Trump's Bump Stock "Rothman Gun" Loaded

My wise friend wrote: 

So now Donald Trump is going after Goldman's economist because the market's hitting highs and the economist had some hesitations regarding Trump's policies on the economy. I remember Marvin Rothman from Janney Montgomery who put out a sell on DJT hotels in Atlantic City because of all the mismanagement. The poor guy got fired. I think he ended up having cancer from all the pressures DJT gave him and in the end the guy was right. That's how Donald plays when he's wrong. That's why you can only have YES-men around him. 

Spineless, soulless enablers who compliment without ceasing.... 

Marvin Rothman won his wrongful termination case, just one of the countless wrongful things Trump has done during his lifetime.

Flashback to November 2002.  StocksandNews.com reported:

Marvin Rothman was the first analyst to take on the system while working for Janney Montgomery (a Philadelphia-based firm), when he issued a highly negative report on Donald Trump’s casino holdings. Trump was furious, but Rothman was right. Marvin then suffered the consequences, which I need to leave at that. But from time to time, it’s important to acknowledge those who had the integrity to do the right thing.

Law.com did a story on Rothman's lawyer, Martin Sobol.  It states: 

For a lawyer who has made a career of representing management in labor matters, Sobol's most recognizable client might come from a case where he represented a plaintiff, stock analyst Marvin Rothman. The 1993 case revolved around Rothman being fired from Janney Montgomery Scott after offering a negative opinion about the future of the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Rothman sued for wrongful termination, and Sobol argued his case successfully in court.

My wise friend followed up with:

If there was ever an analog to the Scorpion/Frog stream fable, DJT is the come to life movie version. People don't want to see it because Trump gives everyone a little bit of his transactional plums. He knows you better than you know yourself. He epitomizes the degradation of values in the overused rationalization of: "Don't take it personal, It's business."

Overcoming wrongs and the wronged to appease the deal (like taking money and protecting people in the Epstein files), as well as using the power of the pardon like a vending machine with a gold card. Tokenization. His history is well known for all to see, similar to the bodies laid out on the Appian Way into Rome.

But everyone in D.C. refuses to recognize the stench. Both parties are complicit and feed at the hand of the Oligarchy Transactional! Trump will bury the truth tellers like Gresham's law drives out good money in a sea of bad money. 

The ROTHMAN's will be afraid to come OUT even though he was 100 percent correct as DJT BLED THAT casino down to zero. Snake eyes!

Courts can't work fast enough for those harmed by Trump II, the digital Caligula.  But they should try. 

Taylor Swift Finally Beat Private Equity

Taylor Swift relived The Carlyle Group's partnering with Scooter Braun in 2019 to buy out master recordings of her first six albums.  Billboard reported:

She had been vocal about her devastation with the initial sale of her masters to Scooter Braun in 2019 — which she said “ripped my heart out of my chest”

Carlyle then sold Swift's music to Shamrock Holdings, instead of selling them to their creator.

"Since I was a teenager, I’ve been saving up money to buy my music back,” she recalled on the podcast as the tight end rubbed her hand affectionately. “I thought about not owning my music every day … It was like an intrusive thought.” 

 According to Swift, it wasn’t members of her team who negotiated the deal with Shamrock — it was her mom, Andrea, and her brother, Austin.

In December 2019 Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein told Fox News:

"In that particular case, I do think there'll be a resolution of that in the near future," Rubenstein said. "Hopefully, [Swift] can continue to do very good music, but it's something that is more complicated than my being able to resolve it right here."

Complicated by greed.  Rubenstein never made good on his commitment.  Swift created a song in honor of the PEU boys titled "The Man."

I'm sure Taylor Swift is not the first person to collapse in their significant other's arms after being freed from the vise of private equity.  But I am happy for her.

Trump II PEU

Treasury Chief Scott Bessent told Fox Business News' Larry Kudlow:

(other countries) will invest in companies and industries that we direct them, largely at the President's discretion.....other countries are providing us with a sovereign wealth fund.... these huge surpluses accumulated offshore.. they will be reinvesting back into the U.S. economy and we will be able to direct them as we re-shore these critical industries.

Yes, the public saw how Trump II, the digital Caligula, got a "free" UAE luxury jet and directed it go with him when he leaves office. That's a U.S. military asset Trump is appropriating for his future use as a "citizen".

I've never heard a Treasury Secretary speak so imprecisely.  These huge surpluses are what?  Trade imbalances, a budgeted amount agreed by another country's equivalent of Congress, crypto funny money accumulated by international criminal organizations?  

And how does Trump II get to decide how the money is directed/spent?  Congress has the power of the purse, even for new revenue stream items.  

Trump will be the head of America's foreign funded sovereign wealth fund, the government equivalent of a private equity underwriter (PEU).  He will direct how those hundreds of billions are invested.  Does he get equity stakes, deal fees or management fees?   How much of that walks out the door when Trump exits office?

Smithsonian Needs Epstein Exhibit

Trump II, the digital Caligula, continued his battle with Carlyle Group co-founder and Declaration Partners founder David Rubenstein.  Trump replaced Rubenstein as Chair of The Kennedy Center.  Rubenstein is a former regent of The Smithsonian and supporter of current Chancellor Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.  

