Thursday Stuff

David Pakman gives us yet another example of alleged “Christian” Karoline Leavitt ridiculously lashing out at reporters for asking perfectly reasonable questions...”only a reporter from the New York Times would ask that” as if that’s supposed to be some kind of insult (maybe to a third-grade mentality, I suppose)...and “closing of seven global conflicts around the world?” What the hell is she even talking about? Does she know?...and oh yeah, supposedly Mango Mussolini single handedly ended the India-Pakistan conflict; meanwhile, in the world of reality as noted here...

“India has been consistently maintaining that the understanding on cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries... Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said in Parliament that no leader of any country asked India to stop Operation Sindoor.” (the code name for India’s military action against Pakistan).

And by the way, when it comes to former President Biden and Ukraine, I give you this...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us about residents standing up to ICE in LA and D.C., including a tow truck driver pulling away an ICE vehicle...nice work...story reminds us about the little boy with stage 4 kidney cancer deported to Honduras in April...I think Shuster is right when he says that the gang from Cheetoh Hitler is just looking for an excuse to ratchet up the force and jackbooted thuggery, since that’s all they know to do and don’t give a damn about doing anything else...oh, and by the way, trying to get rid of mail-in ballots, among other things, will really put the screws to our military, who Repugs claim to support (I’m old enough to remember all of those “Support The Troops” bumper stickers during the days of Dubya’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iraq)...



...and Tennessee Brando discusses Hunter Biden basically quoting journalist Michael Wolff in saying that Melania was introduced to Cantaloupe Capone by Jeffrey Epstein, supposedly, so OF COUURRSSE Hunter Biden is getting sued...discovery should be very interesting if this goes forward...yeah, deciding to leave Wolff alone tells you what their threats are really all about...and yeah, unfortunately, as Brando says, we have to deal with the beyond wretched Kim Davis all over again, because revenge is in season from the typical wingnut bottom feeders (NSFW/H)...



...and Thom Hartmann reminds us that Our Ochre Abomination is the latest incarnation of the utterly destructive American right...and as far as I’m concerned, that quote from LBJ about “the poorest white man” remains true today...and Robert Reich estimates that the wealth transfer from the middle class to the one percent bastards is about 80 trillion to date, and if anybody know what they’re talking about on that subject, it’s Reich (hope you’re sitting down as you read that)...and 1½ trillion dollars in student debt? Yep, along with a whole bunch of other mind-numbingly awful statistics...we knew that gun violence was the leading cause of death of children, and the only other place in the world where that happens is freaking Gaza!...I’d heard Thom’s discussion of the 80-year-cycle of upheaval before, and it’s scary (but not surprising I guess) to find out that we’re on target for another uprising, whatever form that takes...



...and speaking of Reich, he brings us Five Steps to Fight Trump’s Fascism...speaking for myself, I’ve sent a bunch of Emails to Bri-Fi, as well as occasionally to Fetterman (I don’t waste my time with McCormick, though I guess I should), and even though I may be pretty much p*ssing in the ocean, I know I need to keep doing it...lots of good ideas in this clip (more here and here)...



...and I’m going to try and lighten things up a bit, since we’re still in the summer for a little while longer...today is the 105th birthday (would have been I mean) of Christoper Robin Milne, the son of author A.A. Milne, who wrote the Winnie-The-Pooh books featuring his son as a lead character...that brings to mind this tune from awhile back.

Wednesday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore tells us about someone from the D.C. ICE Gestapo saying that “liberals already ruined it” (as in this country, apparently)...yeah, that was a brainless thing to say, but egging on these thugs wasn’t smart either, I have to tell you...and of course, Trumpette Tricia McLaughlin tries to completely spin a wildly different scenario in opposition to what we plainly saw on display...Jesse opens up a can of “whoop ass” at the end, and he’s right to do so (mildly NSFW/H)...



...meanwhile, The Good Liars take a look at D.C.’s newly militarized presence...yeah, “nothing to see here” on 1/6, but Pumpkin Pol Pot now has to call out the military to fend off anybody throwing a Subway sandwich...uh huh...



...and Rachel Maddow gives us a bunch of data on Our Ochre Abomination’s truly abysmal polling regarding a whole host of issues, leading to an overall rating that its truly underwater (can’t imagine how brainless that 40-41 percent are who keep giving Yambo decent ratings)...and it look like “Bongo” is on his way out at DOJ? C’est dommage..



...and I happened to come across this clip almost by accident recently, and I don’t think I need to add much to it (NSFW/H also)...



...and I think this tune from Mr. Newberger is particularly apropos in light of this ridiculous story...



...and this is another selection that I’ve always associated with summer, so here it is (trying to stretch it out as long as possible even though the days are gradually getting shorter – sigh).

Tuesday Stuff

(I think the cartoon is intended to take a jab at this.)

This clip from More Perfect Union informs us that Tucson, AZ just rejected a bid to build a massive Amazon data center, to be built by Beale Infrastructure, backed by Blue Owl, a $30 billion investment firm...looks like Beale tried to go behind the backs of the people of Pima County to get the project approved, which would have annihilated the water supply and doubled the water rates paid by residents...and oh, this Rex Scott character on the Pima board doesn’t think the residents should be allowed to vote on the proposal, huh (more here)? Also, part of what Combover Caligula doesn’t want anyone talking about, as noted near the end of the clip, is the pre-emption of the rule of local municipalities in decisions like this via his dictatorial executive orders (and I can see this ruling, or those like it anyway, ultimately going to the beyond wretched SCOTUS of Hangin’ Judge JR, and I think we know what will happen in that awful event)...



