Althouse: At the Wednesday Night Café...

April 2, 2025

At the Wednesday Night Café...

... you can talk about whatever you want.

62 comments:

Mark said...: 2026 and 2027 have GOP WI Supreme Court candidates up for re-election.

Given how Musk and Trump 'helped' this election, I bet Ben Winkler had an extra bottle of champagne last night.; 4/2/25, 7:51 PM
Iman said...: today’s democrats
offended by ev’rything
ashamed of NOTHING; 4/2/25, 8:11 PM
Narr said...: My wife and I celebrated our anniversary today by doing nothing in particular. Forty-eight years can go by quickly.; 4/2/25, 8:11 PM
Political Junkie said...: Congrats Narr.; 4/2/25, 8:16 PM
Michael Fitzgerald said...: Althouse put in a day today. 11 posts with the night cafe making an even dozen. Good night, cruel and neutral, Thank you for blogging.; 4/2/25, 8:17 PM
William50 said...: Narr said...

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary today by doing nothing in particular. Forty-eight years can go by quickly.

-------------------

Congratulations!! My wife and I celebrated our 56th Saturday the 29th.
Our only celebration was going out to dinner at the Great Dane pub Eastside. Marriage is especially great when the one you're married to is not only you greatest love, but your very best friend also.; 4/2/25, 8:21 PM
Narr said...: Thanks, Political Junkie and William50. We spent most of the late afternoon and evening watching the local weather guys preempting the non-weather news. Good thing we had no plans.; 4/2/25, 8:32 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Trump Unveils Sweeping Tariffs in Stark Shift in Trade Policy ~ WSJ

I kind of admire the way Trump tries to explain VAT to an audience who mostly know what it is, from his own perspective as someone who clearly has no clue how it works.

VAT is essentially a Sales Tax. An American exporter also doesn't pay US Sales tax on a car they export to the EU. Local competitors pay exactly the same VAT as the American exporters and EU producers pay the same Sales tax in the US as the American local producer. These taxes don't disadvantage or advantage neither EU nor US exporters.

The rest of the country and the world is in the process of being given definitive, unambiguous proof that indeed Trump’s idea is mathematically impossible and economically destructive, to the particular chagrin of those fools who voted for him.

Trump is liberating Americans from their collective wealth.; 4/2/25, 8:34 PM
Iman said...: Congratulations to both of you, Narr!; 4/2/25, 8:36 PM
NKP said...: The people liberating Americans from their wealth were those in the DOGE spotlight.; 4/2/25, 8:42 PM
Lem Vibe Banditory said...: YouTube: On speaking a language

"A look at the weird, inexplicable, and paradoxical nature of language."; 4/2/25, 8:43 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: When are people gonna realize trump doesnt give a flying fuk about anything except the billions he is gonna leave with.He dont care about war,economy just his wealth. The guy is a depleting old man who will be lucky when he leaves(if he makes it that far) he dont get
his butt put away. The people that voted him in again got duped with all the stuff he was gonna do and he aint done none of it except retaliation tour and milk the system for $$$. I;ll be well into my 80's and he'll be bad history with my grandkids kids reading about him like we did about Benedict Arnold and John Henry and Nathan Hale and all the guys that thought Demcracy would go more than 2.5 centuries. Putin,XI,Erdogan,Duterte,Kim Jung all know OLIGARCHY is the way to reap the harvest. My 4 children,7 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren so far, will all navigate the true BRAVE NEW WORLD.Like the new age space Beatitudes say"The meek(poor) shall inherit the Earth and the rest will leave for space.Watch the wars for those tickets! EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY FOR TOMORROW WE ALL WILL DIE!; 4/2/25, 8:46 PM
Lem Vibe Banditory said...: YouTube: Grok may be "thinking" after all

I say maybe (weasel word) because they are not sure yet.

