The Constitution is working: Trump’s teetering picks

Now Pete Hegseth’s nomination is in peril, following the failed picks of Matt Gaetz and Chad Chronister. … Something is working. And it’s not Donald Trump’s judgement or conscience. It’s the checks and balances of our constitutional system. They still work. … Hmm. Who’s next? Tulsi Gabbard or RFK Jr.? I’m betting Tulsi. She’s arguably a worse pick than Kennedy.

The city power struggle behind Wu’s property-tax plan

Gintautas Dumcius has an excellent piece on the power struggle between Mayor Wu and state Sen. Nick Collins, a South Boston Dem, over her proposed property-tax bill that’s being held up in the Senate. … Collins, who reportedly has his eye on a higher office, is clearly out to harass/embarrass Wu. But he better be careful. He could end up getting blamed for rising residential tax rates if Wu’s bill ultimately fails. … My hunch is the legislation will pass tomorrow. But we’ll see. … Btw: State Sen. Michael Rodrigues’s comments at the end of the story are pretty funny.

Some actual good news on the housing front

They’re not going to matter much in the big housing-market scheme of things. But there are some morsels of good news out there regarding desperately needed new housing. … From the Globe: “In Lexington, the state’s housing law is on track to produce nearly 1,000 new homes.” … But always remember Milton and Needham. What passes one day can be reversed the next. … Meanwhile, from B&T’s Steve Adams: “90-Unit Conversion Proposed in Downtown Crossing.” … And then there’s this encouraging national home-builder story. I used to be an anti-modular-home snob. No longer. They’ve come a long way in terms of quality and affordability.

About those renter-paid broker fees

One last real estate item (and, no, this isn’t a real estate blog): the Globe has an editorial backing a ban on renter-paid broker fees. It’s well argued piece. … Fyi: In the end, all broker fees, whether for rentals or purchases, are ultimately paid by the buyers. That’s where the money flows from in all deals. But there’s something unfair, bordering on fraudulent, when a landlord who hires a broker suddenly demands that tenants pay the broker fees. 

‘Modern food deserts’: how they were created by deregulation 

The Atlantic has an interesting story on how the demise of the federal  Robinson-Patman Act has led to the closures of small grocery stores and supermarkets in urban and rural areas, creating so-called ‘food deserts’ across the country. … Stacy Mitchell provides convincing evidence that monopolistic practices are at the heart of the somewhat recent ‘food desert’ phenomenon. 

Re Biden’s pardon: Spare us the right-wing indignation 

President Biden’s pardon of his son stinks. No doubt about it. But spare me the righteous indignation on the right over the pardon. Here’s a partial list of of the politically motivated pardons Donald Trump dished out in the final days of his first-term presidency: Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Charles Kushner, Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn. … And the list goes on. … A certain state senator and convicted fraudster wants a pardon too, the Herald reports. … Here’s perhaps the lamest story out there about Biden’s pardon, via the Globe: “Biden’s pardon of his son exudes ‘white privilege,’ local advocates say.” … Got to find that ideological narrative! … Building a news story around the very predictable things an ideologue will say is almost by definition not news. … Btw: who appoints ‘advocates’? … At the Atlantic, Jonathan Chait and Tom Nichols have slightly more sophisticated takes on the pardon.

What Ukraine needs most: More men, not arms 

The Biden administration is rightly rushing deliveries of arms to Ukraine before you-know-who becomes president next month. But the U.S. and European allies are also pressing Ukraine to lower its draft age from 25 to 18, citing Ukraine’s desperate need for more soldiers.  … It seems inconceivable that, with the nation’s very survival at stake, Ukraine hasn’t taken this step yet. And you can be sure the incoming Trump administration will use this lapse as an excuse to deny future arms aid to Ukraine.