"The president speaks for himself"

There's been so much sad news lately, it's hard to keep up. Right now, there's even fear of an explosion in a plant near Houston (in Crosby, Texas) due to hurricane Harvey's floodwaters. A reaction in that chemical plant lead to smoke and fumes in the area. There's the uneasy feeling that an already bad situation can become infinitely worse. So amidst all the bad news, I had not been able to fully comprehend what Rex Tillerson said in an interview a few days ago:

'The president speaks for himself': Rex Tillerson distances himself from Trump

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/27/rex-tillerson-donald-trump-charlottesville

'Days after an official White House statement attributed to Trump blamed the violence “on many sides”, Trump went further in a testy exchange with reporters.

“You had a group on one side that was bad and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent,” Trump said. Both sides included “very bad people”, the president added, saying those gathered for the far-right rally, ostensibly to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E Lee, included many “fine people”.

Asked if such remarks made it harder for him to represent America abroad, Tillerson said: “I don’t believe anyone doubts the American people’s values or the commitment of the American government or the government’s agencies to advancing those values and defending those values.”

“And the president’s values?” asked Chris Wallace, the Fox news anchor.

Tillerson replied: “The president speaks for himself.”'

This is a remarkable statement given that Tillerson is Trump's own secretary of state. It's as if John Kerry had tried to distance himself from Barack Obama.

But as far as American values, they can mean many things across many generations. But at this moment (today) what American values mean for me (especially given the recent events following hurricane "Harvey") is civilians, emergency, medical, & military personnel in Texas risking their lives (some lost their lives) rescuing complete strangers regardless of race, sex, or nationality. If you contrast helping your brothers-&-sisters-in-need, with Trump's remarks following the murder in Charlottesville where the Donald said there were "fine people" in the crowd of nazis & white supremacists, you can better understand Tillerson's statement.  

But who is Tillerson? He's the former CEO of ExxonMobil. 
So then you may ask; how did he end up as Trump's secretary of state? Well, Trump appears to have no ideology whatsoever (except wanting to "win" & blaming minorities for everything) so Tillerson was probably assigned by some wealthy-republican-oilman donor. 

It seems to me, Tillerson, even though he's in it for the money/power & for gutting regulations for big oil (as well as helping his oil-industry buddies), is probably nevertheless a man with common sense who looks at Trump (like the rest of us) & is disgusted by the Donald's erratic behavior (or is tired of defending the indefensible (or both)).  

U.S. economic growth hits 3%

While the tragedy known as hurricane "Harvey" unfolds in the Gulf coast of the United States, on much less critically urgent (but still important) news, today the government reported that GDP increased at a better-than-expected 3% annual rate in the second quarter:

http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/30/news/economy/gdp-second-quarter-economy-3-percent/index.html

"Economic growth hit 3%, according to revised estimates released by the government on Wednesday. 

That's the strongest growth since the first quarter of 2015. It's more than double the pace of the first three months of 2017 and better than original estimates for the second quarter. The government initially pegged second-quarter growth at 2.6% in July.

The economic momentum was driven by stronger consumer spending and healthier business investment."

As noted in the last paragraph of the excerpt (linked above), there's strong agreement (from the news reports I've read) that strong consumer spending activity is driving the economic momentum:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/business/economy/gdp.html?mcubz=1

"The improvement was driven in large part by strong consumer activity, with purchases of durable goods like automobiles and appliances rising strongly. Increased business spending also helped lift the latest estimate above Commerce Department’s initial reading of 2.6 percent for the quarter.

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Most economists are expecting the economy to expand at a rate of roughly 3 percent in the second half of 2017. That pace should be strong enough to keep job growth and wages on track for further gains, while keeping the threat of inflation modest for now.

Besides wild cards like Hurricane Harvey’s impact on a broad swath of the Gulf Coast, and political uncertainty about issues like tax reform and a possible increase in infrastructure spending, traders are also keeping an eye on the Federal Reserve."