...and Leeja Miller gives us the latest AI-related developments; it looks like US computer chip maker NVIDIA struck a deal with China to sell the H100 chip (works better for AI) with a 15% cut going to this country, supposedly (I don’t trust anything involving the Trump gang)...Biden put an embargo on selling the chips to China, and Pumpkin Pol Pot did also in his first term, but apparently we’re not doing that now...so now, we’re going to allow the H20 chip (not quite as powerful as the 100) in exchange for rare earth metals from China (important discussion of those metals in this segment)...this is all a bit of a corporate “fan dance,” if you will, because, as noted in the clip, China is getting the chips anyway through Malaysia, but just at a higher cost, but the national security implications are indeed real (and I didn’t know that Ukraine is a player also when It comes to rare earth minerals)...the info on the amount of water needed to run data centers running off AI technology is staggering (echoing the prior clip somewhat), along with other related energy needs...and yes, I share Miller’s exasperation with the fact that getting the one percent bastards to pay their f*cking fair share of taxes would indeed solve a lot of what plagues this country...the stuff about AI integration with advanced weapons systems is truly scary, along with enhanced surveillance of course...I know I’m going out of order on her videos a bit, mainly because It’s hard to keep up with them, even though they’re well done for sure (NSFW/H)...



...and will you look at this? Repug U.S. House Rep Don Bacon of Nebraska is basically pointing out that Cheetoh Hitler’s tariffs are a disaster, with 5-6% of his state’s GDP from his farmers disappearing - David Pakman tells us about it...



...and Jen Psaki discusses D.C. residents commendably opposing #47’s takeover...video also recalls all of the "Jade Helm" idiocy from 2015, with “Cancun Cruz” leading the way on that of course...not surprising, but still utterly pathetic to see Repug politicians cheering on autocratic rule with a proposed federal takeover of “Democrat-run” cities (here)...

...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us of Our Ochre Abomination’s caddy caught cheating for him at golf, trying to do a “drop” of where his ball supposedly landed after a tee shot (nice comments on this from Rick Reilly)...and oh yeah, there’s also the business of displaying the presidential seal at his courses, which is a clear violation of a federal statute...yeah, this isn’t the most important issue by a longshot, but it amplifies what a cheap con artist Combover Caligula truly is...



...and happy 80th birthday to Ian Gillan of Deep Purple.

Monday Stuff

Belle of the Ranch gives us her rundown on the recent meeting with #47 and his “bestie”...all Yambo had to do was not try to negotiate away Ukraine giving up land and that country’s possible entry into NATO, and Our Treasonous Orange Pustule failed on both counts...and ”Article V-like protection”; I know this nightmare of a *presidency is a looong way from over, but that needs to take place already for sure...I thought Belle was pretty strident here, and I also think she’s 100 percent correct (the Tom Sawyer reference was particularly apropos)...



Update: As predictable as flatulence after indigestion (here).

...and John of The Damage Report lets us know about the latest grift from Don The Con, which is supposed to be some fragrance for either $199 or $250 (a truly ironic doodad given the failing personal hygiene of Mango Mussolini)...yep, just crank out more junk for the pitiable rubes who keep getting suckered into buying this stuff...and oh yeah, Yambo is making our Secret Service pay through the proverbial nose for carts and port-a-potties at his stinking golf courses...ummm, could someone please contact the @DNC to find out if they intend to respond to this garbage??...



Update 8/26/25: I would say that this speaks volumes about the usual gaggle of Beltway idiots in charge of "Team D"; apparently, they're more concerned with appearing on "Real Time" and "Morning Jo(ke)" to tut-tut over those baaaad "socialist" Democrats like Zohran Mamdani as opposed to, y'know, ACTUALLY WINNING DAMN ELECTIONS!

...and Brittany Page tells us that it appears that our DHS is apparently running a contest to see how many white power symbols they can put up online (and Page is a particular SME in this area, having grown up under that influence, though she now commendably refutes that)...and naturally, “I’ll Drink To That” Hegseth authorized the destruction of thousands of photos from a DoD database depicting accomplishments of minorities...we also revisit the Beyonce ad nonsense with “Maniac Megyn” Kelly, who might as well just wear a brown shirt and burn a cross on her lawn to make it official (and Page is totally spot-on in saying that we should never accept “racism lite”...it is ALL repugnant)...I have to admit that I didn’t know the “1488” significance, but as Page points out, you can be damn sure that the “white power” bunch is aware of it...Page is also correct when she says that we shouldn’t cede any ground on LGBTQ and race matters (immigration also) to the lunatics we’re up against...



...and RIP Terence Stamp, appearing here in “The Limey” (incredibly NSFW/H)...



...and Seth Meyers lets us know that Combover Caligula has apparently brought “cancel culture” to the Kennedy Center Awards in a “Closer Look” segment...it’s possible that “wokester” might be the single most “OK, boomer” term I’ve ever heard in my life...and as far as Louisiana Repug Sen. “Foghorn Leghorn” goes, I give you this...good job to take shots at “America’s Mayor” also...Meyers does a great job IMO of pointing out just how much the wingnuts end up telling on each other more or less with every faux outrage on their part...almost don’t have the words to truly communicate my disgust with Our Ochre Abomination for every moment of his indignation over not getting an award he thinks is due to him...and “asphalt type person”...ugh – three-plus more years of this...



...and like many of you I’m sure, I watched the recent HBO documentary on Billy Joel, which was very well done IMO...I’m sure we all can relate to “personal baggage” in our lives, and Joel has that for sure, though he of course has managed to create some truly amazing music over his career perhaps in spite of that...we really don’t know the lives of any famous people since they’re in another orbit, but I thought the documentary gave us a bit of insight into Joel as well as Christie Brinkley and other members of Joel’s family as well as those he has worked with in the music business...I knew that Joel’s one-time manager Artie Ripp totally screwed up the production of Joel’s first LP Cold Spring Harbor, which is truly a shame since I think it’s a tremendous recording...if you’re able to watch the documentary on HBO MAX, I highly recommend it...when it comes to Joel, this may be my favorite tune from his body of work stretching over decades (and best wishes to Joel when it comes to dealing with his health issues).

