Journalism was once a profession dominated by people who wanted to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” Independent journalist Matt Taibbi still adheres to that principle, which is why the mainstream media wants to take him down.
Politics
Kanye Exposes America’s Pervasive Jew Hatred
The legacy media is feigning a concern about Trump having dinner with avowed Jew haters, but their motivation is to discredit Trump, not a genuine worry about the spread of antisemitism.
The bigger story is that a big swath of America shares Kanye West’s views, including many journalists who work for the legacy media.
Sam Bankman-Fried’s Alleged History of Deceit
To dismiss the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange as a trading story is akin to labeling Watergate a burglary incident. The scandal raises issues about the valuations of storied venture capital firms and Silicon Valley’s cozy relationship with Congressional Democrats.
The Company Senator Debbie Stabenow Keeps
In my mind, the two biggest stories at the moment are the collapse of crypto firm FTX and a Department of Labor lawsuit filed against Packers Sanitation Services Inc. alleging the giant company providing janitorial services to leading slaughterhouses and meatpacking facilities was using child labor. It’s unfortunate if you aren’t aware of the lawsuit because the allegations are a disturbing commentary on U.S. society and business, particularly given the ownership of Packers Sanitation.
Here’s how Michigan’s senior Senator Debbie Stabenow figures into both stories.
On My Mind: November 17, 2022
Some thoughts on why lawyers for Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes convinced me she deserves significant jail time; a misguided advocate’s attempts to cancel Henry Ford in Detroit because of his antisemitism; the resurging demand for manual transmissions; and fall colors in West Los Angeles.
FTX, President Biden, and the Intercept Orbit
As deftly reported by Ashley Rindsberg in the online magazine Tablet, the media played an integral role creating the myth of Sam Bankman-Fried, the disgraced CEO of crypto exchange FTX.
Bankman-Fried donated to various publications, including the Intercept, an online publication that possibly contributed to the election of President Biden.
Cerberus’ Fleecing of Albertsons and America
This will come as a shock to the media, but most Americans, particularly those with families to feed, couldn’t care one iota about what Elon Musk charges for his blue Twitter checkmarks. A story of greater importance is Kroger’s acquisition of Albertsons, which will likely increase already soaring food prices.
The takeover has a private equity wrinkle that even by that industry’s immoral and unscrupulous practices is obscene. Fortunately, a half dozen attorneys general are fighting the good fight to prevent a $4 billion smash and grab.
La expansión de Ford en México
“Just look around and you’ll see an amazing story. … Companies are choosing to build new factories here, when just a few years ago, they would have built them overseas,” President Biden crowed in his State of the Union address earlier this year.
This morning I looked around and was greeted with this Reuters headline: “U.S. automaker Ford opens $260 million campus in Mexico.”
The opening, coming just one week before the election, makes clear that Ford CEO Jim Farley has the same low regard for Biden as he does for Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who Ford has previously played for a fool, among other Michigan leaders. The announcement also underscores how Ford is singing a very different tune with Biden running than country than when Donald Trump was in charge.
Gavin Newsom’s Misguided EV Mandates
Many Americans are under the mistaken belief that the transition to electric vehicles is being overseen by intelligent leaders who have applied considerable thought on how best to blow up a century-old technology.
Here’s some insight on one of the politicos leading the charge.
Mark Solheim: The Dale Carnegie of ESG Investing
I’ve long opposed ESG, or so-called socially responsible investing, because it legitimizes the activities of some companies that do very bad things. So when I retrieved the November issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance this past weekend and found the publication touting ESG on its cover, my instinct was to toss it in the garbage and cancel my subscription. Reading editor Mark Solheim’s justification for the cover story decision didn’t change my views on ESG, but he made me feel good about subscribing to Kiplinger’s.
Solheim is the rare journalist who knows how to win friends and influence people. His column is a masterful example of engagement. Corporate governance commentator Nell Minow and Toronto Globe and Mail reporter Rita Trichur would be wise to read it.