Now, we all know Trump will probably take credit for the increase in GDP (with a tweet, most likely). However, economic reality is never that easy (as the NYTimes explains):

"It will take more than one quarter’s data for the White House or congressional Republicans to be able to claim credit for lifting the economy’s growth trajectory. Under President Barack Obama in 2013 and 2014, quarterly growth occasionally exceeded 3 percent. But, in contrast to what happened during recoveries in the 1990s and mid-2000s, annual growth never passed that threshold."

Also, Warren Buffett (of all people) gives voice to the workers who've not yet felt the benefits of an improving economy (since there've been no further wage gains) :

"Warren Buffett: This doesn't feel like a 3% GDP economy"

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/30/warren-buffett-this-doesnt-feel-like-a-3-percent-gdp-economy.html

"The government reported on Wednesday that GDP increased at a better-than-expected 3.0 percent annual rate in the second quarter. The upward revision from the 2.6 percent pace reported last month reflected robust consumer spending as well as strong business investment. Economists had expected a 2.7 percent advance.

"I would guess we're in a 2 percent growth economy now," Buffett said in interviews on "Squawk Alley" and "Squawk on the Street." "Every now and then we think it's accelerating. And every now and then that maybe there's a double dip or something. It just seems to be a couple of percent."

"If we have 2 percent for a generation, 25 years, you would have a $19,000 GDP gain per person in the United States," added the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway."

"$19,000" GDP gain per person". Let's do hope the economy keeps improving because (as mentioned before) right now increased GDP is not translating into higher wages for all workers.

Politics, U.S. taxpayers, and Hurricane Harvey

According to the NYTimes: "the Houston area looks like an inland sea dotted by islands":
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/us/houston-flooding-harvey.html
& (I think) as a result, even Texas politicians from the right, like Greg Abbott appeared (consciously or unconsciously) to (maybe) acknowledge the new reality (following Harvey's devastation) from this next phase of climate-change:

'It is “one of the largest disasters America has ever faced,” Gov. Greg Abbott said, warning against expecting anything resembling recovery any time soon, or a return to the way things were. “We need to recognize it will be a new normal, a new and different normal for this entire region.”'

Still, I was surprised to see that some right-wing twitter users are already blaming everything (the massive tragedy & the ongoing conditions in Houston following Harvey's "Biblical flooding") on Houston mayor Sylvester Turner. But absurd accusations aside, "Harvey" will be a test for all government officials (from Trump on down) because this catastrophe will not only affect Texas & its economy but also the U.S. economy at large.

U.S. taxpayers will bear the financial burden of the rebuilding after Harvey's devastation, which is fine but it's hypocritical how some Texas senators like Ted Cruz: 
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/08/heres_how_ted_cruz_reacted_to_sandy_aid_hypocrite.html opposed similar aid measures after hurricane Sandy wrecked havoc in New Jersey. Nevertheless, Texas senators will now seek federal aid for Harvey's victims (which ultimately they should receive).

The NYTimes also has an article titled: "Homeowners (and taxpayers) face billions in losses from Harvey flooding" with more information about the kinds of costs we (taxpayers) face in the near future:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/business/dealbook/flood-insurance-harvey.html

"Hurricane Harvey may inflict as much as $30 billion in damages on homeowners, according to preliminary estimates. But only 40 percent of that total may be covered by insurance — and of that, the federal government will bear the biggest liability.

Private homeowners’ policies generally cover wind damage and, in certain cases, water damage from storm surges. But for almost half a century, all other homeowners’ flood coverage has been underwritten by the National Flood Insurance Program, a federal program that itself faces financial uncertainty.

Flooding has dealt the hurricane’s biggest blow. And in areas where it is prudent — or even obligatory — to buy it, having flood coverage is the exception rather than the norm.

Homeowners in areas designated as 100-year flood zones are required to hold policies from the federal program. But in practice, the requirement is difficult to enforce and most people — including in eastern Texas — fail to buy coverage or let their policies lapse by not keeping up on the premiums."

The economic impact of hurricane "Harvey"

By now, we all know Hurricane "Harvey" will have a devastating economic impact on Texas oil & on the U.S. economy. There will be countless negative consequences from this monster of a storm: mainly & most importantly; the human tragedy. However, the storm did happen, so we can also analyze what could be considered (given the catastrophic consequences) positive activity after the devastation. For example: the eventual economic growth due to new construction in the coming years. 

