| Kensington Review |
25 June 2024 |
|
Cogito Ergo Non Serviam |
9 |
||||
|
Latest Commentary: Mamdani Beats Cuomo for NYC Mayor Nomination -- The political world has seen the last of Andrew Cuomo, the former Governor of New York. Yesterday, he finished second for the Democratic nomination for the job of New York City Mayor. Because the race is being held using a version of the single-transferrable vote (locally known as ranked-choice voting), the count is not official. That said, Mr. Cuomo conceded the election this morning. The man who toppled him is Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblymen. He offered a vision of the city that did not rely on austerity and cuts. Whether he can win the general election remains to be seen. [25 June] Where is the Uranium? -- Donald Trump likes to say that he does things no other president could do. Largely, that is untrue. Instead, he does things that other presidents would deem to be bad ideas. This is certainly the case in his bombing of Iranian nuclear research sites. Other presidents have had the military capacity to hit these places, but clearly, they chose not to do so. The MAGA crowd will say that only their Fearless Leader has the courage to have done it. This journal takes the view that Mr. Trump was more easily fooled. While his team cheers on the alleged success of the attack, one question that needs to be answered still remains. Where is the 400 kilos of 60% enriched U235? [24 June] US Bombs Iranian Nuclear Sites -- Over the week-end, the US flew a bombing mission over Iran to take out its nuclear research facilities. This is a significant escalation in the conflict with Iran, and it represents a huge risk that American troops are going to wind up fighting yet another ground war in the region. The world is a ways off from that yet, but what happens next almost exclusively is up to Iran. They have three options: do nothing, retaliate now or retaliate later. This journal is wagering there may be a small reaction now, but later on, Iran will be the author of some bad things outside Iran. This will not end soon. [23 June] Fed Holds Rates Steady -- The Fed held its Open Market Committee meeting Tuesday and yesterday, and they announced that US interest rates would stay steady in the 4.25-4.5% range for the Fed Funds Rate. The remarks in the press conference and in the press statements explain that the Fed does see two rate cuts before the end of the year. That would bring the Fed Funds Rate below 3.9%. At the same time, the central bankers on the committee believe that inflation will rise to 3% up from the anticipate 2.7%. Unemployment will rise to 4.5% up from 4.4%. GDP will decline from 1.7% in the March forecast to just 1.4% now. That is the definition of stagflation, and it is hard to beat. [19 June] Trump Demands "Unconditional Surrender" from Iran -- The missile and drone war going on between Israel and Iran took an omninous turn yesterday when President Trump posted on his personal social media platform "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER." He also announced "we" had air superiority over the skies of Iran. For a nation that has not fired a shot in the skirmish, that is rather a lot to absorb. The White House says he is considering many options, and among those is the use of US personnel, planes and bombs directly against Iran. The president has maneuvered himself into a position where whatever he does will probably have a negative effect. He is in a lose-lose situation. [18 June] © Copyright 2025 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
|
22 Years Online Volume XXIII, Number 100
|