Sunday Serendipity

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Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds

For more about Bonds and this composition

Bonds’ original program for the Montgomery Variations included a descriptive note for each movement. [Sometime after 1966 she shortened these descriptions, as seen in the concert order printed above.]

I. DECISION
The Negro decides to rise against his oppressors.

The Negro in America is a Judeo-Christian. Though, in many instances[,] his religion is unenlightened, deep in his consciousness is an unshakeable faith in God, the Father, and in his “only begotten son,” Jesus. In his most courageous stand against his oppressors, then, it is the faith in the Divine intelligence which enables him to employ the methods of Passive Resistance — and thereby martyr himself for the Cause of Brotherhood and Democracy.

II. PRAYER MEETING
Before the Bus Boycott the Negro calls on God.

As all Negroes in America, the Negroes in Montgomery gathered in their churches to pray — some in eloquent silence, and others releasing themselves of their repressions with tambourines and shouting, and in many Negro church meetings there is always one sister or brother who cannot restrain himself from resorting to body gesticulations including lifting his arms to heaven and beating his feet — many times marching up and down the aisles of the church, unrestrainedly exhibiting his humility to Almighty God, as well as to the assembled worshippers.

III. MARCH
“If Jesus Goes With Me I’ll Go.” “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is Mine.” As the early Christians, now the Negroes of Montgomery were willing to be thrown to the lions. Jesus, walking with them, they refused to ride on segregated buses.

“Love Ye One Another,” no violence, but no longer would they be subservient to their white bothers. Thus, a steady, determined walking to their jobs to earn their daily bread.

IV. DAWN IN DIXIE
Montgomery is no isolated town. Montgomery became a focal point of the world. The entire South, “Dixie,” began to wake up that something new was happening. Change, no matter how painful, is the Divine Plan.

There is honeysuckle, magnolias, and Spanish Moss hanging from trees it destroys. Spanish Moss is a parasite — miles of it are depressing. Swamps are foreboding. Perhaps one day then, even the camellias known as “Pink Perfection” laugh at the people of the South. The “Dawn in Dixie” caused all of America to awaken.


V. ONE SUNDAY IN THE SOUTH
What is meant by “Southern die-hards?” The Negros were having such a good time praising God and Jesus one Sunday morning in Alabama. (The trumpet announces “I Want Jesus to Walk With Me,” in a major key.) Little children were being taught Faith and to love their neighbors. Die-hards planted a bomb in the church to teach Negroes their place.

VI. LAMENT
In the Passive Resistance Movement one does not resort to violence. “Vengeance is mine sith the Lord.” One cries, moans and groans and calls for help from the Mother-Father God. Here the theme is stated simply, with little decoration, with exception of a few embellishments natural to Negro improvisation in their churches of the primitive type.[…]

[VII. BENEDICTION. No description for this final movement was including in Bonds’ original notes. The description appearing in later versions reads, “A benign God, Father and Mother to all people, pours forth Love to His children – the good and the bad alike.]

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66 thoughts on “Sunday Serendipity”

  1. Attribution: Martin Luther King Jr. by Dave Whamond, Canada, PoliticalCartoons.com

    Attribution: MLKJr’s words for peace by Bruce Plante, PoliticalCartoons.com


  2. President Trump (James Austin Johnson) addresses the nation about recent events with help from Marco Rubio (Marcello Hernández), JD Vance (Jeremy Culhane), Kristi Noem (Ashley Padilla) and Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost).


  3. Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week’s biggest news, like a congressman introducing a bill to make Greenland the 51st state.

  4. and something interesting from Indiatimes in re Greenland


    President Donald Trump mocked Greenland’s defense by pointing to Denmark’s Sirius Patrol, a dog-sled unit that operates in the Arctic.
    But what he missed is that the Sirius Patrol isn’t a weakness — it’s Denmark’s secret weapon. The Sirius Patrol is an elite Danish Special Forces unit that has protected Greenland’s sovereignty for over 76 years. Six two-man teams patrol more than 16,000 square kilometers of Arctic coastline using sled dogs in conditions where vehicles and aircraft fail.These soldiers operate for up to five months without resupply, in temperatures as low as -55°C, carrying hundreds of kilograms of gear.
    They are trained in survival medicine, navigation, weapons use, and Arctic warfare.
    Their mission? Defend Greenland from foreign military activity, monitor the Arctic, and enforce Danish sovereignty in one of the harshest environments on Earth.
    This isn’t a dog sled unit. It’s a sovereignty machine.

