The Week that Was Returns!
For the week ending Sunday, January 26, 2025
The Week that Was ...
Ending Sunday, January 26, 2022
January 26, 2025
I’m coming back from hiatus. The last edition of The Week that Was was published on April 10, 2022.
So ...
Welcome to the latest edition of The Week that Was, my rundown of what happened last week, curated, in the loosest sense of the word, for your reading pleasure, or displeasure. I am not attempting an exhaustive recap. That would be exhausting.
The theme of this edition of The Week that Was is History Repeats Itself Twice, the First Time as Tragedy, the Second Time as Farce. That is a quote, more a paraphrase, from The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon by Karl Marx. Just so you know, Marx was referring to the coup d’etat of Louis Napoleon on December 2, 1851, founding the second French Empire. Louis Napoleon crowned himself Napoleon III. As Napoleon III, Louis ushered in the era of Baron Haussmann’s reconstruction of Paris, to reduce the threat of urban revolution; and Napoleon III embarked on a series of wars in Europe and outside of Europe (what are emperors for, anyway?), including Italy, Crimea, Algeria, Morocco, Vietnam, West Africa, Mexico, and, on July 19, 1870, Prussia. That last war led to the Siege of Paris, Louis’s downfall, France’s defeat, a revolution in Paris, and the unification of Germany, creating the Second Reich. Good job, Louis!
The main topics for last week are:
Apocalyptic Photo of the Week
Domestic Affairs: The Race to Debase Yourself before #47
Foreign Affairs: The Race to Debase Yourself and Your Country Before #47.
The Early Days of 47’s Presidency
Why Did Junior Go to Greenland?
Financial Markets: Is It a Bubble Yet?
More Post-Election Analysis: This Time with Meaning
More Post-Election Analysis: This Time with Trepidation
1. Apocalyptic Photo of the Week
Credit: Jae C Wong AP
2. Domestic Affairs: The Race to Debase Oneself Before 47
Eric Adams (sorry, look here), the somewhat embattled mayor of New York City, has decided that his bribery prosecution is due to prosecutorial corruption.
Adams Accuses Former Prosecutor of Bringing Case to Help His Own Career
Why? As Adams’ lawyer, Alex Spiro puts it:
“The conclusion here is inevitable. Mr. Williams brought a meritless case against a political rival to bolster his own immediate candidacy for office, potentially including mayor of New York.”
The prosecutor, US Attorney Damian Williams, wrote this opinion piece suggesting that government could use some reform:
Opinion: An indictment of the sad state of New York government
Obviously, Williams wants Mayor Adams’s job. Although, In December 2024, Damian Williams announced that he would soon join Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as a litigation partner. Paul, Weiss enjoyed average per partner profits of $6.5 million in 2023. A seven figure partner draw from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is just a temp job.
With a trial looming in federal court and MLK Day just happening to fall on Inauguration Day this year, Mayor Adams decided to skip the city’s MLK celebrations and go to 47’s inauguration.
These are boom times for pardons (exponential growth), but obviously Adams was not looking to curry favor. Venal motives are completely unknown to him.
Adams cancels MLK Jr. Day appearances to attend Trump’s inauguration in D.C.
I’ll spare you the news about the parade of billionaire supplicants to 47. Noting that 47 has reeled in over $200 million since his election (as of January 4, 2025) should be enough to engender disgust.
Trump Has Reeled in More Than $200 Million Since Election Day
Actually, this report from the AP kind of sums it up, in simple, easy-to-understand prose:
Trump calls it the ‘center of the universe.’ Mar-a-Lago is a magnet for those seeking influence
3. Foreign Affairs: The Race to Debase Oneself and One’s Country Before 47
Actually, there is just one case which says it all: the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. In a panic over 47’s threatened tariffs, Trudeau flew to Mar-a-Lago (was there ever a more awful name for a mansion?), and, well, 47 humiliated him. 47 hailed Trudeau as the governor of the Great State of Canada. And that was the nice part.
After that, his Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, resigned, saying that Trudeau was not up to the task of dealing with 47.
Trudeau to Resign as Canada’s Prime Minister: ‘It’s Time for a Reset’
Anyone who tries to appease 47 will experience this.
