53 thoughts on “News/Politics 3-22-25”

  2. Eggs- If the price hasn’t dropped by you, your grocer is gouging you.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephaniegravalese/2025/03/18/egg-prices-have-dropped-sharply-but-theres-more-to-the-story/

    “Egg prices, which hit a record high of $8.17 per dozen in early March 2025, have since dropped rapidly to $4.90 per dozen within a week, marking one of the sharpest declines in recent history. While this might signal relief for consumers, it doesn’t necessarily mean grocery shoppers will immediately see prices return to normal.

    “According to the USDA Egg Markets Overview, wholesale prices for large cartoned shell eggs in New York fell to $4.78 per dozen, reflecting a $2.40 decline compared to earlier weeks. National egg inventory has grown by over 4%, and major retailers are now seeing stabilized supply, unlike earlier in the year when shortages were widespread.

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  4. “BREAKING: Taiwan just signed a deal to invest in the $44 billion Alaska natural gas pipeline and has committed to purchasing their LNG from Alaska.

    This will bring billions into the U.S. economy instantly.

    The Taiwanese President said, “Alaska is the source of high-quality natural gas, and its relatively short distance from Taiwan facilitates transportation. We are very interested in buying Alaskan natural gas because it can meet our needs and ensure our energy security.”

    Taiwan’s leaders clearly know what they are doing. Helping make America rich gives Trump a real reason to defend them if China tries to invade.”

    https://x.com/BehizyTweets/status/1903132183507898409?t=EkVen5AuyJ7RJ9dxLAJ5hg&s=19

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  7. Bam.

    This is the way….

    https://x.com/SaraCarterDC/status/1903404359922118949?t=k28AEwBKBy2-pjwT_B4sQQ&s=19

    “SECURITY CLEARANCES REVOKED

    Best part of Trump’s memo below 👇 “any other member of Joseph R. Biden’s Family”

    “I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information:  Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, Andrew Weissmann, Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Cheney, Kamala Harris, Adam Kinzinger, Fiona Hill, Alexander Vindman, Joseph R. Biden Jr., and any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family..”

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  8. Gas, three dollars.

    Eggs, free. Of course, production is way up now so we are back to giving them away just as commercial production picks up after post winter slump.

    mumsee

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  9. This is the way….

    https://x.com/WallStreetMav/status/1903202141977686379?t=QOs52u_rDxQTxvylXEPj2A&s=19

    “Even if the Senate doesn’t vote to convict, having the House vote for impeachment (GOP majority) is a useful process.

    Federal judges will want to avoid the embarrassment of that process. Impeaching 5 to 10 of them now will save a lot of trouble for the next 4 years.”

    —

    https://x.com/amuse/status/1900987052398965018?t=XUI2qlJuKLrHg3zjT9zJGg&s=09

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  10. last bus of detainees at the facility where I work part time was almost all Arabic. The time before when I worked, 3 pods of Venezuelans caused a small riot.

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  11. We got our last dozen eggs from a friend, too, mumsee. His son bought chickens and then had a stroke a couple of days after buying them. Our friend took over their care, since the son lives in a house our friend owns and is next to his. He found out he enjoys taking care of the chicken. He cannot eat all the eggs he is getting right now. He plays music with my husband and brings to all in the group when he has too many.

    We live almost halfway between two towns and find the prices are almost always lower in one of the towns. The difference in one town was when a Walmart gas station went in. Suddenly they could lower the price. We also go through or to other cities and the prices can differ quite a bit. Plus, this could be an issue of gas coming from Canada.

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  12. Debra, if you’re around this weekend, I spotted a couple pieces by Gene Veith (Lutheran) on his Cranach site you might be interested in (I was able to read one but not the other, he now requires a $5 per month subscription, which I think was a mistake on his part, but there it is; I may temporarily subscribe to further look at the piece they didn’t let me get into 🙂 — paywalls are so annoying, but it’s the publishing world we live in); but you may be able to access one or both:

    https://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/

    first post was: “Just wars and the Possibility of Success”:

     

    One of the tenets of Just War Theory has been raised to argue that Ukraine should agree to a peace with Russia, even with unfavorable terms. I’d like to lay out that argument, then challenge it, then propose a different framework based on Luther’s teachings about war.

