Friday Stuff

Farron Cousins tells us that Cheetoh Hitler is trying to bully Canada into purchasing American liquor again...it’s hard for me to feel sorry for red state producers of alcohol who are suffering as a result of the ongoing temper tantrum from Our Treasonous Orange Pustule – I mean, for the most part, those jackasses are solidly on the “R” team – but unlike those on the other side, I don’t want to see anyone in this country suffer economically...and actually, with 73 percent of Canadians continuing to support the boycott of Jack Daniels and other brands, I don’t see a way out of this even if the damn tariffs DO get lifted (and this Kush Desai idiot sure is giving Baghdad Bob a run for his money with that laughably absurd statement in response to the loss of Canadian business)...



...and this clip from the German news service DW informs us that Germany, Sweden, France and Norway are sending troops to Greenland in response to the antics of Don The Con (clip includes remarks from foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, anchored by Nicole Frolich, with Janelle Dumalaon and Simon Young....”the Trans-Atlantic relationship as we’ve known it is currently disintegrating”...among his myriad other misdeeds, Bronzer Beelzebub is p*ssing all over the sacrifices of The Greatest Generation, among others, to ensure lasting peace in that area of the world, for the most part, since World War II)...



...and sticking with global stuff, Thom Hartmann speaks with Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, on the protests going on inside Iran...one estimate is that 2,000 people have been killed (hard to get my head around the bravery it takes to do that in that theocratic state, but I have unbounded admiration for the heroic efforts of the protestors)...and yeah, “TACO Trump” has inserted himself into this issue, which is exactly what those murderous goons in robes running that country want so they can start bleating about “the great Satan” all over again (and once more, I also see our “ally” Bibi in Israel trying to egg us on into another forever war in that region)...interesting insights IMO from Abdi about what’s going on in an area of the world where we really don’t know much...



Update: Nail. Hammer. Head.

...and returning to our shores, Chris Hayes discusses 3K armed, masked federal agents descending on Minneapolis to give Cantaloupe Capone an excuse to invoke the Insurrection Act against the citizens of this country, and OF COURSE Baby Goebbels is making the most noise about doing just that (and I’m glad Hayes recalled that disgusting Op-Ed from Tom “Send In The Troops” Cotton)...good for Hayes to mention also the restraint shown by and large in response to #47 declaring war on this country (we need for that to continue, as difficult as that is)...Hayes speaks with Sherrilyn Ifill, former NAACP president (among her other titles)...one of Ifill’s great points is that our ruling regime wants to find a city they can occupy after being pretty much rebuffed in Chicago and LA (I’m sure Philly is on their wretched list at some point also...and I also think this is a great idea)...



...and Lawrence O’Donnell brings us more idiocy from Our Sunsetting Orange Pee-Paw of a *preznit...after #47’s lies about Renee Good, an exodus took place at DOJ over the botched investigation into Good’s execution (6 attorneys in the Civil Rights Division walked out...there may not be a federal investigation, but you damn well better believe there will be one in Minnesota...and trying to investigate Good’s widow is a new low even for this bunch)...O’Donnell asks, “If Trump gets dementia, how will we know?” which is a good question...at least “sleepy Joe” Biden never looked out of an imaginary view to a still-imaginary ballroom...man, they’re slathering on that bronzer thicker every time I see Our Treasonous Orange Pustule...and yep, that lie about Renee Good is indeed pathetic even for Pumpkin Pol Pot...



...and Sam and Emma of The Majority Report informs us of the latest idiocy from Tony Dokoupil, alleged anchor of the CBS Evening News (opining about “what we still need to hear” about Renee Good’s execution at the hands of ICE...and then Dokoupil tells us pretty much nothing...I think Emma is right to basically call this corporate media “both siderism”)...important anecdote from Sam at the beginning on how Bari Weiss has absolutely ripped the guts out of that organization, leading to everyone’s disillusionment (slightly NSFW/H)...



...and I haven’t checked in with Mr. Newberger for a little while, but I thought this was a timely clip (based on this)...



...and believe it or not, yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the release of Frampton Comes Alive!; for those of us who can recall the heyday of vinyl, this was the granddaddy of all of the 2-record live LPs from the 70s (and EVERYBODY had one of those)...I think this tune is called for given this milestone (and it also helps that Peter Frampton is a pretty solid member of the “D” team).

