WTF-Beta

He has well and truly gone off the deep end.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose 200% tariffs on French wines and champagne after French President Emmanuel Macron was reported to be unwilling to join his “Board of Peace” on Gaza.

When asked for a response by a reporter in Miami about Macron’s stance, Trump dismissed the French leader’s influence and said he would use trade penalties as leverage.

“Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon,” Trump said. “So you know, that’s all right. What I’ll do is, if they feel like [being] hostile, I’ll put a 200% tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join. But he doesn’t have to join.”

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/20/trump-threatens-200percent-tariff-on-french-wines-and-champagnes-.html

And the Russians love the Greenland controversy.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17zpvkddpzo

Bessent channels Donald Rumsfeld. Remember the unknown unknowns?

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/18/bessent-national-emergency-tarriffs-00735660

The charter.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-charter-of-trumps-board-of-peace/

An interesting encounter.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/she-helped-him-flee-a-rally-then-learned-he-was-a-right-wing-provocateur/ar-AA1UxqJc?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=c123d11aa7cd42fd8d8cc358bec40f31&ei=30

If it were April 1st I would have thought the videos might be AI.

I cracked up at the idea of the researchers racing to observe the cow. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that the area the cow lives in is beautiful. A science boondoggle.

This was on ATK today. We are not big beef eaters but we may make an exception to try this.

https://wskg.org/arts/2020-05-28/americas-test-kitchen-beef-top-loin-roast-with-potatoes-ep-2017

Only problem is the damn cold temps....

A colossal coronal mass ejection (CME) has struck Earth, triggering severe (G4) geomagnetic storm conditions that could push the northern lights much farther south than usual tonight (Jan. 19–20). The impact, confirmed by NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, is already stirring Earth's magnetic field — setting the stage for a potentially spectacular aurora display across the northern U.S. and possibly beyond.

https://www.space.com/stargazing/auroras/northern-lights-may-be-visible-in-24-states-tonight-as-massive-cme-races-toward-earth

Interesting piece about how some foods we eat enhance the nutritional value of others.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260116-black-pepper-and-olive-oil-the-ingredients-that-super-charge-the-nutrients-you-get-from-food

@AndyD For some reason I can see the description but the video won't load for me; might be my privacy blockers.

I did look up Kamchatka Peninsula snow and...Yikes!!!

Michigan:

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/drone-video-shows-100-car-pileup-in-michigan-256213061623

France says, thanks for the invite but no thanks.

French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer to join the “Board of Peace” tasked with overseeing the next steps in Gaza, his office said on Monday.

The decision was taken over concerns that the “Board of Peace,” chaired by Trump, would have extensive powers beyond transitional governance of the Gaza Strip, and undermine the United Nations framework.

The statement noted that the board’s charter “goes beyond the framework of Gaza and raises serious questions, in particular with respect to the principles and structure of the United Nations, which cannot be called into question.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-rejects-trump-gaza-peace-board-invite-over-fears-it-wants-to-supplant-un/

Some 100,000 of these small dives are hidden in plain sight across Japan. Now, travellers are finally discovering these locals-only hangouts – and the beloved "mamas" who run them.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260116-inside-the-secret-world-of-japanese-snack-bars

I'm going to bring this article with me to my next tutoring session with my Japanese student. Should be a good springboard for discussion.

New research indicates Americans bear 96% of U.S. tariff costs, with foreign exporters absorbing only 4% by lowering prices.

From the comments on the article:

Surprise!!! Tariffs raise taxes on consumers!

And ... the sky is blue, water is wet, and Trump is not a very stable genius.

WSJ:

https://archive.is/lvQHh#selection-1577.0-1581.79

Trump Administration Orders USDA Employees to Investigate Foreign Researchers They Work With

The new directive asks workers to check the backgrounds of foreign nationals collaborating with the department’s scientists for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” Their names are being sent to national security experts at the agency.

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-usda-foreign-scientists

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will attend the Supreme Court’s oral argument Wednesday in a case involving the attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook, an unusual show of support by the central bank chair.

The high court is considering whether President Donald Trump can fire Cook, as he said he would do in late August, in an unprecedented attempt to remove one of the seven members of the Fed’s governing board. Powell plans to attend the high court’s Wednesday session, according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It’s a much more public show of support than the Fed chair has previously shown Cook. But it follows Powell’s announcement last week that the Trump administration has sent subpoenas to the Fed, threatening an unprecedented criminal indictment of the Fed Chair. Powell — appointed to the position by Trump in 2018 — appears to be casting off last year’s more subdued reponse to Trump’s repeated attacks on the central bank in favor of a more public confrontation.

https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-jerome-powell-lisa-cook-supreme-court-7f135bd222013d4fe61eb8f03c663676

@Big_Al said in Hunting a house in Helena:

This article made me think of a forum member.

Me, too. As did this BBC article about the ten most sustainable US towns and why they're worth a visit. Missoula was one of them.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260115-10-of-the-uss-most-sustainable-small-towns

Popular place, that state.

EU and Mercosur countries sign landmark free trade deal

Louis Oelofse | Shakeel Sobhan with AFP, Reuters

The agreement took 25 years to negotiate and will create one of the world's largest free trade zones. The deal was signed, despite opposition from some European farmers.

The agreement slashes more than 90% of tariffs between the EU and the Mercosur countries of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, though some cuts will be phased in over 10 to 15 years.

EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic told DW after signing the deal that European and Mercosur countries were "discussing all the concrete projects what we can do together."

"We are sending a very clear message to the world that Mercosur and European Union countries are for low tariffs, for smooth trade, for creating better quality and better prices for our consumers," Sefcovic told DW after signing the deal. "And we just simply want to work together, the friends of partners on mutual advantages project."

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-and-mercosur-countries-sign-landmark-free-trade-deal/a-75545794?utm_placement=newsletter&user_id=66c4c06e5d78644b3aab4472

Kind of goes with the MIT article about the energy impact of AI.

https://wtf.coffee-room.com/topic/3010/ai-s-energy-footprint-mit-analysis

Temp right now is 0, zooming up to 6 later in the day. Oh, and winds are 20 to 30 mph, just to add to the misery.

Forecasts up through Sunday show us failing to reach freezing, mostly staying below 20.

I dumped a little pile of squash seeds out at the base of a tree where I know a couple of squirrels live; I saved them from a kabocha we had a few days ago for dinner. I don't even know if the little furry guys come out in this cold or if they just huddle.