Trump has asked the Smithsonian to offer "unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions" of events at various displays.  That is odd given Trump's divisive, destructive and historically unanchored persona.  

Mr. Rubenstein may wish to fund an Epstein exhibit replete with documents from Trump's Epstein collection at the "Just Us" department.  

Trump II has been the only docent/curator of those files who promised to share them with the American public.  The Smithsonian would be the perfect place given the widespread bipartisan interest in the Epstein files (unifying).  As they were seized from Epstein's various estates they should be historically accurate.  And what's more constructive than giving the people what they want?

Rubenstein did not fund Jeffrey Epstein but a fellow private equity underwriter (PEU) did to the tune of $170 million (Apollo's Leon Black).

 

Both Trump (WLFI) and Rubenstein (Paxos) think people want crypto.  That's the subject of a future Smithsonian exhibit, possibly titled "Something from Nothing."  Hopefully, it will be next to the Epstein Hall of Horrors.

Update 8-13-25:  Trump announced this year's Kennedy Center Awards and that he would host the event himself.

Historically, honorees have been picked by a bipartisan committee. In a press conference announcing this year’s group, Trump said he was “about 98% involved” in the selection process and that he “turned down plenty” of candidates for being “too woke.”

Trump : 

(fired) the center’s previous chairman (David Rubenstein) and members of its board of trustees who, he said, “do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”

Rubenstein knows about the Gilded Age, back in force for billionaire PEUs and their new TechGod/CryptoBro brethren.  

Trump knows about the Golden Arches Age with his love of fast food.   

U.S. Arts and Culture are back to the Dark, Dank Ages.  I'm still cheering for an Epstein exhibit and maybe the Trump/Kennedy Centers can offer new Jeffrey Epstein Awards.

Carlyle to Buy Nuremberg based Ingentis

A Carlyle Group news release stated:

Global investment firm Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG) today announced that it has agreed to invest in Ingentis Group, a leading provider of organisational charting, design and analytics software. As part of the transaction, the existing Ingentis management team are substantially reinvesting and will continue to lead the company. 

Founded in 1997 in Nuremberg, Germany, Ingentis provides software that enables organisations to visualise, design, analyse, and plan current and future workforce and organizational structures to enable enterprises to continuously improve their organizational effectiveness.

The management guru who originated continuous improvement. Dr. W. Edwards Deming, decried leveraged buyout organizations, the former name for what is now called private equity.  Deming railed against their impact on constancy of purpose and their abandonment that a key aim of business is to provide jobs.  

Deming died before private equity underwriters (PEU) rose to policy making billionaires and became primary influencers in our nation's capital.  The Carlyle Group purposefully located in Washington, D.C. to mobilize political influence and tap Uncle Sam's wallet.

Why would Carlyle buy Ingentis?  Simple.  AI. 

Carlyle wants to replace people with AI within its stable of affiliates.  And it wants to take advantage of other companies who wish to do likewise.  

Think of AI like the early COVID pandemic when people in China were falling out in the streets.  Carlyle went on to develop a strong COVID platform.  With Ingentis real humans will be falling out in the workspace.  Carlyle wants to profit big from that.

Dr. Deming was also big on operational definitions, measurement, data and statistical analysis of that data that makes sense in the real world.  He often said the most important measures for management are unknown and unknowable.

I would love to hear Dr. Deming's view of Ingentis' methods for cleaning and preparing data for visualization but that is likely proprietary information, like PEU investment fees.

Dr. Deming thought management could learn from customers and the people doing the work.  That notion is long gone.  It seems like executives everywhere are imposing top down slogans and exhortations, making it clear worker knowledge is not wanted/needed and that loyalty and submission are absolutely required for future employment.   

It's the workers job to make sure executives receive the maximum pay within their complex compensation packages and their PEU owner makes big bank from their employer (affiliate) during their term of ownership.  It's a PEU world, where only certain classes get preferred treatment.  

Update 8-14-25:  One of the founders of AI noted:

AI systems willingness to deceive, cheat and steal to achieve their goals.

Otherwise known as an infection in the body politic/society as a whole 

"I Would Release" Turned into Epstein Hoax

' 

Trump II usurped Washington D.C. Metro police for the purpose of diverting the public from the Jeffrey Epstein case.  Trump reneged on his promise to release information regarding the pedophiles Epstein served and the private equity underwriters (PEU) who financed Epstein's rich and famous lifestyle which included over 1,000 underage female victims.

Respected business journalist Bloomberg ran a video story on why the Epstein case remains high in public interest.  Bloomberg also reports on private equity and noted Trump's recent move to allow individual  401(k) retirement plans to make PEU investments.

Should any PEUReport readers invest their retirement funds in PEU secondaries. odds are you won't hit any Epstein funders.  But how can anyone really know if the files are kept under lock and key in Trump's "Just Us" Department?

Trump II is the curator and sole docent for the Jeffery Epstein files and he plans to keep it that way.  Expect lots more diversions of the hoax variety.  