  5. In case you have not heard, sfb somehow dictated that the Department of Interior change the free entrance to federal parks on MLK Jr day be changed to his birthday.

  6. Ms BB, what do you think of this news in today’s WAPO:
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/18/trump-minnesota-insurrection-act/

    Pentagon readies 1,500 soldiers to possibly deploy to Minnesota, officials say
    Troops with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division in Alaska are preparing after President Donald Trump’s Insurrection Act threat, according to defense officials.

    The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, defense officials told The Washington Post late Saturday, after President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to unrest there.

    The soldiers are assigned to two infantry battalions with the Army’s 11th Airborne Division, which is based in Alaska and specializes in cold-weather operations.

    The Army placed the units on prepare-to-deploy orders in case violence in Minnesota escalates, officials said, characterizing the move as “prudent planning.” It is not clear whether any of them will be sent to the state, the officials said, speaking like some others on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning. [continues]

    BTW is your Thread draft what you have in mind for MLK Monday? If so and unless fearless leader has other plans for a thread that day, yours will be published.

  7. https://www.nytimes.com/

    After U.S. Reignites a Trade War Over Greenland, Europe Weighs Going All-Out
    Europe’s dependence on the United States for NATO security limits its options. Its strongest response could be retaliating with its own trade “bazooka.”
    By Jeanna Smialek
    Reporting from Brussels.
    Jan. 18, 2026, 6:08 a.m. ET
    In a single post on Saturday night, President Trump upended months of progress on trade negotiations with an ultimatum that puts Europe on a crash course with the United States — long its closest ally and suddenly one of its biggest threats.
    In the Truth Social post, Mr. Trump demanded a deal to buy Greenland, saying that otherwise he would slap tariffs on a group of European nations, first 10 percent in February, then 25 percent in June.
    It appeared to leave little room for Europe to maneuver or negotiate in a harsh and combative era of geopolitics. It also left Europe with few options to counter Mr. Trump without repercussions.
    European leaders are loath to accept the forced takeover of an autonomous territory that is controlled by Denmark, a member of both NATO and the European Union.
    Officials and outside analysts increasingly argue that Europe will need to respond to Mr. Trump with force, most likely by hitting back on trade. But doing so could come at a heavy cost both to the bloc’s economy and to its security, since Europe remains heavily reliant on the United States for support through NATO and in Russia’s war with Ukraine.
    “We either fight a trade war, or we’re in a real war,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a research institute in Brussels.
    Europeans have spent more than a year insisting that Greenland is not for sale and have constantly repeated that the fate of the massive northern island must be decided by its people and by Denmark. Last week, a group of European nations sent personnel to Greenland for military exercises — a show of solidarity that may have triggered Mr. Trump, since the same nations are the ones to be slapped with tariffs.
    The exercises were intended to reinforce Europe’s commitment to policing the Arctic. Mr. Trump has insisted that the United States needs to own Greenland to improve security in the region.
    In that sense, the exercises were part of an ongoing effort to placate Mr. Trump. For weeks, officials across Europe had dismissed Mr. Trump’s threats to take Greenland, even by military force, as unlikely. Many saw them more as negotiating tactics and hoped that they could satisfy the American president with a willingness to beef up defense and spending on Greenland.
    But Mr. Trump’s fixation on owning the island and his escalating rhetoric is crushing European hopes that appeasement and dialogue will work. Facing the reality that a negotiated compromise is less and less likely, Europeans are now racing to figure out how to respond to Mr. Trump’s pressure campaign.
    Within hours of the post, members of the European Parliament announced that they will freeze the ratification of the trade deal that Mr. Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, struck last summer. And members of European Parliament are openly calling for trade retaliation. Ambassadors from across the 27-nation bloc will gather in Brussels for an emergency meeting at 5 p.m. on Sunday, diplomats said.
    Hitting back is complicated.
    Europe has a trade weapon specifically created to defend against political coercion quickly and forcefully, and as Mr. Trump’s threats sank in, policymakers argued that this is the time to wield it.
    The tool — officially called the “anti-coercion instrument,” unofficially called Europe’s trade “bazooka” — could be used to slap limitations on big American technology companies or other service providers that do large amounts of business on the continent. But using it would sharply ratchet up trans-Atlantic tensions.
    Europe has spent the past year avoiding such escalation, and for a reason. The continent remains deeply reliant on the United States for NATO protection and for support against Russia in the war on Ukraine, so a full-on trade war could have consequences on other fronts.
    “The question is — how far do you want to go?” said Penny Naas, an expert on European public policy at the German Marshall Fund think tank.
    European leaders are still hoping that they might be able to talk things out. Ms. von der Leyen struck an accommodating tone in a social media post on Saturday night.
    “Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the U.S.,” she wrote.
    But she also warned that tariffs would “risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
    So far, talks have been all but futile. Foreign policy officials from Denmark and Greenland met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in Washington last week. Afterward, the Danes and Greenlanders acknowledged that the two sides remained at an impasse, but expressed hope.
    The two sides, they noted, had agreed to set up a high-level working group to work through their issues.
    That optimism was quickly snuffed out when the White House said that the group was meant to work on America’s “acquisition” of Greenland.
    “This is just all brute force,” Ms. Naas said. “The president really wants Greenland, and he’s not backing off of it.”
    Greenland shows little sign of wanting to be acquired, by money or by military force. Greenlanders have at times chafed at Danish power, but polls and interviews indicate that most don’t want to give up their free education and universal health care.
    As Mr. Trump takes on a more aggressive posture, European leaders are growing blunter.
    Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, wrote on social media on Saturday night that “no intimidation nor threat will influence us.” Ulf Kristersson, the prime minister of Sweden, wrote that “we will not let ourselves be blackmailed.”
    Even Keir Starmer, the prime minister of Britain — which, like Norway, is not in the European Union, but was listed among the countries that will be slapped with tariffs — called Mr. Trump’s tariff move “completely wrong.” Mr. Starmer has carefully cultivated a positive relationship with the White House.
    “We will of course be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration,” he said in a statement.

