riots and protests have caused. Formally safe cites like New York City have had a major spike in murders while places like Chicago have somehow even gotten worse. 

The mayors of these cities have no interest in solving these crimes. Indeed, they seem determined to make things worse. They are handcuffing the cops and preventing them from going after violent criminals and are letting the lunatics run the asylum. They are even planning to defund the police which is the worst possible solution to not only the murder rate but to the problem of police violence as well.

It would be unconscionable for President Trump to not respond in some way and I think this is probably the best he can do. If it were up to me all these Democrat mayors would be in a prison cell for the rest of their lives but that's not politically possible. 

Sending more federal agents is probably the best he can do. They can help what's left of the local and state police agencies and they can solve crimes as well. This will greatly improve the clearance rate of murders and they can also work to break up the various gangs. That will probably help solve some crimes and eventually it will lower the crime rate. 

As for Portland, I totally support the federal efforts there. I am totally baffled by the people saying that the federal cops there are acting like tyrants. Arresting criminals is their primary function and given the rioters have been attacking federal buildings their actions are obviously justified. If these cops were acting like tyrants they wouldn't be arresting or even releasing people, they would be giving them one way helicopter rides...

True number of Coronavirus cases in America could be 10 times as high as reported.

Medical workers testing for the Coronavirus in New York. Politico/Getty.

The true number of Coronavirus cases in America could be 10 times as high as reported new antibody tests show. Politico. With 3.8 million confirmed cases in the United States that would mean that 38 million people would have the disease. The findings are based on a study that looked at 16,000 people in 10 states in March and May. The study may show that many people may have had the disease and either not shown any symptoms or only had mild symptoms and didn't seek treatment. The antibody tests are 96% accurate but the tests may have been biased by the fact that people who participated in the study may have been seeking healthcare. 

My Comment:

I have said for awhile now that I believe that the Coronavirus is a lot more widespread then the case count would indicate. With so many people being exposed to the virus and not showing symptoms my guess is a large number of them are infected. Ten times as many seems like a probable rate as far as I am concerned. 

This is actually really good news if it turns out to be true. I don't think we are anywhere near getting a vaccine for the virus so the only way out is by herd immunity. This is even better if the majority of people either have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Though we still have a long way to go until we get to herd immunity it means that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 And I'm not convinced that we need to get to 90% infected for us to stop the virus, especially considering that people are taking steps to protect themselves from the virus. Indeed, I think the most likely people to catch the disease have already mostly had it. That means that many of the people that could be exposed to the virus have already done so, so we will make herd immunity a lot sooner than we would otherwise. 

I, of course, wonder if I myself have been infected. Given how big the outbreak was at work I'm pretty sure I got exposed. I did have a mild illness in March so it's possible that I was infected but when I was tested in May I came back negative. But that was a test for active disease, not an antibody test so it wouldn't have picked it up if I had already had it and recovered. 

I have considered getting an antibody test myself but I worry about it. For one thing I don't trust my work to understand the difference between old antibodies and current infections. I could lose up to two weeks of work and though it would be nice to have another vacation, I don't really want to do it since we are understaffed at work. 

The other problem is that if I do test positive my case will be counted as a new case for my state. That could be used to justify further economic damage through lockdowns that probably wouldn't do a thing to actually slow the disease. 

Obviously if the case number is actually 10 times higher than it has been reported that means the death rate is much lower then it is actually reported as. This means we should probably take a different track in fighting the virus. Instead of these lockdowns we should instead protect vulnerable populations and quarantine the sick. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be in the cards as there are political reasons for the lockdowns as well... 

St. Louis prosecutor files felony charges against couple that pulled out firearms to defend their homes from BLM mob.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey. Fox News.

A St. Louis prosecutor has filed felony charges against a couple who defended their home with their firearms from a Black Lives Matter mob. Fox News. Mark and Patrica McCloskey have been charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon by the cities liberal Attorney General, Kim Gardner. The McCloskey's have said that they were simply defending themselves from an angry mob that broke down a gate and threatened them with violence. Missouri Governor Mike Parson has said recently that he would pardon the couple if charges were filed. Senator Josh Hawley has urged Attorney General Bill Barr to open an investigation into Kim Gardner for her actions in this case. 

My Comment:

It's hard to overstate how angry this case makes me. The McCloskey's probably wouldn't even be alive today if they hadn't pull out those guns. They survived, all the rioters survived and that should have been the end of it. Well, actually every single person who entered the McCloskey's property should have been charged with trespassing but that's not going to happen. 