Should the right Epstein victim void their NDA (with financial backing from Elon Musk) the fire under Trump could turn into a conflagration where "would" becomes "wood."

Update 8-12-25:

The world already knows sweaty Prince Andrew released.

His Malevolence

Trump II, the digital Caligula is nearing seven months in office and he has subsumed former partners J.D. Vance and Elon Musk, doing so through complete ingestion (think of the monster in the Smile movies).  

It takes considerable might to swallow two TechGods of substantial size.  Musk is a major TechGod while former Peter Theil acolyte Vice President Vance is of the minor version.

The Sunday morning news shows felt like capitulation to Trump.  Most programs pushed the fake image Trump wants the world to swallow, for example championship golfer vs. blatant cheater (caddie aided).  Only a guest here and there pushed back on Trump's irreality.

Trump's tantrums mean shortcuts are taken.  His savage whims usually involve retribution on somebody who'd simply done their job in the past.  

Keep the big boss happy at all costs.  

That means less excrement flowing downhill, which is a lifesaver given how much excrement Trump has.to dish out.  The man excrements without ceasing.

Trump II's clown car of advisors means there is little competence to execute his savage whims.  Plus, they are too busy hanging around the Oval Office hoping for face time with the big guy.  

His Malevolence requires attendance at his court, that his appointees are at his beckon call, ready to issue flowery compliments and if necessary, take one for "the I in team" (Trump) as required or desired.

Trump is the decision maker for all things, government, economy, imports, exports, corporate hiring decisions, Brazilian criminal courts, European social media taxes and showerhead/toilet water pressure.  He is also the protector of Big Balls, hider/evictor of the homeless, receiver of absurdly expensive gifts (including a luxury plane) and curator/docent for Jeffrey Epstein's treasure trove of documents/videos regarding politically connected pedophiles (of which he may be one).

Corporate chiefs have managed as myopically and poorly as Trump.  Recent stories regarding Elon Musk's Tesla plant in Fremont, California are cringe worthy.  The Independent reported:

Working conditions at Tesla’s manufacturing plant in Fremont, California, have allegedly gone from bad to worse, with sexual assaults aboard company shuttle buses, drug and alcohol use onsite, all-out brawls breaking out between employees and “prevalent” bigotry – including widespread use of the N-word...

Musk, like Trump, is the decision maker.

“Musk was a frequent visitor to the facility—and not just for high-level photo opportunities, but to take a hands-on approach to managing, directing, and facilitating resolution of the manufacturing and workforce issues at the plant,” the complaint states. “Musk would frequently visit the plant and conduct issue-resolution meetings with actual line employees, not just upper management bureaucrats. Musk would hold – meetings with line-level employees from every function of the plant – from the manufacturing line to operations to HR – and issue directives right then and there to resolve the issues employees raised.”

Human Resources has turned into Human Abuse under TechGods and private equity underwriters (PEU).  The Tesla lawsuit was brought by HR staff.

A group of former Tesla HR professionals alleged that they were either fired or effectively forced to resign after attempting to surface other employees’ race discrimination and retaliation complaints.

Trump similarly shot the messenger with his firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Chief.  

Trump, TechGods and PEUs want to hear that their orders were implemented and working great. Anything different is met with disappointment, derision and eventually separation (firing).  

Anyone around these guys needs to know your knowledge is not needed, wanted or appreciated.  You are there to reflect their brilliance and glory, to genuflect on their wisdom and greatness and to applaud whatever hair-brained scheme they've concocted to grab more power & money as they evolve into "live forever" gods on this plane.   They "need it all, now" because they are not planning on leaving.

The United States is supposed to have checks and balances.  Congress has been infected by the Trump Savage Whim monster.  The Supremes must want to return to wearing white wigs, given their blind support of the Donarchy.  

Trump's family fortune is heavily staked in cryptocurrency, which needs a failing dollar to motivate people to buy $TRUMP, MELANIA, USD1 and WLFI tokens.  By not doing his job to protect the dollar, Trump II, the digital Caligula, expands his wealth.  My wise friend noted:

Trump is trying to create the narrative for the biggest nothing of NOTHINGS, i.e. the crypto markets are the safe havens in the future for your retirement and hard money assets. This Ponzi is the greatest of all times, because unlike gold which does get hypothecated, the crypto industry started with nothing, is nothing, has convinced the world they have something, and even though they have nothing, the number keeps going up on the nothing and yet they will collect fees in the billions for custody of nothing. It's like selling air in a soda can. They should all go to jail after they have been beaten with sticks.'

The financiers want it all. Bubbles only can be sustained through artificial growth and taking away from others. 

The Usurption is well underway and the political Red Team is grossly complicit.  The Blue Team recently floated former financier Rahm Emanuel as its sword bearer.  Apparently, they plan to fight Malevolence with Malevolence.

Update 8-11-25:  Trump II usurped local government in Washington, D.C.  That was one pablum filled press conference.  Fox News cut away after an hour.

Update 8-12-25:  Bloomberg reported:

President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law will deal a financial blow to the poorest Americans while boosting the income of wealthier households, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office

What does the Bible say about delivering haymakers to the poor?  Lazarus, the beggar at the Rich Man's gate, surely has a counterpart near the White House.