  8. Thank you for lifting up these notes, Jack. It’s a reminder that music — especially music born of struggle — doesn’t merely illustrate civil rights, it animates them. And sometimes that’s the kind of Sunday serendipity the heart really needs.

  9. New Trail Mix Brief: What Will Trump’s Trade War With Europe Cost Us?

    With breaking news that President Trump has launched a new trade war with Europe, the early headlines are filling with wine, suits, and symbolic tariffs. This brief looks past the spectacle to where the real costs land — on ordinary Americans, quietly, through supply chains, jobs, and everyday necessities.

    • The “Check Engine Light” Effect
    • The Medicine Cabinet Shock
    • The EU’s “Bazooka”
    • The Soybean Problem

    The luxury goods make the noise. The hidden costs do the work.

    📖 Read the Full Brief 👇

    US-Europe Trade War: What Will It Cost Us?

  12. Stupid already said he was going to declare the Insurrection Act and send in troops. He has also stated he wants them to shoot protesters, but that has so far been not repeated in public very often. Will the troops kill protesters? It could be a step too far for a few congress critters.

    He is too low in anything human to have nuance as a tool. If he says something, even if it is a lie, he means it. Because he lives in the alternate world it is most likely his lies are not that in his world, but the truth.

    The draft is only a draft so far. It has a lot to be edited before going public.

  13. BB – Project 2025 shows the path. Any student in a school receiving federal funding must take a military aptitude test. Rich kids in private schools are exempt.

    Letter: Project 2025 and the ASVAB exam

    “I am 86, a vet, and I write to alert you about one item in Project 2025, Trump’s agenda for his presidency. Project 2025 wants to increase the Army force structure by 50,000 (p.108). To do that, Project 2025 has three recommendations (p.103). One, requiring students in public high schools that get federal funding to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test (ASVAB) and thereby improve military recruiters’ access to secondary schools. Two, increasing the number of high school Junior ROTC programs. Three, encouraging members of Congress to provide time to military recruiters during each town hall session in their congressional districts.

