(Trump already lost a vote in the Senate on Canada tariffs. There’s no sign his global emergency tariffs would get to 50+VP either).
I cover the U.S. Senate for Bloomberg News. You may know me from #FridayNightZillow, but C-SPAN is more my natural habitat. #Introduction I'm also @steventdennis on the other places. Opinions mine. Email: sdennis17@bloomberg.net
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(Trump already lost a vote in the Senate on Canada tariffs. There’s no sign his global emergency tariffs would get to 50+VP either).
Just simple majority in reconciliation
The court case on tariffs would go away if Congress simply did what it has the authority to do under Article I: Vote for the tariffs. (They don’t want to do that)
It is not meaningful yet. $4 and a bipartisan bill passed in the Senate appropriations committee will buy you exactly 1 cup of coffee at Starbucks. Trump 1.0 was very different. (The day Trump proposed gutting foreign aid, McConnell and Lindsey Graham immediately insisted it would not happen.)
BREAKING: Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa won't seek reelection to Senate in 2026, sources say.
That doesn’t matter *that* much if 1) those bills don’t become law and 2) Trump/Vought don’t spend the money they appropriate and 3) the courts and Congress don’t enforce the impoundment control act.
Susan Collins status: "Extremely alarmed" at Trump firing the CDC director.
Next week it'll be September. So far no sign of Republicans standing up to Trump in any meaningful way.
Making them wear high-visibility vests over camo is such a good joke you couldn’t write it
Fun fact: US oil production is down slightly from this time last year — when Biden was president — despite Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” policies.
Need to pick up groceries (& 💐)? There’s a Mpls Cargo Bike Library bike for that. Mplscargobikelibrary.com
Sen. Van Hollen, who met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia today: “Trump’s cronies continue to lie about the facts in his case and they are engaged in a malicious abuse of power as they threaten to deport him to Uganda – to block his chance to defend himself against the new charges they brought.”
KPop Demon Hunters, an animated musical released by Netflix Inc., topped the US and Canadian box office during a two-day theatrical debut, a rare win at the theaters for the streaming giant, which usually avoids chasing box office revenue for its original movies
Trying a new tuna dish
Hampton, VA
BREAKING: Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been freed from a Tennessee jail so he can rejoin his family in Maryland while awaiting trial.
Chick n Roll. Hampton, VA.
Hampton, VA.
Yes. I think so. I don’t try it. Operates like a gas pump basically.
Quirky Asian fusion place sells beer and wine *by the ounce.* You pour it like gasoline. Only pay for what you pour. As cheap as 19 cents an ounce. Also reasonably priced bottles brought to your table starting at $3.45.
Breaking: Rep. Lloyd Doggett, the dean of Texas’ congressional delegation, announced Thursday he would not run for reelection to his Austin-based seat if a new Republican-drawn map is in effect for the 2026 midterms.
The owners must have retinas of steel. There is a book on the coffee table, but how on earth would you be able to concentrate on reading a book in here? #FridayNightZillow
I pay double that
You can power your own EV with solar.
Juiced is bankrupt
Yep. Though that is more an issue of political and legal barriers rather than technical know-how. Value of grid-scale battery storage is also going up…
WUSA-TV - DC restaurants saw a more than 25% drop in diners in the days following President Trump’s takeover of the city’s police department. www.wusa9.com/article/news...
Not getting batteries. They don’t make economic sense where I live and tech is getting massively better quickly. My next car will have ability to run my fridges at least for a week or two.
In my first reporting job I wrote extensively on the causes of a water and sewer price hike in Hagerstown, Md. won awards detailing how many millions were wasted on sewage projects built on spec for businesses that never came - with residential customers footing the bill. Voters weren’t happy…
A lot of that electricity is imported from Canada.
I recently ordered a solar system for my house. The tax credit disappears Dec. 31 and one of the factors nudging me to do it is soaring utility bills make the math work out faster. Should pay for itself in about 8 years (fingers crossed) or less if bills keep spiking.
Wasn’t that long ago states gave big subsidies to lure billion dollar data centers with few jobs and big electricity budgets. Now? I suspect pols are going to get voters coming out of the woodwork asking why they are subsidizing billion-dollar corps who are driving up their bills to make AI videos.
Trump’s nixing of hundreds of billions in electricity subsidies enacted by Biden won’t make things cheaper. Burning more fossil gas isn’t easy because there is a big backlog on turbines. Nuclear takes forever in US. So that leaves solar, wind, and restarting older (dirtier?) plants & grid upgrades.
