Friday Stuff

What's up first is a clip from JT Cestkowski of Status Coup News...it appears that the Charleston Post and Courier is reporting that a young woman who was underage at the time apparently has a corroborating witness to her story of alleged sexual abuse/assault from the Gropenfuhrer...correct to note that a local newspaper is doing the fine work here that our bought-and-paid-for corporate media should ALSO be doing (looks like the Epstein horror show was going on near Hilton Head, which is how South Carolina ended up in this godawful mix)...also appears that summaries of the accuser’s testimony were released by the DOJ, but they were heavily redacted of course (and not the so-called “302 summaries” from the FBI/DOJ)...bottom line is that there are notes of more interactions between #47 and this young woman (an underage girl at the time) that should be made public at a minimum, possibly leading to further legal action (NSFW/H)...



...and San Seder of The Majority Report speaks with Iddo Elam, contributor to a Hebrew news site in Tel Aviv I believe...Israel is now occupying southern Lebanon as noted in the clip, and of course, since we’re talking about the IDF, that means there’s a denial of aid to folks getting attacked...Sam asks where the Israeli public lines up on this, and it sounds like they were pretty on-board with the war in the beginning though not quite as much now, with some protests across the country (along with air raid sirens because the “iron dome” isn’t impenetrable of course, and I’m not surprised to hear that “Bibi” is censoring reporting of missiles getting through and causing damage to people and property)...didn’t know that many Israelis have bomb shelters, but that figures I suppose...probably difficult in that area of the world to parse the conflicts in the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran, though all three to one degree or another are at least in part a product of Israel’s intransigence IMO (sounds like Iran is a more accepted conflict in terms of Israeli public approval than Lebanon)...



...and Tennessee Brando informs us that “Couch Boy” is in Hungary to try and prop up Viktor Orban as his boss falls apart (#47 of course - more here)...I definitely agree with Brando that Vance could potentially be worse than Cantaloupe Capone because Vance is truly beholden to the elites who have put him where he is, notably Peter Thiel, The Heritage Foundation and the other monsters behind Project 2025, whereas #47 feels loyalty towards absolutely no one, which, given the utterly crazed, loathsome state of our politics overall, might actually be preferable (the latter I mean, notwithstanding the horrible geopolitical chaos unfolding, which Vance would also be leading)...I can easily picture Vance supercharging efforts to criminalize women seeking reproductive health services as well as LGBTQ individuals of course along with the poor and minorities merely for existing (and doing everything we can imagine to clamp down on any forms of protest at all), only with Vance being more methodical about it than his boss who focuses on issues like a gnat on meth...and yeah, Mr. “Hillbilly Elegy” is indeed threatening to use nukes on Iran, and I firmly believe he would have done that by now if he had already parked his butt behind the Resolute Desk...and I think Brando is spot-on to say that Vance will try to flip the script on his boss in a heartbeat...and I never imagined The Swanson TV Dinner Heir as a Repug *preznit nominee, but in a “through the looking glass” way, I can envision it, sadly (mildly NSFW/H)...