This article from the NYTimes explains some of the potential impact:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/business/economy/texas-hurricane-harvey-economic-impact.html

"Despite wobbly oil prices, local job growth has accelerated, along with continued improvement in home sales and construction. The number of Texas oil rigs has been rising over the past year, giving a big lift to exploration and chemical manufacturing jobs. Now, however, the Houston area could sustain billions to tens of billions in lost economic activity.

Those losses will be seen in homes not purchased, sales not closed, gas not bought or shipped. Hundreds of thousands are without power, and there will be lost wages from people whose employers are shut down or who can’t get to work."

Another pressing question is; what will happen to gas prices?

"The Houston metropolitan area, the nation’s fifth largest, accounted for 2.9 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product as of 2015, and that figure is almost certainly higher today. A good amount of that comes from trade: Texas accounts for about half of petroleum and gas exports, along with about a fifth of chemical exports.

“Since the Port Arthur refining complex is the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in the world, this will no doubt impact gasoline and chemicals prices,” said Brett Ryan, senior United States economist at Deutsche Bank."

The Houston Chronicle has some additional information about 
the disruption in the oil & gas industry:  

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/Health-care-companies-lead-stocks-higher-gas-12045379.php

"STORMY WEATHER: Tropical Storm Harvey continued to hit parts of Texas with historically heavy rains. The National Weather Service says some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches of rain before the storm abates, which isn't expected to happen for days. The storm has shut down Texas' oil and gas industry, and S&P Global analysts said about 2.2 million barrels per day of refining capacity was down or being brought down by Sunday."

"Wholesale gasoline futures rose 4 percent, or 2.4 percent, to $1.58 a gallon. Refining companies climbed, as they stand to benefit from higher gas prices." 

As far as the markets: the S&P as well as the dow ended lower because of (among other issues) the price of oil:
http://www.reuters.com/article/global-markets-idUSL2N1LE0WV?feedType=RSS&feedName=usDollarRpt

"U.S. crude oil futures fell on Monday but gasoline prices surged to 2-year highs as Tropical Storm Harvey kept hammering the U.S. Gulf Coast, knocking out several refineries which backed up crude supplies and disrupted fuel production."

As already mentioned, while the price of oil dropped, U.S. gasoline soared (which does not bode well for U.S. motorists like me; which is the least important point of this post given the ongoing tragedy in Texas). Nevertheless, explanation (of why oil went down while gasoline went up) below; 
"Why oil prices are sinking as gasoline soars after Harvey"

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/why-oil-prices-are-sinking-as-gasoline-soars-after-harvey-2017-08-28

“West Texas oil futures fell as the market expects that refineries will demand less oil as they take weeks, maybe longer, to come back on line,” said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at Price Futures Group, in a note. “Brent crude on the other hand stayed stronger as the U.S. will demand product from Europe as well as some shut down of Libyan oil production over the weekend.”

CNN's coverage of the catastrophic flooding in Houston

Today, like a lot of Americans, I spent a good amount of time watching news channels. 

And I gotta say; despite Trump always labeling CNN as "fake news", CNN proved its value during natural disasters & provided (at times) compelling coverage of the catastrophic flooding in Houston (like the elderly couple rescued from flooded home by a  volunteer & CNN crew): http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/08/27/harvey-houston-flood-rescue-dickinson-lavandera-vo.cnn

& speaking of valuable journalism, the NY Times has free digital access to coverage of the storm: 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/27/us/hurricane-harvey-texas.html

"HOUSTON — What felt like an apocalyptic onslaught of pounding rains and rapidly rising floodwaters brought the nation’s fourth-largest-city to its knees Sunday, as highways and residential streets turned to rivers, waist-high waters choked off access to homes and hospitals and officials begged boat owners to pitch in with a massive and frantic rescue operation.

It was a scene that evoked Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana in 2005, with worried residents punching holes in roofs in anticipation of the water rising even higher and people being rescued by helicopters from soggy rooftops."

I'm writing about the TV coverage of the storm, because it's too early for me to discuss what effect this catastrophic flooding will have on politics. The rain is expected to continue so the crisis is not over yet. In addition, the hard part of dealing with the storm's aftermath (relocation, clean-up, claim payouts, etc.) still lies ahead.  