Thursday Stuff

This clip from Brave New Films brings us the financial costs of ICE’s utter destruction of this country, to say nothing of the human cost...if we don’t have something approximating a permanent truth and reconciliation House subcommittee with subpoena power when this horror show someday comes to an end, we’ll have it all over again, but worse (and I know I'm repeating myself on that, and I will continue to do so)...



...and this clip from Daily Kos informs us that Dem U.S. congresswoman Robin Kelly has introduce three articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem (more here)...



...and Kyle Kulinski informs us that Our Sweaty Bronzer Boy of a *preznit had a bit of a meltdown at a Ford plant recently in response to a worker who called out that #47 was a “pedo protector,” with our “leader” mouthing “F-you” and flipping the bird to the person who called it out, just like a head of state is supposed to (in hell, maybe)...and we’re provided here with Example 2,647 of how THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO IS PISS OFF A CONSERVATIVE (at least as far as business and corporate media is concerned); beyond ridiculous that the guy who yelled that at Don The Con got suspended, but getting about $220K (at least) on his Go Fund Me page is sweet justice of a sort...I’m going to break an informal rule I have at this site, which is to not say anything affecting someone else’s commerce, but Ford’s vehicles absolutely STINK; I don’t say that lightly since I’m sure thousands of workers diligently try to make the best product they can, but I had a Ford product years ago that was a relentless money pit and I SWORE I would never make a mistaken purchase of their products ever again...I’m violating my rule because, as Kyle points out in the clip, those pinheaded Ford managers lobbied the Tangerine Toddler to basically get environmental rules relaxed, which was highly detrimental to Ford’s earnings and likely led to huge job losses...basically, Ford shot themselves in the ass on this one better than I ever could by denigrating their products (NSFW/H)...



...and turning to more governmental malfeasance from our ruling gaggle of sycophants and bottom feeders, Brittany Page (definitely not her) tells about two whistleblowers at HUD (definitely not them), Paul Osadebe and Palmer Heenan (who Page interviews), putting their careers on the line by telling us what’s going on in yet another rogue government agency, testifying before Congress (actually, Heenan was fired and Osadebe is on thin ice also, as Page notes)...with all of the horrendous bad actors in our disgusting federal regime, I hadn’t spent much time on Scott Turner at HUD, but he’s appropriately awful also, including refusing to enforce the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which he’s legally required to do (almost quaint to think our despotic federal overlords would do anything in accordance with the law)...I honestly didn’t know about the HUD enforcement put into place under The Sainted Ronnie R – credit where it’s due I suppose (the language restrictions Osadebe mentions, as in the fact that any HUD communication needs to be English only, definitely tracks for our “fine people on both sides” bunch of lickspittles)...absolutely GREAT idea to keep calling our elected representatives (about this issue as well as abolishing ICE of course) at 202-224-3121...



...and every once in a while I feel the need to present this clip of Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy from “The Newsroom,” a particularly smart HBO series from awhile back...can’t imagine how this clip would be updated now with Bari Weiss running CBS News, who is as qualified for that job as I am (I should emphasize that I don't agree with every word of this, but definitely what Daniels says at the end...NSFW/H also)...



...and I thought this was a particularly good newer tune (and for full disclosure purposes, I should note that I’m not immune to “doom scrolling” myself, though I’m trying to be better about that).

Wednesday Stuff

Ali Velshi speaks with Steve Benen and Angelo Carusone about the false savings (totaling about $215 billion, a proverbial drop in the bucket when talking about the federal budget) and damage from DOGE, which is nothing compared to what Apartheid Clyde CLAIMED it would save, and a New York Times analysis sez what was saved was actually a fraction of even THAT amount...oh, and by the way, DOGE’s US AID destruction has led to the deaths of nearly three quarters of a million people worldwide, mostly kids...and yep, all of this stuff was indeed in Project 2025; a pox on the utterly useless election losers of the DNC for not putting that front and center during the ’24 election (and I would also blame Repugs, and I do, but we know how spineless and gutless they truly are, and me trying to shame them won’t do much good)...and oh yeah, on top of all of that, DOGE actually cost the government $135 billion, as we learn (Carusone makes the great point that DOGE was fueling the wingnut BS narrative about the “deep state” and traumatizing government workers who had job expertise at the same time)...



