In other news, the New York attorney general's office has filed a lawsuit against Exxon-Mobil. The lawsuit accuses Exxon of defrauding their own shareholders by lying to them about the financial risks of climate change.
Meanwhile, home sales have fallen to their lowest level in two years because of inflation and rising interest rates. Home sales are down over 13 percent for the year.
Finally, defense industry lobbyists are swarming Washington to save arms sales to Saudi Arabia according to Reuters.
Working behind the scenes in Washington, a defense industry group has circulated talking points to industry executives, focusing on the importance of arms sales to U.S. allies. Companies hope to preserve the deals on the Saudi list with near-term delivery dates in 2019 and 2020, ideally firming up the soft commitments made during Trump’s trip in May 2017.
“Contingency Points On Defense Sales to Saudi Arabia” were emailed to defense contractors by the Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) in recent days, instructing executives to explain that stopping arms sales could reduce the U.S. ability to influence foreign governments.
I think selling arms to countries even if they behave like the Saudis do reduces our influence. No one is going to listen to us.
Programming note... My mother is suffering from a severe form of arthritis and other ailments and her health has quickly deteriorated. I don't know what's going to happen, but if I suddenly disappear or do not post at a regular time, that could be the reason why. If I'm going to be away for an extended period of time, I'll try to notify you.