Friday Stuff

Mike Figueredo brings us an update on Trump voters getting screwed the most by his policies...don’t have a good word for anyone who thinks that Combover Caligula is “awesome” after only a year (seems like 5 at least) of this utter madness...and in a weird way I’ll admit, I have to laugh at anyone who thinks NOW that Biden did a better job as *preznit; I guess you needed to get hit over the head metaphorically to FINALLY realize that (and Ana Kasparian definitely doesn’t have an excuse for misreading #47; for someone as ubiquitous on social media as she is, she’s supposed to be right on stuff like this)...didn’t know that far-right people overseas are turning on Pumpkin Pol Pot also, but that isn’t too surprising either...one of Figueredo’s great points is that, especially now, we have to recognize our collective humanity because our fascist ruling regime will come for EVERYONE eventually unless we keep pushing back...I know I had that clip of the CSPAN caller earlier; I have to give that man credit for his honesty, though it’s utterly tragic that it took getting to this point for him to realize how wrong he was...also, I’d like to tell Ken Griffin what he can do, but I have to watch my language here I know (NSFW/H)...



...but the big story on Action News, you might say, is Mango Mussolini getting shot down by the SCOTUS on his tariff madness...looks like Our Sweaty Orange Boy can’t inflict his stinking trade misery (at least in its present form), with our corporate SCOTUS slapping him down by a 6-3 ruling (here and here)...nice job by Belle to bring back the clip from last November as a refresher...also, It looks like the so-called “major questions doctrine” from this Court that bit former President Biden in the butt reared its ugly head again here, which is poetic justice IMO...and OF COURSE “I Like Beer” Kavanaugh, Almost Silent Clarence Thomas and Strip Search Sammy Alito dissented...I’d like to think this will be the end of those stinking tariffs, but sadly I know better, and I think you do also; he’ll find a way to try to reapply them under another statute (and Belle points out how Canada and the EU aren’t taking a victory lap on this either)...



...and Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh of Democracy Now! tell us more about The Prince Formerly Known As Andrew arrested for involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein case (the actual charge is “misconduct in public office,” with Andrew alleged to have forwarded confidential information to Epstein, similarly to what Peter Mandelson is charged with, and God only knows where that info from anyone associated with Epstein ended up...probably sold to the highest bidder of despotic regimes) – in the U.K., powerful people actually face accountability for the Epstein stuff, unlike here...writer Michael Walker is interviewed...



...and I know we’ve kind of dispensed with the Stephen Colbert/James Talarico stuff, but I definitely wanted to get to Lawrence O’Donnell’s takedown of the CBS lawyers, who were wrong about the application of the equal time requirement for broadcast television – entertainment shows like Colbert’s are exempt from that rule...ABC’s lawyers are no better, as O’Donnell points out (kind of a clumsy edit at the end which is typical for MS NOW clips for some reason, cutting off Talarico almost in mid-sentence)...



...and as long as we’re discussing late night talk show hosts, I think it’s called for to give this recent commentary from Jimmy Kimmel, about Cantaloupe Capone’s immunity fantasy in the aforementioned Epstein stuff, a façade that is indeed cracking...yep, we need to be showing what it looks like when “a democracy treats a power grab as a crime rather than a brand” for sure...Kimmel gives the examples of South Korea and Brazil, two countries that held their leaders to account the way WE should have...”make immunity feel normal” from Our Treasonous Orange Pustule indeed, and yeah, Don The Con sure does treat scrutiny as persecution, doesn’t he...and with all the myriad scandals from our wretched regime, I’d actually forgotten about the DHS luxury jet controversy from Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem...”government exists to reward the insiders” could definitely be a motto for the Trumpsters...



Update 2/23/26: Looks like Kimmel and ABC took down the video - oh well.

...and on the one hand, I suppose this is an example of U2 trying to remain relevant somehow, but on the other hand, props to them for adding their voice against our despotic ruling regime (and by the way, this tidy little number rocks also).

Thursday Stuff

Kyle Kulinski tells us about China running circles around us on infrastructure, with their success powered by renewable energy, which we’re stoo-pidly retreating from...the clip of China using the mountain range for renewable technology is pretty damn stunning IMO, along with that map of high-speed rail from 2008 to 2020...I hate to say this, but it’s true; as a nation, there is MUCH MORE that they can do at scale that we can’t, and China is proving it... even Australia is now outpacing us when it comes to renewable energy and infrastructure (no disrespect to that country...NSFW/H)...