Indeed, this kind of incident is supposed to be why people should own guns. The police were not responding to this incident at all and the only way that the McCloskey's had to protect their lives and property were the firearms they had. What else could they do when a racist mob breaks down a gate and floods into their property? 

Even worse is that the McCloskey's have a built in defense. Under Missouri law, they were entitled to use lethal force against trespassers under the states castle doctrine. And even if they didn't they would have been entitled to fire on these people due to the threats they were making. If they were justified in using lethal force then they certainly were justified in brandishing their weapons. 

So why on earth did Kim Gardner file these charges? It's either that she's completely anti-gun or because she is racist. If she's anti-gun than she just doesn't like the fact that these people owned firearms. Their actual behavior and justifications aren't really relevant to her. 

But my guess is that Gardner is in fact racist. She saw white people pointing guns at black people and that can't happen in today's Black Lives Matter dominated society. Given that protests have erupted over completely justified police shootings, like the Rayshard Brooks case in Atlanta, that seems very likely. 

A good way to tell if this was racist or not is to imagine the situation reverse. If a wealthy black couple had pulled guns on a bunch of KKK members who broke a gate to get to them and was making threats, would there be any doubt that the black couple would have gotten off? (And yes, I am comparing the KKK to BLM, they are a mirror to each other, both racist hate groups). It would be the right thing there to not file charges just like it would have been the right thing here to not file charges against a white couple. 

The good news is that it looks like the McCloskey's are getting a pardon. If I was Governor Mike Parson I'd have it done by the end of the week but who knows if that is going to happen? Either way, he should spare the McCloskey's the trouble and cost of a trial. This is obviously prosecutor misconduct and it's his job as governor to fix it. 

As for the rest of the response to this incident I am glad that some members of the GOP are talking about it. I know that President Donald Trump and Senator Josh Hawley are up in arms so that's something. 

What is more concerning is that I haven't heard anything from any gun rights groups condemning this arrest. I checked the NRA's twitter feed and they haven't said a thing. Given that they are a major gun rights group it's insane to me that they haven't helped these people out. I am hoping that I just missed it, but what is the point of even having gun rights groups if they are not going to defend the gun rights of an American couple. 

Kanye West holds his first campaign event...

Kanye West in 2009. David Shankbone.

Kanye West has held his first campaign event for his 2020 Presidential run in South Carolina. ABC News. In the event West made pro-life statements saying that his father wanted to have him aborted and that he almost aborted his own daughter. He said that abortion should remain legal but couples having children should receive up to $1 million dollars. He also said that marijuana should be free. West needs 10,000 signatures in South Carolina to appear in the ballot but the deadline is July 20th. West needs many more states before he could credibly reach the 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Only 306 votes are up for grabs in states where the filing deadline hasn't already passed. West's campaign was thought dead last week when an insider said that West was dropping out but West is still planing several campaign events. 

My Comment:

West is gaining attention today but not for the event himself. Apparently he said something about Harriet Tubman not freeing the slaves but that's not really that important. What is important is that apparently West is now somewhat serious about his campaign. 

Talk about waiting for the last minute though. West has a day to get the 10,000 signatures he needs to get on the South Carolina ballot and my guess is that he won't make it. If he had started his campaign earlier he could have gotten onto the ballot in all 50 states without trouble but this late in the game he will be lucky if he gets to the 270 electoral vote threshold. 

I'm not sure who Kanye West is trying to appeal to. He's going in hard on abortion but I doubt that many people that care about that issue will like his take on it. He's kind of trying to take a middle ground where he says he hates abortion but still wants it legal. However, I do think that abortion is a major issue among the black community as if it was not as common as it is now, black people would have significantly more political power. The lost thousands of potential voters due to abortion.

Other than that, it's still unclear exactly what West's platform will be. He's both more conservative than Joe Biden while more liberal than Donald Trump. He's trying to take a centrist path when neither candidate is actually that extreme. He doesn't have a signature issue that could propel him into relevancy at this point. Marijuana legalization could be it, as neither Biden or Trump are talking about that, but I don't think that's enough to come in first in a three way race. 

Polling is kind of a joke this early in the race, which is evidenced by all the polls showing Biden ahead of Trump. The only polling I have seen had West at 2%, which isn't that bad considering how late he entered the race. Still, that's not anywhere near enough to come in 2nd in any state, let alone win one. 