Hiking to relieve stress

I didn't watch the news this morning. I basically woke up (later than I wanted) & went hiking.
I even took a picture of this fat (or slightly overweight) squirrel:

It was peaceful (in a way) to be outdoors, away from the news & away from work. Apparently, hiking does relieve stress:
http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/hiking-relieves-stress-4601.html
"Hiking's effectiveness as a stress-relief technique comes from a combination of healthy things that hiking rolls into one. Between aerobic exercise, naturally calming surroundings and the freedom to think and relax freely for extended periods of time, hiking is one of the most effective methods for combating stress on a regular basis."

"One of the strongest ways hiking can relieve stress is through relaxation. Although hiking is aerobic exercise, it need not be strenuous, so it can help tremendously in promoting relaxation through a direct experience of nature up close. The American Public Health Association confirms that just being around nature is enough to markedly increase in relaxation, which helps relieve stress."

But nothing lasts forever, when I came back home & turned on the TV, this is what CNN was reporting:

It appears all the predictions about catastrophic rains were right. So now, there are several questions & no easy answers: do we have a Katrina-type tragedy on our hands? If so, what does that mean for our leadership? What will it mean for the economy? For the future? For real estate? 

Katrina had wide-ranging consequences which even affected my city of Phoenix: many people from New Orleans, Louisiana relocated here. But this storm ("Harvey") is affecting a bigger area (Houston) & it is not over yet. Let's hope circumstances improve. 
I'll be writing more about it later today.

Race & the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight

I just read a NYTimes article about the deliberate racial themes of the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight:

"Mayweather Sees a Racial Double Standard in Megafight vs. McGregor"

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/sports/mayweather-mcgregor-fight-race.html

'“If it’s an antagonistic fight between two blacks, it’s one thing,” King said in a recent interview. “But if it’s an antagonistic fight between a white and a black, then you can play the race card tremendously and get an overwhelming return.”

Such deliberate racial themes, long a tradition in boxing, might not be laid out quite as starkly on Saturday night when the boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., who is black, and the mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, who is white, square off in Las Vegas in a boxing match.

But race has certainly influenced this spectacle of a bout between two titans of their respective sports in ways both stark and subtle."

"...racial friction has frequently been embedded in boxing, and sometimes used to make money.'

Everybody is always looking for ways to make money, so I'm not surprised (though I am disappointed) that racial friction is being used for this very purpose in Trump's America. But I'm not gonna be like the Donald & say "there's not a racist bone in my body". Because we all have some degree of conscious & unconscious racist feelings (although some people are just plain racists) & there are many reasons why we're suspicious of one another: insecurity, fear, learned behavior, isolation, etc. Thankfully, most of us use common sense to deal with one another because everybody is different, & we all know you can't determine whether a person is decent or not just based on that person's race alone. I've had issues with people of all races, at the same time I've been treated fairly by people of all races too.

But back to the Mayweather vs. McGregor fight (besides the irresponsibility of creating racial friction), the main problem for me is the fact I don't really like either fighter. 

I rarely watch mixed-martial-arts so I don't know much about McGregor except the fact he told Mayweather to "dance for me, boy" which is a very stupid & reckless thing for a Caucasian to say to an African-American boxer. But as far as Mayweather, the last boxing match of his I watched was against Pacquiao where he ran for most of the fight. I remember having to call the cable company a week after the fight for an unrelated issue and the automated system had an option for (something along the lines of) "those wanting to complain about the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight" (Though I'm sure the cable company didn't refund shit). Regardless, it still would've been interesting for me to watch the Mayweather vs McGregor fight if I thought it'd be a competitive match: but most experts agree Mayweather will win (but we'll see).

The fight I am interested in watching is Canelo vs GGG where to be 100% honest I'll probably root for Canelo BECAUSE I've followed the ups & downs of his fighting career. Thought I'm sure some of you prob think I'll root for Canelo because he's a Latino. He's definitely Latino (born in Mexico), but he looks like a white Irish boxer, so there you go...

Update at 9:57pm AZ time: Mayweather defeated McGregor by 10th round TKO (like everyone said. Nevertheless, people spent $100).