It depends on what we think "thinking" is.; 4/2/25, 9:11 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: Senators joined democrats and voted against TARIFFS on our Ally Canada. TARIFFS ARE TAX INCREASES finally people with a brain will finallly admit. The orange guy is going to lose his shit. Finally some Repubs with some balls AND SOME FEMALE GENTILIA. Remember what Grover Norquist SAID LONG AGO.."you never vote to raise taxes! TARIFFS ARE TAX RAISES ON AMERICAN PEOPLE HELLO. TRUMP WILL HAVE TO PLAY A FEW EXTRA ROUNDS TOMORROW AND FIGURE HIS NEXT BAFOON MOVE. Mike Pence says trump is now responsible for Republican tax increase ever..The guy is a real dummy and people are starting to realize it,(well some anyway)Now got to bail out Farmers again for 4th time? WTF....; 4/2/25, 9:14 PM
Inga said...: Americans’ 401Ks tomorrow AM, its Liberation Day in Trump World. Americans just need to suck it up and be willing to sacrifice for their cult leader’s glory, eh?; 4/2/25, 9:14 PM
HistoryDoc said...: I anticipate Roberts again trying to split the baby, resulting in a complete betrayal of the constitutional separation of powers.

What will ACB do?; 4/2/25, 9:23 PM
Dr Weevil said...: Hundreds, if not thousands, of American politicians have somehow built fortunes in the tens or hundreds of millions while earning low 6-figure incomes. Trump and Musk are the only ones I can think of who have lost large sums of money - not just tens of millions but billions - by going into politics. People who were perfectly willing to stay in Trump hotels, golf at Trump golf courses, and drive Teslas, when the founders were Democrats started boycotting them (or firebombing them) when they turned Republican. Yet there are still morons who say that Trump is motivated by the "billions he is gonna leave with". It's amazing that someone can be that stupid, but I suppose the writing style should have been a clue.; 4/2/25, 9:37 PM
Jim at said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/2/25, 9:47 PM
Jim at said...: People are losing their shit because Trump is imposing tariffs that are half of the amount other countries are imposing on the US. Apparently, they get their jollies watching our nation get ripped off.

If and/or when we see the success of these moves - and achieve balanced trade - will these people shut their pieholes immediately after admitting they were wrong?; 4/2/25, 9:50 PM
Kakistocracy said...: How were these (fictional)Trump tariff rates calculated?
Trump math -- literally unbelievable.

/Just figured out where these fake tariff rates come from. They didn't actually calculate tariff rates + non-tariff barriers, as they say they did. Instead, for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us.

So we have a $17.9 billion trade deficit with Indonesia. Its exports to us are $28 billion. $17.9/$28 = 64%, which Trump claims is the tariff rate Indonesia charges us. What extraordinary nonsense this is.

It's also important to understand that the tariff rates that foreign countries are supposedly charging us are just made-up numbers. South Korea, with which we have a trade agreement, is not charging a 50% tariff on U.S. exports. Nor is the EU charging a 39% tariff./
https://x.com/JamesSurowiecki/status/1907559189234196942; 4/2/25, 9:50 PM
Kakistocracy said...: One more time.... let's take each counties trade deficit with us and divide it by their exports, and we’ll call that percentage their tariff’s against us!

Karoline Leavitt's press briefing should be fun tomorrow. 🍿; 4/2/25, 10:05 PM
Eva Marie said...: Thank you to whoever mentioned Bubba Ho-Tep in a previous post. Great movie. Highly recommended.; 4/2/25, 10:38 PM
Eva Marie said...: I tried watching Eddie and the Cruisers but I couldn’t get the link to work. It kept going to a documentary about the movie so I ordered the dvd. BTW Bubba Ho-tep is free with Amazon Prime; 4/2/25, 10:43 PM
Eva Marie said...: Bubba Ho-Tep is based on a story by Joe R Lansdale who also wrote quite a few mysteries. I’m starting with Savage Season but I enjoyed Bubba Ho-Tep and Bubba and the Bloodsuckers more. He’s quite a story teller.; 4/2/25, 10:58 PM
Eva Marie said...: Oops, that was Bubba and the Cosmic Bloodsuckers; 4/2/25, 11:05 PM
TeaBagHag said...: Why was Russia left off the list?; 4/2/25, 11:14 PM
stephen cooper said...: Does anybody have any inspiring quotes to share?; 4/2/25, 11:29 PM
Eva Marie said...: One has either to take people as they are, or leave them as they are. One cannot change them, one can merely disturb their balance. A human being, after all, is not made up of single pieces, from which a single piece can be taken out and replaced by something else
Franz Kafka; 4/2/25, 11:41 PM
Eva Marie said...: Put All Your Eggs in One Basket, and Then Watch That Basket
-Andrew Carnegie; 4/2/25, 11:44 PM
Eva Marie said...: I asked Grok for the most inspirational quote ever:
Be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi
Not impressed.; 4/2/25, 11:48 PM
Lucien said...: The Constitution establishes a Supreme Court, but provides that Congress may establish inferior courts — which it has done. If Congress were to (for example) dissolve the district and circuit courts for the District of Columbia, assigning jurisdiction over cases arising in DC to other courts, and reassigning judges (who have life tenure) to other courts, would there be a plausible constitutional objection to that action?; 4/2/25, 11:49 PM
Eva Marie said...: Most inspirational quote in Bubba Ho-Tęp (possibly a spoiler)
What do I really have left in life but this place? It ain’t much of a home, but it’s all I got. Well, goddamnit. I’ll be damned if I let some foreign, graffiti-writin’, soul-suckin’ son of a bitch in an oversized cowboy hat and boots take my friends’ souls and shit ’em down the visitors’ toilet! - Elvis Presley; 4/2/25, 11:54 PM
stephen cooper said...: Thanks for sharing, Eva; 4/2/25, 11:56 PM
TeaBagHag said...: Fascism is the frenzy of sexual cripples.
- Wilhelm Reich; 4/3/25, 12:06 AM
NKP said...: If someone can get Dink and Kak and Inga into the same tent, I’ll frag ‘em.; 4/3/25, 12:39 AM
Original Mike said...: Of Course: Liberals Stealing From Bezos Because He Isn't Sufficiently Leftist