Saturday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about the whatever-that-was yesterday with #47 and the “Moscow munchkin”...kudos to the folks in Alaska for the show of support for Ukraine...I didn’t know the numbers on just how unpopular Vlad The Butcher truly is, but at least it’s nice to see some occasional sanity across the political spectrum in this country...and wow, when Cantaloupe Capone has lost Fix Noise, it sounds indeed like “President Deals” got played (and I would say that this speaks to the incompetence of our ruling regime)...



Update: This is probably the best summary of what happened that I've read so far.

...and Tennessee Brando tells us about the event today with the group “KY Resist” in Richmond (more here) ...kudos to Andrew Martin for fighting the good fight on enemy turf for sure (and more on the Michelle P. Waiver program is here...and speaking of protest, there is also this)...



...and given the jackbooted thuggery of Mango Mussolini’s ICE Gestapo, I think this video from Robert Reich about the importance of due process and how that’s tied to the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution is even more timely...



...and sticking with legal stuff, David Shuster tells us that felony charges against former DOJ employee Sean Dunn were thrown out (the guy who threw a sandwich against law enforcement officers)...oh, but the 1/6 insurrectionists were “tourists”...uh huh...and while the Trump DOJ is at it, let’s just spike everything to do with Jeffrey...now what was his name again?? And oh yeah, 1/6 traitor Jared Wise was hired by the Trump gang, because why not? The clip also gives Pan “Blondi” and Judge Winebox the treatment they deserve (more here...NSFW/H)...



...and the latest from Mr. Newberger is pretty spot-on, I would say...



...and RIP Bobby Whitlock of Derek and the Dominos.

Friday Stuff

Hunter Avallone tells us about The Further Adventures Of Couch Boy Taking Yet Another Vacation (and of course, getting Disney World closed for himself and his family)...Vance is not quite as skillful of a liar as the rest of our ruling cabal, which is on full display in that interview with that shrieking harpie Maria Bartiromo...fortunately, Jamie Raskin shows up for the reality point of view here...bravo to the fine folks in the Cotswolds, which is a truly gorgeous region of “this scepter’d isle” (here and here)...



Update: Once again, well played (here).

...and as long as I’m dealing with UK stuff, I thought it would be a good idea to present this item from Jonathan Pie “across the pond” – looks like British PM Keir Starmer is having a rather tough go of things, you might say (incredibly NSFW/H)...



...and this TYT clip features Roger Waters of Pink Floyd speaking with Chris Hedges about world issues including Israel’s carnage in Gaza...I think Waters’ comments about the U.S. and Russia and China are taking things a bit far, but he’s spot-on otherwise...I know Waters gets a little strident at times, but I also think he makes good points...



...and today is the day for Mango Mussolini to grovel at the feet of meet with Putin in Alaska today, with world leaders telling Cheetoh Satan to watch his bulbous butt when he meets with Vlad The Butcher...yeah, as if the former will do anything but take his marching orders from the latter...also, kudos to French President Macron for p*ssing off Cantaloupe Capone...and once more, Ground News is a terrific service for all of the reasons that Cousins tells us in the promo...



...and turning to this continent, David Doel informs us of American financed Canadian media manufacturing outrage (of course) over a Nova Scotia forest ban during wildfire season...as Doel says, it should be pretty obvious that YOU SHOULD AVOID FORESTS DURING WILDFIRE SEASON, but since we’re talking about a bunch of well-financed wingnut crybabies looking for something to bitch about – well, I’m sure you can figure out what comes next...no problem with the beaches, though, as the Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston points out...I think Doel’s comparison to the need for traffic lights is apropos...OF COOUUURRSE we have some PPC numbskull who violates the forest ban for some kind of online “clout” (does this person really refer to himself as Rosa Parks? Apparently his name is Jeff Evely)...I’ve heard the Toronto Sun is pretty bad, and I guess this proves it...it should be emphasized I believe that the forest restriction DOES NOT APPLY TO PRIVATE PROPERTY (I felt like banging my head against a plank as I watched this)...NSFW/H also...



...and Jesse Dollemore tells us about “Joe Scar” and corporate media covering for Trump after #47's latest fascist move (“feels over reals” indeed)...good job by Jesse to present actual statistics showing that the crime rate in Washington D.C. has been declining since 2023...to be fair, crime stats are going to fluctuate regardless of who is in power, though of course, Repugs will NEVER cease to blame Dems for crime because, unfortunately, that tactic often works because the “D” team usually doesn’t find a way to muster a response...and I don’t know who this Dasha Burns person is, and I care even less...and oh yeah, about Scar, there is also this (NSFW/H also)...



...and I realize I’m a little late with this item, but better later than never (maybe Scarborough should look into this – Colbert's bit is a response to this)...



...and I couldn’t help but think of this tune as I watched the Roger Waters clip (I think this should be playing in the background as we watch those two world pretenders go through their pathetic exercise in Alaska today...tune is briefly NSFW/H as well).

Thursday Stuff

(I could probably include this graphic every day, to be honest.)

Glenn Kirschner of Justice Matters discusses Cantaloupe Capone accusing former President Obama of “treason” in a truly desperate effort to try and make people forget the Jeffrey Epstein/Ghislaine Maxwell stuff, to say nothing of our economy going down the tubes along with our global prestige...that diversion didn’t work, so Adam Schiff was called out next over some silly charge of mortgage fraud, and after that, NY AG Letitia James, who was accused of violating the Gropenfuhrer’s civil rights...I like the production value of the wheel that Kirschner works into this (slightly NSFW/H)...