    And the other one that followed (that I haven’t read):

    “Luther on Wars of Necessity”

     

     

    While Luther in general accepted Just War Theory, he also redefined the criteria, to the point of offering an alternative:  determining not simply whether or not a war is just, but whether it is necessary.

    • dj

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  16. “NEW: Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says he sold 1000 immigration Gold Cards (priced at $5M each) in one day this week.

    The development means $5 Billion was made to help pay off the national debt.

    “There are 37,000,000 people in the world who are capable of buying the card… The president thinks we can sell a million.”

    Lutnick says Trump got the idea to sell a Gold Card during a meeting he had with investor John Paulson.”

    https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1903192954795331708?t=LjsoGq_6f4gxnOr6G6eNxw&s=19

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  17. An inconvenient truth.

    https://x.com/DavidSacks/status/1902349280473481305?t=v-XcrGZfCyHbMgdCh_coxw&s=19

    “Extraordinary piece in THE HILL. The truth is finally coming out about the Ukraine war.

    The author explains why Trump is right about Ukraine; the war was completely unnecessary; Biden and Zelensky played significant roles in provoking and escalating it; and Western media has continuously lied about it.

    The author writes: “I rarely agree with President Trump, but his latest controversial statements about Ukraine are mostly true. They only seem preposterous because western audiences have been fed a steady diet of disinformation about Ukraine for more than a decade. It is time to set the record straight on three key points that illuminate why Ukrainians and former President Joe Biden — not merely Russian President Vladimir Putin — bear significant responsibility for the outbreak and perpetuation of war in Ukraine.

    “First, as recently documented by overwhelming forensic evidence, and affirmed even by a Kyiv court, it was Ukrainian right-wing militants who started the violence in 2014 that provoked Russia’s initial invasion of the country’s southeast including Crimea. …

    “Second, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky contributed to a wider war by violating peace deals with Russia [known as Minsk 1 and 2] and seeking NATO military aid and membership. …

    :Third, Joe Biden too contributed crucially to the escalation and perpetuation of fighting. … Biden raised false hopes in Ukraine, needlessly perpetuating a war that has killed or wounded hundreds of thousands in the last two years alone during which the frontlines have shifted by less than 1 percent of Ukraine’s territory. …

    “Even more tragic, whatever peace deal emerges after the war will be worse for Ukraine than the Minsk accords that Zelensky foolishly abandoned due to his political ambitions and naïve expectation of bottomless U.S. support.”

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  18. I am not a fan of selling Gold Cards to come into our country. I am also not a fan of not letting in Christians who are being persecuted. Or those who we really know helped us in the Middle East. Too bad our legislators won’t actually write some good legislation on immigration.

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  19. “We are mobilizing in New York. We have people going to the Republican districts and going after these Republicans who are voting for this and forcing them to either change their vote or face the consequences,” Schumer said during a recent interview with PBS. “This is a long, relentless fight that we fight every day. And I am confident that we will bring Trump’s popularity, numbers and strength down if we keep at it, and keep at it, and keep at it.”

    Ah the party of peace…

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  20. From Veith’s analysis (2nd article mentioned @1:18 above, thanks for grabbing that AJ):

    ~ … So how can we apply the criterion of “necessity” to modern wars?  Opinions will differ, of course, as to who started the war and who were merely defending themselves.  And we must remember what Milton said in response to the rhetoric of Satan in Paradise Lost, in which the fallen angel insists that his rebellion and his warfare against the human race are necessary.  The narrator dismisses that claim in four words:  “Necessity, the tyrant’s plea” (IV. 393-394).  The point being that tyrants are always invoking “necessity” to justify their atrocities.  But let’s try applying Luther’s concept:

    World War I–not a necessity

    World War II–necessity

    Korean War–possibly a necessity

    Vietnam–probably not a necessity

    The War on Terrorism–necessity

    Iraq War–not a necessity

    How about the current war between Russia and Ukraine?  Was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “war of necessity”? No.  By Luther’s standards, a war to acquire another nation’s territory is always wrong.  Is Ukraine’s war against Russia a “war of necessity”? Yes.  By Luther’s standards, defensive wars are always necessary.

    Providing aid, of course, is a different proposition than actually waging a war.  Should the United States send troops into Ukraine (which I don’t think anyone is advocating)?  Not a necessity.  Should the U.S. send aid to a nation being attacked?  Possibly, if fending off that invasion would deter other invasions.