I didn't want to steal this pork chop.
Jeff Bezos made me steal this pork chop.
HT: Flip Wilson

I guess it's better than arson.; 4/3/25, 2:34 AM
wendybar said...: Eric Daugherty
@EricLDaugh
🚨 The DNC with Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries is suing President Trump over his effort to prevent illegal aliens from voting in our elections

They say Trump is trampling the Framers' vision of how to run elections and that such an executive order reflects Trump's "conspiratorial beliefs."

Unreal.

Mike Lee

@SenMikeLee

Why are top Democrats suing to allow non-citizens to vote in American elections?

You know why.

https://x.com/SenMikeLee/status/1907440634329227654; 4/3/25, 3:02 AM
Jim at said...: Why was Russia left off the list?

Why don't you list the trade agreements we have with Russia, Tuesday? And the tariffs they impose upon us.

And then go from there.; 4/3/25, 3:16 AM
Jim at said...: If someone can get Dink and Kak and Inga into the same tent, I’ll frag ‘em.

Nope. Let them spew.
Not worth the ordnance.; 4/3/25, 3:18 AM
planetgeo said...: Inspirational quote: s day without Kak, Dink, and Inga is like a day without razor blades up your butt.; 4/3/25, 3:37 AM
john mosby said...: Lucien: " If Congress were to (for example) dissolve the district and circuit courts for the District of Columbia, assigning jurisdiction over cases arising in DC to other courts,"

There is the Constitutional language (art III sec 2; restated in Amd VI) about trials needing to happen in the "State and District" where the matter happened. This was to avoid repeating Crown abuses like shipping dudes back to Britain for trial.

But DC is not a state. And III/2 goes on to say Congress can determine the place to try crimes "not committed within any State." Unless of course a judge determines it is a "State" for purposes of this clause. So who bloody knows.

For things that aren't criminal trials - lawsuits, equity actions, etc - Congress looks like it has complete freedom to legislate where the case gets tried.

Having said all that, I don't know that disestablishing DC courts would fix the problem - the judges are the same kind of people all over the country. Even if juries are involved, there's not going to be a huge difference between a DC jury and, say, a Northern Virginia or Montgomery County, MD jury. And I doubt there's the intestinal fortitude in Congress to move DC criminal trials to Idaho, or even to a randomly-generated District Court somewhere in the country.

Probably the most straightforward solution would just be to legislatively remove jurisdiction from District Courts. And legislatively preserve the SCOTUS decision about when you can and can't criminally prosecute the President. You would think a bipartisan majority could be found for these, with the D's thinking ahead to the next time they're in office. But there I go again, thinking the D's can delay gratification....

JSM; 4/3/25, 5:28 AM
rhhardin said...: Godowski has a lot of piano transcriptions of Bach BWV 1001 that fill out the piano keyboard. Let no fingers go to waste. Same channel has a lot of others.