Update 8-14-25:  Trump II took a Goldman Sachs report on the projected impact of tariffs, traveled into the future to find out what really happened, returned to the present and then verbally annihilated the author for his prediction.  My wise friend wrote:

So now Donald Trump is going after Goldman's economist because the market's hitting highs and the economist had some hesitations regarding Trump's policies on the economy. I remember Marvin Rothman from Janney Montgomery who put out a sell on DJT hotels in Atlantic City because of all the mismanagement. The poor guy got fired. I think he ended up having cancer from all the pressures DJT gave him and in the end the guy was right. That's how Donald plays when he's wrong. That's why you can only have YES-men around him.

Spineless, soulless enablers who compliment without ceasing....

Marvin Rothman won his wrongful termination case, just one of the wrongful things Trump has done during his lifetime.

PEU for 401(k): Do You Trust the Marks?

My wise friend wrote: 

Trump Executive Order opens 401(k)s to alternative assets. The argument being made is these long duration assets are illiquid and should be kept in accounts which do not trade. 

Yet, without liquid markets and up to date marks (valuations), how does the individual investor know whether his actual portfolio results are coinciding with his long term objectives of retirement? 

What happens when the individual realizes at the end of his life cycle the assets he could not see were not marked correctly?  That individual had no opportunity to revise his retirement plans accordingly.  The outcome is that person is left deficient in assets and income. OOOPS!  

This is another Red Herring argument from the private equity industry to create FEE-FDOMS for themselves at the expense of the investor without ever coming to terms or held to account for their own failures in bad investments and excessive leverage.  How convenient for all the retail stooges left holding their bags of ****?

Small 401(k) holder, do you trust the PEU secondary fee information shared with you by your investment advisor?  CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost stated that her public pension fund does not share LP agreements or side letters with fund retirees.

I asked my wise friend, what chance does a 401(k) owner have of getting fee information regarding the secondary buy?  His reply:

Great question. None. They would prefer you to sue them before they release that information. Blackstone co-founder Stephen Schwartzman's money went very far this election season along with the other partners in crime. They had Trump on TV today with a picture in the background but you could not see the head.  My wife asked me who do you think that's the picture of?   I told her I think it's Meyer Lansky (an infamous Mobster).

CalPERS was an early investor in The Carlyle Group, so surely there is institutional knowledge of how PEU fees work.

The game is which PEU expenses can be rolled onto the affiliate, which need to be passed on to LPs and what remains gets picked up by the sponsor (the PEU itself).  Rest assured as little as possible ends up on the sponsor's tab.  

Marks (valuations) questionable, fees opaque... exactly what no one wants in their 401(k).  Yet, that's what the Trump administration is pushing.  Flipping bizarre.

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU and their new TechGod/CryptoBro brethren.  Increasingly, more are one.

Update 8-8-25:  Naked Capitalism ran a story titled "

‘Disaster in the Making’: Trump to Open 401(k)s to Crypto, Private Equity Vultures

The piece and the comments are well worth the read.  Zero Hedge ran a straight up news story on the executive order, however, it got eviscerated in the comments.

Conflicted Trump Wants Crypto in Your 401(k)

"Conflicted" is the Trump brand, so it's understandable Trump II, the digital Caligula, is staunchly defending it.  

How dare a thoroughly vetted Intel CEO horn in Trump's "conflicted" territory?  CNBC was kind enough to show the juxtaposition on their website (top image).  

I took the liberty of adding a few other stories about the Trump crypto conflagration, a proverbial den of thieves.

Private equity underwriters (PEU) also win under Trump's executive order. At least one financial advisor warned about adding PEU holdings to 401(k)s.

Trump's other key big tech strategy is AI.  That is a Pandora's box full of trouble.

Fortunately other Americans have insight into our bizarre government, operating in its very own fantasy world. 

 I am grateful to South Park for cutting straight to the nuts.  Vice President JD Vance, former PEU and TechGod, worked for Peter Theil, another PEU/TechGod with his own fantasy island.

Hey big guy, relax....The little people need a laugh, otherwise they might cry over:

Politicians Red & Blue love PEU, and their new TechGod/CryptoBro brethren.  Increasingly, more are one.

Update 8-8-25:   Trump tossed a tariff on gold bars of specific sizes.  Think of it like golf.  Trump kicked gold's ball into the woods while his caddy dropped his crypto (digital gold) ball one foot from the hole.

Dominari Board of Advisors: Exclusive Club

All members of Dominari Holding's Board of Advisors are executives with the Trump Organization.

Many of those same names appear as investors of American Bitcoin in SEC filings.

Merger documents reveal Dominari's investment in American Bitcoin can be sold sooner than other insiders.

Fee generating, pass through organizations produce Mafia like income streams.  In this case the Don is the Donald.  He does you favors and you return the favor five-fold.

That's how you double your net worth in a few short years and get to leave office with your own taxpayer refurbished luxury jet.  Any Epstein stains should be long removed by then.

