Chaos
POSTNOTE April 27: A week ago today I learned of the death of a colleague staff member at Education Minnesota, Angel Morales. Here is the obit. I really hardly knew Angel – he came on staff a year or two before I retired (2000) and his assignment was to the Rochester local, outside the Twin Cities. But I did know him. I would really encourage your reading the obit, especially his request at the end. I didn’t ‘connect the dots until this morning, when local police officers descended on my walking area for some area training. They were all wearing black. The obit and the training brought into focus another reality. Your choice to read or not. I hope you do.
5:34 a.m. Sunday April 26, 2026
I wasn’t especially interested, but we were going to watch the White House Correspondents Dinner last night starting at 7 p.m. CDT.
Apparently it had very limited play on TV. I know it was being carried live on CNN and MS Now.
I watched for about the first hour, then went to bed. Life is too short to spend the night with speculation about who, what, when, where, why, how the drama unfolded, though the issue in the broadest sense is certainly important.
Stay tuned.
8:06 a.m. April 26: I printed out and read at coffee this overnight post from Heather Cox Richardson, received in my inbox at 12:09 a.m. It speaks for itself. This story is just beginning.
4:50 p.m. April 26: Here are two brief comments from folks I consider to be very reliable and well informed sources of information, far above my pay grade: Joyce Vance, this morning, and Robert Reich, this afternoon. I expect this story will have legs. Stay tuned.
8:00 p.m., April 26: 24 hours ago we were watching the beginning of the Correspondents Dinner program. Joyce Vance filed her update at 6:30 p.m. At 6 p.m. CBS 60 Minutes opened with Norah O’Donnell interviewing the President. The segment is worth watching. The following segment, an interview with former Nebraska U.S. Senator Ben Sass is also worthwhile. He is a young – 54 years – man with terminal cancer; a conservative with a message to everyone regardless of party.
2:14 a.m., April 27, 2026: Heather Cox Richardson April 26.
I basically note that President 47 has a single default position: the opposition is enemy, to take no prisoners. Bad news is always their fault, This might seem to work in cutthroat business, but it is destructive to a society where people of differing points of view need to live together. It is destructive for him to blame people like myself – Democrats, liberals, progressives – for all his problems, when he is the one who acts as a dictator, incites division, and complains when his opponents fight back. His is not a recipe for a healthy community – country, state, town. But he is not inclined to learn. There is much more to say, but let this suffice.
*
I invited a few folks from outside the U.S. to comment if they wished.
from Remi in Canada (see also comment at end of post):
Comparison of Firearm Deaths (Recent Annual Data)
The following table summarizes the most recent available annual statistics for total gun-related deaths and specific homicide counts for 2024.
| Country | Year | Total Gun Deaths | Gun Homicides | Death Rate (per 100k) |
| United States | 2024 | 44,447 | 15,364 | 12.8 |
| Canada | 2024 | ~800 | 286 | 0.69 |
| United Kingdom | 2024 | ~130–160 | ~30 | 0.25
|
from Chris in France:
from SAK in British Isles:
As all leaders & politicians have said: happy nobody was injured or killed.
In the UK there are questions being asked as to whether King Charles III should be around President Trump – safety concerns regarding the coming visit.
Trump accused Europe of being “weak” and in “decay” because countries are too focused on being “politically correct”.
Trump: “If you look at Sweden, Sweden was known as the safest country in Europe, one of the safest countries in the world,” Trump said. “Now it’s known as a very unsafe, well, quite unsafe country. It’s hard to believe that’s true; it’s a completely different country.”
According to recent statistics, Sweden has 1.15 murders annually per 100,000 citizens which is less than the safest state in the US (New Hampshire: 1.9).
District of Columbia, where the White House & the Washington Hilton are, has 33.1 murders per 100,000 annually.
Yesterday at the Washington Hilton, District of Columbia, happily nobody was injured . . .
House speaker Mike Johnson said on X that he and his wife were at the gala and were “thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe”.
“We’re grateful as always for the law enforcement and first responders who acted so quickly to bring the situation under control. Praying for our country tonight,” Johnson said.
There will come a time when gun laws will change in the US. A question of when.
Same applies to the current US administration: will President Trump last the term & will Republicans lose control . . . a question of when.
Comparison of Firearm Deaths.
The following table summarizes the most recent available annual statistics for total gun-related deaths and specific homicide counts for 2024.
Country Total Gun Deaths Gun Homicides Death Rate (per 100k)
United States 44,447 15,364 12.8
Canada ~800 286 0.69
United Kingdom ~130–160 ~30 0.25
There are too many guns in the good old USA