...and Corrine Straight of Really American lets us know that it looks like our neighbors to the north (on the “22 Minutes” program) are having fun lampooning the ego of Our Treasonous Orange Pustule...and Peter Baker is a notorious “both sides” corporate media hack, so he gets no kudos from me (wow, so ONLY NOW Baker is discovering #47’s relentless and completely ridiculous cult of personality BS? Gee dude, you’re a regular rocket scientist, aren’t you?)...also, I’d heard about Don the Con and the “John Miller” stuff before, FWIW (also NSFW/H)...



...and Farron Cousins brings us the story of another Repug congressman quitting, and that would be Neal Dunn of Flori-DUUUH! – Dunn apparently can’t even be bothered to serve the remainder of his term and is going to bolt from the U.S. House right now...I’m sure MAGA Mike Johnson is going to get another Repug into Dunn’s seat double quick, and if Dunn is having lingering issues from COVD, I hope he gets the help he needs, but this demonstrates just how razor thin the Repug House majority truly is...



Update 2/27/26: I honestly didn't know about this - as noted, I hope Dunn is able to get the care he needs, and I'm genuinely sorry he's in this circumstance.

...and Tennessee Brando tells us about Dem U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia killing it in speeches against the Gropenfuhrer...a “spiritually broken, false prophet” indeed; I’m glad to hear Ossoff use the language of scripture to make his point...personally, I think there’s a point where the world of faith ends and the world of the “here and now” begins, and I wouldn’t conflate faith with politics since I think every politician is a charlatan to one degree or another, but I wouldn’t put down someone’s deeply held faith either, as long as it isn’t used as an excuse to avoid rational decision-making... “We (should) make sure the car never goes in the ditch again” indeed, as well as forgetting about these damn lefty “purity tests” as Brando says (NSFW/H as well)...



...and this item from Mr. Newberger informs us of DHS Secretary Kristi “Dog Killer” Noem having a meltdown recently over losing her “binky” (here), with her boy toy Corey Lewandowski coming to her rescue...



Update 2/26/26: Curiouser and curiouser (funnier too)...

...and I don’t see this guy coming to our area anytime soon, but I’ll keep a lookout and provide updates if necessary.

Wednesday Stuff

Usually I have clips from comedians or Mr. Newberger at the end, but this time I’m leading off with Stephen Colbert addressing the dustup in the matter of the James Talarico non-interview because of the latest edict from FCC chair Brendan Carr (I know the Talarico clip is online, including at YouTube, and I’m sure by now the clip has surpassed 2 million views on that platform...oh, but wingnut talk radio is exempt from Carr’s “equal time” edict – how con-vee-nient)...



...and I know I’m a little behind on this, but I wanted to include it anyway...Chris Hayes discusses Pam “Blondi” and the whole “Mexican cartel drones that were really balloons” thing, leading to halting air traffic out of El Paso for 10 days due to “national security reasons”...yep, looks like CBP got ahold of a laser and started firing it off without telling anyone, and again, at party balloons they thought were drones...in the immortal words of baseball manager Casey Stengel, “can anybody here play this game?”...



...and Rachel Maddow discusses the botched announcement of the ICE concentration camp in Merrimack, New Hampshire, with the Trump regime trying to sell construction of this facility as a “major economic investment”...yeah, and there will be positive ripple effects supposedly for the “Oklahoma” economy, as well as more dough from state sales and income taxes, neither of which are charged in New Hampshire (just say “oops” and get out)...I don’t suppose it should be surprising that NH Repug guv Kelly Ayotte is smack dab in the middle of this mess, having pled ignorance on the building of this prison camp in her state even though one of the fascists from DHS testified before Congress that, yeah, Ayotte knew, and even Dem governor Maura Healey across the Connecticut River in MA is coming out against this...Maddow speaks with NH rep Wendy Thomas of Merrimack; I guess it isn’t surprising that the Merrimack warehouse owner is a big Ayotte donor...and OF COURSE the facility is also in an area contaminated by PFAS chemicals, so there’s that also...



