THE FIRST FEMALE PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN

But before I get into Sanae Takaichi, the first female prime minister of Japan, the latest news of the day.

• Did you know that the meaning of trumpery is worthless nonsense?  Term has long been in this dictionary:

Trumpery - as defined by Merriam-Webster: "The meaning of TRUMPERY is worthless nonsense." 

1. Showy but worthless finery; bric-a-brac. 
2. Nonsense; rubbish. 
3. Deception; trickery; fraud.

• While the world turns with not much peace, and the U.S. still in government shutdown, Wall Street is breaking all time high records.

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 82.92 points, or 1.23%, to end at 6,874.61 points, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 431.22 points, or 1.86%, to 23,636.09. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 333.87 points, or 0.71%, to 47,540.99.

• 
  However, last time I checked, gold prices today tumbled by 3% to just below $4000/ounce, a sign that there just might be a solution to sanity with China tariffs, while silver was down by almost 3.5% to $47/oz.

• 
  Is there peace in the Gaza Strip?  According to the The Guardian, no:

Donald Trump insists the war in Gaza is over. No, it isn’t. The violence is much reduced. Yet Israeli forces have reportedly killed about 100 Palestinians and wounded hundreds more since the 10 October ceasefire began. Food aid supplies are still heavily restricted. The occupation continues, in Gaza and the West Bank. US officials fear prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his accomplices may renege on the deal, as in the past.

Likewise, Hamas elements and rival gangs have kept fighting. The terrorist group is not disarming; Israeli forces have not fully withdrawn to the agreed lines. US-framed security, governance and reconstruction proposals remain vague, hypothetical and contentious. The war’s root causes, principally the denial of Palestinian sovereignty and statehood, are not addressed. Unless that changes, it will all kick off again, sooner or later.

• 
  The end of the Ukraine-Russia War?  Not close.  According to Time:

The relationship between Washington, D.C., and Moscow appears to be increasingly strained, as the U.S. announced significant sanctions against Russia last week, targeting the country’s main two oil firms and their subsidiaries.

​​“I just felt it was time. We waited a long time. I thought that we’d go long before the Middle East,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Oct. 23.

• 
  At least there is no hot war involving China.  That Taiwan issue remains a concern, but the current issue has to do with 130% tariffs Trump placed on China.  
• Trump arrived in Japan today for a 5-day Asian trip, will go on to Malaysia, and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in Busan.
• There supposedly is now a framework for a trade deal between China and the USA.  
• However, according to Time:

Why Any Deal at the Trump-Xi Summit is Unlikely to Last.

So about Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

• 64-year old Sanae Takaichi has worked in politics since 1993, and on October 21 became Japan's first female prime minister.
• She was born and raised in Nara, and graduated from Kobe University.
• She spent two years from 1987 as a congressional fellow for Democratic congresswoman Pat Schroeder.

• 
  Upon return, she wrote a book about this experience, then became known as a TV personality, leading to her political career.
• She lost in her first election, but went on to become a congress lady.

• 
  In 2004 she married fellow House of Representatives member Taku Yamamoto, who previously had three children.  They divorced in 2017, but remarried in 2021.  He is now partially paralyzed, and she is his caregiver.

• 
  Very conservative, and the fact that she makes regular visits to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine says a lot about her.  I've been there, but I'm not a Japanese politician, and went to see the cherry blossoms in bloom.

• 
  Is a fan of horse racing, heavy metal and Japanese rock. Drove a motorcycle and owned a 1991 Toyota Supra (I did too, the car part).  Played drums and piano in her youth.  Practices judo and karate.

There was no new Saturday Night Live show this weekend.  

• However, the November 1 SNL will have actor Miles Teller as host and Brandi Carlile as the musical guest.  She was alongside Elton John and host JackBlack this past spring on SNL.  

• 
  Got to add my favorite SNL cold opening from 8 years ago, featuring Melissa McCarthy as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.  There were 20,749 comments.  
• Another appearance.  Only got 11,836 comments.  

• 
  A third one.  7,482 comments.  
• You ask, who is Sean Spicer?  Watch his greatest hits.  1,496 comments.

• 
  That wasn't funny at all, so here are the five funniest sketches and impersonations on SNL by Melissa.
• Melissa McCarthy actually appeared 11 times on Saturday Night Live.

Coincidentally, there is Hurricane Melissa, which is now the strongest ocean storm of 2025!  She is a super hurricane at 175 MPH, and is already beginning to lash Jamaica.  NOAA's hurricane hunter aircraft, and, as you know, they are today not getting paid, just flew into the hurricane and recorded winds of 220 MPH a few thousand feet above sea level.  Expected are 40 inches of rain, a 13-foot storm surge and sustained winds of 160 MPH. 

-