EARTHQUAKE, TRUMP, BIDEN, HALEY AND CHINESE NEW YEAR

Whoa, we just had a 6.3 magnitude earthquake close to Loihi, that seamount on the southeast side of the Big Island. The water in my aquarium almost overflowed. I was sitting next to the window and wondered if I should move to the bathroom. It was somewhat scary. Reminded me of the 7.1 earthquake I wrote about in the Huffington Post when I was in Tokyo just after that Great Tohoku Earthquake in 2011.

Donald Trump had a great day yesterday, while Joe Biden did not. He got irritated with the report on his confidential info problem, especially with special investigator Robert Hur, who indicated that perhaps Biden had some memory problems. The matter of his age seems now to be his biggest stumbling block.

Then, there was a poll by NBC showing that he trailed Trump 47% to 42%. Here is where he is hurting the most: 16 points behind Trump on being "competent and effective." In 2020 Biden led on this matter by 9 points. The economy? Trump has a 22-point advantage, 55% to 33%.

Should the Democratic Party be concerned. To the public, yes. In private, probably not at all, for they can can beat Trump on 5November2024, but looks to lose to Nikki Haley if she is the Republican opponent. They want to insure for his landslide victory at the Republican Convention in mid-July, for there are 270 days to election day, and Trump has a few court trials facing him into the near future.

About Halley, she continues to get support from those Republicans who fear Trump being re-elected. They still think Trump will get derailed on his way to Milwaukee in July. Should that occur, Haley should win the Republican nomination. She was just embarrassed in Nevada and will need to weather the upcoming storms in South Carolina on February 24 and Super Tuesday on March 5. Her fate, and that of the nation, depend on what the Supreme Court does.

I'll close this week with an alert that tonight is Chinese New Year Eve. This will be my year, the Dragon. The official Chinese calendar for 2024 starts tomorrow, February 10, and there is a public holiday for a whole week until the 17th. Then, many add on another week for family doings. If you're in China, avoid the train station today, and next weekend.

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