...and I know this is a long-ass description of the next clip, but I believe it matters...Liz Scheltens of More Perfect Union tells us what those affected don’t want you to know about a wealth tax, focused on the movement to tax stinkin’ billionaires in California, including Sergey ($245 bil) Brin of Google...looks like CA is proposing a one-time 5% tax on their worldwide assets of about $100 billion or more as we learn in the clip...it’s pretty damn plain that Gavin Newsom has his eye on “the big chair” in Washington, and that’s fine (hard to be worse than what we have now), but to be honest, I think he looks weak on this issue as well as LGBTQ rights (just look who his funders are I guess, though at the end of the clip we learn that Newsom is open to the idea of a federal wealth tax)...and I think taxing millionaires in MA by 4% so kids can have two free meals at school (helping parents with food costs and kids with damn near everything else) is a good trade (also including transportation costs)...pretty funny to me that, as opposed to the rich leaving “Tax-a-chusetts” in response to the millionaires tax, the number of ultra-wealthy people grew by 40 percent...so OF COURSE Fix Noise is leading the charge against trying to replicate this in CA, but oh, that trash network is big into “family values,” right? GMAFB!...as we learn, the CA initiative would tax wealth, not income, and it would apply to a smaller group of folks...yep, it definitely tracks that wealth inequality has worsened, to put it mildly, over the last 50 years...also, we’re reminded of the “Big, Beautiful Clusterf*ck” directing billions from Medicaid (patients, hospitals, etc.) to billionaires (and I remember Bri-Fi in PA-01 swearing up and down that Medicaid wouldn’t be touched by that awful giveaway of a bill...he’s either a liar or an idiot, or both)...according to what one health care provider in CA tells us, keeping this awful status quo in place would turn health care into what we experienced during the worst of COVID, but this time it would be permanent...Dave Regan, the president of the SEIU, is interviewed...I know this is a broken record, but I need to keep saying that it used to be illegal for CEOs and people running companies to hold stock shares as part of their compensation, but that changed because of The Sainted Ronnie R, which has a lot to do with the explosion of billionaires (and subsequent decrease in tax payments by these folks)...obviously, I think these billionaire crybabies need to “grow a pair,” especially since we’re talking about a FREAKING ONE-TIME ONLY TAX...I keep hearing about how awful the homeless problem is in San Francisco, for example; well, if you REALLY WANT TO FIX IT, then you need targeted funding from something like this to promote “housing first” or a model of some type to get people into shelter, since they really can’t do much of anything else with their lives without it...and kudos to Jensen Huang of NVIDIA for standing out the right way here...



...and Stephen Colbert on The Late Show gives us his take on our two-week cease fire with Iran, though in that area of the world, it’s hard to tell whether or not the bombing will ever truly stop (I wish it would, but I know better, especially since our “ally” Bibi is also bombing Lebanon as noted...are we ever going to get to the point where we just say that Netanyahu is as freaking nuts as Combover Caligula??!!)...oh, and our alleged geopolitical geniuses have now given Iran yet another victory in that that nation can say, “we’re not reopening the damn Strait of Hormuz unless the bombing in Lebanon stops”...is it just me, or does it look like Iran has gamed out every possible scenario under which they can come out on top in this insane conflict? And yeah, we get Stephen’s take on the Orban/Vance “bromance” as alluded to previously...



...and yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the death of folksinger Phil Ochs, who took his own life by hanging; he had suffered from bipolar disorder and alcoholism...we all need help from time to time, so please reach out if dealing with everything is too overwhelming, especially now.

Wednesday Stuff

Ayman Mohyeldin sitting in for Chris Hayes reports on Spray-Tan Satan deciding not to end Iranian civilization for another two weeks...so, I guess Cheetoh Hitler has a chapter in “The Art Of The Deal” about giving Iran an excuse to now extort $2 million from every ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz – what a financial genius! No wonder just about all of his businesses have gone bankrupt...kudos to the 70 U.S. House Dems in particular calling for the removal of this genocidal lunatic, as well as Ed Markey in the Senate...good job by Ayman to revisit all of the times TACO Trump bailed on his self-imposed deadlines to inflict global carnage; I mean, yeah, it’s a good thing his threats weren’t realized, but he shouldn’t be in a position to issue those threats in the first place (and I never thought we’d be in a circumstance where we needed to thank Pakistan for preventing Armageddon, but I never thought we’d be in a position for a lot of this insanity)...Ayman speaks with reporter David Rohde, and I would also say that we have a marriage, so to speak, of “infinite immorality with infinite power” as Robert Malley correctly puts it...and by the way, the fact that he called off this threat to extinguish Iran "civilization" doesn't mean that #47 still shouldn't be impeached, because HE FREAKING STILL SHOULD!! (more on trying to remove him is next)...