Trump indulta a "el Arpaio" (En Español)

Todavia pudieras decir que en la mente torcida de Arpaio, el pensaba que lo que estaba haciendo estaba bien. 

O tambien puede ser que Arpaio se justificaba a el mismo como un oportunista. Un oportunista que vio venir el resentimiento en contra de los Latinos antes que otros politicos de la ultra-derecha como Trump, y se aprovecho de ello para mantenerse en el poder por 24 años.

Sin embargo (quisiera pensar), que una vez que Arpaio se dio cuenta de que por culpa de sus tacticas hasta la corte lo encontro culpable de desacato al tribunal (y los votantes no toleraron tal corrupcion y lo sacaron de su posicion de sheriff); quisiera pensar que una vez que se dio cuenta de todo esto, a "el Arpaio" no le debe de haber quedado duda que lo que estaba haciendo no era para el bien de la comunidad, ni para el bien del pais (ni tampoco constitucional).

Pero tomando todo esto en cuenta, y despues de todo lo que ha pasado, que excusa tiene Trump? 

Trump ya sabía del historial toxico entre el sheriff Arpaio y la comunidad Latina de Arizona. Trump tambien ya sabía la decision de la corte y la decision de los votantes. Entonces, por que Trump esta otorgando el indulto a "el Arpaio"?

Para simplificar las cosas: al saber la decision de la corte, Trump ya sabe que lo que Arpaio estaba haciendo no era legal (ni constitucional).

Entonces solo queda la otra opcion: Trump es un oportunista que quiere seguir los pasos de Arpaio usando el resentimiento a los Latinos para mantenerse en el poder.   

El NYTimes tiene un editorial excelente que llega a la misma conclusion mia (y la de cualquier persona con sentido comun).
Le recomiendo leerlo (aunque esta en Ingles):

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/24/opinion/joe-arpaio-trump-pardon.html  

"The bromance between “America’s toughest sheriff,” as Mr. Arpaio liked to call himself, and America’s toughest-talking presidential candidate should have surprised no one. Both men built their brands by exploiting racial resentments of white Americans. While Mr. Trump was beginning his revanchist run for the White House on the backs of Mexican “rapists,” Mr. Arpaio was terrorizing brown-skinned people across southern Arizona, sweeping them up in “saturation patrols” and holding them in what he referred to as a “concentration camp” for months at a time.

It was this behavior that a federal judge in 2011 found to be unconstitutional and ordered Mr. Arpaio to stop. He refused, placing himself above the law and the Constitution that he had sworn to uphold.

That alone would be reason enough to deny him a pardon..."

Gorka is pushed out by Kelly, Arpaio is pardoned by Trump, & hurricane "Harvey" reaches cat 4

Upon watching the footage above on TV this evening, I thought the news tonight would be all about hurricane "Harvey" with nothing from the world of politics.

But I was wrong.

Alt-righter Gorka "resigned" from the white House which should have been good news for everybody; he was obviously pushed out by General Kelly who's trying to get rid of the fringe element. But at the same time, bad news is the "emperor" of the alt-right, Donald Trump, announced he pardoned Arpaio. The Donald clearly advertising to Bob Mueller that he's not afraid to use his power to undermine the law. 

In an interview on MSNBC, Bob Bauer (white house counsel to Obama), stated that in his use of the pardon, Trump apparently did not follow a formal review process, & had no recommendation from the department of Justice, as well as was indifferent to the circumstances of a hurricane making landfall in Texas. The pardon of Arpaio is an attack on the Latino community here in Phoenix as well as to Latinos nationwide (I will write more about it in Spanish in an accompanying post later tonight).

& as I mentioned before, also happening tonight, a cat 4 hurricane has made landfall in Texas.

"Katrina, did you see her? White folks worry 'bout them fuckin' misdemeanor. While black people dyin' in that Goddamn arena": the great lyricist Ice Cube brought the ineptitude of the W Bush administration into focus with that rhyme from "Growin' Up": a rhyme from a song which somehow got stuck in my head tonight. Maybe because I remember the chaos after Katrina. I was young but I still got to know people who were displaced by the storm & relocated to Phoenix.