...and I happened to come across this clip a few days ago, but I’m only getting to this now because it was bumped by other stuff...from what I can find out, this is a left-wing media outlet originating in the UK, but I haven’t found their reporting to be blatantly dishonest, so I’ll include this for the time being...I got burned a bit about a year or so ago by Second Thought; J.T. Chapman's videos were good also for a while, but it eventually became pretty obvious that he was more or less a tool for Putin (Vlad the Butcher is worthy of nothing but contempt of course, but unfortunately, he and his minions are pretty sophisticated when it comes to influencing this country on social media...I honestly do try to watch out for that stuff)...



...and Tennessee Brando discusses the CDC shooting in Georgia (might have seen the headline briefly, but I guess I was focused on other stuff...apologies) with the shooter claiming the COVID vax made him suicidal or something (and he was upset about his dog dying too? So, in his mind, that gives him the excuse to kill at least one other person?)...I would say “allegedly,” but the shooter is dead so it doesn’t really matter...and, in a way, I don’t mean to attack the man who said that gun violence is an everyday part of life now in Georgia in particular, but I still can’t help but be enraged by that situation anywhere in this country...and of course, let’s not give that scum waffle Russell Vought, principal author of Project 2025, a pass here either (slightly NSFW/H)...



...and today is the 90th anniversary of FDR signing the Social Security Act (here and here) – another shining achievement brought to us by a Democratic president...



Update 8/15/25: And apologies for forgetting the 80th anniversary of this day also.

...and happy 80th birthday to Steve Martin...



...and here's another summer tune.

Wednesday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore gives us more on that particularly nutzoid press conference from Pumpkin Pol Pot, with #47 announcing prison time for merely thinking about crime...yeah, we’ve been in 25th Amendment territory from almost the moment this clueless orange meat sack took the oath of office (and once more, let’s recall that he didn’t put his hand on the Bible when he did so)...and ripping down the statue of Abraham Lincoln, huh? God, I wish he would just fly to Mar-a-Lago and never come back...and the “Jefferson Memorial...Thomas Jefferson”...I thought he meant George (sorry...had to say it)...”We are in danger because his brain is a melted candle” indeed (and a response to his idiotic verbal flatulence about cashless bail is here)...slightly NSFW/H...



...and Sam Seder of The Majority Report tells us about Repugs freaking out over polling for ‘26 (with Harry Enten of CNN)...I realize I’m breaking my rule a bit on focusing on the “horse race,” which normally I don’t want to do but get into actual policy instead, but I think the trends pointed out here are important across multiple polls...and boy, is Sam ever right at about 4:30 about Dems and the “vision” thing, you might say...interesting idea from Sam about how ridiculous gerrymandering might make Dem incumbents more safe than usual and put more Repug seats in play, explaining how it could boomerang on them; however, I don’t think that should give the Dems pause in CA or NY for example when it comes to redistricting to try and counter Texas...



...and Kyle Kulinski informs us that, apparently, another Repug politician didn’t get the memo when it comes to avoiding town halls (and yes, I’m being tongue in cheek), and the latest is U.S. House Rep Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, getting blasted mainly (but not exclusively) because of our support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza...incredibly NSFW/H, but for a good reason as far as I’m concerned (and oh yeah, this too)...



...and this TYT clip tells us about outrage also on display in “the land of the yellow rose,” with Texas residents destroying GOP excuses with facts about the beyond awful response to the most recent flooding...and yeah, “MAGA Mike” Johnson shows up on Fix Noise for “thoughts and prayers,” as opposed to actual competent leadership to coordinate rescue and recovery efforts (here)...and oh yeah, along comes “All Hat, No Cattle” Greg Abbott to accuse the Texas lawmakers who left the state to deny quorum over the redistricting scam of “bribery”...good luck trying to prove that...and I can’t tell you how much respect I have for Jessica Tarlov for telling the truth to those jackals on that joke of a “news” channel (with Jayar Jackson...mildly NSFW/H also)...



...and David Pakman (echoing Farron Cousins a bit from Monday) informs us that the Trump collapse has begun...Pakman does a good job IMO of explaining how those ridiculous tariffs from Our Ochre Abomination are hurting our economy and the businesses/individuals who supported #47 (once again, people who vote for the “leopards eating faces” party are shocked that the leopards ate THEIR faces)...oh, and by the way, for the zillionth time, tax cuts NEVER PAY FOR THEMSELVES – that kind of goes against principles of basic math, actually...and oh yeah, that Big Beautiful Clusterf*ck Of A Bill will lead to 10-12 million people losing health insurance from Medicaid...also, the ruinous economic policies form Pumpkin Pol Pot will, among other negative developments, increase our trade deficit as Pakman lays out...



...and I try to work in at least one newer tune each week around here, and I think this is a good selection partly for that reason.

Tuesday Stuff

John and Jayar of The Damage Report bring us a clip of former DC homicide Detective Ted Williams dropping a “truth bomb” on Fix Noise about what’s really going on in D.C. with crime...as anyone who has been paying attention can see, Mango Mussolini wants a slo-mo takeover of sorts over blue state cities to help usher in his dictatorial rule for real (and as usual, distract from Epstein and his utterly failed administration); he’s never wasted a single brain cell in his head on trying to better the lives of anyone besides himself...and yes, all of this is a truly appalling reality check of sorts for waay too damn many people in this country who consume right-wing media 24/7/365 (and as far as I’m concerned, demonizing DC this way is a throwback to the “welfare queen” BS from The Sainted Ronnie R, and probably even before that)...and Nail. Hammer. Head for John saying that it would have been nice for our beyond useless corporate media to point out #47’s BS last year during the election when we COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING ABOUT THIS!!!...