    You should know about these proposals whether you are a parent or grandparent of a public high school age student or a concerned citizen. If volunteers do not show up, then the president might bypass Congress and issue an executive order for conscription for military service, that is a draft. For many, the draft for the Vietnam War remains a bitter memory. Do we want a draft today? Do we want required ASVABs? An increase in the size of our military establishment? How does a requirement to take the ASVAB test return power to the people? These important questions deserve thoughtful discussion.“

  17. Thanks, Jack. Another hole in my education. Thanks for filling it.

    Margaret Allison Bonds (March 3, 1913 – April 26, 1972) was an American composer, pianist, arranger, and teacher. One of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, she is best remembered today for her popular arrangements of African-American spirituals and frequent collaborations with Langston Hughes. She was the first African American woman to perform with the all-White and all-male Chicago Symphony Orchestra, one of the first African American women to have her music broadcast on European radio, the first African American woman to have her music performed widely in Africa, only the second African American woman in classical music to be elected to full membership in ASCAP, and the first woman Black or white to win three awards from ASCAP.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Bonds#:~:text=Margaret%20Allison%20Bonds%20(March%203%2C,frequent%20collaborations%20with%20Langston%20Hughes.

  21. https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2026/01/09/minnesota-fraternal-order-of-police-statement-fop-stands-with-ice/

    Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police Statement: ‘FOP Stands with ICE’

    The Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police stands with the men and women of law enforcement across this country. Over the last month, while Federal law enforcement has been doing their job in Minnesota, political and community leaders have condemned and vilified them.

    The hateful and anti-law enforcement rhetoric by Mayor Frey and other politicians have made their jobs and those of local and state law enforcement more difficult and dangerous. The job of law enforcement is difficult and dangerous enough without the agitation by leaders in our state and communities.

    MNFOP’s statement went on to highlight politicians’ double standard in their knee-jerk, immediate comments uttered publicly about law enforcement after high-profile incidents such as Wednesday’s ICE-involved shooting.

    They concluded the statement by saying, “The Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police condemns these attacks on law enforcement and calls on politicians and leaders to stop the anti-law enforcement rhetoric and to ask for calm while the facts come out.”

    ***

    Minnesota Department of Public Safety
    @MnDPS_DPS
    At Gov. Walz’s direction, the Minnesota National Guard have been mobilized and are staging to support local law enforcement and emergency management agencies.

    *So, who will be supporting/protecting civilians if ICE is against them, and the police say they support ICE, and now the NG is being sent in to support local law enforcement???

  23. Hey Google, is Donald Trump a megalomaniac?

    Whether Donald Trump fits the clinical definition of a megalomaniac is a matter of intense public, political, and psychological debate, rather than a settled medical diagnosis.
    Opinions from Critics and Analysts: Many political commentators, authors, and critics have used terms like “megalomaniac” or “sociopathic megalomaniac” to describe Donald Trump, particularly pointing to his behavior regarding power, his self-image, and his desire for total loyalty.
    Behavioral Arguments: Observers often cite his, “inflated conception of one’s importance, power or capabilities,” which aligns with definitions of megalomania. Examples frequently mentioned include his claims of being “above the law,” his desire to build massive structures in his honor, his rhetoric regarding his own, “divine talent,” and his descriptions of himself as, “running the country and the world”.
    Psychological Perspective: While some mental health professionals have engaged in “long-distance diagnosis,” the American Psychological Association (APA) generally advises against diagnosing public figures without a direct examination. However, some professionals have suggested his behavior aligns with what is termed “malignant narcissism”—a combination of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression, and paranoia—which can overlap with traits of megalomania.
    Context of Power: Some analysts argue that his actions, such as his, “need for praise and admiration” and his, “vengeful and entitled” attitude, demonstrate a, “megalomania on steroids” that grew stronger with his political power.
    In summary, while there is no official clinical diagnosis, he is frequently characterized as a megalomaniac by critics and some experts, who point to his self-aggrandizing behavior and pursuit of absolute power as evidence.