Now it appears another Katrina-like storm has made landfall in Texas. But this time, there's no excuse for Trump to mishandle the response. More than a decade after Katrina's devastation, the aftermath of that natural disaster should have been a cautionary tale for every politician holding office, especially the one holding the highest office of the United States.

Markets & gasoline prices as tropical storm Harvey intensifies

We had a storm here in Phoenix last night, with strong wind & rain. The wind was so strong in fact, I was afraid my trees were going to succumb to the storm. But fortunately, none of my trees were toppled, & plants stayed in place.  

But obviously, that was nothing compared to what's heading towards Texas:
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-weather/hurricanes/article/Harvey-impacts-Texas-Latest-tropical-weather-11953474.php:

"Tropical Storm Harvey is strengthening as it heads toward the Texas Coast and is expected to make landfall Friday as a Category 3 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said Thursday morning."

Harvey is also threatening one third of US refining capacity, thus:
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/24/tropical-storm-harvey-heads-for-texas-may-become-hurricane.html

"U.S. benchmark gasoline prices hit a three-week high on Thursday as the storm took aim at the center of the country's refining industry.

The storm has also forced energy companies including Royal Dutch Shell,Anadarko Petroleum and Exxon Mobil to evacuate staff from oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Hurricane, tropical storm and storm surge watches were in effect for counties along the Gulf Coast.

The biggest threat from Harvey is not its strong winds but the heavy rain, according to NHC forecaster Dennis Feltgen."

Despite all of this, the preparedness of FEMA under Trump remains to be seen. For now, they're sending supplies: 

"FEMA Sending Supplies to South Texas Ahead 

of Harvey"

http://www.nbcdfw.com/weather/stories/FEMA-Sending-Supplies-to-South-Texas-Ahead-of-Harvey-441564043.html

"As Tropical Storm Harvey bears down on the Texas Gulf Coast, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending supplies from its warehouse in Fort Worth to a staging point at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio.

The supplies, which would be used to help people affected by the storm, include about 250,000 meals, 77,000 liters of water and 4,000 tarps."

I do hope the best for the people of Texas. 

& on a much lesser scale; personally, I'll probably go get gasoline this evening just in case.  

Markets fell today as Trump threatened government shutdown

I had a hard time getting to work this morning because of Trump's ego-boosting campaign stop here last night. I had the misfortune of driving from the north-eastern part of the city towards downtown Phoenix at the same time as the Trump motorcade & of course, traffic was horrible. All of it, because Trump decided to have a rally where he spoke such nonsense, even some of his supporters left early because they were bored:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/08/23/as-trump-ranted-and-rambled-in-phoenix-his-crowd-slowly-thinned/

"But as the night dragged on, many in the crowd lost interest in what the president was saying.

Hundreds left early, while others plopped down on the ground, scrolled through their social media feeds or started up a conversation with their neighbors. After waiting for hours in 107-degree heat to get into the rally hall — where their water bottles were confiscated by security — people were tired and dehydrated and the president just wasn't keeping their attention. Although Trump has long been the master of reading the mood of a room and quickly adjusting his message to satisfy as many of his fans as possible, his rage seemed to cloud his senses."

But back to Trump's motorcade heading out of town this morning (which was the reason I & many others were late for work today & the reason why f'n traffic was horrible): all those workers being late, I wonder how much money it will cost Phoenix in lost productivity?

But Trump wasn't just affecting Phoenix, he was also affecting the economy in general. Apparently, worries about politics (& what Trump said here in Phoenix last night) are affecting the markets. The Dow Jones fell to 21,812.09 (despite all the fanfare about it passing the 22,000 milestone a few weeks ago):  

"US Stock Indexes Sag as a Two-Day Rally Peters Out"

https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/08/23/us/ap-financial-markets.html

"Worries about politics were a big reason for the market's stumbles in recent weeks. In Washington, the concern is about whether the government can push through tax cuts and other pro-business policies that were considered slam dunks early this year. Now, the market seems to have little to no expectation for much help coming from Washington, said Katie Nixon, chief investment officer at Northern Trust Wealth Management."