...and Leeja Miller makes what I thought was an interesting comparison to now and the pre-Civil War days...interesting history on how many times the “let’s get the hell out of Texas to deny quorum” move has been used in the past...and leave it to AG Ken Paxton to go “judge shopping” to the 8th district in Illinois to find a Repug-friendly judge to hear his case to go after the Texas lawmakers in that state...and the reason John Cornyn is making such a stink and trying to get the FBI involved is because he knows he’s in a tough primary contest with Paxton to defend his U.S. Senate seat (Cornyn, that is) and he’s trying to “out Trump” Paxton with this move...interesting discussion about states honoring extradition orders and inter-state cooperation in general...interesting parallel also to the pre-Civil War days of “free” states vs. “slave” states; kind of pathetic to realize how we’ve de-evolved to make that comparison...can’t think of a word to describe the irony of using the 14th Amendment today to punish immigrants from this era given that that amendment was passed to ensure citizenship primarily for freed slaves...important history also of the abomination that was the Fugitive Slave Act...NSFW/H...



...so what is our ruling regime coming up with now? Well, as Farron Cousins informs us, #47 is proposing that foreign tourists would have to pay a bond to come here between $5 and $15K, and as Cousins notes, those would primarily be travel visas that would have to be paid by people probably trying to scrimp and save to come here at all...yep, just watch Vegas, Orlando, NYC, and all the other favored tourist spots just do the big swirl in the hopper, economically...as I’ve said, everything Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence does makes us weaker and helps Vlad The Butcher...



...and this report form More Perfect Union does a deep dive into the scam of the “wellness” industry...didn’t know about the “Proxmire Amendment” in 1976 that made it easier to sell unproven supplements (Sen. Proxmire was the guy who gave out his “Golden Fleece” awards to government entities who were wasting funds, according to Proxmire)...didn’t know the “wellness” industry has ties to the Birchers and the wingnuts, but that sure fits the profile IMO...and good job to mention Buckley v. Valeo, which lifted the limits on campaign expenditures by corporations and how that plays into this story...it looks like the supplements industry really started to take off in 1994 with the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994...good job to create a fake product and get assorted right wing goofballs to endorse it to show how scammy this business really is... Gwyneth Paltrow’s role in this is discussed, along with the anti-vax nonsense of Jenny McCarthy (and the disproven claim from Brit Andrew Wakefield that the MMR vaccine caused autism in ’98) and “Bobby Brainworms” suing vaccine makers...and whaddaya know? There’s a tie between Wakefield and Cantaloupe Capone...and oh yeah, this Joseph Mercola is another one of these frauds peddling this idiocy (and to the tune of $4 billion a year...just no words at this point)...



...and Seth Meyers tells us about the latest gonzo press conference with Our Ochre Abomination (and yeah, there SHOULD be a laugh track in the background while Dementia J. Trump concocts his gonzo ramblings...and I’m shocked that CNN actually fact-checked Our Treasonous Orange Yam in real time; they’d better be careful or they’ll get sued for about a billion dollars by our *preznit...and even by the guttural standards of this joke of a presidential administration, the ramblings concocted by Cantaloupe Capone here were particularly nuts)...



...and when it comes to my seasonal selections, it’s been a little while since I included this, so here it is.

Monday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about DHS Secretary Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem responding to getting dragged on “South Park,” which, as Cohen points out, only happens to FREAKING EVERYONE BECAUSE IT’S A DAMN CARTOON!...but oh, it’s time for the fainting couch when a wingnut (ette?) is involved...would that more Repugs would get the treatment that Cohen gives Noem here, going down the looong, sordid list of her offenses...



...and I thought this was an interesting video from the Murdoch Street Journal on how the Bureau of Labor Statistics comes up with its employment data...interesting stuff that I didn’t know, and of course Our Treasonous Orange Yam doesn’t care about educating himself on this, but maybe the rest of us do...I realize that, since this is the Journal, the video has to end in a manner which somewhat legitimizes #47’s ridiculous hissy fit in firing the head of the BLS who was widely respected in a politically non-partisan manner...



...and sticking with money matters a bit, Farron Cousins informs us that business leaders are predicting a massive crash – important info from Cousins that businesses have been stockpiling since the beginning of the year knowing what’s coming to try and mitigate their losses (and maybe not jack up prices quite so much?), but they won’t be able to do that for too much longer (and of course, since workers are essentially disposable in our end stage capitalist economy, they’ve been feeling the impact first with layoffs)...and don’t get me started on Bill freaking Maher...I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard these media knuckleheads say, “Oh, Biden’s going to bring on inflation because of all of this government spending to get us out of COVID,” which NEVER GODDAMN HAPPENED...I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; stagflation is coming – I want to be wrong, but I don’t think I am...



...and Tennessee Brando informs us that it looks like “Big Hair” Blackburn may run for guv of Tennessee – why am I not surprised? And it also figures, sadly, that, when it comes to supporting the Trump Party, it does indeed start in churches...and organized religion actually wonders why they’re losing younger potential congregants (and I definitely see that in my own house of worship, and they barely touch on politics, to the credit of the people in charge)...Brando does a good job of describing just how entrenched the wingnut media ecosystem truly is in his state (and believe me that we don’t have the right here in Pennsyltucky to look down our noses)...and with respect to Brando, I think The Sainted Ronnie R along with Dubya and “Big Time” Cheney helped grease the skids for #47, but at least those who came before actually were competent at managing government on at least a minimal level (NSFW/H)...