...and Hunter Avallone of Occupy Democrats tells us about Philly’s response to the ICE Gestapo...I have issues with “Uncle Larry” Krasner to be honest, but good work here to come at Our Treasonous Orange Pustule and his goons, including Mush Mouth Tom Homan...I think someone in the MS NOW clip yesterday made the really good point that, if Renee Good was supposed to be such a threat, then why did this Jonathan Ross have a gun in one hand and apparently a phone filming the interaction in the another? What kind of freaking law enforcement is THAT?? (mildly NSFW/H)...



...and Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report brings us the latest on Life In These United States...I wish I could say that I’m exaggerating when I call ICE the Gestapo, but I’m really not, as affirmed by Couch Boy in that Fix Noise clip with Jesse Watters...and by the way (and I can’t believe I have to say this in 2026), but IT’S FREAKING ILLEGAL TO INVADE SOMEONE’S PROPERTY WITHOUT A GODDAMN JUDICIAL WARRANT!!!...ICE continues to kill and injure people, including the Marine veteran interviewed in the clip (with our rogue agency ideologically committed to Pee Wee German’s vision of a white ethno-state indeed)...foreign travelers would have to be out of their minds to come to this country for the FIFA Cup or whatever in soccer this year as well as the ’28 Olympics...I have to read up on NSPM 7; I don’t recall reading about that in our utterly useless corporate media...I’ve watched a lot of important but utterly disheartening clips lately, and this one is right up there (NSFW/H)...



...and Farron Cousins informs us that Don The Con sez taxpayers will comp oil companies who lost money in Venezuela (here it comes again – can you say ’08 Financial Crisis Redux, boys and girls?)...as Cousins correctly notes, #47’s attack on Venezuela allowed him to blow past a deadline to explain all of the redactions in the Epstein files (which he still should be legally required to do, I wish to emphasize)...oh, and in more “behind closed doors” stuff, it looks like the heads of our oil companies and Trump Energy Secretary Chris Wright are trying to figure out how to divvy up our South American neighbor to extract that “black gold” (and whether or not that involves “boots on the ground” is anybody guess, but as in all things, I don’t trust our regime to tell us the truth about that)...important info from Cousins on the steps involved in extracting and refining petroleum before it EVER makes its way to the pump (echoing the recent CBC clip I had on that)...



...and Jimmy Kimmel discusses a story in the news from St. Louis ...“Hey hey, we’re the Monkees” (hmmm...)...nice transition to the “Detroit orangutan”...and of course #47 gives the finger to a Ford worker and issues more threats against Minnesota; sounds like another day with a “y” in it (great job by that woman in the clip making fun of that wingnut “reporter”)...and OF COURSE the Tangerine Toddler is STILL making verbal flatulence about trying to annex Greenland (which – and let’s not forget this – is EXACTLY what Vlad The Butcher wants)...and should we really be surprised that “Gomer” Comer in the House is trying to persecute the Clintons over the Epstein mess instead of Comer’s boss? Also, “I’ll Drink To That” Hegseth used what looked like a civilian plane to bomb the Venezuelan boats, and yeah, that sure is a war crime all right (I don’t think we should be blamed for forgetting about bombing those boats given the torrent of BS unleashed by our ruling criminal cabal)...and I know a few people who would bite on the “MAGA sack,” though they’re so oblivious that they don’t need it...



...and speaking of The Monkees (were we?), on this day in 1966, David Bowie changed his name to not conflict with the lead singer of the TV musical group (at that time)...I know I just had a Bowie tune a few days ago, but I think the time is right for another one.

Tuesday Stuff

John and Jayar of The Damage Report bring us the latest putrid details on this country’s financial downfall...we’ve been in 25th Amendment territory almost from the moment Don The Con was sworn in, but God almighty, are we ever in it now (billions of dollars from factories coming back? I think he needs another dementia test)...kudos to John for presenting that godawful chart on manufacturing pointing out more lies from the Tangerine Toddler...oh, but the 500 richest people gained 2.2 trillion last year, so it’s all good, right?...



