This $400k Graham Hotel Story

 The more I look at this U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham trip to Ukraine (Kiev) and this $411,634 hotel bill....the less I believe the story.

So, the  facts laid out....there's only two hotel possibilities for this stay...the Hilton Kyiv or the 11 Mirrors Design Hotel.

The 11 Mirrors Design Hotel in Kyiv, Ukraine, has a ultra-nice Signature Premium Room....which would run around $320 per night,  The Presidential suite?  The cost is rated at around $1,500 per night....meaning the two night stay would amount to $3k roughly (plus taxes).

The Kiev Hilton rate, for the Presidential suite?  Roughly $2,500 a night.  So for  2 nights....figure $5k to $6k.

So the story makes no sense....unless Graham brought a entourage of forty-odd people along, with all of them drinking expensive booze, eating caviar/Japanese steaks, and served by Kurva-women (Ukrainian word for trampy gals).

Then it occurred to me....normally, you (as a Senator) would  request the Ambassador to arrange your stay.  Some junior gov't guy would be given the task....arranging the hotel stay and security.

The question would be....did the junior guy 'rig' this up, or the Ambassador, and had the 'tab' inflated 1,000-percent? 

The other question I have....why am I  the only one asking the question?  

Three Observations

 1.  Dave Chapple (the black comedian) got interviewed this week....assessing 2016's appearance on Saturday Night Live....election week.

Entire writer's group collapsed in grief as Hillary lost.  Dave is settled down in Ohio, and kinda expected Trump to win.....but he couldn't believe the loss situation and behavior.

I would refer to this as the 'Santa-is-dead' syndrome.  You are led to believe in Santa, and that news  journalists have conditioned you to accept Santa....so when it comes up that either that Santa is non-existent or 'dead'....it's a huge loss in your life.

Since 2016....we've doubled the amount of grief.

2.  Weird interview with Ukraine's Zelensky....he can't understand why Russia won't approach the peace-talks table and give in.

3. At the rate that ICE is showing up at construction sites....there's going to be a construction crisis in major urban areas by mid-summer.  Oddly, we don't have enough American  construction workers.

The Bag-People?

 

This subject comes up....when you see the ancient statues.

What I think was in the bag?  Manuscripts....documents.

If you had a 1,000 page text document....history explained...you'd carry it in a bag.  

I think bright guys (who knew written text)....walked around and told the story of choas and how civilization 'survived'.  They got fed supper, and everyone in a  village would hang out and hear the survivor story/legend.

In the Norse days (Vikings)....the word for a wanderer was 'Skald'...typically a guy who combined stories, poetry,  and history....into one evening and entertained the village-people.

Hotel Story

 Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal....did a trip to Ukraine this past week.....three nights apparently....the hotel bill came to $412,000.

I paused over this.  

That's not the food costs....although they probably had some booze mixed into the bill.  Also, that doesn't include  the limo bill for the visit, or the  business-class tickets  (figure $6k each).

Blumenthal's term ends in early 2029.  Graham would end in early 2026 (he says he's still running....I suspect he's finished at this point).

The two getting executive-class suites?  Yeah.

But here's the thing....if you question  the entire senate for 2025/2026....there's probably a total bill of $10-million for travel (per year).

I paused here.  My wife has a membership in some discount club....where lux-class hotel rooms are desperate to get better numbers.  So about 6 years ago....she found a 5-night deal....typically, it'd be close to $10,000...in Hamburg, but they were willing to cut a deal....lux-class suite....in the range of $1,600 (got you the suite for 5 nights, 5-day travel pass for Hamburg subway, breakfast each day).  

Trying to imagine what the two were thinking when they booked the $100,000 per night room?  

The Russian Bomber Topic

 Did the destruction of the forty-odd Russian bombers amount to anything?

Well....just five observations:

1.  The video is not really that great to say forty are destroyed.  Maybe 40....maybe 30....maybe 20.

2. Most all of the listed bombers are built in the 1970s/1980s....production halted 30-odd years ago.  They could go to the Russian 'boneyard' and bring out 40 replacement bombers....but it'll take at least six months to prep the planes for operation.

3. This attack probably scared the crap out of the US Air Force....proving you could destroy their bombers in the same fashion.

4. All of this begs the question....how many trailers are parked in Russia with drones...awaiting new fresh orders?  A dozen....forty....a hundred?  Then you have to wonder.....is there any real defense that Russia can mount for a similar future attack?

5.  Russian retaliation?  There has to be some massive 24-hour attack with huge results....to get some revenge.

Finally, Putin has a black-eye.....with the public now asking....how safe are  things?  

Just Something To Think About

 What was the original intent of the CIA....when helping to create ISIS?  Well...to fight the evil Shiit Muslims militia.

Who created the evil Shiit Muslim militia?  Well...the CIA....to fight the evil Saddam government.

Who transformed the Saddam government into a strong military?  Well....the CIA....in order to hold back/control....Iran.

Who transformed Iran into a Mullah-republic?  Well....the CIA....to transform the country from crappy public elected officials that they'd  installed twenty years prior.

What's next on the horizon?  Unless Trump reforms the CIA.....some creature-organization will be formed to battle ISIS in some way.  

If you think about it....someone (maybe Putin....maybe China....maybe Blackrock) has figured the formula out, and sent a crew to create radical political landscapes....where the US is continually having to create new Trumpisms....to battle/fight Bidenisms/Obamaisms.  

Five Economic Factors

 1.  Using data from the end of April (2025).....the U.S. inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), is at 2.3-percent, down slightly from 2.4-percent in March 2025.

Driving factors?  Lower gasoline, grocery, and apparel prices have contributed to this disinflationary trend.

2.  Consumer confidence in the US had mixed signals in recent months, but showed a upswing in May 2025.  The Consumer Confidence Index rose to 98.0 in May 2025, up 12.3 points from 85.7 in April, surpassing expectations.  

Big deal after after five consecutive months of declines.

3.   The U.S. trade imbalance, hyped-up for the past decade.....had a change in terms of the trade deficit in goods and services (was $87.6 billion in April 2025...dropping from $140.5 billion in March 2025).  Data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis and the U.S. Census Bureau.

4.  In the past week....Trading Economics reported that egg prices had decreased 56-percent since the beginning of 2025.  Now?  Around $2.52 per dozen wholesale.

5. Mid-May gas pricing across the US?  The average dropped to $3.19 per gallon, an 11.5-percent decrease from $3.61 a year earlier.

Lot of positives, if you just look for them.