Latest news with #DickCheney
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Don't know what DC club to join? Ask Groucho.
These are tough times in Washington. Federal employees don't know from one day to the next whether they'll still have a job. Reporters fear their editors won't back them up if they're too hard on reporting the truth about President Trump. Lobbyists scan their client list to make sure none can be blackballed as 'DEI.' Republican politicians worry about being primaried. Democrats worry about being dismissed as irrelevant. All that angst! But, according to a recent survey in the New York Times, that stress is minor compared to the biggest existential crisis facing younger, political and socially-ambitious Washingtonians today: What private club shall I join to further my career and, maybe, have fun along the way? Let's be honest. The choices are not great, starting with what is probably still Washington's most prestigious private club, the Metropolitan Club, nestled in a drab high rise near the White House. It has a roster of famous Washington establishment names — I once chatted up Vice President Dick Cheney there — but if you're looking for signs of life, you'd be better off at Congressional Cemetery. Next up, the Cosmos Club, located in a beautiful Beaux-Arts mansion on Massachusetts Avenue, near Dupont Circle. Like San Francisco's Bohemian Club, the Cosmos Club is home to artists, writers and intellectuals. Its walls are covered with photos of members who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. But, again, it's atmosphere is quiet, if not moribund. But now there are two alternatives. Ned's Club, which opened in late January, across from the Treasury Department, with a $5,000 initiation fee plus an annual $5,000 membership fee. Aiming to attract younger professionals from both parties, Ned's has already signed up 1,500 major players in the current and past administrations, as well as several big-name journalists. If that's your idea of a good time, 'half the lobbyists in town are always there,' one unnamed member told the Times. The Executive Branch, opening this month, is Washington's most exclusive private club, created by a group of investors led by Donald Trump Jr. in an subterranean cavern under a Georgetown shopping mall. With a membership fee of $500,000, the Executive Branch is clearly a place where MAGA moguls and government officials — and maybe even POTUS himself — can hoist a drink without fear of rubbing elbows with someone not wearing a MAGA hat. If you're not sure what club to join, here's the obvious answer: Don't join any of them. To make it in Washington, you don't really have to. There are plenty of power pits in DC you can get into for just the price of a meal. No place speaks Washington politics and power like The Palm restaurant, where caricatures of past and present big shots stare down at you from the walls. Legendary lobbyists like Tommy Boggs and Chuck Manatt had their own tables here. At Friday lunch, chances are you'll see former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) holding court. Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, in a renovated bank at the corner of 15th and H, NW, a block from Lafayette Park, is another favorite for Republican and Democratic operatives. Dinner at the Capitol Grill, near the Capitol, is like dinner in the House GOP Caucus: swap stories with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). Or join Trump insiders led by frequent diner Steve Bannon at Butterworth's, on Capitol Hill. Trattorio Alberto, on Barracks Row, once former House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) hideaway, nightly hosts Congress members and staffers from both sides of the aisle. The Tune Inn remains Washington's classic, no-frills, grungy bar. And there's still no better place to see and be seen by the politically powerful than Georgetown's Café Milano. The point is: With so many free alternatives, there's no need to join a private club to help you climb the political, professional and social ladder. In fact, when it comes to joining clubs, the leading authority is the great Groucho Marx. He once applied for membership in the Los Angeles chapter of the Friars Club. But, once accepted, he declined the invitation, citing a busy schedule. Club managers objected, insisting there must be something else. 'I do have another reason,' Groucho wrote back promptly. 'I didn't want to tell you, but since you've forced the issue: I just don't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.' That Groucho philosophy of not joining any club has enabled me to survive and thrive in the highly-competitive worlds of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington. I highly recommend it. Bill Press is host of 'The Bill Press Pod.' He is the author of 'From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Don't know what DC club to join? Ask Groucho.