...and Stephen Colbert brings us the tale of more tariff madness from #47, etc., including 50% on India for some reason (maybe #47 had some curry that didn’t agree with him??)...and oh yeah, Brazil too (still trying to get revenge on that country for quite rightly booting Bolsonaro I see); well, at least I won’t have to worry about trying to buy a Rolex watch...and don’t ask me to explain how Apple is trying to get out of the tariff threat from Combover Caligula, considering that the iPhones will continue to NOT be made in this country...and oh yeah, Couch Boy ordered the Army COE to raise the Ohio River for his boat trip; “I’ll Take Ingratiating And Clueless, Excessive Privilege For 100, Alex” (and yeah, I know Trebek is dead)...



...and speaking of those who’ve gone on ahead of us, you might say, RIP Jim Lovell...



...and happy 71st birthday to Joe Jackson (Graham Maby is right up there with James Jamerson when it comes to the all-time great bass players IMO)...



...and this is another one of those times when I couldn’t decide on which tune, so here are both of them.

Friday Stuff

Rachel Maddow discusses how the U.S. has been “profoundly changed” by Our Treasonous Orange Pustule and his authoritarian ways...yep, just snatch immigrants off our streets and ship them to “Alligator Alcatraz” where they’re forced to eat off the floor like dogs, expanding detention zones/prisons across multiple jurisdictions, integrating active duty military into immigration enforcement, and on and on (and we have more on that town hall in Nebraska, where I guess Mike Flood thought he would just skate and everything would be hunky dory...uh, no)...



...and David Doel tells us that Our Ochre Abomination responded to Canadian PM Mark Carney recognizing Palestinian statehood in the most predictable way, with “President Deals” getting his shorts all in a knot...umm, maybe I’m missing something, but recognizing Palestine really doesn’t have anything to do with trade surpluses or deficits, does it? And apparently Carney caved and bought drones and helicopters from us (allegedly for tighter border security), but it seems that didn’t earn Carney any brownie points from our ruling regime...”You cannot negotiate in good faith with a fascist clown,” indeed...also, though I personally would favor a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine, I honestly don’t know how viable that would be at this point...that map concerning recognition of a Palestinian state really tells you what kind of outliers we are on that issue...I also didn’t know how much in the way of arms Canada exported to Israel; again, you’d think that would curry favor with this country, but not it seems...I understand Doel’s point that, if you’re going to tell Hamas to disarm, you need to tell “Bibi” that too, but Carney is trying to do the right thing IMO (yes, baby steps I know); also, it’s WAAAY past time for an arms embargo on Israel from this country...



...and Jesse Dollemore lets us know that Pumpkin Pol Pot wants to federalize D.C. after “Big Balls” of DOGE was apparently attacked by a bunch of kids...why the $#@! was this idiot out with his girlfriend at 3 AM? Not that I condone violence, but if the only thing that happened to this little puke is that he got punched in the nose, he should count his blessings...and as usual (and I know Jesse knows this), the “news” wouldn’t be if Dementia J. Trump lied – the “news” would be if he actually told the truth, this time about D.C. crime...so OK – for example, a U.S. Senator serving in government can get forcibly dragged be masked thugs (here), and the ICE Gestapo can ram a crowd with an SUV in San Francisco, injuring at least one woman (here), but OF COURSE we don’t hear a peep from Cantaloupe Capone about that (slightly NSFW/H)...



...and this clip from Jamie Lowe of Rebel HQ tells us about a Texas woman quite rightly calling out the redistricting scam in her state from “All Hat, No Cattle” Greg Abbott and his fellow Repugs...Marc Elias also points out how this redistricting move has no basis under statutes in Texas or the federal government, but is being carried out on the orders of Mango Mussolini because the “R” party knows they’re looking at a potential political bloodbath next year and they’re desperately trying to hold onto power...report also gets into other gerrymandered state maps across the country and the potential for Dems to turn the tables...”it just took a little fight back” indeed...



...and not content with trying to wreck our government along with our electoral process, Brittany Page tells us how our ruling cretin has ordered his DOJ to stop prosecuting civil rights abuse cases for Americans in prison (in Louisiana in particular, incarcerating prisoners long after the end of their sentences...that applied to a quarter of all prisoners released spending 90 days or more behind bars) and suffering from mental illness (such as in group homes in South Carolina...yeah, let’s involuntarily commit someone because they wanted their medicine...ugh)...and oh yeah, #47’s DOJ has also dropped lawsuits against police departments, including Minneapolis...I knew 20 million people will lose Medicaid coverage sadly (partly because Medicaid is called something else in other states), but I didn’t know about $300 billion in food assistance getting cut (not the total amount I mean)...given how unpopular this is, no wonder the “party of Lincoln” is trying to steal U.S. House seats in “the land of the yellow rose,” and likely elsewhere too (and more on Grant’s Pass v. Johnson is here)...



...and Kyle Kulinski tells us about CEO’s bragging about firing workers and replacing them with AI...not sure about the sourcing of this publication, but I’ve definitely found other links to this asshat named Elijah Clark, who (if there’s any justice in existence anywhere) will be replaced by AI one day himself, though sadly he appears to have a lot of company when it comes to scum bucket management trying to axe the workforce of their companies...”sacrificing everyone at the altar of the one percent” indeed (definitely NSFW/H)...



...and I’m not sure if ICE needs a theme song or not, but if they do, I’d like to nominate this tune...



...and here's another summer selection to help us wind down for the weekend.