Update 8-7-25:  Trump II, the digital Caligula, has the gall to call Intel's CEO conflicted.  Projection, drivel, diversion....pure Pablum

Update 8-8-25:   Trump tossed a tariff on gold bars of specific sizes.  Think of it like golf.  Trump kicked gold's ball into the woods while his caddy dropped his crypto (digital gold) ball one foot from the hole.

Update 8-14-25:  Dominari delivered breakout performance during Q2 thanks to all the Trump aligned deals.

"our investment bank has become the go to location for crypto and traditional companies a like"

On August 6th, Dominari made it clear it no longer worked with two Australian companies, Resolution Minerals and Oakley Capital, which is really Oakley Capital Partners Pty Ltd. (not to be confused with Peter Dubens' Oakley Capital.)

Dominari was to help Resolution Minerals get listed on the NASDAQ but lost that job after Resolution announced an unsolicited offer from by Snow Lake Resources Ltd. for its recently acquired U.S. mine in Idaho. 

Champion Cheater: PEU Worthy

Would you buy crypto from this guy?  Golf cheats tend to be tax cheats, business cheats, wife cheats and overall sleazy people.  

Trump II (of the Jeffrey Epstein decades long friendship) wants to sell you his official $TRUMP memecoin, his wife's official memecoin, WLFI tokens, USD1 stablecoins and a bunch of foreign made MAGA merchandise (crap).

When the club championship is a joke and you happily excuse it, you are the punchline.  

Now envision the caddy is an accountant and the player is a private equity underwriter (PEU).  The ball drop is affiliate valuations.  Set that thing a foot from the hole and the PEU wins.  Pristine valuations enable better credit terms, support higher performance fees, higher bonuses and help sell new PEU offerings.

The Carlyle Group just sunk an eagle putt with their new $9 billion real estate fund and an earnings beat.  It's not a Trump II club championship but it may be similar in principle.

My wise friend noted:

They should call him T Rumpelstiltskin. He spins**** and Pockets COIN.

A chunk of every Trump related coin sale  lands in his pocket.  Jingle, jangle...DaddyShack has yet another angle... 

Update 8-8-25:  And he's "LAUGHING ALL THE WAY".....Jingle balls of the savage whim.  Ha, Ha, Ha....

Trump tossed a tariff on gold bars of specific sizes.  Think of it like golf.  Trump kicked gold's ball into the woods while his caddy dropped his crypto (digital gold) ball one foot from the hole.

Scrubbing Trump from Epstein Files

It's been decades since the federal government did this quality a scrub in a "investigation.  Trump II's name has been redacted in the Jeffrey Epstein files.  Trump will not give testimony regarding his interactions with Epstein and his child sex abuse victims.  

I imagine the Trump "Just Us" Department shopped the list of predators for Blue Team members and any never Trumpers of the Red version.  

The last time an investigation was so purposely hapless was the White House Lessons Learned Report after Hurricane Katrina.  The report omitted the hospital with the highest number of patient deaths, the LifeCare floor within Memorial Medical Center (owned by Tenet Healthcare).  The Carlyle Group, a politically connected private equity underwriter (PEU) bought (closed on) LifeCare weeks before Katrina made landfall.  

25 deaths LifeCare. 10 deaths Tenet's MMC = 35 total deaths

A year later Jeb Bush was appointed to the board of Tenet Healthcare.  

Time will reveal the rewards bestowed upon those keeping Trump's lying, cheating and philandering name out of the Epstein theater of the grossly absurd.

A new name for the "Just Us" Department?  Daddyshack.  Pam Bondi and James Comer know how to drop Trump's ball on the green and kick Bill Clinton's ball deep into the Arkansas back woods.

The irony is Trump's predatory behavior is Clintonesque.  PEU Birds of a feather should rot together.

Update:  

Carlyle reported stellar earnings from private credit and secondary PEU offerings.  Elon could put his money behind Epstein victims with NDA's.  Trump's inappropriate behavior with women is a biblical scroll.  Surely, some of them want to tell the truth about their perpetrator and need big money to violate any NDA.  

Carlyle was founded on political insider secrecy, so they know that game very, very well.

Update 8-8-25:  The White House held secret meetings on the Epstein crisis.  Trump instructed JD Vance to deny the meeting occurred.

Irreality

Trump II (who I call Pablum) fired the BLS Chief, a move comparable to private equity underwriter's (PEU) impact on accounting.  Both are for image management.

Numbers are to optimize Pablum's image or PEU internal rates of return (IRR) in each and every present moment.  

Welcome to irreality, also supported by AI's "garbage in - garbage out".

Truth Social should be called Blather Vindictive.

Congress and the Supremes are feckless against Trump II's savage whims.  

Render unto Pablum that which is Pablum's, which turns out to be everything in his upside down sphere.  Reality is another completely separate world.

Texas Floods: Failure of Leadership

The three top leaders responsible for disaster response in Kerr County were out of town or asleep the early morning of July 4th when 137 people died from flash flooding.  It took 27 days for the public to hear what little they did to warn people in harm's way.  Testimony was given to state officials, not the local governmental bodies to which they failed.