4. The Early Days of 47’s Presidency
Okay, there’s a lot to cover here, so here are the lowlights. Let’s start with geography.
Actually, as you will note, the order just applies to the US part of the continental shelf of the Gulf of Mexico. Not to the abyssal plain. We’re already short-changed!
Credit: NOAA
Republican Worries: One Big Beautiful Bill or Many?
The Republicans are already worried about getting 47’s agenda through Congress:
‘We’re running out of time’: GOP already antsy on Trump’s Hill agenda
The Establishment Democrats are having even more problems.
ICC sanctions bill exposes weak spot for Senate Dems
I’ll say. The problem is that their leadership don’t know what the problems are.
47 Goes to Davos, Virtually
And 47 made a splash at Davos, asking OPEC to lower oil prices. Because they are all such nice guys.
Donald Trump calls on Opec to push down global oil prices
47 Is Certainly not Impressing them with His Knowledge of Geography
Trump targets Spain with tariffs in BRICS blunder
Don’t be such brainiacs!
Memo to 47: You already threatened BRICS over the possibility that they might start a currency that would be an alternative to the US Dollar as a reserve currency. None of the BRICS are European countries. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Greenland
47 wants Greenland. The people there don’t want him, or us, or their colonial power, Denmark. Memo to Denmark: Don’t try to appease 47.
Trump Alarms Denmark in an Icy Exchange Over Greenland
Tariffs: Will He or Won’t He?
47 threatens tariffs, then backs off, then says maybe February, then backs off.
Trump promised some tariffs immediately. They’re not here — yet.
Colombia Shows Some Spine:
Colombia refused to take two US military flights with Colombian citizens in shackles. And, guess what? Colombian President Gustavo Petro refused to take deportees until they are treated with respect.
“We will receive our fellow citizens on civilian planes, without treating them like criminals.”
Colombia’s President Rejects Trump’s Deportation Flights
47 immediately slapped a 25% tariff on Columbia.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro then levied a 25% tariff on US goods. The ironic thing is that the US has a trade surplus with Colombia.
Colombian president orders increase of import tariffs on US goods after Trump order
This is what President Petro had to say, in part:
Gustavo Petro responds to Trump: “Overthrow me…the Americas and humanity will respond”
Trump, I don’t like traveling to the U.S. much, it’s a bit boring, but I confess there are worthy things. I like to go to the Black neighborhoods of Washington. There, I saw a whole fight in the capital of the U.S. between Blacks and Latinos, with barricades, which seemed to me like nonsense, because they should unite.
I confess that I like Walt Whitman, Paul Simon, Noam Chomsky, and Miller.
I confess that Sacco and Vanzetti, who have my blood, in the history of the U.S., are memorable and I follow them. They were murdered for being labor leaders with the electric chair by the fascists who are inside the U.S. just as they are in my country.
I don’t like your oil, Trump, you are going to end the human species with greed. Maybe one day, along with a drink of whisky—which I accept despite my gastritis—we can talk frankly about this, but it’s difficult because you consider me an inferior race, and I am not, nor is any Colombian.
Mexico Also Refused to Take One of the Military Flights
But so far, no tariff threats.
Migrants in shackles led on to US military plane - as Mexico refuses to accept deportation flight
The Law of Unintended Consequences
Meanwhile, the law of unintended consequences will make itself felt. Christine LaGarde, President of the European Central Bank, feels that 47’s presidency is an opportunity for Europe to attract American talent.
Europe can import disillusioned talent from Trump’s US, says Lagarde
Mexico is preparing to help deported Mexicans to put their skills to work in the US.
Se analizarán 10 mil 523 propuestas para el PND: Jesús Ramírez
Mass Deportations
At first, it looked like the enforcement of deportations was going mainly going to be showy raids in blue states.
Trump to delay ICE raids until Congress can ‘work out a solution’
Ahead of Day 1, Trump’s Team Works to Temper Expectations on Immigration
So far, as of Sunday, January 28, there have been some significant raids:
Newark
538 people arrested 373 detained.
Mayor accuses ICE of detaining vet, U.S. citizens in N.J. immigration raid
Chicago
Raids are in progress in Chicago.