    The extent of that help would not seem to be addressed by Luther’s analysis, nor would the details of ending such a conflict.  I would think, though, that ending the bloody conflict is a “necessity,” no matter whose cause is just. …

    • dj

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  21. Gas prices:

    ~ As of March 2025, California has the highest average gas prices in the US, with an average of $4.65 per gallon, followed by Hawaii ($4.53) and Washington ($4.08). 

    Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

    Other states with high gas prices: Nevada ($3.74), Oregon ($3.73), Alaska ($3.39), Illinois ($3.38), Arizona ($3.34), Idaho ($3.26), and Pennsylvania ($3.22) 

    California: $4.65 per gallon 

    Hawaii: $4.53 per gallon 

    Washington: $4.08 per gallon 

    ______________

    ~ Bird Flu Still Having A Huge Impact On Egg Supply, Prices In California … If you’ve been in your local market recently, you may have noticed empty shelves in the aisle where you normally find eggs. With the spread of bird flu, which is infecting chickens throughout the country, eggs have gotten expensive. Really expensive. The average price of a dozen eggs in California is now around $9. ~

    At Sprouts, where I usually shop, the egg case is almost always empty, except for a couple cartons of ‘liquid’ eggs.

    I think I read somewhere they’re suggesting we start buying our own chickens. lol

    • dj

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  22. As I understand it, the Ukraine war was not started specifically to gain territory. The main two provocations were 1) to prevent the incursion of NATO which even I can see is a security threat to Russia, and 2) to stop the violence against the Russian speaking minority (about 20%) which is still ongoing in Ukraine. It’s a war that would have been easy for the US to prevent but we merely added fuel to the fire. As a result, it is almost certain that Ukraine will eventually be forced to become neutral and will lose territory. And that could produce a stable, just peace.

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    • We live in the county but our HOA prohibits having poultry! The eggs we purchase are 9.98 a dozen. You can purchase lower quality eggs for 6.98. Gas still hovering around 3.00 a gallon…yesterday I saw one station advertising 2.84.
      Nj

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  25. I see a clear parallel between the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and the Ukrainian/Russian standoff which eventually ended in war. If the Soviet Union had not backed down in Cuba, I believe we would have been justified in going to war to secure our country because of the proximity of the danger. Would it have been ‘necessary’? It’s debatable, but I think so given the circumstances. Perhaps it could not, strictly speaking, be considered a defensive war because we were not fired upon first, but I would have been satisfied that it was necessary. And I am opposed to most wars and very thankful that one was averted.

    For a variety of reasons, I think our role in the formation of the Ukrainian debacle is best described as evil. Anything we can do to help it end in a stable peace, we should do immediately.

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  27. The eggs I buy most are the more expensive organic brown because they are more healthy, but they have not been as available so I get Eggland’s white eggs if they are on the shelf. Supply has been better here this past week.

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  28. Sam’ s Club unleaded is 2.84 and other nearby stations are 2.99-3.09. We also get cash back on the 2.84/ gallon, maybe .05/gallon which adds up with the many miles Art puts on his car.

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  33. HOA’s can be a positive but there can be many headaches as well. We are having issues of power tripping men on our current board and it has been contentious. We all are on 2.5-5 acre lots well and septic. We must adhere to certain design guidelines and covenants. My sweet neighbors just lost a sale of their home due to our covenant of only two dogs allowed… the potential buyers had four dogs🥲

    Nj

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  39. When I was looking to buy a house, I did check out some newer townhomes in town but my realtor — realizing I had 3 dogs at that time and also would need some decent outdoor space — urged me not to “go there” with having to be under an HOA. I’ve generally not heard good things about them and costs can (and often) go up under their ‘rule.’

    People have had chickens around here, I guess it’s OK in the city of LA. But we also have a healthy coyote population so … Unless one is able to house them with a sturdy protection, it usually doesn’t end well.

    (Former) dog-agility friend in town now has way too many chickens, guess she thought it would be her new passion (she gets “on a roll” with these things) and the population exploded.

    I went out to dinner with a friend and I ordered an omelette, I’ve been missing eggs. A robot served our table. 🙂 (Denny’s)

    • dj

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  41. DJ, I don’t think you need to trust Putin to observe that points 1 and 2 @8:01 are sufficient to make a rational country believe they are justified in going to war, given no rational alternative for ameliorating those problems.

