Top news of the day. U.S. midterm elections on November 3, six days away. Hope they are held and results accepted. As I mentioned yesterday, Israel is on a path to select two leaders, prime minister and president. Could be named today, or next week, or by the end of the year. If delayed that long, there will a second set of Knesset elections. In the meantime, Benjamin Netanyahu carries on as Prime Minister. The Federal Reserve voted 10-2 to hold its benchmark interest rate within the current 3.75%-4.00% range, acknowledging that inflation remains elevated. If there was any added hint, it is that further rate hikes will still be coming on top of this high level today. As you know, Kevin Wharsh replaced Jerome Powell as chairman in May. In a way, the roots of this series about the science to stop and reverse began with a posting on 8May2016, more than a decade ago, about how life began. If you click on that article, at the very end I cong...
A lot more happening in Brazil: On Sunday, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva beat Flavio Bolsonaro for the presidency, 51.79% to 48.21% Flavio was favored, and the victory of Lula for his fourth presidency, was a shock to the system. Flavio, who is a Senator, was immune from prosecution until February when his term will expire. So he left the country. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, also went after the loss of his 2022 presidential election. But Jair eventually returned and was given a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup. He is still serving this sentence, but currently at home because of "health" issues. Thus, it's no surprise that Flavio escaped, probably to the USA. This story is just developing. The USA, so far, has been relatively peaceful about the fate of former presidents. South Korea, for example, has tried and judged guilty 4 out the past 6 presidents. Going back to Syngman Rhee in 1948, becoming president there has been an adventurous challenge...