...and Brian Tyler Cohen echoes this by discussing Our Orange Man-Baby's disastrous jobs report...’25 was the worst year of job creation since ’03, including 15K jobs since “liberation day” in April, and oh yeah, unemployment is skyrocketing too (oh, but “Human Capital Stock” Kevin Hassett thinks the unemployment number is a rounding error or something – WHAAAA??)...oh, and that line about making the BLS numbers more reliable or something no doubt means that more reliable statisticians in that department will get fired in favor of incompetent Trumpist lackeys...I knew the ACA costs were going to explode since Repugs refused to extend those credits, but that slide with those percentage increases was pretty damning (and I know there was that discharge petition that got out of the House that would extend the credits, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s all theater unless the Senate chooses to act, and even if they did and it got to the desk of Our Treasonous Orange Pustule, he’d likely veto it and that would have to be overridden somehow)...NSFW/H...



...and this CBC report from Andrew Yang gives a lot of important info IMO on the Gropenfuhrer’s quest for Venezuelan crude; can Pumpkin Pol Pot get it flowing again? (I wouldn’t take that bet)...report goes back to Venezuela’s emergence as an oil economy (and pretty much nothing else) beginning in the 1920s and that country joining OPEC in the ‘60s...I’m definitely not an expert on the history, but it’s not surprising to me that our relationship with that country (if you can call it that) started coming unglued a bit during the ‘70s energy crisis...I’ll buy the argument that Venezuela acted like deadbeats by not paying the dough to Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips that was owed, though it’s honestly hard for me to feel sorry for a dirty energy company, and DEFINITELY NOT to the point where military action takes place...basically, it sounds like Venezuela is a basket case when it comes to rebuilding the infrastructure from the ground up (and I don’t trust a syllable coming out of the mouths of Mango Mussolini or his Trumpette spokes-liar on anything, especially this)...



...and Rachel Maddow lists all of the push back against the whims of Pumpkin Pol Pot, including a federal court blocking Cheetoh Hitler from cutting energy funding for blue states after another federal court stopped #47 from shutting down a wind farm project in Rhode Island and Connecticut and another federal court stopped him from blocking funding for the American Academy of Pediatrics (not to be confused with this bunch of frauds, it should be noted) and another federal court blocked Combover Caligula from cutting off election funds and another federal court blocked him from freezing child care funds...and shockingly, some in the Repug party in Congress are actually showing a spine in standing up to Cantaloupe Capone on Venezuela, restoring the ACA credits, fighting science funding cuts (and MAGA Mike Johnson in the House apparently can afford only one defection from his party now when voting on legislation)...another weird MS NOW video edit at the end...



...and Stephen Colbert commendably leads off his “Late Show” bit with his commentary on ICE’s execution of Renee Good...also, it looks like the Tangerine Toddler is on another marble fix for his stinking ballroom as well as the Kennedy Center (something else asked for by approximately no one), and of all the states where an AI can now prescribe medication, I have to admit that I never thought it would come to Utah first...and a $5K toilet, huh? Insert your snark here...



...and kudos to Dave Matthews for this.

Monday Stuff

This MS NOW clip brings us more on the nationwide protests in response to the Renee Nicole Good murder (w/Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Robinson and former FBI agent Christoper O’Leary)...the responses from our ruling regime of liars are typically despicable and of course utterly wrong (oh, so we now live in a country where someone not affiliated with law enforcement can shoot you multiple times in the head OVER AN ALLEGED FREAKING PARKING OFFENSE???!!)...I’m not familiar with the Stanford prison guard reference, but I’ll check it out...good for Robinson to recall Couch Boy’s quote about creating stories out of thin air to get the media’s attention, which, as far as I’m concerned, should ultimately disqualify anyone from taking Vance seriously about anything...great point by O’Leary about how problematic it is to block out the state and local investigators looking into this horrible crime (and apparently this Jonathna Ross is a firearms instructor, has defended white supremacists online and had multiple deployments to Iraq, and family/friends describe him as a hardcore “Christian” MAGA supporter...yep, checks all the boxes all right...more here).

