End of Year Assessment in Italics - The original post was December 30, 2022.
The only thing that I know for certain about the future is that it has not happened yet. I will not call these predictions for 2023. Rather, these are things that pattern recognition tells me are highly likely to happen, absent a major exogenous event.
1. Putin will die. I write this as some who has battled Stage 3 colon cancer. It appears that Putin is likewise dealing with colon cancer. The limiting factor for use of oxyplatinin chemotherapy is the development of peripheral neuropathy. The recently reported serious falls of Putin tell me that it is likely that he has entered the phase where he has substantial peripheral neuropathy. I was told that if colon cancer reaches Stage 4 (metastasis), chemotherapy can only prolong life -- it cannot cure the cancer.
I was wrong about this. There have been reported rumors that Putin is in bad health, and even that he uses body doubles, but Vladimir Putin lives and breathes.
2. Donald Trump will be indicted by one (or more) prosecutors. It appears to me that Special Counsel Jack Smith has a very strong case on the documents seized from Mar-A-Lago. I know less about Fulton County DA Fani Willis' investigation.
This definitely happened, four times over.
3. If FPOTUS is indicted, all announced GOP Presidential candidates will promise to pardon Donald Trump on their first day in office. This will help to get FPOTUS on board, if he does not turn out to be the nominee.
This has not happened. Far from it, because no one (except Chris Christie) running against Trump for the Republican nomination has meaningfully taken on the possibility that Trump will be convicted.
4. I have no idea whether President Joe Biden will run for re-election.
President Biden announced that he is running for re-election. He has no meaningful primary opposition.
5. Inflation will dip below the Federal Reserve interest rate, which will allow the Fed to slow (or stop) raising interest rates.
This happened at the final Fed meeting this year.
6. The New York Knicks will once again NOT win the NBA Championship, much to my chagrin.
It has been 50 years and counting since the Knicks last won the NBA Championship.
7. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will become a well-known political figure and a "face" of the Democratic Party.
This has happened.
8. I have no idea whether Kevin McCarthy will become the Speaker of the House.
Kevin McCarthy became the Speaker of the House after 15 ballots, became the first Speaker ever removed from office during the middle of a Congress, and resigned from Congress.
9. Rep.-elect George Santos will be indicted for a felony. I have no idea whether he will resign his seat.
Rep. Santos (R-NY) was indicted. He did not “resign”, but he was expelled from the House.
10. As long as I am physically able to do so, I will revisit these statements at the end of 2023.
See above.
This is great. I’ve been waiting for your Putin theory to play out. Would love to hear a 2024 version.
Wishing you better health and a wonderful Christmas Mitchell🌸 thank you for your insights