Donald Trump appeared briefly at the White House with the Easter Bunny.
He has reportedly already made many changes in the Oval office, gilding everything in gold. These are not the only changes he has made.
A falling US and world economy have now been triggered by Trump's tumultuous tariff moves and zig-zagging comments. His policies and public statements on the economy continue to roil world markets. He has cited an esoteric 1798 law to justify his actions. There are 195 countries in the world, yet Trump is claiming to have made more trade deals even than that.
Daily Beast, Trump Caught Lying in Crazy '200 Deals' Interview
The president seems to be flailing around wildly now without having any strategy at all. What's wrong with this guy? Is he suffering from dementia? From paranoia? Trump was never the brighest bulb in the socket, but now the electric current seems to be sputtering out.
Trump's approval rating has been sinking steadily, very early now in this present term. Last time I looked, his approval rating was down to 39%. That is the lowest approval rating for any president ever at this point in his presidency. He has used an esoteric 1798 law to justify his actions. His efforts to buoy up the stock market by bashing the Federal Reserve have had the opposite effect. The public and investors actually trust Jerome Powell more than the president.
America and the entire world will do well to survive Trump's current presidency. Trump's approval ratings have been on a downhill slide ever since he took office this time--no other president in modern times has seen such a continuing slump in support so early, not even Trump himself in his first term.
Trump’s approval rating is 44% at almost 100 days in office, compared with 54% for Joe Biden, 62% for Barack Obama, and 63% for George W. Bush at the same point. Trump’s approval rating was 45% at the 100-day mark of his previous term.
Trump has still not given up his speculations about serving additional terms ad infinitum, though public opinion is definitely opposed. He also continues to raise big bucks from wealthy donors to spend or keep as he likes. He's raised over $239 million so far, more than all other recent presidents combined. What's happened to all that money?
Wash. Post,
The Economist's recent cover shows how the American eagle is faring.
TIME has now come out with a wideranging and insightful article:
Exclusive: Inside Trump’s First 100 days
The Hill, Trump approval underwater in Fox News Survey
Even Fox acknowledges that Trump now lacks public support.
Bloomberg, Stocks Fluctuate on Tariff Concern as Dollar Slips: Markets Wrap
Yahoo Finance
Dow drops 950 points, S&P 500, Nasdaq tumble as Trump bashes Fed's Powell again
Dow drops 950 points, S&P 500, Nasdaq tumble as Trump bashes Fed's Powell again
[April 22, 2025]
NY Times, Stocks Slump and Dollar Falls on Concerns That Tariffs Will Hurt Growth
AP, Immigration is Trump's strongest issue, but many say he's gone too far, a new AP-NORC
poll finds
Miami Herald, Tampa woman deported to Cuba gets separated from one-year-old and
U.S. citizen husband
AP, US judge temporarily stops west Texas immigrant deportations under Alien Enemies Act
Yes, Trump suspects these children might be terrorists.
Trump administration says it sent 4 alleged migrant gang members to El Salvador despite court
order
What can be done if the Trump administration simply simply flaunts court orders?
Thanks or no thanks to Donald J. Trump, the value of my retirement account shrinks by the hour (or may spike momentarily). I had to take out a loan to pay my property taxes, due again in Sept.
I'd certainly like to sell my DC house by then, but Mr.Trump has been making that almost impossible. Home sales are lagging, especially in DC, because of all the federal layoffs. Only months ago, Capitol Hill homes were in high demand with fierce bidding wars erupting everywhere. Many changed hands overnight.
But that was before Trump came back to the presidency.
A plunge in value has rocked the entire US economy, spreading now to the whole world. One man holds so much destructive power in his hands!
Trump adviser Elon Musk, who once posed with a chainsaw to show how he would slash the federal government, has announced his return to Tesla to pull it out of its current doldrums, a rather futile task, as Tesla has become a toxic brand worldwide.
As USA Today has observed, "Tesla, once the electric vehicle darling, is now public enemy No. 1 in the eyes of millions of American car buyers."
Business Insider, Prices for used Teslas are cratering as Elon Musk's woes deepen
Wash. Post, Trumpian math: Two numbers that don’t add up
Yahoo Finance, Stock market today: Dow drops 950 points, S&P 500, Nasdaq tumbles
as Trump bashes Fed's Powell again
Trump routinely blames Powell for the fallout from his own decisions.
And regarding Ukraine, "Vladimir, STOP!!" Trump wrote recently on social media about a fatal and
damaging attack on Kyiv.
Is Vladimir Putin even listening?
On the contrary, his administration continues to funnel money to Israel
apparently without any strings attached. Initial sympathy for Israel right after the Hamas attack has now given way to widespread international condemnation, even with comparisons of Israel to the Nazi regime. The Pentagon's Pete Hegseth has been acting way too loud and braggadocio lately, but is still hanging on for now.
NPR, The White House has begun the process of looking for a new leader at the Pentagon to replace Pete Hegseth, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. This comes as Hegseth is again mired in controversy over sharing military operational details in a group chat. The defense secretary is under fire after revelations that he shared classified information in a group chat with his wife, brother and lawyer, according to the official.
How the Trump Administration Flipped on Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The deadline for the Trump administration to provide updates in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case has passed.
It doesn't look like the Trump administration has any plans to obey the order. What happens if Trump and his subordinates simply thumb their noses at court orders?