Trump administration launches immigration enforcement blitz in Chicago
Central Valley in California
The US gets an enormous amount of its food from the Central Valley of California.
A SURPRISING IMMIGRATION RAID IN KERN COUNTY FORESHADOWS WHAT AWAITS FARMWORKERS AND BUSINESSES
News report from near Bakersfield:
Border Patrol operations continue in Kern County
Is this the beginning of a massive series of raids or a show? We’re not going to be able to tell. Don’t forget that the record in deportations was in 2012, when Barack Obama was president. And don’t forget 2017, which sent protesters to Kennedy Airport. It later turned out that it was engineered by Steven Bannon.
Immigration ban protests erupt at JFK International Airport
The thing is that, as everyone knows, you cannot build a house in much of this country or run a large-scale farm without undocumented workers. Undocumented workers are an essential part of the economy, indeed, of American capitalism. They are a captive workforce that earns less than US citizens and green card holders. And the don’t join unions or vote, whatever anybody says.
If these raids start hindering the ability of developers to build, in red states, expect some phone calls from red state governors. On secured phone lines, of course.
If not that, then expect food and housing inflation, and some strained budgets.
The Lab Leak Theory Is Back
Sadly, the CIA has now released its finding that “with low confidence” that the pandemic’s origins are in a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
CIA now favors lab-leak theory, as critics of covid response take power
The problem is that the Covid-19 has been shown to be incredibly close, genetically, to coronaviruses which have been carried by the horseshoe bat, whose habit is the countryside and mountainous areas around Wuhan. This article from Nature Microbiology, published July 28, 2020, lays out the biology.
Evolutionary origins of the SARS-CoV-2 sarbecovirus lineage responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic
You can also check out my Substack, Food for Thought, on the same topic.
Food for Thought on the Natural Origins of Covid-19
Genocide
Gaza would be wonderful beach front property for a 47 hotel if there just were not all those people living there. Clearing out? That is genocide.
Trump Says He Wants Jordan and Egypt to Take in Palestinians From Gaza
Elon Musk
More scary news, with some analysis, from Quinn Slobodian at The New Statesman.
This essay is a chilling look into the mind of Elon Musk. But, frankly, the scariest part is that 47 compared crypto to the “steel industry of 100 years ago.” He wants to build “the crypto capital of the planet and bitcoin superpower of the world”. That, my friends, is impossible.
More, from the same author, explaining Musk’s fixation with the BBC.
There are some signs that people around 47 are getting tired of Musk. Which says a lot about Musk. If people who can tolerate the presence of 47 can’t take Musk, well, wow.
Donald Trump's chief of staff denies Elon Musk West Wing access
6. Why Did Jr. Go to Greenland?
47 wants to buy Greenland, or else invade and seize the island. Which is a possession of Denmark, a NATO ally. That means that the other NATO members, including Canada and the nuclear powers of the United Kingdom and France, would be required to come to Greenland’s defense.
But what I’m wondering why 47 dispatched his son up there. Is it to get him ready to run for President in 2028?
By the way, 47 and son, telling Native Americans that we’re going to treat well may not go over that well. They’ve heard that in the past.
Donald Trump Jr. arrives in Greenland with a message from his dad: ‘We’re going to treat you well’
7. Financial Markets: Is It a Bubble Yet?
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there are signs that the US stock market might be in the early stages of a bubble.
JPMorgan’s Dimon Sees Inflated Stocks as ‘Animal Spirits’ Return
But, truly, what scares me is crypto.
US securities regulator opens door for Wall Street banks to hold crypto
8. More Post-Election Analysis: This Time with Meaning
Below is an exceptional analysis of the election from Matthew Karp at The New Left Review.
One key takeaway: the drastic drop in Democratic turnout.
Also very good is Jon Stewart’s outstanding interview with AOC.
Key points:
5:20 Class differences and class striation in the Democratic Party
11:00 What makes this term so dangerous
12:33 You’re being ripped off
20:00 People are struggling so much right now
35:54 Insider Trading in Congress
9. More Post-Election Analysis: This Time with Trepidation
Kamala Harris might run for president, again.