...and David Pakman lets us know that, indeed, more folks are calling for the 25th Amendment aimed at the Tangerine Toddler, including Illinois guv J.B. Pritzker, along with Ro Khanna (and as Pakman says, there is zero chance that will happen with this cabinet, and about the same possibility that anyone from the “R” team will call for that)...and yeah, I know some of this is political posturing by folks looking for the Dem nomination for prez in ’28...but can you seriously blame them??!! You can also add the NAACP to the folks calling for #47 to toddle off to Mar-a-Lago once and for all so he can stage his hissy fits while watching Fix Noise and chowing down on a happy meal so there’s no chance that he could actually blow up the world...



..and this DW report from Anthony Howard gives us more on this White House using religious references, and how Pope Leo pushes back...clip includes those “whited sepulchers” laying hands on Pumpkin Pol Pot...hearing SecDef Kegseth making religious references makes me want to puke in my mouth...didn’t know His Holiness was a registered Repug at one time, though I’m sure he would reconsider that now (if I may venture a guess here)...the fact that Meth Head Bannon spoke out against the Pope definitely counts favorably towards the latter as far as I’m concerned (Vatican authority Massimo Faggioli is interviewed)...I agree that, given that Leo has come from a strife-torn region in this hemisphere, he’s not likely to back down against the murderous rantings of Mango Mussolini...



Update: And why am I not surprised by this?

...well, seeing as how it appears that Our Orange Lunatic isn’t talking about “the big funny” lately, maybe I can now focus on some domestic stuff...I’ve been meaning to get to this item from Kyle Kulinski where the CEO of Five Guys gave out $1.5 million in bonuses because he didn’t want anyone to go all Luigi Mangione on his ass (allegedly!)...I mean, yeah, good behavior by the Five Guys head but for questionable reasons I guess (and I also think the guy in charge was nodding off a bit if he thought his site wouldn’t get crashed over the free burger promotion)...and no, about Mangione, I don’t condone violence against anybody – GMAFB! (NSFW/H)...



...and Robert Reich tells us about a ballot referendum to end Citizens United in Montana, believe it or not – I’m pretty sure I noted that in the post about the “No Kings” protests on 3/28, but more on that is here...looks like the folks in “big sky country” are trying to curb corporate spending, commendably enough...good point that corporations are indeed created by the states in which they are chartered and can be regulated by the states in which they operate (incorporated usually in Delaware, since laws for that there are relatively easier than elsewhere)...



...and after this recent madness, I’m more in need of another tune this week to mellow out a bit (and posting may get goofed up again, just to let you know).

Tuesday Stuff

Rachel Maddow discusses the lies of the Gropenfuhrer about the Iran war, to say nothing of the slapdash approach by the command individuals in our military, including not notifying Kuwait about the activity of our fighter jets, allowing three of them to be shot down by that country (not blaming the brave rank-and-file folks serving our country, but I only mean to point out that this is the result of all of the firings of command leaders in our services by our ruling regime, namely, that you end up with incompetents taking their places and leaving our military exposed...oh, and SecDef Kegseth just also fired the Army chief of staff in the middle of this Iranian escapade)...one of the awful consequences of this disastrous war is the fact that our military personnel have to be shunted to hotels and elsewhere since their bases are no longer secure...didn’t know that the flunkies in #47’s cabinet were getting the housing from all of the military leaders who were told to “hit the bricks” by our ruling regime of frauds and pretenders...and more than 10K vets lost their homes to foreclosure because our ruling bunch of idiots wrecked a rescue provision in the VA home loan program...I’d heard about the wife of Staff Sgt. Matthew Blank getting detained and sent to an immigrant prison (as well as ICE goons threatening to arrest family members attending ceremonies for basic training graduates) – the depravity and corruption of our ruling regime is truly bottomless (“internal communication failure” on the detentions my ass)...