Higher electricity prices follow directly into all kinds of things, including manufacturing costs, food, and daily living expenses. They hit middle-class and poor voters much harder.
The story that is going to blow up soon is soaring electricity prices. All those AI bots, Bitcoin mining and so on are causing a historic spike. And I know from experience that voters *hate* utility price hikes.
This one looks good but is pricey and very long. mobilityscootrike.com/product/elec...
Interesting. It is a 52V bike. Orphaned because company went under and the batteries are proprietary.
Juiced Ripcurrent.
Interesting product but not compatible with my bike.
I’ve seen some tandem e-trikes. But storage would be an issue. There also are some e-rickshaws with a rear bench that might work.
we cycle hundreds of miles a month on our e bikes. no way I would (or could) ever do that on an analogy bike. we're down to one car that we hardly drive due to our ebikes. ebiking has changed our lives- we're outside, enjoying the fresh air, talking to people. brings so much joy to our lives
Love your show!
Hurricane Erin blew up into a Cat 5 only 24 hours after first developing into a hurricane. Incredible.
Hurricane Erin is now a rare Category 5. The storm is forecast to at least double or triple in size next week. cnn.it/4mGNDqd
Also, US senators
Kind of suprised that there was a chain of “Trump Burger” joints in Houston and the Trump Org never showed up to demand a cut.
It's been open a year.
Not on Zillow, but I love the concept. There's a "BOAT-THRU" Texas Barbecue place in Canada. They sell the usual, plus "Texas Twinkies" (Bacon-wrapped Jalapeños w/brisket and cream cheese) for a reasonable $7.95 Canadian. What say you? texasbbq.ca/menu/ #boatthru
Turf and turf. Happy Friday! May do Zillow later
Trump in last 7 months: * $ from assorted cryptos * Dinner/exclusive WH tour to highest bidders (memecoin) * Kingdom gifts USA a jet for his use * CEO gifts him a gold bar in the Oval Office live on TV * Headliner at opening of his private $ golf course * Billion $ family deals overseas
I think I just ran into the back of one. It was like a thump. I've ridden 5,000 miles on my back last couple years and a lot of that is in insect-heavy parks. Have to wear glasswear to protect my eyes. (Had to have a doc remove an insect once that wouldn't come out.)
South Carolina is in the blob of states that lead America in loss of all teeth. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Almost all better. My current guess is wasp. Thanks BlueSkyers!
Not a tick. Likely a wasp from pics and symptoms I’m seeing in research.
Looks like what the health apps say is a wasp sting.
Burns/stings. I thought I hit something sharp. Was going full speed down hill.
Burns
I feature that house on #FridayNightZillow a while back. It’s a whole vibe
Got hit by something in Rock Creek Park on my bike ride. Maybe a bee sting? Hurts. Thoughts? There is a little swollen ring with a red center.
We went on a 32-mile-round-trip ebike ride to join a friend's neighborhood block party. After we had our fill of tacos, bounce houses, face painting, and socializing, our bike ride home through the forest included owl and bat sightings. Glad we skipped the car. Life is much better by bike.
I did not have this on my 2025 Bingo card but this adds a new facet Combat Search and Rescue and regular SAR. I would have never thought to drop an ebike to a solider trapped behind enemy lines #Ukraine #drone #ebike #SAR #CSAR #TWZ www.twz.com/news-feature...
Elon Musk was today awarded a $29 billion "interim" pay package by Tesla's board of directors. *There are fewer than 100 people on earth with a net worth of $29 billion. *Most state budgets are smaller than $29 billion. *It's way more than NASA's budget. *It's enough to buy most of Ford or GM!
Good morning, Bluesky! 🇨🇦 Canada's forests are still burning.🔥 As of today, over 6.6 million hectares have burned—more than double the 10-year average and already surpassing the total from 2024, but not yet the catastrophic 2023 season. Air quality is dangerously poor! Stay safe and hope for rain.🙏
I'm heartbroken to hear of the passing of wonderful Loni Anderson. We did Bob Hope specials together & a Christmas movie 2 years ago. The sweetest, most gracious lady! I'm just devastated to hear this! Love & condolences to her beloved Bob (who was w her each day on set) & her family, who she adored
Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), 83, announces he's not seeking reelection after nearly 30 years in Congress. "There comes a time when one must listen for new voices and prepare the path for new leadership," he says in a statement.
She and other Democrats had negotiated a bill aiding police and it passed the Judiciary Committee unanimously. Booker insisted on adding a provision neutering Trump admin exec action blocking these grants from going to certain blue states with sanctuary city policies, which Rs see as a poison pill.
