We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race. ― Kofi Anan

Today’s quick hits deal with these important subjects:

• Wilmot Collins – U.S. Senate
• China/USA Trade War
• Vladimir Putin & Hockey

Wilmot Collins – U.S. Senate:

It looks like first-term U.S. Senator Steve Daines will have an opponent for the 2020 election!

Lee Newspapers and others reported on Monday that Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins announced that he will seek the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate next fall, becoming the first to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines.

The life story Collins brings to the race is compelling. Lee Newspapers reports that Collins and his wife, Maddie, fled Liberia in the midst of civil war. She came to the United States first, and their daughter was born as he awaited refugee status in Africa before they were reunited in 1994. He also served as an Army and Navy reservist, and his wife has served as a registered nurse at the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center.

Collins also beat a four-term incumbent Jim Smith for Helena mayor in 2017 and became the first black mayor of a Montana city since statehood.

His announcement quickly brought responses from Daines and the Montana Republican Party.

The Daines campaign sent a fundraising email saying:

A Democrat who has been referred to as “Trump’s worst nightmare” has just announced he is challenging me to represent Montana in the U.S. Senate.

Wilmot Collins is an unabashed, anti-Trump liberal whose goal is to flip this seat and give the Democrats a majority in the Senate so they can thwart the President’s America First agenda.

The Chair of the Montana Republican Party, Debra Lamb, also sent a fundraising email with this message:

Collins has a compelling story and no one expected him to pull off this upset – but he did. His national profile is on the rise, and he’s a media sensation. He’s nothing short of a DREAM candidate for Montana Democrats in their efforts to knock-off our conservative leader, Senator Steve Daines.

Make no mistake, Collins is just another liberal Democrat who will be a rubberstamp for the far-left’s radical agenda. He’ll stand against President Trump every chance he gets and be in lockstep with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders – and not with Montanans.

Collins may surprise people in this race. He said in his opening statement that when he first flew into Helena he saw a community with open arms ready to embrace him. I’m not sure other parts of Montana will embrace him with those open arms like Helena. Sadly there are some Montanans who think minorities are second class citizens and some Montanans still live in the 1950s and 60s.

Nonetheless, Wilmot Collins entering the race is good for Montana.

China/USA Trade War:

Trade wars are normally pretty boring until you see changes in the price of things you buy. Or when you see the stock market drop like it did Monday. That price increases are probably going to happen sooner or later with the trade war between China and the USA.

Monday afternoon the Associated Press (AP) reported that Wall Street went into a slide because China announced higher tariffs on $60 billion worth of American goods in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s latest penalties on Chinese products. The AP also reported that the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 617 points, or 2.4%, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq plunged 270 points, or 3.4%, its biggest drop of the year. Earlier, stocks fell in Europe and Asia.

The AP reported that Trump did say he would take care of our farmers:

Trump told reporters Monday that a new program to relieve U.S. farmers’ pain is “being devised right now” and predicted that they will be “very happy.” The administration last year handed farmers aid worth $11 billion to offset losses from trade conflicts.

Brace yourself – No matter what Trump says, we are going to be hit with higher prices. #Winning

Vladimir Putin & Hockey:

Reuters reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin (age 66) hit the ice on Friday in a hockey game in which he showed off his puck-handling skills and scored eight goals — a display that reinforced his image as a man of action.

Reuters also added that Putin was provided with plenty of scoring opportunities by his linemates and was met with little resistance by the opposing team’s defense.

There was little defense, except from the carpet, during the post-game victory lap. The Daily Beast reports (with video):

But while Putin waved to fans, he appeared not to notice the red carpet that had been placed over part of the ice and fell face first the moment his skates stopped. Two nearby hockey players helped Putin up, and he skated on without appearing to be injured.

I’ve not heard if President Trump immediately called Comrade Putin to check on him. I have also not heard if the person who placed the carpet on the ice is still living…

 

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