Fortune titled their article: 

Kerr County officials reveal they were asleep, out of town during night of catastrophic flood

Rep. Drew Darby stated:

"We have a lot of folks who have titles, but when the time came to act, they did not do so in a timely fashion." He added that the state pre-positioned assets for potential flooding so the idea that this came out of the blue and was totally unexpected did not wash with him.

Public testimony revealed the risk that people would lose their homes and businesses as they could not afford to rebuild.  The prospect arose of financial vultures, like BlackRock and private equity underwriters (PEU) swooping in and buying distressed properties for development and later flipping.  

The State of Texas has $26 billion in its rainy day fund.  Let's hope they use some of that to help little people recover from an extreme rain event.  However, it would be no surprise if they did otherwise.  The state has known what local officials failed to do that day and there are no signs they plan to hold them accountable.

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.  So it would be no surprise if the PEU boys win yet again.

Update:  Public testimony revealed Kerr County Commissioners pursuing the maximum property tax increase.  That's reminiscent of the February 2021 Winter Storm.  After having no power for five days in the bitter cold our electrical bills soared with new delivery charges.  

Some flood victims got an apology from elected officials.  That may be little consolation if their property tax bills increase while they are trying to rebuild.  Insurance, even in the best of circumstances, rarely provides the funds to fully replace that which was lost.  Floods are the bleakest in terms of insurance coverage.  

The other PEU connection to this disaster is through insurance company investments.  My wise friend wrote:

Isn't it interesting that Chinese regulators have allowed their insurance companies to purchase gold and the western regulators have allowed the private equity industry to take stakes in insurance companies to park their bad private equity stakes. 

I expect the insurance industry to ask state officials for subsidies for such disastrous events.  Property insurance rates are already ridiculous in Texas.  

Our local government is giving tax breaks to big tech, including energy hogging data centers.  There's a pattern here regarding who gets the subsidies and who is left high and dry after the flood. 

Update 8-4-25:  Seeking Alpha reported:

PE-backed insurers, in particular, have aggressively expanded into higher-yielding private placements.

If they have to sell these products due to increased claims, how might that work out?

Update 8-10-25:  WaPo did a piece on local leadership failures early morning July 4th.

Wipfli: Latest PEU Buy of Accounting Firms?

New Mountain Capital, a New York based private equity underwriter (PEU), is close to buying accounting firm Wipfli.  New Mountain bought a majority stake in Grant Thornton's U.S. accounting unit last year before creating an international Grant Thornton consulting firm.  New Mountain Capital states:

Grant Thornton US operates as the 7th largest US audit, tax, and advisory platform by revenue, with 46 offices located across the country. It is the US member of Grant Thornton International Ltd, which is the international network of Grant Thornton-branded firms.

WSJ noted the concern that PEU ownership and its concomitant pressures could erode the practice of accounting.  Can anyone say Arthur Anderson & Enron?  

PEUs are unrestrained by tax law, antitrust regulations, ethical concerns (as they can be on all sides of a deal), fee disclosure requirements, SEC regulations, GAAP accounting and 401(k) restrictions.  

PEU legends blew through GAAP accounting decades ago with measures like economic net income and earnings before .....(a literal kitchen sink of important financial accounts).  

The greed and leverage boys (and their new TechGod brethren) are the sinew of the American economy.  Congress kept preferred PEU "carried interest" taxation, which is highly unpopular, in place despite both parties campaigning to eliminate the tax dodge.  The House just unanimously passed a bill expanding individual access to private markets, which includes private equity.

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.

Trump Does PEU Level Churn with Taxpayer $

Trump II, the digital Caligula, spends taxpayer money with abandon during his frequent weekend soirees at his golf properties.  

Private equity underwriters (PEU) do similarly with affiliates, tap Uncle Sam's wallet while selling broadly within the PEU corporate family.  Affiliates buy from other affiliates, boosting profits and the value of the eventual flip.

PEU marks (the value of affiliates) are similar to the Trump caddie ball drop in the fairway.  Each has their own set of rules, one's they set.  

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and their new TechGod peers (who also play by their own rules -intellectual property).  Increasing, more are one.

Carlyle Goes for Triumvirate Presidency

After the failure of co-CEOs Glenn Youngkin and Kewsong Lee, the Carlyle Group is trying a threesome Presidency.  

Chief Financial Officer John Redett, credit head Mark Jenkins and client business head Jeff Nedelman will become the company's co-presidents, effective January 1, 2026.

The triumvirate will serve under CEO Harvey Schwartz.  Also, Carlyle's public face (other than co-founder David Rubenstein) will get a step up. 

Admiral James Stavridis, the former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and Carlyle's vice chair of global affairs, will become the company's vice chairman.

Doomberg recently noted the strain on private equity underwriters (PEU) as they bottom feed on HVAC companies, veterinary and dental clinics and youth sports leagues.  Just what you want in your 401(k).  

The greed and leverage boys may think their games can go on forever, especially under Trump II, the digital Caligula.  Time will prove them right or wrong.  

Will any of the three co-Presidents become political candidates, like Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin?  Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and increasingly, more are one.

AI Needs Training from Employees It Will Replace

Underlings must use AI or else is the word from corporate executives, even though AI use erodes critical thinking skills.  Aren't those important for workers to retain, maybe even sharpen?  Not if the worker is training their replacement.  