Last time I saw two Democrats this angry at each other Maxine Waters was chasing David Obey around the House floor demanding he approve an earmark for the Maxine Waters center.
President Trump said his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein ended after Epstein poached young female workers from his Mar-a-Lago Club. Trump confirmed one of them was Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken victims of Epstein’s sex-trafficking ring.
HUGE fight between Booker and Klobuchar on floor just now, with Booker accusing Democrats of being “complicit” in Trump’s authoritarian moves including blocking police grants to Democratic states like New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California. A livid Klobuchar ripped him in kind.
It’s an open question whether this particular SCOTUS would agree with that analysis. Impoundments that are associated with cheaper-than-appropriated purchases of widgets are one thing; not buying said widgets are another.
The Impoundment Control Act was passed in response to Nixon impounding many billions in spending at will and in defiance of Congress. If Vought’s view prevails, they should have called it the Impoundment Authorization Act instead of “Control.”
Russ Vought doesn’t think the Impoundment Control Act is constitutional. But his latest view — that it enables presidents to line item veto federal spending at will with no opportunity to override them — would fundamentally change the balance of power in favor of the presidency.
Massie on Mike Johnson saying he just wants to inflict political pain: "Is the pain he talking about that somebody in our party will be embarrassed by those files? Then that's not a good excuse ... why is it painful for Mike Johnson to call a vote on this?"
CBS does own some very valuable TV stations.
I figured they would have a hard time selling this and, yeah, 8 months later and it’s still there. People don’t want to spend $25M for someone else’s version of an eclectic paradise - they want their own version.
Love it
So for the hell of it, I went poking around on the FEC website about a high text PAC, and learned they had almost $6 mil in donations so far this year that appears to have been largely generated by small donors. Amount they have donated to races or to DCCC, DSCC etc.? $212,000. 3.5% of total.
So #FridayNightZillow is back with a bang: This is the Bonkers McBonkerspants Mansion of the Year! $25M. BOCA. You'll need to ice your retinas. 209 pics of overstuffed insanity! https://buff.ly/3OcGdfc? Crossposting on BlueSky and Threads.
Shaheen statement on Waltz nom: “in a Situation Room filled with people like Vice President Vance and Under Secretary Colby, who want to retreat from the world, and like Secretary Hegseth, I think we’re better off having someone like Mike Waltz present.”
Susan Collins, who voted to confirm Tulsi Gabbard, dodges to answer questions about her saying Obama committed treasonous conspiracy: “I have not followed that I've been deeply involved in appropriations, and that's been my focus.”
Notable: Trump UN nominee Mike Waltz was on track to fail by a tie vote in committee, but Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen cast a decisive vote to rescue him. 12-10, he advances to the full Senate.
Many crimes were identified and people were prosecuted.
People may forget, but this happened. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
More coverage from the Baltimore Banner. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/politics-pow...
McConnell got defense money. Ukraine hasn't been cut off. They all wanted the tax cuts. Collins got $50B for rural hospitals without having to vote for the underlying bill. And there are many other goodies sprinkled throughout.
Except they are often getting what they want.
ICE detains a pastor in Easton, Md., who has been in the U.S. for 24 years and has no criminal record, the Star Democrat reports. www.stardem.com/news/local_n...
Richard Blumenthal rips Blanche heading up Ghislaine Maxwell inquiry; says if anyone deposes her it should be someone independent of Trump, like a special counsel, rather than Trump’s former personal attorney.
Trump trashes Rep. Thomas Massie, again. I asked Massie about his threat a few hours ago. He said he isn’t worried. He says Trump allies are “wasting millions of dollars against me, and they're gonna lose the majority because of that.” He predicts it will “backfire tremendously.”
They start at about $369
It would be fine provided you had a sizable backup power size (pumped hydro, batteries, etc or backup connections to the grid). If all the vehicles were V2G you’d have enormous backup power.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner has died, according to multiple reports. He was 54
Not clear. It doesn't seem like a very inviting place to be. And if you slip there's nothing to grab hold of.
In general, shower size should not exceed the size of a bedroom.
Rents for $350 a night. Should be fantastic for fishing.
So much weird in that house.
Mystery solved. Dont say you never learned anything while reading #fridaynightzillow bsky.app/profile/kirk...
ICYMI
Our Showstopper tonight is an Old World $7M Detroit mansion with 15BR, 15BA and 24K square feet. It's truly magnificent. Hope you enjoyed this week's #FridayNightZillow! zillow.com/homedetails/...