  25. I saw this jar of brains in the museum on a high school trip to Philly. The “Siamese Twins” were also there.

    Yes, the brain of Charles Guiteau, who assassinated President James Garfield, was preserved and studied for evidence of insanity, with portions ending up in museums like the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, where it’s displayed in a jar as a historical curiosity, reflecting the era’s fascination with finding physical causes for madness. Doctors examined it after his 1882 execution, finding some abnormalities but ultimately inconclusive results, leading to the distribution of brain sections as specimens.
    Key Facts:
    Context: Guiteau was executed in 1882 for assassinating President Garfield in 1881.
    Examination: His brain was removed during autopsy by doctors seeking proof of his mental instability, a common practice in the era’s phrenology and early neurology.
    Findings: Doctors noted an abnormally thick dura mater (membrane) but found little else conclusive, though they described the brain as asymmetrical.
    Museum Display: Portions of his brain were preserved in jars, notably at the Mütter Museum, where they remain for public viewing as historical artifacts.
    Legacy: The brain sections, along with other organs, became part of medical collections, illustrating the intense scientific and public interest in linking physical traits to criminal behavior, notes People.com and Mashable.

  27. if you saw the KKK-level stuff IRL acquaintances are sending as if it’s genuine political discourse. you would understand how dire everything is

    cheerleading their own enslavement, so ignorant

  29. when you have to use the military against your own civilian population, it’s proof you’re incapable of governing

  30. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-nations-pay-1-215228202.html

    The Trump administration is asking countries that want a permanent spot on his new Board of Peace to contribute at least $1 billion.

    According to a draft charter for the proposed group seen by Bloomberg, President Donald Trump would serve as its inaugural chairman and would decide on who is invited to be members.

    Decisions would be taken by a majority, with each member state present getting one vote, but all would be subject to the chairman’s (tRUMP’s) approval.

    “Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman. The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force,” the draft says.

    Critics are worried that Trump is trying to build an alternative, or rival, to the United Nations, which he has long criticized.

    *So, being the Prez of the US and Venezuela isn’t enough. tRUMP is the chair (inaugural until death? then who?), and he chooses lackey’s to be in the board, and he is the final decider.

    Does the entire billion (per country) go straight in to Adolf’s pocket, or just a portion?

    Anyone else smell the mob? Only the worst of the worst will join his mob.

  32. Europe is aiming a “Bazooka” at your dashboard, the DOJ is playing hide-and-seek with the Epstein files, and Minnesota still refuses to return a Confederate flag it stole in 1863.

    We dig into the “Check Engine Light” trade war that could stall your car, the ghost of Thomas Paine on the Minneapolis ice, and why the government claims the courts have “no power” to release the Epstein list.

    TODAY”S RUNDOWN
    00:00 Intro & Sunday Serendipity
    02:45 The “Check Engine Light” Trade War
    06:30 Europe’s “Bazooka” Retaliation
    11:00 Thomas Paine Addresses Minneapolis
    14:30 Standing Tall on the Ice
    18:00 The “Real Americans” & 1776
    22:00 Minnesota’s Stolen Confederate Flag
    34:00 Weapons of Mass Distraction: Epstein Update


    Watch the full breakdown here:

  33. Heartbreaking post-game ending. Best wishes, Bo.

    Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is scheduled to have surgery on his right ankle in Birmingham, Alabama.
    According to head coach Sean Payton, Nix sustained a fractured ankle during the Broncos’ AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills on January 17, 2026, which will require surgery on Tuesday, January 20, 2026.

  35. https://nypost.com/2026/01/17/real-estate/heiress-drops-12b-bombshell-says-big-banks-helped-dad-loot-her-trust/?utm_source=yahoo&utm_campaign=nypost&utm_medium=referral

    Heiress sues big banks for $12B, claims dad looted $350M trust in offshore scheme tied to Ghislaine Maxwell siblings, Epstein probe

    …sued Barclays, HSBC, and multiple trust companies in Colorado District Court on Dec. 5th, claiming the banks unlawfully handed control of her $350 million trust to her father, according to a complaint filed by their lawyer, former US presidential candidate John Edwards.