Thursday Stuff

Sam, Emma and the crew from The Majority Report tell us about Combover Caligula’s CNBC fanboy Joe Kernan trying to cut through #47’s BS on the economy...good explanation by Sam on why the wingnuts think too much employment encourages inflation, which – spoiler alert – isn’t true, along with justifiable worries about “stagflation”...with every utterance out of the mouth of Our Treasonous Orange Yam, it’s more and more apparent how “around the bend” he truly is mentally...it’s really difficult to listen to this geriatric POS continue to run his mouth about polling, particularly since this is EXACTLY what we were warned about in the election last year (and maybe he REALLY IS being fed this ridiculous propaganda by his staff about how loved he supposedly is because they don’t want the boss to get mad and start throwing ketchup packets or something)...and oh yeah, let’s say something about Jasmine Crockett and Davy Crockett...as far as I’m concerned, anyone who supported this nematode for *preznit last year should be made to wear ashes and sack cloth...and oh yeah, there are those skeevy remarks about spokes-liar Karoline Leavitt also for good measure (and I'm not sure if we're going to be seeing "revisions" on jobs data any time soon from the BLS, Sam, though we should of course)...



...and along with assorted other madness from our cadre of Trumpist sycophants, Robert Reich tells us that the Gropenfuhrer is trying to gut OSHA, following up on his eviscerating of that government body during his first term...oh, and he wants someone from Amazon to head that agency; you know, the company with ridiculous worker injury rates where employees have to pee in bottles in lieu of actual bathroom breaks (here)...some extremely important labor history in this clip (maybe a few weeks early on this, but the time seems to be right)...



...and I almost decided to ignore this, but it’s so patently absurd that I decided to pay attention anyway...John and Brett Erlich (not them) tell us about wingnut online grifter Candace Owens getting sued by the Macrons (the French president and his wife) over Owens’s claim that the French first lady is really a man...and I agree with John; being the elderly boomer that I am, I can recall a time when we read newspapers/magazines and watched about 6-7 different channels (UHF and VHF – you can Google it), and you largely stayed informed that way (radio too); now, partly because of a greater and greater disintegration of our lives overall, we rely on the dreaded social media for this stuff, which allows charlatans like Owens to flourish, where success is measured by ginning up outrage for views and clicks as opposed to dumb stuff like, y’know, PROVIDING INFORMED COVERAGE AND ANALYSIS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES (Brett gets a little rude here, but if there’s anyone who merits treatment like that, it’s Owens)...



..and tied to the theme of our ruling regime trying to keep this country as stoo-pid as possible, Belle gives us more on Pumpkin Pol Pot and his same party pals shutting down the CPB and what it means for NPR and PBS (but let’s not forget the funding was zeroed out by congressional Repugs...and oh yeah, I think Bri-Fi had another performative No vote on that one)...and as you might expect, communities that are pretty MAGA are going to get hit hardest first (what a shock, I know – people vote for the “leopards eating faces” party and THEIR faces get eaten instead)...

...and how much negative coverage do you think Fix Noise would have given to former President Biden if HE had spent time wandering on the White House roof for no apparent reason? As it is, we’ll let Mr. Newberger do what he does best on this...



...and when it comes to musical talent, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree for this guy, you might say.

Wednesday Stuff

Mike Figueredo discusses Our Ochre Abomination enticing people to join his ICE Gestapo, apparently because morale is low over not arresting hardened criminals, but instead gardeners and babysitters (and contractors at Home Depot); what the $#@! did you expect when you agreed to work for Our Treasonous Orange Pestilence and Goebbels, Jr.?...and I can’t think of a word to describe the hypocrisy of the Trumpers suddenly coming down with a case of the dreaded “socialism” to gin up recruitment...”If there’s anything capitalists care about, it’s not people, but capital” indeed...and so ICE snatched a Palestinian man in this country, sent him back to the West Bank, and he was killed by an Israeli settler – and somehow I’m sure Republicans and Independents in Bucks County bedroom communities who ALWAYS pull the lever for a Fitzpatrick every two years in the U.S. House elections won’t give a fig about that...probably silly on my part to even point that out...NSFW/H...



...and for a demonstration of the result of #47’s ceaseless attacks on anyone of another skin color who are here legally or not, this report from More Perfect Union tells us the story of McAllen, Texas, which was once a thriving community but has since been decimated by ICE raids...aside from the level of criminality of our ruling regime in seizing these people unlawfully (I have a very hard time believing that everyone in this town are “illegals”), there’s the secondary matter of the economic destruction (losing about $10 million in revenue as well as $20 to $25 billion in federal and state taxes - ahhh, smell the freedumb, my fellow prisoners)...and hey, Ken Martin and the @DNC, try freaking paying attention to Gaby Zavaleta at the end of this video, and don’t imagine trying to put the bite on me again for a donation unless and until you do!...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us that the “math isn’t mathing” for Cantaloupe Capone...yeah, let’s give drugs for a 500 or 600 percent discount, even 1200...do I hear 2,000?...”A triumphant, roaring celebration of stoo-pidity” indeed...



...and I know I discussed that disgusting lickspittle Scott Jennings previously, but here he is again, denying wholesale starvation in Gaza (more here)...so I guess we’re at the stage where the wingnuts say, “Oh, Israel isn’t denying food – this kid was dying because of inadequate medical care”...WHICH ISRAEL IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR, as Kyle Kulinski tells us...and boy, am I glad to hear Kyle go off on “balance”; when THAT became more important to corporate media than verifiable truth and reality, that put us on the slippery slope leading to where we are now (NSFW/H also)...



...and gee, it looks like Stephen Colbert really learned his lesson when his show was cancelled – heh...he gives us the latest on Pumpkin Pol Pot’s adventure on the White House roof, “Bobby Brainworms,” Ghislaine Maxwell’s release to minimum security, the Mike Flood town hall that quite rightly turned into a fiasco, and the “All Hat, No Cattle” Texas redistricting BS, with Greg Abbott taking the lead on that of course...



...and I need a summer tune to try and lighten the mood a bit, and I hope this does the trick.