...and Mike Figueredo lets us know what we’ve likely already guessed, and that is that GOP policy makers are more detached from reality than ever before...Trump is definitely the dumbest *preznit; ”power and stoo-pidity is a deadly combination” indeed...and I’d heard about the business with FEMA’s Gregg Phillips claiming he was teleported (or similar wording) to a Waffle House...and boy, does it ever fit the profile that Phillips is an election denier from not just ’20, but ’16 also (an election that his boss actually won, in terms of the electoral vote anyway, as much as it pains me to admit that)...and it looks like Devin “Don’t Have A Cow” Nunes is apparently blocking Phillips on Truth Septic – pass the popcorn...also, I don’t share Figueredo’s comments about Catholicism, but I have to admit that idiots like Phillips make that topic fair game...more on “flat earther” Kandiss Taylor is here, BTW (“this would be a globe if I were a normal person” for sure)...oh, and I’d forgotten about Big Stupid Head Matt Gaetz, but unfortunately he’s back claiming that humans are having sex with aliens, and as far as I know, none of the aliens are underage (looks like somebody has been “getting his beak wet” in the Absinthe)...and it also looks like the “migrant caravans” are back, because why the hell not as long as we’re replaying Diaper Donnie’s Greatest Hits...next on our hit parade is Nancy Mace, running for governor of South Carolina (and I actually share Figueredo’s sentiment about getting her out of Congress...I know there are nice spots in SC, but overall, the quality of life in that state is utterly awful)...looks like Mace would try to ban “chemtrails”...(uuumm, O-kaaay)...I must’ve missed the memo on the apparently mortal threat from water vapor and ice crystals, but I guess as far as Mace is concerned, the calamitous effects of climate change (including the vanishing Colorado River) as well as pollution in our air, food and groundwater is a-OK...and no report on Repug wackadoodles would be complete without Paula White comparing Dementia J. Trump to Our Lord, and just in time for Easter (and believe me when I tell you that I am indeed offended by White and her garbage)...(NSFW/H)...



...and John and Jayar of The Damage Report given us more fallout from Combover Caligula’s profanity-laden Easter message...when you’ve got Alex Jones, of all people, telling you to “dial it back,” I would say you’ve gone too far even for Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence...yep, just tell our brave men and women in the military to commit war crimes; just turn up the goddamn Lee Greenwood soundtrack louder to drown out voices of dissent I guess...and I know there are great people of all political stripes who marched on No Kings Day about 10 days ago, and credit to them, but I’ve given up on expecting sanity and rationality from the “party of Lincoln” overall when it comes to the Tangerine Toddler...



...and Farron Cousins informs us that, according to a story in Politico, Repug canvassers across the country are “hating their lives right now”; I wish I could feel sorry for them, but I don’t...pretty bad, though, that they’re getting attacked by their own voters...sounds like Craig Berland and Todd Gillman truly are masters of the obvious when it comes to the issues rightly dragging down their party, to say nothing of the rest of the country...



...also, I’m going to add a couple of clips here because Our Sweaty Orange Bronzer Boy is threatening total annihilation...Paul Krugman calls this “America’s Darkest Hour,” and he could be right...indeed, our brave men and women of the military should refuse any order from Our Orange Lunatic which would constitute a war crime, and anyone in this outlaw regime should also resign in response (yeah...good luck with that, I know)...Krugman makes his case quietly and in a matter of fact manner, which makes it all the more powerful as far as yours truly is concerned (definitely miss his columns in the Times, but I understand why he decided that he’d had enough of that)...also, any Repug politician who remains silent over this (and that includes Bri-Fi, and this guy, assuming anybody can even find him) is also complicit, and I don’t mean to give the Dems a blanket pass here either, but Cheetoh Hitler has the “R” after his name, not a “D”...and how ironic that, if something utterly catastrophic DOES take place, then Pam “Blondi” and Dog Killer Noem will be absolved of it because they were already shown the door...