In this one the second movement shows up as a countertheme in the first.; 4/3/25, 5:28 AM
Inga said...: NKP said...

If someone can get Dink and Kak and Inga into the same tent, I’ll frag ‘em.

4/3/25, 12:39 AM

What the hell is wrong with you people?; 4/3/25, 5:32 AM
Mark said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/3/25, 5:39 AM
Marcus Bressler said...: I asked Grok: Why does the White House's latest chart indicate that the tariffs South Korea charges the US is 50%?
Grok's reply:
The White House's latest chart, released on April 2, 2025, as part of President Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcement, does not indicate that South Korea currently charges the United States a 50% tariff on imports. Instead, the chart lists a 25% tariff rate to be imposed by the United States on South Korean goods entering the U.S., effective April 9, 2025. This is part of a broader policy of "reciprocal tariffs" aimed at addressing trade imbalances, as outlined in the White House fact sheet from that date.

The confusion may stem from a misunderstanding of how these rates were derived or from earlier claims during Trump's announcement. The White House has stated that these reciprocal tariffs are calculated based on a formula that considers trade deficits and other factors, such as tariffs and non-tariff barriers imposed by trading partners, divided by the value of their exports to the U.S., and then halved. For South Korea, the actual tariff rate on U.S. goods has been very low—around 0.79% in 2024—due to the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) in place since 2012. However, the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea was significant, at approximately $66 billion in 2024, with South Korean exports to the U.S. totaling $131.5 billion. Some have speculated that a higher figure (like 50%) might have been an intermediate calculation (e.g., $66 billion ÷ $131.5 billion ≈ 50%, then halved to 25%), but this is not what South Korea charges the U.S.

Trump’s rhetoric during the announcement suggested that the listed rates reflect what countries "are and have been charging us," adjusted downward out of "kindness." However, this does not align with South Korea’s actual tariff rates on U.S. goods, which are near zero for most products under the FTA. The 25% figure in the chart is thus a U.S.-imposed tariff on South Korean imports, not a reflection of a 50% tariff charged by South Korea. This discrepancy has been noted in public discourse, with some suggesting the numbers are more about political messaging or trade deficit adjustments than a direct mirror of South Korea’s tariffs on the U.S.; 4/3/25, 5:54 AM
Marcus Bressler said...: Hey, Rich: the country's "collective wealth" was already removed by the inflation during the administration of Sleepy Joe Biden.; 4/3/25, 5:55 AM
Old and slow said...: I've been inclined to give Trump the benefit of the doubt and I voted for him three times. That said, these tariffs are shockingly bad policy. I know they need to get interest rates down to refinance our massive debt, but I question whether a full blown recession is the best way to achieve that goal. I do accept that they have a nearly impossible puzzle to solve here, and radical change is needed. He also has some very smart people advising him. But industry doesn't relocate overnight, and no one believes these tariffs will survive the next administration. It would seem that companies will choose to wait it out for the most part. Tariffs are a poor method of taxation.; 4/3/25, 6:04 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: The New York Times ran a long "secret history of the Ukraine war" article recently, which, given our host's affinity for that publication, I thought would make an appearance here. It does clearly articulate just how close to WW3 Biden was pushing the USA, recklessly. Anyone read the whole thing or a distillation of it?; 4/3/25, 6:36 AM
Aggie said...: "That said, these tariffs are shockingly bad policy. "

It does raise the point, if they're such bad policy, then how come all these foreign countries have set themselves up to rake in the cash off the back of American manufacturers, with their tariffs for all this time?

What is absent is a more descriptive discussion of what the tariffs actually are. I haven't delved into the subject matter and looked very hard. It seems to me that the Trump tariffs are reciprocal, and this word has now started to enter into the media coverage. They are normally levied against specific categories, not across entire import chains, as far as I can tell.

But who could be against the principals of free trade? If you want to protect your industries or national economies, fine. You shouldn't expect it to be without a response from those affected, though. And there shouldn't be any doubt that the American manufacturing base has been withered on the vine over the past 30-40 years or so, rendered noncompetitive by things like this.