    I’ve heard a prominent evangelical leader proclaim what is “in Putin’s heart”. That is folly. We must be more rational and put away the old hatred.

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  42. When Trump started his EO frenzy, I rightly predicted many would be overturned on judicial review. There are in general two possible responses. One, review the decision and either modify the EO so it passes muster or appeal to a higher court. That would be the traditional and constitutional approach. The second is to smear the judicial system forcing several of them to ask for US marshal protection. No surprise that the Trump admin chose the second approach. Sure one can argue that impeachment is a constitutional approach but as Roberts pointed out that’s not the way to address your disagreement with a ruling ie let it wind through the courts.

    Btw, Trump in his second term is far ahead of any president in terms of EOs in the first days of his terms. He’s even ahead of FDR who first had the Depression and then a war to combat. And people called Obama dictatorial. Remember to consider a “veil of ignorance” — ie would you grant this much executive power to someone whose political agenda you did not yet know.

    hrw

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  43. Just war theory is interesting — I used to joke that I was a pacifist but if somebody punched me I might change my mind. In simple terms, just war theory is quite similar on a national level. Lutheran, Catholic, or Reformed — the idea is quite the same — competent authority, probability of success, last resort, and just cause. You could add limited or measured humane violence, end goal of justice and peace, etc. Personally I like early medieval Europe — no fighting on Sunday, Thursday, Lent, Advent and local saint days. The stop start of war might allow for some alternative thoughts to penetrate the fog of war.

    However, if you look at the list its hard to come to the conclusion any in the modern era is permissible — with the usual exception of WW2. The “war of terror” is difficult to justify — its a concept not an opponent, could be fought in terms of a crime, other than perhaps the initial invasion of Afghanistan very little of the violence was employed as a last resort, and a lasting peace never seemed to be a goal.

    Applying it to Ukraine and the Ukrainian response to the Russian invasion seems to qualify – more or less because it’s seen as self defence.

    Applying it to Israel and Gaza, I have a great difficulty applying the just war theory here. The initial response to the Hamas incursion can be seen as appropriate but the increased level of violence and the current breach of the cease fire indicates that one can’t apply just war here.

    hrw

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  44. HOA: sis in law pays four hundred per month to hers (Boise) and is constantly fighting with them. Brother pays four hundred per year and finds them annoying but tolerable. (Town adjacent to Boise).

    mumsee

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  45. The current level of belief among Republicans and their supporters of Russian misinformation is extraordinary and bizarre.

    There’s no doubt that right wing elements were heavily involved in the 2014 Maiden “Revolution” but its also true that right wing involvement in subsequent pro western governments has dissipated to nothing. (I opposed the initial Madien riots precisely because of the neo-Nazi elements — telling my Ukraine friend that when there’s Nazis at a demo you know its time to walk the other way). The Minsk proposals were broken not by Zelensky but by Russia and pro Russian militias in Donetsk and Luhansk. And now we have members of the US negotiating team agreeing with Russians about the validity of referendum results. A refurrendum that claimed four oblasts that the Russians didn’t even have full control.

    Debra 1) NATO membership was never on the table for Ukraine especially in the post 2014 world. For NATO membership to be considered, a country must have no disputes with other countries. The breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk plus Russian occupation of Crimea automatically disqualified Ukraine from joining NATO. The Kremlin constantly cites NATO membership as justification and its generally accepted in Russia as “just cause” and thus when Russians are informed of NATO rules, they become confused.

    2) Enthno-linguist issues aren’t enough to justify an invasion. For one, people generally don’t live in neat separated areas to make new lines in the map. And when powers attempt to draw lines, things get messy and even genocidal. Post WW1 featured violence all over eastern Europe as “self determination” was applied and populations were moved or killed. Just prior to WW2, Germany and Hungary applied the idea to Czechoslovakia and Romania. Post WW2, millions of ethnic Germans were forced to march westward. And then there was the mess in Yugoslavia as militias attempted to separate by ethnicity.