...and in case you thought the other side would actually sober up and try to prevent this...well, I give you this Lance Wallnau character who depicts Trump as “an Old Testament Prophet King,”...and this guy think he’s knows more about this country than the Founders who put their lives, property and their honor on the line to endow us with what we’ve enjoyed for almost 250 years...hell, Wallnau and his fellow wingnuts are probably cheering on all of the destruction that may or may not be forthcoming...



...and Mr. Newberger presents this item about Pam (“The Dow Is At 50K!”) Bondi and Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem, both of whom are currently out of a job as noted...yeah, I think the treatment is deserved here (and it’s more than a little telling that, in all likelihood, the replacements for both will likely be “upward fail son” white men)...



...and today would have been the 75th birthday for drummer Bruce Gary of The Knack.

Monday Stuff

Thom Hartmann discusses the news of EV cars selling out as gas prices skyrocket, according to the Financial Times...interesting comparison of the price of kilowatt hours vs. the cost of gasoline; kind of a financial no-brainer to move to a hybrid vehicle at a minimum (full disclosure: I haven’t done that yet, so shame on me)...didn’t know that Norway is basically going to ban internal combustion engines starting next year; the tide of garbage from our criminal ruling cabal is so relentless (and our corporate media coverage is so damn pathetic) that it’s hard to keep up with what the rest of the world is doing...I also remember the speech from Jimmy Carter widely ridiculed as the “malaise” speech (even though Carter never actually said that word), which was pretty damn prescient when it comes to moving towards renewables...he actually got an initial boost in terms of public opinion after he delivered the speech, but idiot Op-Ed writers started attacking him (as well as the usual Republican suspects) and the public mood changed...I don’t know what exactly is going on with Couch Boy, but that line about “fraud” sounds like an unintentional “tell,” I have to say...I think Thom is spot-on about blue state governors needing to get together to fight back against the utter madness of our kleptocratic D.C. regime...

...and Richard Ojeda of Rebel HQ brings us up to date on the latest madness from the lunatics trying to destroy our country...I know it’s not exactly “man bites dog” stuff to point out the mental/emotional development issues of Spray-Tan Satan, but I think that needs to be reconsidered given that we’re at freaking war with no end in sight...and I give The Good Liars credit for trying to have discussions with the wingnuts to make them see reality, which unfortunately might be the least productive possible exercise...”like a clown car of chaos” indeed, tragically, when it comes to our ruling cabal of bottom feeders and guttural lowlifes...



...and I thought this clip on X (yes, there is some good stuff there, but it’s rare) was a pretty good rundown on why the SAVE Act is so awful (mildly NSFW/H, but true)...

The Story of the SAVE Act to kill democracy in simple terms…👏 pic.twitter.com/7SrTvtGTfL

— 💕 Brittany Belle 💕 (@BrittanyinTexas) April 3, 2026

...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 4/6/12... I know Indivisible is trying to keep the momentum going from the No Kings 3.0 marches on 3/28, so I thought I’d include this example of trying to keep the “99 percent” effort going from the last year of the first term of Former President Hopey Changey...



...and Desi Lydic of The Daily Show tells us about our bought-and-paid-for SCOTUS hearing oral arguments in the case to get rid of birthright citizenship (including still another meltdown from Cantaloupe Capone...nice “oral” joke, and also the “test scores” one)...also, it looks like Bronzer Beelzebub’s ballroom is on hold (well, maybe) – cue the angry Truth Septic rant in 3, 2, 1...and it does indeed sound like this “ballroom” is going to be as fortified as a missile silo...and oh yeah, a presidential “library” for an individual who most likely has never cracked open a textbook in his life (nice lawyer parody from Troy Iwata at the end)...



...and I think we all need a new tune like this for “mellow Monday” to try and work our way back into another week, so here it is.

Happy Easter 2026

I hope you all you all have a happy and blessed Easter (and happy Passover to all Jewish folk). If you don't observe anything, may you have a happy and blessed long weekend.

Update: Offered without further comment (and yes, I am indeed referring to this)...