...and sticking with ICE, Robert Reich tells us about the corporations supporting our outlaw agency...much of the dough from the Big Beautiful Custerf*ck (as Reich points out) is going to companies in the form of government contracts for facial recognition software, bed linens at concentration camps, and on and on...I used to respect Dell for the quality of their PCs, but no more...Reich reminds us of the pressure that put Jimmy Kimmel back on the air, as well as getting Avelo Airlines to stop their deportation flights...of course, in addition to protesting as our means allows, we also need to make damn sure we vote against anyone who supports ICE this fall (basically, support the “D” team, folks)...



...and Thom Hartmann talks about how the elections this fall are a vote for democracy vs. tyranny – the political party labels don’t really tell the story...I would say that there are not 5, but 6 corrupt Repugs on the SCOTUS, but I’ll grant Thom his argument for now...I know a lot of Thom’s history of how we got to this point has been echoed here and elsewhere for awhile now, but I believe repeating that is important...Thom traces the path from democracy to oligarchy to tyranny, and yeah, it’s definitely the stuff of nightmares to contemplate where we are on that front right now (and Thom references the absurdly-named SAVE Act to restrict married women from voting, among other groups, at about 7:30)...commentary ends at about 12:30, but I LOVE the tune that follows...



...and I have to tell you that I had a NSFW/H reaction to this item (this too)...with everything going on in this country, the “party of Lincoln” is STILL preoccupied with bathroom bills, and a pox on everyone in Kansas who supports this...this tune came to mind just about immediately.

Tuesday Stuff

To begin, I give you a clip of an anti-ICE protest in Littleton, Colorado on 1/31; nice work by these fine folks protesting, and from the horns beeping as people passed by, I’m sure they have a lot of company...great words in particular from the Vietnam vet, the history teacher, the lady protesting for her granddaughter, etc...all in this clip are heroes IMO...and speaking of protest, there is also this...mildly NSFW/H...



...and speaking of BS from our DHS/ICE thugs, Jesse Dollemore informs us that the DHS dismissed a case against men who allegedly beat ICE agents with shovels...oh, and are you surprised that Fix Noise did their typical “rip n’ read” act and decided to publish the original DHS account even though it was COMPLETELY AND THOROUGHLY WRONG???!!! And for the benefit of non-legal eagles out there including yours truly, a “dismissal with prejudice” ruling means that the case cannot be brought again, with such rulings serving as a penalty for misconduct...also NSFW/H...



...and Elliott Morgan of Rebel HQ brings us the tale of a three-time Trump voter admitting he was scammed, and apparently ICE going after little kids and innocent people trying to work and live their lives, along with the recent racist meme of the Obamas, was the last straw for this guy...on the one hand, welcome to the fight, but on the other hand, what took you so damn long to wake up?? Oh, and don’t you just love Laura Ingraham trying to deflate the mess over the ape meme with her softball question to Karoline Leavitt? And by the way, there are no apes in “The Lion King”...and as you might expect, there was never an apology since this criminal gang apologizes for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...



...and RIP Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall, who built an enduring collection of legendary performances, beginning with this one (from this timeless film)...



...and there will no doubt be many tributes to the Rev. Jesse Jackson over the coming days, but I thought I would add this also (from Jackson’s “David and Goliath” speech at Tendley Baptist Church in Philly in January 1984...I can still recall tears streaming down Jackson’s face as he attended the rally at Grant Park for President-elect Obama in 2008)...



...and finally, RIP guitarist Greg Brown of Cake, who composed the band’s biggest hit.

Monday Stuff

Sam Seder of The Majority Report asks if the tariff power from Combover Caligula is slipping, since MAGA Mike Johnson recently tried to put in place a rule in the U.S. House to restrict the tariff power of the Tangerine Toddler, and 3 Repugs opposed it (but not Bri-Fi) along with every Dem and the rule failed...however, it looks like some rule change to try and get rid of the stinking Canadian tariff, because it’s “privileged,” might get a Senate vote (which Bri-Fi DID support, proving once more that he has no core convictions about anything)...yeah, “Independence Day” last April turned out to be “independence” from job creation, except for healthcare and (to some degree) AI...oh, and here comes Kevin “Human Capital Stock” Hassett to lie again about how great everything supposedly is...and yeah, China ends up an economic winner out of all of this (along with their BYD manufacturing company), and also the EU apparently...glad to hear some sanity from someone (Sam in this case) about the fact that the Gropenfuhrer is destroying the U.S. car industry by doing what he can to wreck the EV industry also...and oh yeah, when it comes to the Switzerland tariffs, I would say that they got the better of Pumpkin Pol Pot as noted here (and here comes another “Sir” story; yet another lying tell from this orange clown, along with the accordion hands once more...NSFW/H)...