As for honesty about the shift, executives are not being transparent.

“Very few organizations are willing to say, ‘We’re replacing people with AI,’ even when that’s effectively what’s happening.”

Instead executives use words like reorganization, restructuring and optimization.  

“Companies laying off as they embrace large-scale AI adoption is much too coincidental to ignore.”

This also heralds the merger of two powerful super-classes, private equity underwriters (PEU) and TechGods.  PEU's cut their teeth on leveraging affiliates, charging them management/deal fees, siphoning special dividends/distributions and replacing people with technology.  

The advancement of AI by TechGods means more employees can be replaced.  Rather than 25-40% of headcount reduced by "efficiency", PEU legends can take that to 80-95%.  Of course, AI will eventually come for their jobs and maybe even the board of directors.

If all of this sounds absurd, it's because it is.  A business no longer exists to provide jobs.  How does an economy run with no people employed?  PEU Legends and TechGods care not.  Not one iota.

Trump II Calls in the Diversion PEUkes

Trump II, the digital Caligula, unleashed AI in his latest diversionary attempt to steer attention away from the Epstein coverup.  He posted a video of President Obama being arrested in the Oval Office in front a smiling fat-ankled, makeup-smeared Trump.  

The Decorum Buster AI bomb came shortly after Trump tried a cluster diversionary munition, suggesting professional teams change their name back to those referencing Native Americans.  The humorous part of Trump's feeble attempt is private equity underwriter (PEU) profits funded both Jeffrey Epstein and the purchase of the Washington Commanders.  Apollo co-founder Josh Harris bought the team in 2023.

Fellow Apollo co-founder Leon Black paid serial child sex predator Epstein $170 million and settled any criminal liability for his role with the U.S. Virgin Islands for $62 million.

Trump's whims are becoming more savage, as if that is possible.  I think he needs new wingmen.  He must miss his old buddy and the secret fun they had.  

Update:  Someone is desperate to change the topic:

Update 7-24-25:  AG Pam Bondi informed Trump his name was found in the Epstein files.  She did so back in May.

Update 7-27-25:  An Epstein timeline is problematic for Trump II.

Update 7-30-25:  It's clear Trump II will go to any length to ensure any Epstein revelations only tarnish Bill Clinton and the Blue team.  Elon Musk noted the Trump playbook where the Donarch gets a clean report and uses his longtime buddy/wing-man in predation Epstein to smear his enemies.  

Musk's fortune would be well used to pay off NDA penalties for Epstein victims willing to come forward and name names.  I imagine there's at least one young girl well paid for her suffering at the hands of Donald.  Then again, I could be wrong.

Update 8-1-25:  After meeting with Trump's former lawyer and Assistant Attorney General Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's hench-woman, was moved to a cushier federal prison in Bryan, Texas.  

Update 8-2-25:  The Trump "abuser of women" timeline goes on.  This is on Trump I:

“I have countless pieces of what I considered impropriety in the White House that I brought to the chief of staff because I thought the way he engaged with women was dangerous.”

Update 8-3-25:  A scroll of Trump sexual abuse victims has many names.   Trump II had to break the rules to "transfer Ghislaine Maxwell to Club Fed Camp" per Daily Beast

Another PEU Lingerie Project

 SheKnows reported:

Puck dropped the bombshell that (Sidney) Sweeney’s upcoming lingerie line was being invested by Ben Schwerin, a partner at private equity firm, Coatue, which is in collab with Bezos and tycoon Michael Dell

Grazia added:

the lingerie label is being funded through the Coatue Innovation Fund

Robots wearing lingerie...interesting.

Lingerie has long been a target of private equity underwriters (PEU).  The Carlyle Group bought stakes in Twin-Set (2012), Hunkemoller (2016), Scalina (2010), Neiwai (2021) and Penti (2012).  

Apollo Group co-founder Leon Black funded serial child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein to the tune of $170 million.  Epstein used his ties to Victoria Secret owner Les Wexler to recruit young "models."  Black paid the U.S. Virgin Islands $62 million to settle criminal charges in relation to Epstein's operation.

It should be no surprise that PEUs and TechGods want to be associated with lingerie companies.  Sex, money, violence and power ....have become the American way.  

Greed, lust and rage are all modeled from the top.  Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and their new TechGod brethren.  Increasingly, more are one.

One Dark Day Under Donald

As I awoke Thursday morning a strong message entered my head.  

Something is terribly wrong.

I pulled up a news feed and the lead story was a U.S. citizen and military veteran had been snatched by ICE and held for three days.  

I had Customs & Border Patrol officers as neighbors and they were great people.  It was hard to wrap my head around our government renditioning citizens, especially veterans who fought for our freedoms.

Later that day three members of Congress expressed no concern about this development.  They were Sen. Tommy Tuberville (Alabama), Rep. Troy Nehls (Texas) and Rep. Ralph Norman (South Carolina).  

Congress.gov explains the Fourth Amendment:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Tuberville, Nehls and Norman swore an oath to uphold the Constitution.  They and White House goons belong in the terribly wrong camp.  Anyone can be snagged off the street.  It just takes a "totality of circumstances."  