    The agitation for Russia linguistic rights has occurred not only in Ukraine but also in Moldova, Kazakhstan and Estonia. In these cases, the parallel to Germany’s agitation for German entho-linguistic rights in Czechoslovakia and Poland is easy to draw. The US should be wary of accepting this justification for border changes and invasion. President Sheinbaum wouldn’t do it but she could easily raise the same issue for Spanish speaking Americans residing along the southern border regions especially those who are descendent of Mexicans who resided there prior to the Mexican-American War. In any case, Russian language rights have been recognised in all ex Soviet nation states so the question is moot.

    hrw

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  46. I was under the impression that most Republicans wanted a rules based immigration process. However, imprisoning green card holders, retroactively changing rules and then revoking permits hardly seems to be encouraging people to follow the rules. The administration seems to rule by capricious dictate and thus why follow rules. And now, you can simply purchase the right to go to the front of the line or even jump the line right to the door. Hardly seems like a rules based immigration policy.

    Gas is $3.95 USD per gallon and eggs are $2.80 USD a dozen. From speaking with my brother who’s an organic farmer in Iowa, apparently the vast majority (90%) of US eggs are supplied by 10 corporate farms. And with farms of 100k of chickens, one case of avian flu will cause massive shortages. Not a sensible agriculture policy (and both parties own that). Meanwhile US border patrol now reports eggs are the most smuggled good from Canada.

    Never understood why a country that has a “right to property” in their bill of rights allows for HOAs.

    Strangely, I must be the only leftist who doesn’t see a problem in abolishing the Department of Education. It’s not a federal responsibility so why? I’ve read people claiming that poorer states won’t support special needs students and college grants and loans. As much as I support special needs and free college, states need to pony up on their own and be responsible for their residents.

    hrw

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  48. HRW, you may have personal confidence that NATO membership is impossible for Ukraine, but I don’t and other people don’t either. It’s probably a reason Zelenskyy is adamant to regain all territory. Whether or not actual membership in NATO is possible, there is no doubt that US expansion of NATO and the constant dangling of the possibility of Ukrainian membership has accelerated the problem between Ukraine and Russia.

    Ukraine has been involved in a civil war of sorts with the eastern Russian speaking areas since the coup in 2014. It’s my understanding that those people have been permitted no meaningful democratic participation in the government of Ukraine since then. And yes, considering Russia’s relationship with those people, such a state of affairs would constitute just cause in my opinion.

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  49. DJ, I’m surprised to see Vietnam listed as “probably not a necessity”. Given it’s location and lack of relationship to the US, as well as the fierce opposition to it at home, I would have thought it as unnecessary as Iraq.

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  50. Despite Russian propaganda, Ukrainian dreams, and neocon wish lists, NATO membership for Ukraine was and is absolutely impossible. Beyond the need for no boundary disputes, new members need unanimous approval and there’s no way Turkey or Hungary would approve Ukraine. They barely approved Finland or Sweden which should have been a slam dunk.

    As for internal issues with Russian minorities — sure that was an issue but no more than it was in 1930s Czechoslovakia. Not enough for a war and invasion. Russian issues with Ukraine were nothing more than a refusal to admit Ukraine had a right to self determination.

    But i will agree on Vietnam and Iraq…….

    hrw

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  51. Over the last few months, it has become apparent Zelensky and other Ukrainians officials are willing to trade Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea for solid and meaningful sovereignty and territorial guarantees. The Europeans know this but its part of the negotiations. The American team seems oblivious to all the previous work and is more interested in real estate transactions.

    The Europeans (and Canada) are increasing their military spending in part to force a deal with the above in mind. Yet the US team just concurred with the Russians that the EU is increasing the militarisation of the continent and needs to back down. I thought the Trump admin wanted the Europeans to take more responsibility??

    As Europe rearms, its become interesting to watch previous unspoken agreements fall apart. In return for US involvement, Europeans generally agreed that US military set the standard in terms of equipment benefiting companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Now that the US is no longer seen as a dependable ally, the European military industrial complex is chasing down contracts usually reserved for American companies. For example, Canada is now considering Swiss aircraft instead of F-35s — the Swiss have offered to build the planes in Canada and the maintenance contracts will also be Canadian something the US companies never agreed to.

    hrw

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  52. That’s so funny JRW. 🤣

    Sanders, the multimillionaire is the people champion, gonna save us from the rich.

    Dont you realize how ridiculous that sounds.

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