Tuesday Stuff

Richard Ojeda of Rebel HQ discusses FEMA head David Richardson appearing before a House panel over the whopping 20% phone response from his agency to Texas flood victims in the area of Kerr County...and oh yeah, Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem says the terrible call center response is...ok, everybody now...”fake news,” with Richardson echoing the same BS (fine...here is a link to a CNN story reporting the same damn thing)...and nice work by Dem U.S. House Rep Laura Friedman in particular to call out this nonsense...good job by Ojeda to point out just how much California is bailing out these red state bottom feeders (but again, I would never say that anyone in this country isn’t entitled to the help they need in an emergency)...

...and staying with “the land of the yellow rose,” Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about Dem legislators leaving their state to deny quorum to Repugs who are trying to pass a beyond ridiculous gerrymander of districts in preparation for next year’s congressional elections, and once more, Dem state Rep James Talarico stands tall...and I like the idea of Dems going on the offensive and redrawing congressional maps in their favor (about time, I’d say); hey, if Repugs are going to play this game, so should we (the national Democrats should have found a way to come up with a lefty/progressive version of Americans for Prosperity, the State Policy Network, etc. LONG ago to plan that, but the time to do that is definitely now for sure...and that segment with Marc Elias is spot-on; also, kudos to Dem governors Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, Kathy Hochul and Wes Moore for sounding the alarm also)...



...and as Farron Cousins points out here, it looks like Generalissimo Trump’s media company may end up going the way of Trump Vodka, Trump Steaks, Trump University, etc. – couldn’t happen to a more deserving cretin (and sooo, they were temporarily saved by buying Bitcoin? As opposed to, y’know, actually trying to improve their scammy, useless product? Figures)...



...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History”...the Israeli Humanitarian group B’Tselem tried to run ad listing the names of dead kids in Gaza, but the ad wasn’t allowed to run (“too politically controversial” for the Israeli Broadcast Agency)...and no, this clip isn’t from last week, but from 8/5/14...gives you an idea of how long “Bibi” has been waging his genocide in that area; actually, it goes back further than that (with John and Ana Kasparian...a truly depressing, but not surprising, update is here)...



...and I'll admit that Mr. Newberger gets a little edgy at times, but that comes with the territory when you're making a living with comedy I know (more here)...



...and here's a newer tune to (hopefully) lift our sprirts a bit.

Monday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore lets us know that, apparently, our neighbors to the north (Winnipeg, Manitoba to be precise) told some “Christian” fascist named Sean Feucht what he could do when he tried to perform publicly – good!...”If their foot is not on your neck, they act like yours is on theirs” indeed...yep, it sounds like Canada politely told this goofball what he could do, to their credit (if Feucht thinks he can draw people to a concert venue, then he should do what other musicians do, namely, have his representation plan a tour and do all the typical business stuff instead of trying to piggy back for free at places where people want to relax and be left alone)...



...and Tennessee Brando tells us here about some character named Vince Ellison who went off on his audience over “DEI, DEI, DEI!!,” threatening to slit throats or something; I guess Charlie Kirk sponsored the event where this Ellison character decided to spout off...and boy, is Brando ever right in that we need to get out there and try to “win hearts and minds” because we’re on the right side of history, as opposed to these MAGA life forms (which, as far as I’m concerned, are also victims of DEI, as in “Donald’s Eternal Insanity”) (NSFW/H)...



...and speaking of madness, Chris Hayes (definitely not him) informs us that the Gropenfuhrer responded to bad labor news by firing the person in charge of the BLS (can’t believe I’m siding with Governor Bully here, but I am) – also, the CPB goes out of business; yep, the worst three months of job growth since the pandemic as Hayes says...indeed the “Dictator 101” playbook is in play (with Daniel Koh and Jared Bernstein...and oh yeah, let’s not forget the Trump-friendly media type asking #47 if you can trust the numbers)...good points by Koh in particular on the ways that the Trumper who takes over the BLS will find ways to manipulate the numbers, with all this insanity coming on top of the DOGE circus also as noted...all of this utter bedlam points to stagflation this fall, with a bunch in charge who won’t have a clue about how to respond, and of course this orange maniac can still rig the Fed and keep pressuring Jerome Powell to say “f” it and leave, especially with Adriana Kugler now gone...good point to draw a comparison between this and not testing for COVID to try and get better numbers on infections, casualties, etc, and I would put this also under the same category as redrawing the hurricane weather map with the sharpie...I don’t say this often, but after watching this, I seriously need a drink...



...and I’m letting TYT back into this for now (Ana Kasparian in particular, with Kate Bettino) because it looks like Alan Dershowitz was denied some pierogis because of his odious politics (here)...I have a feeling this happened at the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market...if I run into the person who did this the next time we make it to the island, I’ll definitely treat this person with a beverage of their choice (and good point by Bettino that, if Dersh were a public defender, he might not have a choice but to defend odious life forms like Jeffrey Epstein, but he’s not, so he didn’t have to...”the privilege is mind blowing” indeed)...



Update 8/8/25: Dersh is still digging his pierogi hole, I see - typical (here).

...and under the heading of what I would call celebrity nonsense, Desi Lydic of The Daily Show (not her) tells us about the brouhaha over the Sydney Sweeney jeans ad; I guess Sweeney is the “flavor of the month” pretty much...I can think of more important stuff to get exercised about, to be honest (and oh yeah, leave it to “Cancun” Cruz to use the dustup to score political points...nice comeback by Lydic), but Uday Jr.’s AI bit with his dad is unsettling on so many levels that I truly can’t name them...and once more, I guess Stuart Varney doesn’t get the treatment he deserves in the media because he sounds British...and oh yeah, “Maniac Megyn” Kelly is still part of the discussion, sadly (“For a story about boobs, it sure has a hell of a lot of assh*les” indeed)...slightly NSFW/H...



...and I need to get back to my summer selections, and I might as well do that with this tune.