These are tough times in Washington. Federal employees don't know from one day to the next whether they'll still have a job. Reporters fear their editors won't back them up if they're too hard on reporting the truth about President Trump. Lobbyists scan their client list to make sure none can be blackballed as 'DEI.' Republican politicians worry about being primaried. Democrats worry about being dismissed as irrelevant. All that angst! But, according to a recent survey in the New York Times, that stress is minor compared to the biggest existential crisis facing younger, political and socially-ambitious Washingtonians today: What private club shall I join to further my career and, maybe, have fun along the way? Let's be honest. The choices are not great, starting with what is probably still Washington's most prestigious private club, the Metropolitan Club, nestled in a drab high rise near the White House. It has a roster of famous Washington establishment names — I once chatted up Vice President Dick Cheney there — but if you're looking for signs of life, you'd be better off at Congressional Cemetery. Next up, the Cosmos Club, located in a beautiful Beaux-Arts mansion on Massachusetts Avenue, near Dupont Circle. Like San Francisco's Bohemian Club, the Cosmos Club is home to artists, writers and intellectuals. Its walls are covered with photos of members who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. But, again, it's atmosphere is quiet, if not moribund. But now there are two alternatives. Ned's Club, which opened in late January, across from the Treasury Department, with a $5,000 initiation fee plus an annual $5,000 membership fee. Aiming to attract younger professionals from both parties, Ned's has already signed up 1,500 major players in the current and past administrations, as well as several big-name journalists. If that's your idea of a good time, 'half the lobbyists in town are always there,' one unnamed member told the Times. The Executive Branch, opening this month, is Washington's most exclusive private club, created by a group of investors led by Donald Trump Jr. in an subterranean cavern under a Georgetown shopping mall. With a membership fee of $500,000, the Executive Branch is clearly a place where MAGA moguls and government officials — and maybe even POTUS himself — can hoist a drink without fear of rubbing elbows with someone not wearing a MAGA hat. If you're not sure what club to join, here's the obvious answer: Don't join any of them. To make it in Washington, you don't really have to. There are plenty of power pits in DC you can get into for just the price of a meal. No place speaks Washington politics and power like The Palm restaurant, where caricatures of past and present big shots stare down at you from the walls. Legendary lobbyists like Tommy Boggs and Chuck Manatt had their own tables here. At Friday lunch, chances are you'll see former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) holding court. Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab, in a renovated bank at the corner of 15th and H, NW, a block from Lafayette Park, is another favorite for Republican and Democratic operatives. Dinner at the Capitol Grill, near the Capitol, is like dinner in the House GOP Caucus: swap stories with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). Or join Trump insiders led by frequent diner Steve Bannon at Butterworth's, on Capitol Hill. Trattorio Alberto, on Barracks Row, once former House Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) hideaway, nightly hosts Congress members and staffers from both sides of the aisle. The Tune Inn remains Washington's classic, no-frills, grungy bar. And there's still no better place to see and be seen by the politically powerful than Georgetown's Café Milano. The point is: With so many free alternatives, there's no need to join a private club to help you climb the political, professional and social ladder. In fact, when it comes to joining clubs, the leading authority is the great Groucho Marx. He once applied for membership in the Los Angeles chapter of the Friars Club. But, once accepted, he declined the invitation, citing a busy schedule. Club managers objected, insisting there must be something else. 'I do have another reason,' Groucho wrote back promptly. 'I didn't want to tell you, but since you've forced the issue: I just don't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member.' That Groucho philosophy of not joining any club has enabled me to survive and thrive in the highly-competitive worlds of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington. I highly recommend it. Bill Press is host of 'The Bill Press Pod.' He is the author of 'From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.'
Bloomberg
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Sputtering Iran-US Talks Revive Specter of Israeli Solo Strike
A US media outlet reports that Israel may be poised to strike Iran's nuclear sites and oil markets wince. In Washington, a Republican administration wonders if Tehran is more determined or deterred. So it was in 2005, when US Vice President Dick Cheney mused that 'the Israelis might well decide to act first, and let the rest of the world worry about cleaning up the diplomatic mess afterwards.'
Wall Street Journal
16-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
America Needs a Supply-Side Comeback
Soon after Gerald Ford became president in 1974, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld—both serving in the White House—met economist Art Laffer and Wall Street Journal editorial writer Jude Wanniski for dinner at a Washington restaurant to discuss their disagreement with the president's support for raising taxes. Mr. Laffer sketched a bow on a napkin depicting the relationship between tax rates and government revenue—the eponymous Laffer Curve. It depicts the proposition that tax revenue rises with marginal tax rates only up to a point—beyond which revenue starts to decline as people work and invest less. Mr. Laffer scribbled on the napkin: 'If you tax a product less results. If you subsidize a product more results. We've been taxing work, output and income and subsidizing non-work, leisure and un-employment. The consequences are obvious!'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Analysts issue warning as longtime stock market powerhouse faces new challenges: 'Not the bargain it may appear to be'
Oil giant Halliburton has been facing significant stock drops over the last few months, according to Barchart. As of March 19, Halliburton stock was down 8.1% in the year to date and down 33.7% over the previous 52 weeks. The company experienced a 13% drop in North American revenue in Q4. Despite these dips, investors maintained a "moderate buy" status. American tariffs going into effect this week are causing stocks across the board to dive even further. Halliburton is one of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world. It was the company behind the infamous Deepwater Horizon spill of 2010, but it has also dodged Environmental Protection Agency disclosures, was awarded a no-bid government contract via former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, chased down whistleblowers, and bribed Nigerian government officials. Regardless of the company's ethics or environmental history, the oil and gas industry was already in a downward spiral before President Donald Trump's tariffs. Thanks to this downward trend, oil and gas giants are poorly equipped to handle the market turbulence ahead. Meanwhile, American companies investing in green energy are ready to meet the needs of the future and are properly braced for impact. That future includes sustainable business practices that steer away from pollution and the catastrophes that pollution entails. It's possible to invest responsibly to help propel green companies to success. This can help leverage market forces to achieve strong social good, but it requires diligence. When it works, the environment benefits, businesses thrive, and investors earn a profit. Thanks in no small part to a cybersecurity breach that cost the company $35 million, some investors are downgrading their outlook for Halliburton. At least 13 analysts have lowered their forecasts recently. "Despite Halliburton's prominent position in the oilfield services sector, its recent struggles make it a risky bet," Zacks Investment Research said in December. "Weak Q3 results, growing challenges in North America, international headwinds, and cybersecurity issues all point to a difficult road ahead. With declining earnings estimates and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), Halliburton stock is not the bargain it may appear to be. Investors would be wise to wait for clear signs of improvement before considering an entry." Do you think the federal government should give us tax breaks to improve our homes? Definitely Only for certain upgrades Let each state decide instead No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