West's biggest impact might be as a spoiler. Right now the black community is largely supporting Biden, but if West splits that vote at all then it might be enough to destroy Joe Biden's chances. Will that happen? West has good name recognition and it's possible that the black community would want a black president. But I don't know if West will even get that 2% of the vote. 

Outside of the black community I don't see many people voting for West. The only other group I could see voting for West in wide numbers are the people that view politics as a joke and want to vote for a crazy candidate just to see what he would do. I don't think there are actually that many people that will vote that way. 

Extreme flooding in China raises fears over the Three Gorges Dam

File photo of the Three Gorges Dam.

At least 14 people have been killed due to extreme flooding in China. Fox News. Three floodgates of the Three Gorges Dam are open due to the water levels being 50 feet above flood stage. The flooding above the dam has resulted in many deaths and over 1000 homes have been destroyed. The flood has peaked but more rain is expected on Tuesday. China usually has seasonal floods but the rainfall this year has been severe. Over 1 million people have been evacuated and more the $7 billion in damage has been caused by the floods. 

My Comment:

I've been following this story for awhile now but this is the first time I have covered it on my blog. In general, people online think that this is too much water for the Three Gorges Dam to handle and they fear that the dam may collapse. Outside of Taiwanese media, which has a good reason to exaggerate against China, most media is either ignoring the threat or towing the line for the Chinese, which is that the situation is under control. 

Is it though? It's very hard to tell. Though I am not convinced that the dam is going to collapse I am also convinced that if it was, China would never tell us. China would never lose face if they knew that their dam was in trouble. They would just try to solve the problem on their own and would only own up to it if it was in the process of failing. 

I'm leaning towards the dam being fine though. Dam collapses are fairly rare and this one is massive and over-engineered. Indeed, a much worse dam, the one in Mosul Iraq, hasn't failed and that dam is in a war zone. I'd be fairly surprised if the dam failed as I am sure it was designed to hold up under massive flooding given China's long history of floods. Indeed, part of the reason China built the dam was to protect against this kind of flooding. 

But if the Three Gorges Dam isn't ok and does collapse? It's going to be the worst man-made disaster in history. Hundreds of millions of people live near the Yangtze river, including the massive cities of Shanghai and Wuhan and if the dam goes then those cities will be severely damaged if not destroyed utterly. There would be a wall of water many feat high and though you might have enough time to evacuate it would cause massive damage and kill thousands of people, maybe millions. 

The damage this event would cause would be global. The cities along the Yangtze are the world's manufacturing center. Remember how bad supply lines got when Wuhan locked-down for the Coronavirus? Well this would be that times 100 and it would be a lot more difficult to recover from. The economic damage from the dam collapsing would cause global shortages of products and would disrupt economies world wide, probably leading to a new great depression. 

Still, I find this scenario unlikely. I'd like to believe that the Chinese are more capable of handling this crisis than that. Opening the flood gates and allowing some areas to flood is the right call here and I think it will relieve a lot of pressure on the dam. This should prevent a catastrophic failure of the dam. 

But if it does happen it will be the perfect cap off of a pretty terrible year. The Chinese government would likely crumble and with it most of the global economy. It would be the black swan event of all black swan events and would make the Coronavirus economic impact look like a joke... 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's cancer has returned, still refuses to retire.

The Supreme Court. BBC/Getty.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's cancer has returned, but she still refuses to retire. BBC. Ginsburg has liver cancer and has known about it since May of this year. She is undergoing chemotherapy and says the lesions on her liver are shrinking. Ginsburg has many health scares in the past and has been able to continue working. However, the new health scare adds urgency to the 2020 election. Whichever party who takes the White House in 2020 will almost certainly have a chance to replace Ginsburg. That could either lead to the status quo 5-4 conservative edge or a 6-3 conservative court. 

My Comment:

It's amazing to me that Ginsburg is still alive. She's had multiple cancers and is 87. By any rights she should have passed years ago but she has held on, probably out of pure spite for President Trump. Though I don't respect her political or legal opinions at all, I do have to give her some respect for her ability to survive. 

Ginsburg has held on this long so I don't see her giving up until the elections of 2020 are decided. I am expecting that if Biden were to somehow win she probably will retire and enjoy the rest of her years. But if Trump wins (which I still think will happen) I am guessing she will try to hold on until 2024. That seems a lot more unlikely to work though as she would be 91 at that point and a cancer survivor. My guess is that RGB will be the next person to leave the court, barring something extremely unusual happening. 