    The case reveals how Dick Sr. allegedly helped an international rogues’ gallery hide their money — including convicted siblings of child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell — thanks to a staggering horde of documents that Dick Sr. hid, and that the Stocks found, inside the family’s former 400-year-old manor house on the Isle of Jersey, an infamous offshore tax haven for the rich and powerful.

    Dick Sr.’s trust company, La Hougue, is now a key target of the US Senate Finance Committee’s investigation into how the late convicted pedophile and former Maxwell boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein financed his international child sex trafficking ring…

    All told, the complaint alleges decades of fraud, fake loans, backdated documents, and commingled accounts to “benefit others, including themselves,” instead of Tanya.

    “While investigating the loss of these millions of dollars, more than 300 boxes of documents were found that include forged loan agreements, wire transfer confirmations, internal memos/emails between the defendants, banking records, and other records of their breach of fiduciary duties,” according to the complaint.

  36. Looks like the police union in Minnesota just made it more dangerous to be a policeman in that state.
    Are you with the people or are you one of the oppressing law-breaking thugs?
    If the former then we will give a damn if someone kills you, if the later then, eh, not so much. Public opinion, not bigger guns and body armor is what keeps you alive. Lose the respect of your fellow citizens then your world becomes much more dangerous. It is why community policing is so important. Not just for the community but for the police that work there.

    Jack,

  37. Craig, your Tom Pain video nails It.
    Why are civilian police organizations in camo and military style dress? For intimidation.

    Jack

  39. Police went to body armor when the civilians started carrying military level firearms. Remember the ICE recruits are from the same ranks that tried to kill cops on the Capitol steps.

  41. https://www.diis.dk/en/research/colonial-past-and-the-us-wish-to-buy-greenland

    In 1917 Denmark sold Danish West Indies (now the US Virgin Islands) to the US for 25 million dollars’ worth of gold. Denmark at that time no longer regarded the Danish West Indies as profitable.

    Today the US Virgin Islands are a non-integrated territory of the United States, which means that Virgin islanders cannot vote for presidential elections and are considered a de facto colony by the UN.

    However, when Denmark and the US in 1916 negotiated the sale of the Danish West Indies, the US as part of the treaty acknowledged Denmark’s right to full sovereignty over all of Greenland.

    The Danish colonization of Greenland did not encompass the entire island at the time. The treaty was negotiated during WW1 shortly before the US entered the war. Only in 1921, after the Peace Treaties in Versailles that concluded WW1, did Denmark declare full sovereignty over all of Greenland. In 1953, as part of the US backed decolonization process, Denmark decided to integrate Greenland into Denmark as a county.

    The Greenlandic National Council consented to the decision, but they were given only little time to decide and there was never a referendum on the matter in Greenland. This has since been criticized.

    Greenland obtained Home Rule in 1979 and even more importantly in 2009 with the Act of Greenland Self Government, Greenland was recognized under international law and by the Kingdom of Denmark as a People entitled to external self-determination. The Greenlanders thus possesses a legal right to statehood.

    Greenland is thus not Danish property. Any attempt by another country to “purchase” it would be a breach of international law – and neither Greenland nor Denmark would agree to that.

  42. https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/bank-of-america-warns-major-threat-could-push-trillions-out-of-u-s-banks

    During a Jan. 15 earnings call, the Bank of America CEO told analysts that as much as $6 trillion in deposits could migrate from the United States banking system into stablecoins, roughly 30% to 35% of total U.S. commercial bank deposits.

    The latest version of the Senate crypto market structure bill, released by Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott on Jan. 9, includes provisions banning digital asset service providers from paying interest or yield to users for simply holding stablecoins.

    Over 70 amendments were reportedly filed ahead of a planned committee markup this week, reflecting intense lobbying from both crypto and banking sectors.

    Beyond banking concerns, the bill has also drawn scrutiny from the crypto industry and privacy advocates.