Federal judge says 2-year-old US citizen was deported with mother to Honduras
AP, Ex-US Rep. George Santos sentenced to over 7 years in prison for fraud and
identity theft
identity theft
Santos reportedly shed rather copious tears when he was sentenced.
AP, 9 people killed when a vehicle plows into a Filipino street festival crowd in
Vancouver
Vancouver
Such apparently intentional murderous acts seem less common in Canada than in the US.
Poll: Canadians despise Trump and distrust US
Israel is reportedly blocking food aid into Gaza to press for a hostage release. Israelis now often
are being compared to Nazis.
The pomp amd circumstance surrounding the selection of a Catholic Pope harkens back to
antuquity and mideval times. Francis, like all of us, was mortal and so his life ended, as ours will as well.
Large crowds paid homage to Pope Francis after his death.
I've been to St. Peter's square myself, standing shoulder to shoulder with people from all over the world, hearing a pontiff address the crowd, though not Francis.
I once actually saw Pope Francis
When in Latin America, I regularly attend a Catholic mass there with friends, but rarely in the US. Our own behavior is influenced by others and vice versa.
I have never supported abortion, considering every human life, even from its earliest stages, deserving of the chance to continue, nor do I support capital punishment.
Number of births in US increased by 1% in 2024, according to CDC data | US news | The Guardian
NY Times, Birthrates Languish in Record Lows, C.D.C. Reports Despite a 1 percent increase in 2024, U.S. birthrates remained in a historic slump, a trend that worries demographers and cultural critics.
The dire warnings of English economist Thomas Malthus no longer apply.
Is the tide turning on support for abortion? Here is an abortion clinic turned into
a haven for new mothers.
Wash. Post, NICU nurse accused of hurting infants charged in new cases
WTVR, Virginia nurse now accused of abusing 4 premature babies at Henrico hospital
This case recalls one of a British nurse, also accused of abusing newborns. It's hard to fathom why a nurse would want to harm innocent babies in her care.
The US measles epidemic has now spread to Canada where many children remain unvaccinated.
I still get Spanish interpretation requests, but don't accept them, feeling uneasy now about using public transportation. Taking an uber would wipe out most of the payment.
Here's a recent request:
Good afternoon,
I hope this email finds you well! I’m writing to see if you’re available for the following job.
This is for a self-defense class. The instructor does not speak Spanish.
Thank you in advance.
"Starry Night" is a Van Gogh favorite rendered in his well-known style.
Van Gogh's very last painting was much more conventional.
The book Connecting Dots tells the story of Joshua Miele’s blind life. I once reviewed that book on this blog, but can no longer find that post. I'd been especially interested in Miele's personal story because my own husband of 24 years was also blind. But after 4 children and 24 years of marriage, my husband, Tom Joe, traveled to Las Vegas with a much younger woman, divorcing me to marry her all in the same day. Right afterwards, the new couple seized possession of all our joint funds, requiring me fight even for child support. The "blind card" was used repeatedly by the attorney for my ex to increase sympathy for him in our contenious negotiations. My former husband then won the MacArthur Genius Award, worth $500,000 at that time, an award for which I feel I deserved some credit. Meanwhile, my kids and I were delivering phone books just to buy food. My ex spoke with me only once after his abrupt departure in a surprise phone call 3 years later, right after the local press reported on my volunteer work in Cuba, Honduras, and elsewhere. I was not mentioned in his obituary nor invited to his funeral in 1999, but showed up anyway to the evident shock of his second wife.
I sent this sent this message recently to friends in Honduras on Yahoo, where Spanish accent marks don't pop up, as they do on gmail. So, get out your Google translator! I'll let readers see the reply when it comes in. Gracias, Gustavo, siempre es un placer recibir noticias tuyas y de la familia. Estamos en tremendos problemas aqui--el mundo entero esta en problemas, gracias--o no gracias--al Sr. Trump y sus varios amigos y avisores. Casi no hay turismo ahora a nuestro pais. La entera economia mundial esta afectada, hasta en Honduras, me imagino. Cuando fui a Honduras en junio Trump no estaba de presidente todavia. Ha tenido efectos ya? Un fuerte abrazo, Barbara
I bought my DC house in 1969 and raised my 4 kids here. In 1895, EJ Bernhardt had been the orignal owner A wooden sign I found identified him as "Attorney-at-Law." But a black and white photo I'd once posted next to his sign has completely disappeared. Nor can I find the rare glass negative from which that photo was made; I've searched simply everywhere. In the photo, Bernhardt, a man in his 30's or 40's wearing a suit was sitting behind a desk. Nor has a vigorous internet search yielded his image, just the names of probable descendants.
After having had so much trouble recently with this blog, I'm almost ready to give up it up. Postings have just disappeared. Sometimes, I've been able to reconstruct them.
The first blog iteration honduraspeacecorps@blogspot.com ran from 2016 to 2019.
After that version suddenly stopped, I then launched honduraspeacecorps2@blogspot.com
This blog doesn't have a large number of readers, mostly just family and friends, also some former Peace Corps volunteers. I do like going back to relive past experiences, so won't actually give up the blog just yet. Also, posting is free, but with no guidance being given.
Blocking annoying robocalls proves futile as then a new number just pops up.
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