If Ginsburg does die or retire before the end of Trump's Presidency, I don't think President Trump will try and placate Democrats by putting a liberal or moderate on the court. That could have been in the cards had they not done what they did to Brett Kavanaugh. The Democrats have shown that the gloves are off and there is no chance of a deal being made. 

Ginsburg's replacement will be considered an existential threat to both Republicans and Democrats, depending on who gets to replace her. For Democrats, if Ginsburg goes down her replacement will make it a 6-3 court for quite some time. And I am guessing that Clarence Thomas will retire as well to make sure that majority lasts for a long time. That means that the Supreme Court will remain a check on the left's power for a generation, regardless of what happens in Congress or the Presidency.

In theory, a liberal replacement for Justice Ginsburg would not be a big deal for Republicans. However, recent SCOTUS rulings show that the 5-4 majority is not as solid as they would hope. Chief Justice John Roberts has epically screwed over conservatives several times now, most notably on Obamacare and his complete refusal to take gun rights cases. Roberts main concern is the respectability of the court, not making good law. 

Regardless, I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg is probably the biggest argument for both President Trump and Joe Biden. Regardless what you think of the men themselves, people are going to want their party to have control of the Supreme Court and a Ginsburg vacancy will do that nicely. Though she will likely be fine in the short term, it's going to be a major reason why whoever wins in November does so. 

Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt might be drawn into conflict over Ethiopia's dam on the Nile River.

The dam under construction in 2019. BBC/Getty. 

Sudan and Egypt are objecting to Ethiopia's dam on the Blue Nile River, which is filling with water ahead of schedule. BBC. Sudan and Egypt are largely dependent on the Nile River for their water supplies and fear that Ethiopia will cut them off. Ethiopia views the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam as a major economic opportunity and want to use it to become Africa's biggest energy exporter. However, if Ethiopia does fill the ban and cut off Egypt and Sudan's water supplies it could lead to war. Ethiopia claims that the filling reservoir is not due to their actions but due to heavy rains. 

My Comment:

This seems like one of those situations where I don't think an agreement is possible. Egypt and Sudan have a major interest in the status quo while Ethiopia has a major interest in change. And there doesn't seem to be much in the way of middle ground option to work out here. Either the dam gets used or it doesn't, with little room in between. 

It also seems pretty unreasonable to expect either side to give up their claims. Sudan and Egypt need water to survive. Most of their water comes from the Blue Nile to the point where if it were to dry up it would be a disaster. They would either have to import water or have to invest in desalination. Both of those things would be extremely expensive.

But Ethiopia has reasons as well. The money this dam will generate will be huge for them. They can export it to other African countries and it's basically like printing money. They will be less dependent on foreign energy and they may even open up more land for farming with the new reservoir. 

With these circumstances it's very possible that a war will erupt. Though both sides are still trying diplomacy, it seems unlikely that anything will work. Even the United States has had a rough time trying to figure out a solution that will be beneficial to both sides.

So what would a war look like? I am guessing it would be airstrikes from Egypt. Ethiopia does have an air force but it's made up of outdated planes like the SU-27 Flanker and the MIG-23 Flogger. Egypt on the other hand has a huge modern air force with F-16's and MIG-29's. My guess is that they would be able, with Sudan's limited assistance, clear the skies over Ethiopia fairly easily and then blow up the dam. They would be protected from any Ethiopian retaliation by Sudan's military and could easily deploy their own troops to the border to help defend Sudan. 

The main problem is that Egypt is already in over it's head. They are already deeply involved in the conflicts in Yemen and Libya and have one of the last remaining ISIS insurgencies in the world. A fight with Ethiopia is one they could win but it would further weaken them at a time they can't afford it. 

Either way, I consider this to be one of the more likely places a war could break out this decade. It's no sure thing but it's certainly a possibility. A war is in nobodies best interest but I also don't know if it's possible for Egypt and Sudan to live without water and Ethiopia to live without the massive inflow of cash the dam will provide. 

Massive hack hits Twitter with verified users accounts used to push bitcoin scam.

Reuters.

A massive hack has hit Twitter with many verified users accounts used to push a bitcoin scam. Reuters. Many celebrities and politicians, including presidential candidate Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Elon Musk, had their accounts used. The tweets said that for a $1000 bitcoin donation they would double their money. In response Twitter took the extraordinary step to lock verified accounts from posting. It is unlikely that the individual accounts were hacked, with a system wide problem being much more likely. Experts speculate that the true goal of the hack may have been the user data from the verified user with the bitcoin scam being a distraction. 