    A Galaxy Research report warned it could bring about “the single largest expansion to financial surveillance authorities since the USA PATRIOT Act,” granting sweeping new powers to the Treasury Department over digital asset transactions.

    Bank of America quietly deepens its crypto footprint

    Despite Moynihan’s caution over stablecoins, Bank of America, the world’s second-largest bank by market capitalization, has been steadily increasing its involvement in the digital asset sector.

    Back in February, Moynihan said the bank was preparing to launch its own stablecoin once regulations allow. Now, new internal guidance shows the banking giant is openly advising clients to consider crypto exposure.

  43. Lexington and Concord.
    One shot, so they say.

    And the World said, “I heard THAT.”

  44. Prosecutor Who Runs Racist X Account Returns to Courtroom

    In February of last year, the Texas Observer reported that James “Jim” Joseph Rodden—an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) assistant chief counsel who acts as a prosecutor for ICE in immigration court in Dallas—operates a white supremacist X account named GlomarResponder, based on an overwhelming number of biographical details that the Observer matched through publicly available documents, other social media activity, and courtroom observation.

    The account has over 17,000 followers and has routinely posted hateful statements, including that “America is a White nation,” that “‘Migrants’ are all criminals,” and that “All blacks are foreign to my people,” in addition to posts with apparent praise of Adolf Hitler.

    After the Observer’s initial story was published, Rodden was apparently pulled from federal immigration court schedules. Three members of Congress sent letters to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security demanding an investigation into Rodden. ICE responded in a letter last March to Congressman Marc Veasey, who represents part of Dallas, stating that the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) “understands the seriousness of the allegations and will ensure the allegations are addressed appropriately, fairly, and expeditiously” and that typically “OPR administrative investigations are completed within 120 days.” ICE has not provided any further information since.

    Upon receiving a tip from an attorney who represents immigrants in removal proceedings at the Dallas Immigration Court, the Observer arrived at the courtroom of Judge Deitrich H. Sims Tuesday afternoon ahead of the day’s merits hearings for federal immigration cases. When the Observer opened the door to the courtroom, Rodden was sitting at the prosecutors’ desk. A court clerk said the Observer was not allowed to sit in on the hearings. The Observer also obtained a photo of Rodden exiting the courtroom Tuesday wearing his staff badge.

    More at link.

  47. The US is big, but it’s also (especially under this regime) inflexible. It’s not creative, it’s reactionary.

    They didn’t foresee China and Mexico not only doing trade deals, but creating a new trade route to the other side of the Americas that doesn’t go through the Panama Canal.

    The US is self-destructing, to the delight of Putin.

    Orange Adolf is an idiot whose only skill is grifting. The white-Heritage Foundation are using indoctrinated evangelicals to prop up the regime. There are many nasty toadies in the regime, most are hungry to have more power for themselves. Chaos.

  48. The Epstein cover-up plan has a glitch.

    Trump’s team wants a “slow walk” on the Epstein files. But the judge might be forcing a sprint. We are tracking the friction point where the delay tactics fail.

  49. Free speech advocates see a pattern as ICE protesters, observers face violence in Minnesota

    David Easterwood, acting field office director for St. Paul’s ICE office, responded by alleging officers are subjected to “increased threats, violence, aggression, attacks, vehicle block-ins, and obstruction of immigration enforcement operations.”

    But anecdotal and video evidence of people being subject to ICE violence is growing, especially after Good’s shooting on Jan. 7.

    Minneapolis City Council President Elliott Payne said he was assaulted by an ICE agent on Monday evening, an incident documented on video.

    “I stood there and I just kept my distance, and was legally observing their operations, when an ICE agent pushed me from behind,” Payne said Wednesday. He said he was pushed after watching another ICE officer point a taser at a crowd of onlookers.

    ***

  50. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/jan/18/leave-greenland-alone-us-anthem-heckler-at-nba-london-game-draws-cheers

    Mounting tensions between Europe and the United States moved into the sporting arena on Sunday when a member of the crowd shouted “Leave Greenland alone” as the US national anthem was sung during an NBA game in London.