I think it's just part of the broader message from Trump that America is no longer a Free Ride country, and the realization is still sinking in, particularly in the European countries that have come to expect American welfare in its many different forms.; 4/3/25, 6:42 AM
Old and slow said...: If these tariffs were coupled with massive cuts in personal and corporate taxes plus deregulation, then they might be a great idea. The problem is that those things require congressional support, and Congress is uninterested in doing much of anything. I'm still at the stage of wait-and-see, but I'm not confident that his strategy (whatever it might be) will play out well. I'd be fine with equities getting devalued if it led to reshoring industries and strong growth, but I have my doubts.; 4/3/25, 6:51 AM
rehajm said...: Re: tariffs- beaucoup economists support the belief that tariffs are bad policy. I’m one of those troglodytes what still believes in free trade and comparative advantage so I do too but no matter. I also believe what’s important at the moment is game theory says Tit For Tat is consistently a winning strategy. Do find Hannah Fry’s BBC series for an entertaining in depth exploration…and when did we get so soft and whimpy about market cycles and modest and once-regular market contractions? Grow a pair…; 4/3/25, 6:53 AM
Leland said...: It would seem that companies will choose to wait it out for the most part.

As someone that has worked (and still working) in multiple large industries (aerospace and energy), I question the observation skills of someone that writes the above. They waited out the last 4 years post Covid, and they can wait no longer. Trump’s re-election is a result of this. The working classes voted for Trump.; 4/3/25, 7:12 AM
Jim at said...: I’m one of those troglodytes what still believes in free trade ...

There's free trade, and then there's fair trade.

I can't read his mind, but I'm pretty sure Trump's working for the latter.

And I have earthly clue why anybody would be opposed to that.

But I'm guessing the regular suspects will tell me why.; 4/3/25, 7:12 AM
Jim at said...: how come all these foreign countries have set themselves up to rake in the cash off the back of American manufacturers, with their tariffs for all this time?

Exactly.

And if not now? When?; 4/3/25, 7:16 AM
Jim at said...: What the hell is wrong with you people?

It was a dumb comment - by one person - on a thread.

"You people" tried killing Trump. At least twice.

So, fuck off.; 4/3/25, 7:20 AM
rehajm said...: And I have earthly clue why anybody would be opposed to that.

I know of a bunch of reasons but most relevant is the risk of a tariff war becoming permanent policy which ultimately makes goods more expensive and reducing household wealth, higher transfer payments to government with the potential/likelihood of being squandered on inefficient and/or illegal political activities…and I don’t need to guess about what Trump is thinking- he wants to see growth in American manufacturing and a better deal for American assembled goods overseas. Tariffs are a tool, not the goal…; 4/3/25, 7:25 AM
rehajm said...: I still pay import duties for Swiss watches, a trade war started in the 1920s. A whole branch of US Customs enforcing, likely not supporting themselves with the duties they collect…; 4/3/25, 7:33 AM
Iman said...: “Anyone read the whole thing or a distillation of it?”

I read a distillation of it a few days ago and mentioned it in a post a few days ago. It does seem worthy of discussion to me.; 4/3/25, 8:19 AM
Kakistocracy said...: Trump's tariff formula? That is a bit rich for a random number generator.

Think of a number...now double it...divide it by your countries trade deficit, now add 10....Is that your birthday?

Trump's formula is getting plenty of attention but the starting point of looking at goods only much less so -- why? Services are a key US export and a natural balance to a goods deficit. It appears meaningless before we even get to the formula.; 4/3/25, 8:21 AM
Rusty said...: TeaBagHag said...
"Why was Russia left off the list?"
Russia has nothing we want.; 4/3/25, 9:16 AM
Old and slow said...: Russia was left off the list because most trade with Russia is now prohibited, and what isn't is subject to VERY high tariffs. Our trade with Russia dropped off a cliff after the invasion of Ukraine.; 4/3/25, 9:30 AM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: Mike Johnson is going to pull a McConneell dirt bomb trick even though senate defeated CANADA tariffs,Johnson will call and going session only! day and therefore the minimum time for the House to have to vote on no tariffs for cananda(would pass dems and repubs) the day will never change therefore they wont have to vote and trump gets his tarriffs on Cnada despite congress not wanting it.What a fukked up scenario and government rules.Its the McCONNELL YEAR HOLD OUT OF mERRICK gARLAND AGAIN ONLY DIFFERENT CIRCUmstances/ wtf THATS YOUR CONGRESS FOR YA!; 4/3/25, 9:33 AM

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