"In a speech late Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that "if we have to close down our government, we're building that wall" that he wants on the border between Mexico and the United States. He also said that he thinks the U.S. government will "end up probably terminating" the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, though he also said that he has yet to make up his mind."

So according to the Donald, now we're paying for the wall (not Mexico as promised by Trump). & if we don't, Trump will shut down the government (another broken promise by a business-as-usual politician). 

But enough about Trump. 

Market futures, for now, are down. Nevertheless, most major indexes in Asia made gains despite Wall Street falling:

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/23/asia-markets-focus-on-trump-remarks-dollar-jackson-hole.html

"With little data due to be released during the Asian trading session, markets are likely to return their focus on a central banking conference in Jackson Hole beginning Thursday U.S. time.

"A sense of anticipation can be felt across the financial markets ahead of the Jackson Hole Symposium later this week," said FXTM research analyst Lukman Otunuga in a Wednesday evening note."

As noted in the last two articles linked above, markets are looking forward to the symposium where the heads of the Federal Reserve and the European Central bank are expected to speak tomorrow in Wyoming. And afterwards, investors will be expected to respond accordingly if any new policy messaging is delivered. 

Trump rally in Phoenix

All morning, I'd been debating whether to go to downtown Phoenix (after work) to witness the "activities" around the Trump rally. I was having second thoughts, because apparently, many downtown businesses & county offices announced plans to close early:

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/downtown-phoenix-offices-businesses-restaurants-bars-closed-trump-rally-9615480

"The city has already announced that it plans to close the streets surrounding the Phoenix Convention Center, and additional traffic restrictions will be in place on Washington, Jefferson, and Van Buren streets. While doors don't open until 4 p.m. and the rally doesn't start until 7, it's safe to say that downtown will be crawling with cops and Secret Service agents all day long.

And at worst, clashes between protesters and Trump supporters (some of whom plan to come armed) could lead to Charlottesville-style violence.

A number of county offices and downtown businesses have already announced plans to close early on Tuesday, citing road closures and parking restrictions." 

Then I read the NYTimes which gave an indication of the groups that were planning to attend:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/22/us/trumps-rally-in-arizona-what-you-need-to-know.html?mcubz=0

"Several opposition rallies and marches have been planned, according to the Arizona Republic. By Tuesday, more than 3,900 people had indicated on Facebook that they would attend one event, Protest Trump Downtown Phoenix, across the street from the convention center. Another 2,700 said they planned to attend White Supremacy Will Not Be Pardoned, organized by the Puente Human Rights Movement.

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Another rally, Never Again: Jews and Allies Against Hate, was planned by David Schapira, a Tempe city councilman, and State Senator Robert Meza for the State Capitol earlier in the afternoon. A church in Phoenix also scheduled a march from the convention center to the Capitol Tuesday evening.

The Phoenix New Times reported that one group associated with the anti-fascist, or antifa, movement had called for “an anti-fascist & anti-colonial contingent against Trump’s rally” on Tuesday."

So I decided to go.

From the eastern part of the valley, I rode the light-rail (which was packed as it always is during big events) to downtown Phoenix. 
I was surprised that the light-rail did not stop at the station next to the convention center. But apparently, the police did not want protesters (which our train was filled with) to confront Trump supporters.

We stopped at the next station and walked a few blocks back to the convention center. For a moment, I was at the other side of the police line facing the anti-Trump protesters:

     

The police officers told us to keep moving so I walked with some
people to the other side to stand with the anti-Trump protesters:  

I stood with the protesters (everything was peaceful). But then I heard a commotion.

Right after I took the picture above, protesters started running towards the location where I was standing because the police sprayed tear gas into the crowd. I saw the thick cloud of tear gas approaching me so I ran as well. Still, some of the tear gas got to me so I coughed for a while and had to spit as well.

I watched a recap of the Trump speech after I got home where he was making fun of how small the crowd of counter-protesters were. If the crowd was so "small", why did the police spray tear gas to disperse it? 

I gotta say, I was disappointed with the overwhelming response (because we were peaceful). Granted, I did not know what was happening with the protesters who were closer to the convention center. However, the crowd I was with, did not deserve to be tear gased for just exercising a constitutional right. But I guess that's just life under the Trump administration.