My Comment:

What an embarrassment for Twitter. If there is one thing that Twitter needs it's verified users. Those are the moneymakers for the company and if their accounts aren't secure. Those people may now decide that their accounts aren't safe and either leave the platform or join some other network. 

I do think it's pretty funny that anyone actually fell for this scam. I have seen verified accounts give away money but they don't do it this way. No charitable cause is going to request money before giving you money. That's such a stupid scam, I don't really understand how anyone could fall for it. I know these were politicians and celebrities, but still. 

I think the experts are right for once. I really doubt that this bitcoin scam was the true purpose of this. They only got a limited amount of money (the Reuters article said $100,000 but I have heard as much as $1 million) and they took a massive amount of risk. Every federal law enforcement agency is going to be after this guy(s) and the tech companies are going to be united against them. 

So what was the real goal? I think there are a couple of possibilities. This could be a blackmail scam against the verified users. I am sure that there could be a lot of damaging things in these users direct messages and they might pay a lot of money to get that information back. They could also use the data they stole to gain access to other accounts those people have. 

The other option is that these hackers want the information to come out. It's possible that this will turn into another Wikileaks style mass release. Given the high profile of these users it's possible that they have major information that could effect the next election. This is my personal hope as I am sick of the rich and powerful being able to hide their actions. 

So who is responsible? My guess is that it could be a state actor. China is the most likely suspect as they are basically in a cold war with the United States. Russia is a possibility but their ability to hack things has been greatly exaggerated. 

It's also possible that it was a Twitter insider. Given how horribly biased the company is it's very likely that there are people with the motive and opportunity to pull this hack. And given that the targets are mostly left wingers it's possible that it's a disgruntled conservative looking to get back at the company. 

Regardless of who is responsible for this, it might be the beginning of the end of Twitter. If they can't even protect their most important users, why should those users stay? Indeed, I think much of the reason why people haven't moved to Gab or Parler is because the cost of moving is high. But now that the verified users are being attacked like this why not move? 

Tommy Tuberville defeats former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Alabama Senate runoff.

Tommy Tuberville. Politico.

Former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville has defeated former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in Alabama's Senate runoff. Politico. Tuberville had the support of President Trump and came in first in the March 3rd primary, beating out Sessions and failed Senate candidate Roy Moore. Tuberville was widely expected to win but fears of the Coronavirus might have depressed turnout enough to give Sessions a chance. The campaign between Tuberville and Sessions was mostly a debate about President Trump, largely because Sessions was widely considered a failure after Trump appointed him as Attorney General. 

My Comment:

Just a quick post about this race. As expected Sessions lost, and as of this writing, it looks like he is going to lose fairly spectacularly. The returns I have seen, at 67% reporting, has Sessions losing 60-40. It's pretty clear that Alabama wasn't interested in seeing Jeff Sessions return to the Senate. 

I do think that trusting Jeff Sessions was the biggest mistake that President Trump made. Not only did it result in the Russia fiasco, which defined the first three years of his term, it cost Republicans a rock solid senate seat. Some of that was due to Roy Moore being a bad candidate that was defeated due to his scandals, but the fact remains that if Sessions had stayed in the Senate there is no doubt that the Alabama Senate seat wouldn't even be in discussion. 

I don't think many of President Trump's fans would forgive Sessions for his term at Attorney General. Though he was known as being very pro-Trump in his policies in his actions he was anything but. Instead of focusing on the crimes of the Democrats, the obvious and odious corruption at the Justice Department and his signature issue, immigration, Sessions focused on not much. Other than attacking legal pot dealers, which was nobodies priority but his own. 

Can Tuberville beat Doug Jones now? I think so. Jones might have carved a path out for himself if he had taken a "blue dog" Democrat focus. Alabama is a conservative state and though they are unlikely to vote for a Democrat they might do so if the candidate is conservative and the opponent is weak. But instead Jones went as far left as the rest of the party. On paper this means that Jones is done. 

If I have any worry at all though it's that Tuberville hasn't been vetted all that much. I don't think there are any real scandals but to be honest, I don't know much about Tuberville. Roy Moore seemed like a safe candidate as well but in the end he turned out to be the worst candidate possible. My hope is that there aren't any skeletons in his closet and that he easily beats Doug Jones. 

Study projects massive population loss globally due to declining fertility rates.