    Actor Vanessa Williams was performing the Star-Spangled Banner before the Memphis Grizzlies faced the Orlando Magic at the O2 Arena when she was interrupted by the heckle. The intervention drew a round of applause and cheers from sections of the crowd.

    Sunday’s heckle was not the first time sports fans have shown their displeasure with Trump’s foreign policy. Canadian fans have booed the Star-Spangled Banner at basketball and ice hockey games in the last year, after Trump threatened to make his neighbor a “51st state” and raised tariffs on Canadian goods.

    Trump has also been booed by fans in the US.

  51. RR – I hope Rick is on the mend. Your Pats won in the snow; on the road to SFO, championships first.

  53. Paratroopers ready to invade MN, under the orders of Orange Adolf tRUMP.

    The world is watching, and they’d better take this regime damned seriously.

    Just like the impotent Dems thought they were going stop them with lawsuits in US courts, international law means nothing to the tRUMP Terror Regime.

  54. I understand there are a few hands that are older than fifty on the trail so you might remember some of this. While squeezing out a lemon for a side car I drifted back about six decades to the diet fads of the nineteen sixties. Oh the diet fads were the latest thing because Americans were “fat”. Nothing at all like the current era, where fat is a real thing.

    A flash of “spicy meatball” commercials mixed in while “The Drinking Man’s Diet” popped in. The idea was to substitute calories in drinks with foods. Tongue in cheek was the idea, but taken seriously by many.

  55. ABC Evening News is spending a lot of time on Kiefer Sutherland and his Uber driver; two nights, big segments. Must be a slow news week.

  58. Why doesn’t Parkinson have “choose love” on the back of his helmet like (from what I can tell) everyone else?

  61. Bid, I guess Parkinson may recognize the irony of 300+ pound men trying to destroy each other urging us normal sized people to choose love. At least they do hug and shake hands at the end of the game.

  62. BB, this was my Mom’s choice:

    The Stillman Diet, popularized by Dr. Irwin Stillman in the 1960s, is a very low-carb, high-protein eating plan focusing on lean meats, fish, eggs, skim cheese, and lots of water, while strictly avoiding fats, oils, fruits, sugars, and most carbs for rapid weight loss, but it’s nutritionally unbalanced and can raise cholesterol.

  63. Mom also tried the coffee and ice cream diet which I thought sounded like fun.

    The “coffee and ice cream diet” typically refers to the short-term, low-calorie Military Diet, a 3-day plan that incorporates black coffee, vanilla ice cream, saltine crackers, hot dogs, tuna, and specific fruits/veggies for quick weight loss, but nutritionists warn it’s unbalanced, not endorsed by actual military, and not sustainable long-term, with weight regain likely. Another idea is Holly McCord’s “Ice Cream Diet”, which allows a daily treat within a calorie-restricted, healthy whole-foods plan, focusing on sustainability by preventing deprivation, notes this Healthline article.

  64. Live at 11am ET:
    Everyone quotes the “Dream.” We’re digging into the Demand.

    In 1968, MLK pivoted to Guaranteed Income—and the country turned on him.

    Join us to discuss the lost “Economic Bill of Rights.”

  65. Top Trump Official Says FBI Won’t Investigate Killing by ICE Agent

    US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Shannon Bream that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is not, nor are they planning to, investigate Jonathan Ross—the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed Renée Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis earlier this month.

    “We don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody or putting his life in danger,” Blanche, formerly Donald Trump’s personal attorney, said. The Trump administration began asserting immediately after the killing that Good was a “rioter” who committed an “act of domestic terrorism,” continuing a long pattern of responding to deadly tragedies by making baseless and false claims.

    US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Shannon Bream that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is not, nor are they planning to, investigate Jonathan Ross—the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed Renée Nicole Good in her car in Minneapolis earlier this month.

    “We don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody or putting his life in danger,” Blanche, formerly Donald Trump’s personal attorney, said. The Trump administration began asserting immediately after the killing that Good was a “rioter” who committed an “act of domestic terrorism,” continuing a long pattern of responding to deadly tragedies by making baseless and false claims.

    *Doesn’t Internal Affairs investigate every police officer-involved shooting? Oh, right, right. ICE isn’t the police.

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