...and David Pakman tells us about this Jeremy Carl person testifying before the Senate, and Carl is quite rightly questioned by Dem Senator Chris Murphy...Carl was nominated for a job in the State Department affecting global policy including with the U.N., and let’s just say his white nationalism was on display here, which is a bit of a problem considering that Carl was under oath and he really couldn’t come up with a clear-cut example of what he’s written about...this tells us more about Carl, including his claim that the Capitol rioters of Jan. 6, 2021 were treated worse than African Americans in the South during the Jim Crow era; Carl has also criticized Jewish people for wanting to “relitigate” the Holocaust, while claiming that Jews are “overrepresented” in the ranks of American billionaires (I’m sure this Carl guy has produced more guttural garbage and this is just a sampling)...”Extremist ideologies often sound confident in safe spaces” indeed...



...and Eric Gardner of More Perfect Union informs us of a scheme to keep grocery prices high...he discovers a lawsuit our government once filed against one of the largest food companies...yes, I know it’s Econ 101 that increased competition is supposed to drive down prices, but that doesn’t work when massive conglomerates don’t play by those rules...Stacy Mitchell of the Institute for Local Self Reliance discovered a couple of docs that tell a sordid tale about PepsiCo’s dominance; as you can surmise, Biden’s FTC Chair Lina Khan brought a case against the bottler, but the Trump FTC spiked it...when the redactions were un-redacted, it turned out that PepsiCo was colluding big time with Walmart on pricing (monitoring other sellers besides the smiley-faced bastards) and “leakage” (who was buying from non-Walmart sellers)...ultimately, all Walmart is doing is setting a “price floor” and not passing those savings onto their customers, which as we learn is in violation of the Robinson-Patman Act, and I’m sure you’ll be NOT shocked to learn that we stopped enforcing the act under The Sainted Ronnie R...I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised to learn that six Repug Senators told Cantaloupe Capone to actually enforce the law, which he will never do of course (aided by the fact that #47 gutted the FTC by getting rid of the two Dems w/o cause and having 1 Repug leave and not filling any of the vacancies – 5 commissioners total serve on the panel and can’t do anything unless the panel is fully staffed)...



...and Farron Cousins brings us another horrid tale of a Trumpist losing what’s left of his mind, and that would be David Nephi Johnson, the (former) Wasatch County, Utah Republican Party chair who was accused of waterboarding his own daughter for not cleaning her room to her father’s satisfaction (here), and apparently this Johnson guy did other awful stuff to his other kids, also allegedly of course...the brains of these people are broken, and I honestly don’t know what to do about that...



...and I offer the following President's Day meditation from HBO's wonderful miniseries, "John Adams," from David McCullough's amazing book...



...and this clip from the CBC brings us timely info on How to Navigate the Epstein Files by reporter Ashley Fraser...when searching with the 4 Epstein email addresses listed, that returned thousands of results apparently...report mentions search terms perhaps not commonly used, including the name of Lesley Groff who handled a lot of logistics for Epstein...important to note that merely the mention of someone’s name in the files isn’t automatically an indicator of wrongdoing...good idea for news orgs to put together their own databases to search for info more efficiently...”context is key” indeed...



...and when it comes to the person who is SUPPOSED TO BE taking the lead on bringing legal action against those associated with Epstein, I give you the following...apparently, Bondi's recent performance is going to be as meme-worthy as "Governor Bully" in the beach chair and Bernie wearing the puffy jacket and mittens...

The sharks are out for Pam Bondi. 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣👇 pic.twitter.com/z3c3a1CiFS

— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) February 14, 2026

...and RIP LaMonte McLemore of The Fifth Dimension.