Whoever Wins, We Already Lost
July 25, 2019
“Somewhere in the world there is a defeat for everyone. Some are destroyed by defeat, and some made small and mean by victory. Greatness lives in one who triumphs equally over defeat and victory.” – John Steinbeck
“Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
Whoever Wins, We Already Lost
Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified for over six hours Wednesday before two committees of the House on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and subsequent alleged obstruction of justice by President Trump. The order was reversed for the two issues, with Judiciary Committee members going first to question about obstruction, followed by Intelligence Committee members in the afternoon questioning about Russia. As he’d done before, Mueller stated that he intended not to stray from findings contained in his 448-page report; he also said his testimony would be further limited by ongoing investigations and Justice Department policy.
The morning session before Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler’s (D-NY) committee ran the gamut from disappointing to disastrous for Democrats who had hoped Mueller’s live testimony would sufficiently counter the No-Collusion-No-Obstruction-Complete-Exoneration narrative. The former prosecutor now private citizen, who turns 75 next month, looked tired and at times confused as he fumbled through pages of the report, gave one-word “yes” “no” “true” answers, and deflected questions with “I’m not going to discuss that;” “I can’t answer that;” “I’m not certain I would adopt that characterization;” “That’s out of my purview.”
At least Mueller never appeared partisan, seemingly bending over backward to stay fair and impartial. He did reiterate that Justice Department policies prevented him from indicting a sitting president, so he didn’t make a determination as to whether Trump obstructed justice. But he added that his investigation definitely didn’t exonerate the president. GOP committee members ranted and raved and contorted themselves trying to lay blame on anybody and everybody else, including “Trump-haters” on Mueller’s team, and of course Hillary Clinton.
The afternoon session before Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) Intelligence Committee was the mirror opposite. In discussing Russian interference, Mueller was more animated, engaged and forceful as he described the dangers posed by foreign intervention in US elections, including that of Wikileaks. He gave fuller answers to questions that were more artfully framed by these committee members. The chairman’s style was particularly successful in getting Mueller to agree. When Schiff asked whether Trump’s involvement with Russia was unethical, Mueller volunteered “and a crime.”
Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Stop No Evil
- Hong Kong’s opposition Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting was one of the commuters injured in last week’s attacks by hooligans in white T-shirts at a Hong Kong train station. He and other victims, their faces obscured by masks, gave emotional testimony about the ordeal at a press briefing Wednesday.
- Some of the victims were returning from a mass anti-government march that day; they claim police never answered their calls for help. The attack and delayed police response have led to accusations of government collusion with organized crime groups active in those areas. Beijing blamed the unrest in Hong Kong on “black hands” from the US. (Guardian)
- China Hints Its Troops Could Be Used to Quell Hong Kong Protests (NYT $)
Trudeau Is Singhing The Blues
- Jagmeet Singh is the head of Canada’s left-leaning New Democratic Party, and he’s a standout among candidates trying to unseat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in national elections this October.
- The turban-wearing Singh is the first non-white contender to lead a major national political party and compete for the country’s top job. His chances are iffy, however. Polls show Trudeau’s Liberals and the opposition Conservatives neck-and-neck, with Singh’s party a distant third.
- But if neither of the two major parties emerge with a majority of seats in the House of Commons, Singh could become the surprise kingmaker. (NYT)
Your Goods Are No Good Here, Japan
- Ever since Tokyo announced on July 1 it was restricting exports of materials used in the manufacture of semiconductors, a major industry for South Korea, there’s been a trading of accusations between the two neighbors, and a growing boycott of Japanese goods by Koreans.
- Demonstrators have protested outside Japan’s embassy in Seoul, and sales of trips to Japan, Japanese beer and even tickets for the anime work Butt Detective the Movie have all been affected. Now South Korean gas stations are starting to refuse to fill up Japanese cars. (Guardian)
- South Korea Says Russia Expressed ‘Deep Regret’ Over Plane Incursion (NYT, $)
Additional World News
- 100m bacteria a day keep the doctor away, apple research suggests: Study finds organic apples have more diverse and balanced bacterial community (Guardian)
- Netherlands and Belgium record highest ever temperatures: All-time records in Germany and Luxembourg could also fall in continent-wide heatwave (Guardian)
- Satellite images reveal scale of Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis: Myanmar appears unprepared for return of refugees who might be put in camps (Guardian)
- Resistant malaria spreading in South East Asia: Malaria parasites resistant to key drugs have spread rapidly in South East Asia, researchers from the UK and Thailand say. (BBC)
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Marco! Fecal! Marco! Fecal!
- Travelers anticipating a beach vacay might want to think about a stay-ca in their own backyard pool instead. The Environment America Research and Policy Center (EARPC) found that at some point last year more than half of American beaches were home to potentially dangerous levels of fecal bacteria.
- Among the worst-offending states were Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Fecal contamination is caused by run-off and sewage overflows and can cause gastrointestinal illness, respiratory disease, eye and ear infections and skin rash.
- According to The Safe for Swimming? report, each year there are an estimated 57 million cases of recreational waterborne illness. (Guardian)
- Sunscreen: What science says about ingredient safety: Sunscreen is essential for staying protected in the Sun – but recent research suggests some of the ingredients could be improved. BBC Future analyses the evidence. (BBC)
Breakin’ Up After 50 Is Very Hard To Do
- The expression for splitting up after age 50 is ‘getting a gray divorce,’ and most couples who do that will face a major financial shock. Not Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his now ex-wife Mackenzie Bezos, of course, but regular people.
- Divorcing in middle age can be particularly hazardous to one’s emotional as well as financial health, far worse than doing so at younger ages. A wave of new research is quantifying the damage. One expert says if you get divorced after age 50, expect your wealth to drop by about 50 percent, and women divorcing after age 50 can expect their standard of living to plunge 45 percent.
- A 2017 study found women 63 and older who went through a gray divorce have a poverty rate of 27 percent, more than any other group at that age. Then there’s the depression, and weight gain. (Bloomberg)
A Million Saved Is A Retirement Earned
- Kristy Shen and Bryce Leung are part of the growing FIRE (financial independence retire early) movement that encourages workers to save intensively in order to enable them to stop working and retire early.
- The couple became millionaires and retired in their very early 30s by being pragmatic, foregoing home ownership, using public transportation, delaying gratification, saving money like there’s no tomorrow, and investing it in low-cost index ETFs.
- Shen credits her impoverished childhood with the life lessons she needed to learn the value of money and the self-discipline to save it. The couple’s new book — Quit Like A Millionaire — is available, in frugal paperback, on Amazon. (Guardian)
- I’ve been in finance for 30 years—and this is how I teach my kids about money (CNBC)
- The Strange Appeal of Perverse Actions: Why do we enjoy doing things for no good reason? (The New Yorker, $)
- The dos and don’ts of getting a pay rise: How much are you worth? Or rather – is the answer to that question equal to the sum paid into your bank account by your employer? (BBC)
- The Stock-Buyback Swindle: American corporations are spending trillions of dollars to repurchase their own stock. The practice is enriching CEOs—at the expense of everyone else. (The Atlantic)