Kolkata (formally Calcutta) may be the largest city in the world by the end of the century. USA Today/Getty.

A new study projects massive population loss globally by the end of the century due to declining fertility rates. USA Today. The population in the United States is expected to climb to 364 million people in 2062 but will decline to 336 million by 2100. America's fertility rate, which is how many children a woman has on average is also expected to decline from 1.8 to 1.5, both of which are well below the replacement rate of 2.1. Globally the third world will likely continue to grow in population, but Europe and East Asia will likely decline. Having a declining population is very bad for the economy and may push countries to adopt immigration as a solution. 

My Comment:

A quick note on the source of this study. It comes from the medical journal The Lancet which has had a very loose relationship with the truth. They are politically biased and have had to retract more than one study recently. I don't agree at all with the policy they push but I did think that the general idea here, that population will decrease in many countries, is sound. 

This is obviously a huge problem as having a huge aged population with fewer younger people causes all kinds of issues. For one thing it puts a huge strain on elder care welfare programs like Social Security and Medicare. Without a bunch of young workers paying into the system the system can collapse. 

It also makes it very hard to fill jobs at the lower end of the income spectrum. At the same time higher wage jobs will not be available for younger people as the older generation will outnumber them so much that they can't make any headway. It's very damaging to the economy.

Of course the proposed solution, immigration, is even more damaging to a country. Having population growth is desirable, but not if you have to give up what your country is. Plus immigration leads to ethnic tension, higher crime rates and terrorism. It's a problem, not a solution, and would not make our fertility rate much better. 

I don't have a source off hand but one thing I have heard is that immigration is only a temporary solution for western countries anyways. As the 2nd and 3rd generations are born they tend to lose the fertility rate they had in their home counties. Why this happens is due to the overreaching culture and conditions having an effect. 

So why is the fertility rate crashing? Part of it is due to the various forms of birth control and abortion. Millions of people that would have otherwise been born do not now exist because of abortion and birth control. Accidental births are still common but are not anywhere near the rate they used to be. 

I've also heard that sperm rates (and testosterone) are declining for unknown reasons. I personally think that the sperm rate is more due to pornography than anything else, but it could be deeper than that and if that's the case we might be looking at a Children of Men situation where nobody can have kids

But I think a bigger factor is our economic system. It's not just the fact that woman are working outside of the house. That happened throughout history and it still resulted in pregnancies. It's not helping things that much but it's a minor factor. It is reducing the rate as women put careers first over families.

However, I think that our College education system is more to blame. It puts young men and women in the prime of their lives in a situation where they are extremely likely to have kids. But it also makes sure that they are in deep debt when they start working and usually won't have their lives together financially until they are in their early 30's. That only gives about a decade or so where having healthy kids is possible (you can have kids in your 40's but it's a lot harder to do and you have a much higher chance of having a child with developmental disorders). 

And the financial cost of raising children is obscene as well. In the third world today and most of the world in history having a bunch of kids is an asset, not a liability. If you have a bunch of kids you can put them to work and they basically will pay for themselves once they get older. Today, kids mostly can't work and the costs of raising them is sky high. Especially when you consider you are expected to at least help out with college or perhaps even have them live with you beyond the teens. 

I'd also say that the culture around dating is a major problem as well. The explosion in dating apps and the move away from long term relationships is obviously a major problem if the hook-up culture that it is replacing doesn't result in children. It's also massively increasing the costs of dating while at the same time making it more difficult for people to compete. I'd say it's a huge problem and the easiest thing we could do to bring the birth rate up is to ban Tinder and other dating apps and force people to actually meet organically. 

What can be done to fix this problem, outside of immigration? I am not sure. I don't think banning things like abortion and birth control are in the cards and I also can't see women leaving the workforce anytime soon. The College industry is likely a bubble and isn't sustainable so I could at least see that collapsing eventually. This would help somewhat but might not be enough to boost birthrates to replacement level. 

I think a cultural change might be the best way to go, but who knows if that's even possible at this point. In theory, a culture where having a big family is expected, where birth control and abortion are shamed and where women stay home would help things. But i can see the liberals reading this screaming about woman's rights and I just can't see the culture changing that much. 

The good news out of all this is that there are groups in America that do have large numbers of kids and they happen to be almost exclusively conservatives. All the people screaming "orange man bad" and "black lives matter" aren't going to have a legacy of children. Sure, people don't always vote the same way their parents do, but many do, and in a generation or two there will be a lot fewer far-left people running around due to their refusal to have kids.