Congress passed several crypto bills with one going to the President's desk for signature.  Trump II has massive conflicts of interest in crypto, a meme-coin, a token and a stablecoin.  The country acts as if these do not exist.  This also is terribly wrong.

News reports indicated Trump II plans to open up 401(k) retirement plans to private equity underwriter (PEU) stakes and cryptocurrencies.  I can't think of riskier holdings for an individual retirement fund and thus, terribly wrong.  Gamble with your non-retirement money and don't ask for a bailout if it goes bad.

Trump's flip-flop on the Epstein files raised suspicion in others that our President was in self-protection mode regarding his decades long friendship with a child sexual predator.  None of the predators of over 1,000 victims have criminally charged.  That is terribly wrong.  Both political teams carved out space for Epstein's ring and both have sat on mountains of evidence for many, many years.

Late that afternoon I learned CBS is canceling the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.  It's not unusual in a corporate takeover for any head cutting to occur before the new owner takes over.  Add that the new owner is the son of a major TechGod, now orbiting the Trumpisphere.  Fortune noted:

Trump, who has called in the past for CBS to terminate Colbert’s contract, celebrated the show’s upcoming demise. “I absolutely love that Colbert got fired,” the president wrote on Truth Social.

Capo CBS executes what Mafia Don wants, before the new boss arrives.  This feels very, very wrong and so Mafioso.  

The good news is the sky remains blue, the birds still sing and Christ's love is eternal, as is his father's.  Earthly gains, although they may be great, will stay on this plane.  Those wanting "ever more" money, power or possessions will not find peace in those pursuits.  

Update 7-20-25:  How is one to know if they are dealing with the government or scammers?

I offer Trump II, the Digital Caligula's tri-cornered hat, one corner for each of this crypto ventures:

Trump and his PEU "profits funded" wingman Epstein could usurp anything.  They continue doing that very thing together, one dead and one living with lots of swelling.

Trump makes every decision in the White House and is in emergency self protection mode.  

Redskin, Indian.....Creepy Daddy knows best.  C'mon MAGA, he wants to kiss and makeup.  

Update 7-21-25:  While Epstein's child predators remain above the law, DNI Chief Tulsi Gabbard claimed "no one is above the law."  Even "grab 'em by the pussy" President Trump?  Sure, Tuilsi.  Thanks for the laugh.  I think the line is:

No one is above Trump II's ragetribution, law notwithstanding.

Trump posted an AI video of Obama being arrested.  He's workng hard to change the subject but it all comes back to Epstein, Trump's former bro and wingman.  Trump hosted a party for aspiring models at Mar-a-Lago.  The only men at the party were Donald and Epstein.  

Update 7-22-25:  Paramount inked a $1.5 billion deal with South Park's creators.  It appears they have money after all, just not for Stephen.....

Update 7-29-25:  Comedy struck back with South Park's Sermon on the Mount where Trump wanted to kiss and makeup with Satan.  A U.S. citizen in Florida was told he had no rights as he was an "amigo."

Update 8-1-25:  After meeting with Trump's former lawyer and Assistant Attorney General Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's henchwoman, was moved to a cushier federal prison in Bryan, Texas.  

Update 8-6-25:  The Fourth Amendment sub-links for Congress.gov do not work anymore.  It's not clear why they are broken or when the information might return.  I tried another route and was able to get the sub-link information.  I have no way of knowing if it is the same or has been edited/changed.

Healthcare PEUture in Hands of Gore

Kleiner Perkins, a Menlo Park based private equity underwriter (PEU), wants to change the face of healthcare and medicine.  The firm recently invested in New Limit (longevity) and Open Evidence (medical research AI).  

Open Evidence's valuation is up 250% since February. 

 

Kleiner Perkins Senior Partner Al Gore (former Blue Team Vice President) said the following twelve years ago:

 “Our democracy has been hacked. The operating system has been taken over.” That was the message former Vice President Al Gore brought to Stanford Tuesday night. In a far-reaching, impassioned call to civic and environmental action, Gore railed against a political system that fails to serve the majority’s interest when it comes to climate change and other pressing issues. 

...elected officials are “beholden” to wealthy corporations in order to campaign effectively via expensive television ads. Television air time dominated by special interests and news media that “do not inform people about serious issues”

Gore and his PEU peers enjoy their preferred "carried interest" taxation to this day.  

There is no AI for how billionaires PEUs avoided taxes, achieved public subsidies, crafted legislation, acquired additional assets, borrowed against them, charged management fees, deal fees, siphoned off special dividends/distributions, employed significant leverage (debt) and kept their byzantine fee arrangements secret.  And I expect there never will be.

The future of PEU healthcare is Blood and Gore.

Politicians Red and Blue love PEU and their new TechGod/CryptoBro brethren.  Increasingly, more are one. 

Note:  Any physical or evil managerial similarity between the "live forever" TechGods and Superman arch villian Lex Luthor is for the reader to appreciate or decide otherwise.

Gore, gore, gore....how do you like it?  How do you like it?