Oh, and by the way, it looks like “team D” is late to the freaking party once more on another important issue (as typified by this response...last I checked, Tina Smith isn’t seeking re-election, so she has no reason to hold back at all as far as I can tell).

Well, since the “leadership” on our side seems totally befuddled when it comes to joining or expressing some kind of sympathy for the anti-ICE protests in the wake of the Good murder, let me give the party some ideas about what they should be saying and/or doing in response to the latest Trumpist carnage (even though I’m pretty damn far from some kind of politics maven or prognosticator I’ll admit).

Right off, every Democratic politician and simpatico pundit should be calling for the abolition of ICE and reallocation of their budget for ACA credits and other social spending (such as rebuilding the Social Security Administration, the EPA, the FAA, etc.). This is as big of a no-brainer as you can imagine. Instead, the organization should be reconstituted as Immigration and Customs Border Protection (ICBP), and it should be completely authorized and funded by Congress (the White House should have no involvement). They would not be allowed to carry out raids in search of presumed illegal immigrants, but instead would make all referrals to state and local law enforcement, and THEY (and ONLY THEY) would go to homes, workplaces, etc. to search for people (and only do so with judicial warrants). ICBP’s main job would be for processing those seeking legal entry into this country and gathering intelligence on anyone they suspect of being here illegally (and again, that intelligence would be forwarded to state and local officials who would seek out those here illegally and bring charges if that is warranted).

Update 1/13/26: Uh, yep (more here).

With that out of the way, here is the MS NOW clip...



Update: A lot more like this (and followed up by actual policy/legislation too).

...and Mike Figueredo of the Humanist Report informs us that the wingnut “rules” don’t apply to Renee Good, apparently...we know what Jesse Watters is, and Nancy Mace is genuinely deranged...oh, so Good deserved death because she’s a lesbian woman with pronouns in her bio (according to the “fascist hivemind”)? Well then, I suppose it’s just a matter of time before these ICE Neanderthals come for everybody...I haven’t heard anyone discuss the fact that this Jonathan Ross was involved in a prior incident where he tried to arrest a guy in a vehicle and ended up getting dragged, to the point where he had to recover from injuries (though it's referenced in the MS NOW clip); I don’t think this guy is qualified for his job because he’s an utter caveman (Ross I mean), but I also think he had some PTSD going on which led him to shoot Good, but that’s just my theory of course...and yeah, that typical nonsense from Combover Caligula about an ICE agent supposedly in the hospital over this is about as demented as we can expect from the “cankles king”...and yeah, the double standard over the fact that we’re supposed to genuflect at the mention of Charlie Kirk’s name while it’s OK for Nicole Good to get dragged in the dirt is pathetic almost to the point of being comical (very definitely NSFW/H)...



...and continuing with this story, Chris Hayes reports on ICE tackling kids at a Minneapolis school and launching more violence because of course, forcing schools to close and making parents and caregivers arrange at the last minute for coverage for their kids; in addition to what this does to parents’ schedules between home and their jobs, there is also the added expense (either for day care or in lost work hours), which is significant...Hayes speaks with Dem Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who has been investigating the use of force by ICE troglodytes since last August (with respect to Sen. Blumenthal, Repugs will NEVER “grow a backbone”)...I heard in passing about more ICE shootings in Portland; I guess I should link to this for the benefit of every elderly Repug boomer in a Bucks County bedroom community who thinks this stuff could never happen to them...



...and in another story having to do with wingnut intolerance egged on by our ruling regime of criminals, it seems that some alleged human beings are targeting an LGBTQ program at the Abington Library in Montgomery County as noted here...what the program represents and how it helps kids is described in the clip...



...and Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show lets us know about Benny Johnson, another Trumpist lickspittle who would be pretty damn repugnant even if he DIDN’T relentlessly tow the line for Cantaloupe Capone...and I forgot that Johnson was bankrolled by Vlad The Butcher, but yeah, that tracks too...and oh yeah, “Batman Benny” makes some AI slop video of himself beating up immigrants; I don’t wish violence on anybody, but I’m sorely tempted to wonder what would happen if Johnson showed up at a Home Depot parking lot and laid his “I HATE MIGRANTS” rap on those in attendance; he’d have to haul his ass out of there like the scared little bitch he truly is...



...and RIP Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead.