Friday Stuff

Kyle Kulinski gives us an update on Cheetoh Hitler’s illegal war with Iran...and the “Axis of Epstein,” huh? (meaning Dementia Donnie and “Bibi”)...good one...and I would say that that 24 percent number (of the people who actually think Iran bombed their own school) reflects the very worst of the flatulent MAGA mouth breathers out there...it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if the IDF did that and are acting like, “yeah, well, maybe it was really the U.S.”...and only 10 percent of those polled think this war will actually improve their lives; I would imagine they own stock in Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Dynamics...and 52 percent think this whole mess is to distract from Epstein; yep, I would say that the BS isn’t working any more also...and I think “George W. Trump” fits too (NSFW/H)...



...and I guess it was inevitable that our corporate media was going to turn all “oh, you can’t criticize Dear Leader on his war of choice with Iran or else you’re anti-Semitic,” but it looks like the WaPo has the inglorious “honor” of being the first to pile on with that, as Mike Figueredo of The Humanist Report tells us...and I have a feeling this “AI slop” video was created by wingnuts to troll our side, mainly because the production quality of the clip is awful and doing something like that is right out of their playbook (and this Op-Ed was written by a guy named Will Oremus, who appears to be a technology writer; I guess he’s legit, but I’ll withhold judgment for now)...and according to his bio, this Bret Schafer guy who is quoted is an expert in “computational propaganda,” so to be honest, I think he doth protest too much here since he’s a little too close to the subject...oh, and as far as this Anna Kelly idiot is concerned, “fake news” is good when it suits the purposes of Bronzer Beelzebub, but when those outlets report the truth and by definition are no longer “fake,” then that’s bad? Make it make sense somehow...and indeed, the utter horror of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal isn’t because he’s Jewish (to be honest, I was wondering how long it was going to take before somebody tried THAT argument); it’s because he ruined the lives of apparently hundreds of women for the benefit of the “pay no price, bear no burden” one percent (NSFW/H also)...



...and I’m not sure there’s anybody out there better than Lawrence O’Donnell when it comes to keeping a record of all of the disgusting depravity of Dementia J. Trump, and O’Donnell does so again here concerning Operation Epstein Fury; that flaming tanker in the Strait of Hormuz is emblematic of this ruinous administration...so I guess all #47 has left are these garbage videos about his war of choice to peddle to those gullible fools who have supported him – typical...



...and turning to domestic electoral matters, Jesse Dollemore lets us know that Dem Shawn Harris is the leader of all candidates from Tuesday’s special primary contest for Marjorie Taylor Greene’s GA-14 seat, though, to be fair, we still have to get to the general election, but as Jesse says, given the fact that GA-14 was once a plus-37 district for Trump...well, I don’t think you have to be a political genius to see what this portends for the “R” party...and speaking only for myself, I’m tired of this “runoff” business because that’s just MORE money spent on campaigning for another election that could be used for much better purposes; whoever gets the most votes should win the damn election the first time, whether it’s a primary or “the general”...good point by Jesse that those gerrymanders made what were some super red districts now potentially in play for the “D” team (NSFW/H as well)...



...and Jimmy Kimmel brings us up-to-date with the latest headlines (jeez, $250K of sex toys getting robbed; wonder if somebody is working on a script to make a movie out of THAT?)...and 50K TSA employees working without pay because of Repug budget games, again...and you can tell it’s time for more propaganda from Our Treasonous Orange Yam since there’s always a typo...and eeessnt eeet soouh eeen-terest-eeennng tuuuh heeer Melania spout off about her visionary creative mind dancing, or whatever that mess was (and DJT just looked so thrilled listening to that, didn’t he?)...and gee, we have Our Demented Child King receiving ANOTHER medal for something he didn’t earn – how pitiably sad (and it looks like I’d better book my trip to Hollywood Boulevard – heh)...



...and I would advise staying away from sharp objects this Sunday, especially if you want to proclaim yourself emperor for life (you can Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about).

Thursday Stuff

Part of me wants to completely ignore these evangelical numbskulls who hope that Jehovah is getting ready to “rapture” them up to the great beyond now that their Orange Leader has joined the U.S. in Israel’s war against Iran, but on second thought, I know attention must be paid...this Drenda Keesee person sees our latest Mideast war as the fulfillment of their vision of the second coming, or something...I believe we’ll all have to make an accounting for ourselves one day, and while I readily admit that I have work to do on that score, I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes of this faux spiritual frauds for anything (especially because of this)...



...and Brittany Page discusses Repug U.S. Senator Jon Husted of Ohio, who just said that people living in poverty don’t know how to navigate the real world, or some such nonsense, which is completely typical for his party of course...actually, the best way to get back at this assclown is to donate to the campaign of Sherrod Brown, who is running to return to office and boot Husted out...and yeah, this line from Husted that someone on SNAP doesn’t know how to budget is both ignorant and insulting (yet another hypothetical person Husted claims to have met – no info on this individual of course because I’m sure this person doesn’t exist)...that table from the CBPP makes it pretty clear that a family of 2 is going to have a pretty damn difficult time trying to get by on $370 a month...also telling that 40-60 percent of those in poverty have jobs, but in our end-stage capitalist economy, those wages by themselves aren’t enough...



...and Farron Cousins tells us about retiring Repug U.S. Senator Joni (“We’re All Going To Die One Day”) Ernst contorting herself to somehow find a way to blame Democrats for her party’s dismal electoral fortunes...and of course, expecting Trey Gowdy, of all people, to ask a serious question is utterly delusional (good job by Cousins to call out that little “we” tell on himself in Gowdy’s softball to Ernst)...and here is still another corporate media example (about 3,624 at least by my count) of Democrats supposedly being obligated to reach out to Repugs based on Ernst’s nonsense (and why the hell should they EVER do that?), when it is NEVER EVER the other way around (and ESPECIALLY since the Repugs run the entire federal government thanks to the dunderheaded stoo-pidity of too damn many voters in 2024...briefly NSFW/H)...



...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ lets us know that it looks like MAGA Mike Johnson now has a majority of three seats after CA Repug U.S. House Rep Kevin Kiley became an independent...and I suppose I should give Rand Paul credit for talking about what is likely to transpire this fall (though we all need to work to make that happen of course), but I don’t want to hear this “kinetic action” crap...ANOTHER Republican *preznit has launched ANOTHER war of choice in the Middle East, so let’s call it what the hell it is, OK?...and I’m not sure that “if we lose the majority in the House, it’s the end of the Trump presidency” is such a great rallying cry for Not Your Father’s Republican Party...also, the prospect of deploying ground troops to Iran is absolutely sickening, especially since that nation is getting help from China and Russia; this is exactly what “Bibi” wants, so as far as I’m concerned, he can get the IDF to do that...here’s my theory on all of this; who else remembers when Cheetoh Hitler said that we would take over Gaza after it was pretty much glassed by Israel? Well, as far as I’m concerned, Netanyahu wouldn’t have gone along with that unless there was something else in the deal, and I think our involvement in the war against Iran was that “something else”...and oil over $100 a barrel with a fifth of the world’s tanker traffic stalled is what I believe Cantaloupe Capone will be paying attention to (as much as he pays attention to anything) more than any other aspect of this war...



...and Stephen Colbert brings us up to date on the latest developments...so lemme guess; to coin a phrase, according to Bronzer Beelzebub, “war is over if you want it”; yeah, I’ll believe that at exactly half past never for our ruling gaggle of idiots, unfortunately...I give Stephen credit for trying to be entertaining about this; forcing Iran to watch the “Melania” movie, though, is truly cruel and unusual punishment...and gee, our “Secretary of War” Kegseth sure is a spendthrift on the taxpayer dime, isn’t he? So, supposedly, he set about $93 billion on fire over nonsense (as well as $225 million on new furniture) while much of this country goes without healthcare and community hospitals, as well as government services wrecked by DOGE and a completely collapsing economy...I’d like to find a way to put this clip on Linkedin so all of the folks trying to find employment can see how this regime truly expects them to “let them eat cake,” for lack of a better way to put it (no wonder Mango Mussolini got rid of all of the Inspectors General so nobody would be able to keep track of this)...and oh yeah, you’d better wear the “man shoes” to the upcoming Mar-a-Lago soiree, or you’ll be on the next flight to CECOT I suppose...



...and on this day in music history, Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman were married, London cops conducted a raid on the home of George Harrison and Patti Boyd for pot, and John Lennon (who I referenced in that quote above about war) and Harry Nillson were thrown out of the Troubadour club in LA for heckling Tommy Smothers...it’s also the 78th birthday of James Taylor, so I’d like to commemorate all of this with a Beatles’ cover tune.



Update: And what would a Fab Four tribute be without acknowledging Mr. Starkey? (here).

Wednesday Stuff

John Iadarola of The Damage Report brings us more utter madness from Pumpkin Pol Pot (and God almighty, here is YET ANOTHER “Sir” story from this lying orange clump of trans fats, and he gives us the "accordion hands" yet again)...I’m sure there actually are people in his utterly warped imagination saying we need the “Save America!” Act, which is still more delusion...and I realize Cantaloupe Capone doesn’t have the remotest clue about how federal governance works, saying that the “talking filibuster” will help pass the SAVE Act; of course, #47 has that exactly backwards...and I agree with John that, at a minimum, we should be selectively casting the stinking filibuster aside, though sh*tcanning it for good works for me too...



...and Rachel Maddow brings us the story of Dem U.S. House members going to the migrant concentration camp in Dilley, TX...typically lowdown move by the Trump regime to invite a mariachi band to perform at the White House and then arrest two members of that band and their parents, no doubt stirring what passes for the manhood of Pee Wee German (with one of the brothers in another concentration camp in that godawful state, and yes, I know there are plenty of fine Dems doing heroic work in Greg Abbott-stan)...fortunately, it looks like the pressure from the lawmakers got the family released, BUT ICE SHOULDN’T BE KIDNAPPING AND IMPRISONING ANYBODY, NOT NOW OR FREAKING EVER!!...oh, and it looks like there was a homicide at another migrant prison in Camp East Montana in “the land of the yellow rose,” which, at 30% of its ridiculous projected capacity, is also a breeding ground for a whole bunch of communicable diseases...and oh yeah, our outlaw regime is also proposing 14K and 15K max facilities, presumably to detain “unfriendlies” such as troublesome libs, impertinent journalists, etc...good for the fine folks in Georgia protesting another of these wretched places (and if you have any dough in Citizens Bank, I would advise pulling it and putting it somewhere else with all speed)...



...and Thom Hartmann reminds us of the 50-year campaign by billionaires to get people to believe conservative nonsense...the roots of this go back a looong time, to the point when it became more important for our corporate media to provide “balance” than to report on actual, verifiable truth and reality...to my mind, this all started in the 1950s with William F. Buckley, the John Birchers and Barry Goldwater; the problem is that all of that was thought to be out of the mainstream, which it was and still is, but through a variety of means (mainly the corporate takeover of our media), their propaganda ended up getting pushed so much that the work of actual professional journalists ended up on the scrap heap (and let’s NEVER forget the part The Powell Memo has played in all of this)...everyone should be forced to memorize the last 50 seconds or so in particular of this commentary...



...and with the prior clip in mind, I’d like to bring back “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 3/10/14...as the year goes forward, we’re going to be treated to more and more political ads, and I wanted to recall this one from former Alaska Dem U.S. Senator Mark Begich, where he quite rightly calls out the beyond wretched Koch Brothers (and yes, I know David departed this world in 2019)...I hope there are PLENTY of other ads calling out Chucky Koch and the billionaire class for what they’ve done to us and this country overall...



...and John Oliver nails it again, this time with a segment on the destruction of US AID...I realize it’s a mind-numbing and stupefying exercise to try and determine the absolute worst behavior of this wretched “presidential” administration (the Iran war probably rocketed to the top of that list), but the utter ruination of this vitally important agency is in the top three of the worst acts of this cabal of criminals...and yep, destroying something that amounted to one percent of the federal budget fits for these guttural lowlifes...and what I wouldn’t give to see Benny Johnson shipped off to sub-Saharan Africa so he can gleefully proclaim the destruction of US AID to communities that have lost their entire population to starvation and disease that that agency could have prevented...and yet again, Huckleberry Graham proves that he has no convictions about anything except sucking up to power...also, about the whole “waste, fraud and abuse” thing that the wingnuts like to keep yapping about, it turns out that over 94 percent of US AID funding was allocated properly, as the report tells us...and Jeremy Lewin is another one of these Trumpist characters I’d like to see jettisoned to a place with rampant malnutrition and disease so he can “define fraud” to his coal-black-heart’s content...and it looks like this Mike Benz character is the person responsible for putting US AID “in the wood chipper” – yep, another wingnut with a grudge and hurt fee fees punching down...how predictable...and a quarter of a million dead adults and HALF A MILLION dead kids because of the destruction of US AID – I know I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, but we need a permanent “truth and reconciliation” committee with subpoena power when this horror show is over to see that people go to the slam for the rest of their lives, partly because of this, though there are plenty of other reasons too...and even Dubya’s pride and joy PEPFAR (which was something he shockingly did right) wasn’t spared from the wrath of King Elon’s DOGE incels...and oh yeah, Oxford Senator Foghorn Leghorn of Louisiana has to demonstrate what he considers an affront to his sensibilities on this, as part of the wingnut “pile on”...and “little Marco” once more demonstrates that he’s an utter liar who also has no core principles either (NSFW/H)...



...and here's a newer tune to get us through the "hump day."

Tuesday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen brings us the tale of Cancun Cruz taking a shot at James Talarico, the Dem U.S. Senate nominee from Texas, with some “soy latte” nonsense...good job by Cohen to bring up that tweet of the Gropenfuhrer making fun of Cruz’s wife, which is typically contemptible, combined with Cruz glazing Cheetoh Benito in response...and I know Marjorie Taylor Greene is ultimately trying to promote whatever venture she’s going to engage in (likely a podcast I guess) and for now her values align with ours, though I don’t expect that to last...and one more thing; Dem U.S. House Rep Jasmine Crockett was very gracious in her concession to Talarico a week ago (here), so credit to her for that (NSFW/H)...

...and I know I touched on this previously, but I think it needs to be emphasized; apparently, Vlad The Butcher is passing off intel to Iran to help the latter nation attack U.S. troops, which actually should have been foreseen by anyone with a clue...and I swear, Dementia Donnie can’t get through so much as a single sentence without bragging about something; Cadet Bone Spurs didn’t have a damn thing to do with “building our military”...and no, Iran most definitely wasn’t going to have a nuclear weapon within 2-3 weeks...more here (and yet again, I’ll mention – and likely KEEP mentioning – that we had a nuke deal with Iran that was forged under Obama that Cantaloupe Capone walked away from)...and I could care less about what Steve Witkoff has to say...great point by Page that, if we had an ACTUAL preznit, that person could provide more support to Ukraine in response to the “Moscow munchkin”...I know I also linked to that “it doesn’t matter” response from Trumpette spokes-liar Karoline Leavitt previously, but I think she deserves to be dragged for that again...and I don’t want to know what kind of jackals are now in that White House press pool who thought it was actually funny to hear Peter Doocy ask a similar question about Russia and our military (and OF COURSE the Gropenfuhrer had another hissy fit when he was asked about this very serious matter, seeing as how his skin on this is apparently thinner than tissue paper)...(NSFW/H also)...



...and this More Perfect Union video with Drew Hawkins brings us the sad story of fishermen in Cameron, Louisiana who see their way of life getting ruined (and our energy bills going up) because of export of liquified natural gas (trying to farm for oysters since it’s apparently no longer possible to farm for shrimp either, though farming for ANYTHING in the Gulf is problematic at this point)...looks like the LNG plant at nearby Calcasieu Pass is driving the fishers out of business...also looks like fracking taking off in that area after 2016 had a lot to do with the plight of the fishermen... the abundance of natural gas drove down prices, with the biz needing new buyers, so along comes the CP1 plant to figure out how to more or less package the LNG and ship it overseas (and of course, as noted, given the fact that the gas isn’t taxed, that means that not one dime from the manufacture and shipping of LNG stays in the community, but all the dough goes right to the parent company, Venture Global, and that spokesman looks and sounds like a typical corporate zombie reciting a rehearsed script)...looks like Hackberry and Sabine are two other companies trying to gather whatever spoils they can also, with other gas export facilities planned in the area...and please explain to me like I’m a four-year-old child how the U.S. becoming the largest exporter of natural gas in the world makes our utility bills increase instead of decrease...and I seriously hope you’re not shocked to learn that Combover Caligula got a $1 billion campaign contribution in return for a promise to overturn a Biden-era pause on LNG export terminals...and with all due respect to the good people of Cameron Parish, what did you SERIOUSLY think would happen when you gave your precious vote to a con artist and failed businessman two years ago (definitely an elegiac tone to this, sadly)...NSFW/H once more...



...and I meant to get to this earlier, but here is President Obama delivering Jesse Jackson's eulogy, in a more hopeful vein than the previous item (and three guesses who he's referring to in this clip, and the first two don't count)...

Watch Obama eviscerate the pedophile führer without ever saying his name. 😳👇 pic.twitter.com/mdo21ot78V

— Bill Madden (@maddenifico) March 7, 2026

...and I’ve been looking for a way to give former DHS Secretary Kristi (“Unsafe At Any Speed”) Noem the treatment she deserves now that she’s no longer in the role she was grossly unqualified for, and I think this offering from Mr. Newberger takes care of that nicely...



...and happy belated 80th birthday to Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band.

Monday Stuff

Farron Cousins tells us about Trumpette spokes-liar Karoline Leavitt’s total meltdown in responding to a pretty damn valid question from CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about SecDef Kegseth complaining about the front-page coverage of the deaths of our service members as part of Operation Epstein Fury...Leavitt is just another lickspittle in this regime of grifters and frauds who is COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY out of her depth (and I give Cousins a pretty “wide berth” on this stuff, but as contemptible as Leavitt is, I think commenting on her pregnancy is a bit of a violation...also, when it comes to Leavitt, we shouldn’t forget this)...



...and Belle tells us here about MAGA Mike Johnson slipping up a bit on his talking points, referring to the “Defense Department,” which actually is correct, even though it has been rebranded in wretched Trumpist fashion as the “War Department” (which is what it was actually called up until about 80 years ago, surprisingly enough)...”Imagine how committed you have to be to making the president look bad to get hit by a missile for it” indeed...and yeah, SecDef Kegseth keeps referring to this as a war, which in fact is what it is of course (and indeed, there’s no reason to assume that this regime is telling the truth about ANYTHING, especially this)...



...oh, and just as a reminder, we get new DHS Secretary Markwayne (“We Haven’t Declared A War”) Mullin trying to tap dance in front of the Beltway media over the Iranian slaughter...and once again, I must have missed the memo where Iran officially declared war on this country (and by the way, let’s not forget that Mullin ran a plumbing business and did not serve)...and God almighty, is John Fetterman ever an embarrassment (and I’m sorry, but at this point, he should be able to upgrade his wardrobe)...and I applaud Sam Seder for his objection to the phrase “boots on the ground,” because that DOES mean actual people of course (though I personally think Emma Vigeland gets a little carried away at the end, laughing at folks dealing with impairment)...



...and Davis Shuster of Rebel HQ lets us know that Cantaloupe Capone apparently is big mad that Judge Winebox hasn’t been able to prosecute his political opponents, including some typical joke of a case about whether or not former President Biden used an autopen when he shouldn’t have to issue pardons (God almighty, make this make sense somehow)...no issue with Michael D. Schmidt of the NYT, I should point out; he’s trying to report this madness as straight as he can...and I have to admit that I’m shocked NOT to hear Cancun Cruz parroting the Trumpian line that the war with Iran was to take out their nuclear facilities, with the Texas mistake pointing out that Iran apparently didn’t have them any longer after we bombed them the first time (last June that is...and I’m not a life sciences professional, but I still think that something is clinically wrong with Nancy Mace)...



...and I’ll let Mr. Newberger handle another war-related story (NSFW/H – and there’s this too, let’s not forget)...



...and RIP Country Joe McDonald (also NSFW/H of course...hopefully past isn’t prologue, but we’ll see – ugh).

Friday Stuff

This BBC report discusses our “is it or isn’t it really a war” we’re currently waging...yep, Generalissimo Trump cited an “imminent threat” from Iran, with no specifics of course...oh, and #47 said the war isn’t about “regime change,” but Defense Secretary Kegseth said that the Iranian regime “did change”...I’m old enough to remember Repugs actually getting the messaging straight when they decided to wage illegal wars of choice...and as I know I’ve said before, how dumb do you have to be to take The Tangerine Toddler at his word on ANYTHING, especially this (when it comes to his claim that Iran would attack first)...”wars can be fought forever, and very successfully,” says Cadet Bone Spurs; I hope everyone who supported this demented lunatic in ’24 continues to feel proud of themselves – I’m sure they do (and Couch Boy is another lying fraud of course)...



...and Mehdi Hasan provides some well-thought-out commentary IMO on this story...Hasan draws 3 parallels between what Vlad The Butcher has done in Ukraine and what Bronzer Beelzebub is doing in Iran, including bombing schools and hospitals...we’re treated again to Markwayne Mullin and Anna Paulina Luna-tic and their “oh we’re bombing the crap out of this country but it’s not a war” spiels; also, saying Iran had declared war on us (prior to our attack on them) is A FLAT-OUT STINKING LIE!!!...stop “Putin-izing” indeed...



...and turning to domestic matters, Robert Reich brings us some reality on who’s mainly collecting supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits (children, the elderly, and people with disabilities)...also, many folks collecting SNAP benefits DO work, but their wages are so low that they have to rely on SNAP just to eat (and we also have a clip of Sen. Grasshole of Iowa spouting off about how the lazy “poors” supposedly won’t work, which HE apparently thinks is the problem)...also, it doesn’t surprise yours truly to learn that every dollar spent on SNAP generates $1.50 in economic activity...and why am I not shocked in any way to hear that “Christian” fraud MAGA Mike Johnson say they’re not cutting SNAP when 4 million people have lost that benefit?...and oh yeah, let’s also not forget that the “pay no price, bear no burden” bunch have managed to evade $160 billion in taxes every year, which could easily pay for SNAP with money to spare...



...and Brittany Page lets us know about Trumpist Surgeon General nominee Casey Means wanting to ban birth control, which is straight out of Project 2025 and The Heritage Foundation as Page points out...is it too much to ask that the Surgeon General be an actual doctor who has matriculated through a course of study?? Apparently for our Trumpist overlords, it is...and Means is yet another charlatan criticizing the “medical establishment” while also trying to profit from “wellness” products...and I realize that I don’t have the right to comment on Means’s bodily autonomy (despite what Means wants to do to other women in this country), but if she birthed her first child in her late ‘30s, she likely had the kind of medical care that might not be necessary for younger women since pregnancy gets more and more problematic the older women get (I can say that much anyway)...and God, “Tuckums” looks just so thoughtful and intelligent, doesn’t he, as he listens to Means discuss female biology...and yeah, what Means says is a pretty damn similar flavor as to what this Doug Wilson troglodyte spouts about the role of women, or whatever...and oh yeah, this Means person basically tries to call out Dem U.S. Senator Patty Murray who asks a pretty-much-common-sense question about birth control, but being a good little Trumpette, Means has to cop an attitude instead of trying to answer...credit to Page for telling her story, which takes guts...



...and Jonathan Pie offers his take on our war with Iran...interesting to consider that British PM Keir Starmer could be getting heat for not being servile enough to Our Great Orange Warlord; I’m definitely not an expert in UK politics which are pretty “rough and tumble,” I should note...glad to hear Pie conflate the religious extremists in Iran with those in this country because, as far as I’m concerned, they’re both cut from the same awful cloth, though I’ll grant that nutjobs in this country have killed fewer people than those in Iran (NSFW/H)...



...and happy 80th birthday to David Gilmour of Pink Floyd.

Thursday Stuff

Kyle Kulinski brings us a segment of Ayman Mohyeldin of MS NOW calling out Repug MAGA U.S. House Rep Anna Paulina Luna-tic over “Operation Epstein Fury” (works for me) and her accusation that Iran’s state-sponsored terrorism has killed “thousands and thousands” of Americans, all without proof of course...and I don’t want to hear one goddamn word about the Beirut Bombing which happened under The Sainted Ronnie R OVER FORTY YEARS AGO!!! (and by the way, Reagan responded to that by invading Grenada...WHAAAA????)...also, for background purposes, it should be noted that Iran’s population is primarily Shia Muslim (as opposed to the more nutty Sunnis as Kyle says)...and I’m glad Kyle mentions that Obama unfroze Iranian assets to get the anti-nuke deal with that country THAT DEMENTIA DONNIE WALKED AWAY FROM!!! (NSFW/H)...



...and Sam and Emma and the Majority Report crew tells us that, apparently, Kaitlan Collins of CNN showed up another warmongering Repug a-hole on our war of choice in Iran, and that would be Tim Sheehy, the Repug Senator from Montana (and oh yeah, idiot voters in that state elected this guy in ’24 and got rid of Dem Jon Tester)...and ZOMG! Elizabeth Warren’s former campaign manager chanted “Death to America”?? The person Sheehy is referencing is Calla Walsh, who hasn’t been involved in electoral politics for four years...and Sam is right about how the Repugs didn’t even bother to do their propaganda right on this one, as opposed to Dubya’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iraq...”the reason you’re hearing varied reasons (for the war) is because of the varied threats this regime presents” is right up there with the STOO-PIDEST explanation for this mess that I’ve ever heard...oh, but Sheehy said in June of last year that “regime change can only come from the people of Iran,” which, shockingly enough, was correct then and remains so (and Sheehy definitely didn’t cover himself in glory here either...NSFW/H also)...



...and I know it doesn’t need to be pointed out to anyone with a brain what a delusional narcissist #47 is, but in the statement in this clip, the first thing he mentions is the compliments he believes he’s received over bombing Iran, but he doesn’t have much to say about what this will do to gas prices through Iran likely closing the Strait of Hormuz, or the inconvenience of paying more at the pump (which probably will be small potatoes when it comes to negative effects of this, if you want to know the truth)...and as David Pakman says, the negative ripple effect of rising gas prices is indeed substantial (food, clothing, utilities, and on and on)...and by the way, let’s have no damn illusions of what will fill the leadership vacuum in Iran, OK? Anybody who thinks that country will magically become an ally now must also believe in candy cotton ponies and sugar plumb fairies...



...oh, and Cheetoh Hitler just fired Kristi (“Dog Killer”) Noem without telling her apparently...and is she really going to be replaced by Markwayne Mullin? If I were wearing a suit jacket, I’d rip it off furiously and toss it across the room in his honor...hard for me to have so much as a speck of sympathy for Noem, but it is truly gutless for Bronzer Beelzebub to not so much as fire her to her face...and by the way, this doesn’t mean Noem will be gone, since this “Shield of the Americas” is in the picture, which sounds like an excuse for more pointless, cruel, deadly and ultimately ridiculous intervention elsewhere in our hemisphere (another NSFW/H clip)...



...and Seth Meyers gives us “A Closer Look” on Repugs calling/not calling the Iran War an actual war...and man, Secretary of War Pete Kegseth is sure layin’ down some beats, yo (please)...and leave it to new DHS secretary Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to clarify the whole matter of whether or not this is a war (I guess for our ruling Trumpist overlords, Mullin is the best spokesperson they could get, which is another level of awfulness to be honest)...



...and I find myself asking the question posed by this newer tune more and more every day.

Wednesday Stuff

Rachel Maddow informs us of what Crazy Eyes Kash Patel is doing in response to heightened threats against this country given that we’re in a brand spanking new Mideast war brought to us by another Repug *preznit...I’m sure you’ll see how I’m DEFINITELY NOT CONVINCED that he knows what he's doing given that Crazy Kash just fired a dozen members of an elite counter espionage unit that specialized in Iran, with potentially more firings according to reporting from Carol Leonnig, losing “centuries” worth of intel and expertise to protect us, as Leonnig says (and I believe her), which, as far as I’m concerned, is an impeachable offense for Kash's boss all by itself...

...and Chris Hayes brings as much commendable outrage as he’s allowed to convey I'm sure about Our Bright Shiny New Mideast War...”glibness” indeed from Our Treasonous Orange Pustule on this (“yeah, we’re blowing up this country which has been a dreaded enemy and killing hundreds of people...BUT LOOK AT OUR GOLD DRAPES!”)...and yeah, it sure tracks that a wingnut podcaster overheard talk about the war before Congress...also, I don’t know if I’ve ever heard an explanation before like the one from Little Marco about “well, Israel was going to attack Iran, but even though we weren’t going to be part of that, we figured Iran would attack us anyway, so we decided to join in”...so THAT is the rationale for blowing the Middle East apart, again???!!!...and oh boy, Whiskey Pete Kegseth sure talks brave now that he’s no longer in harm’s way, doesn’t he?...and great work from Hayes to call this disgusting escapade what it is, and that’s an excuse to try and placate “Bibi” and his bloodlust...



...and Jesse Dollemore lets us know about the insidious, alleged forces of spirituality underpinning our administration of grifters and frauds...why am I not in the least bit surprised to see white “Christian” nationalism rear its ugly head in the Gropenfuhrer’s shiny new Mideast debacle?...journalist Jonathan Larsen informs us that our troops are being told that “this is a religious war” (every time I actually think this can’t get worse, it does)..and 110 similar complaints about this nonsense? Yeah, I would call that a trend all right...oh, and this alleged pastor that SecDef Kegseth supports thinks we should repeal the 19th Amendment? Yeah, let’s just get rid of women’s suffrage as long as we’re burning down the rest of our government (somewhat NSFW/H)...



...and I’ve been meaning to get to this clip for the last few days, but with the world going to hell I’ve been putting it off, but no longer...this BBC report from Katty Kay lets us know that the U.S. is running out of teenagers...wow, just smack my butt and call me a pointy headed lib, but are you surprised when we make it as economically difficult as possible to birth and raise kids and do everything we can to limit their economic opportunity (as opposed to, y’know, stinking tax cuts for people who don’t need them)? Ya’ think?...looks like we started having fewer kids around the ’08 financial crisis, which makes sense...half a million fewer 18-year-olds by 2040, huh? Hmmm...interview with Professor Nathan Grawe of Carleton College...parents sending their kids to college in this “brave new world” will indeed have to weight the best offer, including tuition w/student loans and/or scholarships factored in, against what a particular school has to offer – should result in cost savings, though it could hurt quality of education also...



...and Michael Kosta of The Daily Show gives us an update on our regularly scheduled carnage...and apparently, MAGA is splitting off into factions facing off against each other as a result of our brand new Iranian hellscape (here)...and as Kosta says, it definitely doesn’t follow the plot of a Schwarzenegger action movie to tell stranded Americans to take a tour bus to escape – what, are you planning to drop them off at the commissary?...and nice job to give a bit of a shout out to Vlad The Butcher to draw the parallel with the messaging from all of those Trumpist lickspittles (mildly NSFW/H)...



...and today is the 60th anniversary, believe it or not, of John Lennon’s interview with British journalist Maureen Cleave in which Lennon said that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” (here)...as he explained later, Lennon was talking about kids in Britain who were Beatles’ fans...as we know, though, word got out to this country that Lennon said that and people went nuts, smashing and burning Beatle records, which was a hysterical overreaction to put it mildly...I think this tune from Lennon’s solo catalog is probably apt for this occasion.

Tuesday Stuff

Brian Tyler Cohen gives us yet another reason from Mango Mussolini for his war with Iran...so, the Gropenfuhrer goes on Truth Septic to say that Iran allegedly tried to interfere with the ’20 and ’24 elections; I realize we’re never going to get proof of such a charge from our cabal of bottom feeders...I’d also forgotten to note that Cheetoh Hitler didn’t mention ICE a single time during that interminable SOTU (unrelated directly to the war I realize)...it also wouldn’t surprise me in any way whatsoever to see #47 try to use some war powers BS to try and seize control of the midterm elections; he’s a despotic demagogue bent on wrecking this country every way possible, and anyone who doesn’t see that at this point is a goddamn idiot as far as yours truly is concerned (with Marc Elias, who informs us that our Mad King wants to use a statute to pretty much impose martial law THAT DEMENTIA DONNIE CAN’T EVEN USE FOR TARIFFS ACCORDING TO THE SCOTUS!!!)...also, I definitely share Elias’s concerns about our legacy media, especially since now just about all of it (except maybe MS NOW) is run by rich conservatives...



Update: And about the war, I give you more here...and just for good measure, #sendbarron #sendbarron #sendbarron #sendbarron #sendbarron #sendbarron.

...oh, and speaking of ICE, I’d like to apologize for interrupting our regularly scheduled war to present this clip from NBC News of 911 calls from our concentration camp in Dilley, TX about severely sick kids (and of course, it would be nice if our corporate media would ask a little louder why we have KIDS in these places, let alone ANYBODY, but I guess that would be impolite)...



...and sticking with domestic matters, Farron Cousins informs us that Bronzer Beelzebub recently threatened to deport people who don’t have jobs, and yes, Our Sweaty Orange Goofball means people born in this country also...what a shame there are apparently no longer any adults in the “party of Lincoln” who can step in and say, “You know what? Enough is enough with this guy” and put an adult with a speck of common sense in the position of *preznit...oh, and this happened on “angel family” day, and the whole “angel family” thing is some Trumpist concoction to honor families who lost loved ones allegedly killed by people here illegally, which requires me to note YET AGAIN that, overwhelmingly, people immigrating to this country with or without proper documentation commit crime AT A SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER RATE than people who were born here, and yes, I know the wingnut response is LAKEN RILEY LAKEN RILEY LAKEN RILEY LAKEN RILEY LAKEN RILEY LAKEN RILEY (and yes, her death was awful, and indeed ANY death from someone here illegally or otherwise is awful, but all I’m asking for is some perspective here)...



...and Kyle Kulinski reminds us that US tourism is utterly collapsing as everyone despises us now (down about 11 million by one estimate), and that was BEFORE launching the attack on Iran (and down 28 percent in January from Canada – ugh)...and oh yeah, the “brain drain” thanks to #47 and Apartheid Clyde is something this country may NEVER recover from...and I guess Las Vegas has officially given up on trying to attract anyone except the “one percent,” and maybe even a fraction of that (NSFW/H)...



...and Stephen Colbert tries to make sense of the ongoing carnage in the Middle East, this time with Iran (and if we’ve tragically lost 6 of our brave service people so far, I would suggest that those are only the ones we know about)...and no disrespect to Stephen, but I could care less about what Brett McGurk has to say; he helped pave the way for this mess as far as I’m concerned by giving “Bibi” everything he wanted to slaughter the Palestinians, with Biden’s domestic support cratering partly for that reason...



...and maybe like you, I find that I need something kid of mellow for a wintry mix Tuesday, and I think this will provide that nicely.

Monday Stuff

Belle of the Ranch gives us more reactions to the Iran attack from Cheetoh Benito and “Bibi”...I suppose #47 will get a bit of a “sugar high” in polling when it comes to His Brand New Shiny Middle East War, but we know from recent history what is likely to happen next...I continue to be utterly shocked by how much sense Marjorie Taylor Greene is making, this time on the Iran attack...oh, and leave it to that knucklehead Tim Burchett to compare killing the leader of a despised country to targeted bombing by other presidents, including the destruction of an aspirin factory...and yeah, “Operation Epstein Fury” is pretty “on the nose” for this...as usual, well-off politicians set up other people’s kids for further harm at the hands of a despotic regime...



...and turning to domestic matters, David Shuster of Rebel HQ informs us of the $1.2 trillion trade gap ($70.3 billion for December ’25) from Cantaloupe Capone’s ruinous fiscal mismanagement...I would tend to believe Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz and his definitely-not-rosy prognostications...soooo, the promised manufacturing jobs from reconstituting our supply chains in this country haven’t materialized, and we’re paying more on top of that – are you tired of the winning yet? Yep, we’re indeed looking at the “affordability crisis”...the one area where jobs are increasing is indeed health care because people will always be sick and the population of this country overall is getting older to the point where more care is needed...also, paying more and more interest on our debt continues to economically cripple every non-rich person in this country, particularly because WE are the ones who pay interest on the debt bonds held by foreigners...and a $32 trillion debt overall? Anybody who voted for this ruinous bunch from the “R” Party should be made to wear a dunce cap in public (and no disrespect to Shuster, but I couldn’t give a damn about Tim Pool, one of these YouTubers/podcasters funded by Vlad The Butcher)...



...and Tennessee Brando discusses Hillary Clinton giving a deposition into the Jeffrey Epstein criminality on “pedo island,” but Howard Lutnick and the Tangerine Toddler get to skate pretty much of course...I agree with Brando about 150 percent that this is YET ANOTHER story where we should have gotten together to do the right thing for the people impacted the most, and in this case, that means the victims and survivors of the Epstein horror show, including the family and friends of Virginia Giuffre, and I don’t mind the proverbial book getting thrown at the worst offenders also, whoever they are...I know Brando is despairing a bit in the end, but unfortunately I think he’s right; I’m just a guy and no big deal in the scheme of things, but I cannot tell you how much effort I’ve put into trying to make Repugs see reality on this and maybe about a hundred other issues, and the response I usually get is “la la la I’m covering my ears and can’t hear you” (NSFW/H)...



...and Sam Seder of The Majority Report brings us Iowa Repug U.S. House Rep Mariannette Miller-Meeks, telling us that we should work without health care until they die, and just rely on health savings accounts...and by the way, you pretty much can’t use a HSA to pay a health insurance premium...and isn’t it just too con-vee-nient of a coincidence that this line from her about adopting a healthier lifestyle and having lower health care expenses has also been parroted by “Bobby Brainworms”; sooo, if somebody goes out and runs, say, a mile every day and consumes a low fixed amount of calories and stays away from alcohol and cigarettes but they still get pancreatic cancer, is she saying that person should be blamed anyway?...great point by Sam that, when it comes to health care, the cost containment has to come from the provider side, not the consumer side...



...and once more, Mr. Newberger gives us a spot-on take concerning the malfeasance (at a minimum) of Combover Caligula...



...and RIP Neil Sedaka.

Saturday Stuff

Ari Melber of MS NOW provides coverage of our war with Iran, including (according to Dear Orange Leader) the killing of Iran’s supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei...what some people won’t do to try and distract from plummeting domestic support and the ongoing scandal of the Epstein files...retired General Barry McCaffrey and Ambassador Dennis Ross offer commentary...I guess I’m just a pointy-headed lib for wondering how many times we have to learn that PRE-EMPTIVE FREAKING WAR DOESN’T GODDAMN WORK!!! (to say nothing of the fact that it’s illegal as hell)...still way too many goddamn questions about this at this point...



...also, the German news service DW gives us their report on retaliatory strikes launched by Iran against U.S. military bases in the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait...report with journalist Anjana Sankar...



...and Jesse Dollemore gives us his insights, you could say, on the Gropenfuhrer “getting his war on” against Iran and putting hundreds of our military at risk in the region...oh, and apparently either we or Israel bombed a school, and the casualty count is at least 80 and projected to go much higher...gee, I wonder if Cantaloupe Capone’s “board of peace” is going to give him a special prize for that?...kudos to Jesse for going over Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which our brain-addled chief executive took an oath to preserve, protect and defend a little over a year ago (though, as some keen-eyed folks besides yours truly noted, Pumpkin Pol Pot didn’t lay his hand across “the good book” as he was sworn in again)...and gee, “Tokyo Rose” Gabbard sure covered herself in glory at that Bund rally during the election, didn’t she?...and I’m just going to keep repeating the fact that Our Orange Clod walked away from a nuclear deal we struck with Iran under President Obama, with the significant efforts of Secretary of State John Kerry (NSFW/H)...



...and I offer the following without any further commentary.

Friday Stuff

(The pic is President Lyndon Johnson handing the pen to Martin Luther King Jr. after Johnson used it to sign the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965.)

Brian Tyler Cohen and Marc Elias inform us that it looks like our theocrats in robes are getting ready to totally extinguish the Voting Rights Act, Section 2 in particular...this stems from the Callais case out of Louisiana, in which that state redrew maps from the 2020 census and created 2 instead of 1 black opportunity districts, and a group of white voters said it was a map that discriminated against white people (since whites are so blatantly discriminated against in this country - #joke)...I didn’t realize that overturning Section 2 of the VRA, effectively neutering it (if that’s what comes from the SCOTUS ruling in Callais) could endanger potentially 30 Democratic seats in the U.S. House and (as Elias says) make it extremely difficult for Dems to take control in that chamber, but that does seem to be the endgame here...sounds like the original case had to do with the voting map in Louisiana but it was expanded to go after Section 2; the expanded ruling thing is what happened with Citizens United (and this smells like Alito’s dirty handiwork to be honest)...Elias is absolutely right about figuring out a new way to move forward if indeed the worst does happen concerning the VRA...I’m glad Elias mentioned the John Lewis For The People Act, though, as Elias says, we actually need something beyond that to anticipate more Stupid Voting Tricks from the “R” party...



...and Emma Vigeland, Brandon Sutton, Matt Binder and Matt Lech of The Majority Report discuss the nutjobs in the U.S. House (notably MAGA Mike Johnson, cheered on by Dementia J. Trump) passing the SAVE Act to make it harder for married women to vote, among the myriad other problems with this rotten bill, though it looks like Repug Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t have the votes to pass it fortunately...Mehdi Hasan cuts to the chase in his analysis, including the fact that this codifies that damn “voter ID” nonsense, which, yet again, is a “solution” in search of an actual problem (when we register at our polling locations, we have to provide proof that we legally reside there already, so there’s no need to do it again when we vote, and to be honest, actual irregularities when voting happen at such a microscopic level that it’s basically insignificant, and such irregularities are caught by poll workers anyway)...I didn’t know either that this wretched bill doesn’t say anything about marriage licenses for married women and leaves that question up to the states...what a damn mess!...also a good point to note that, in addition to the cost of getting an updated passport, there’s the fact that it will take longer to get one now because of the general defunding of public services from this wretched group in charge of the federal government...not surprised that there’s somewhat of a link here to Peter Thiel, Jeffrey Epstein, etc...



...and Jesse Dollemore tells us of the recent testimony before Congress by former ICE employee Ryan Schwank, stating how he was told to teach these ICE life forms how to break the law and pretty much thumb their noses at the Constitution...truly a courageous act by Schwank to come forward this way and voice not just his concerns but those of ICE instructors who’ve had their class curricula for training new agents cut by more than half, so those recruits who DO emerge won’t know (and likely won’t care) about following the law...this is one reason why we’ll need a permanent truth and reconciliation committee when this nightmare is eventually over with subpoena power, and I don’t care if it’s composed only of Dems since I wouldn’t expect ANY Republican to stand up and do the right thing at this point...



...and Thom Hartmann makes a pretty convincing case IMO that prior Repug presidential administrations ended up pocketing about $38 trillion before #47 (between both Bushes and The Sainted Ronnie R)...I’d forgotten the history of Jude Wanniski and the “two Santa Claus” theory, but that’s indeed important for this topic...Thom goes down the whole list of stuff we could fund instead of shoveling the dough out the door for those stinking tax cuts for the rich...gee, let’s see, there’s universal pre-K, debt free college, restoring funds for Medicare/Medicaid and the ACA credits (or just sh*tcanning our wretched for-profit health care system and moving towards Medicare for All), upgrading our crumbling infrastructure including investing in renewable energy, weaning ourselves off fossil fuels as much as possible, building new housing, and on and on and on...and I honestly don’t recall if Cheetoh Hitler mentioned the national debt at the SOTU – there was so much other verbal flatulence from that spectacle that I couldn’t keep track...



...and Stephen Colbert gives us more on that mind-numbingly awful SOTU, including an 11 percent drop in ratings from last year, though Colbert’s is UP 7 percent over the same period (so much winning!)...and wow, artificially enhancing camels in an Oman “beauty” contest? I’m not sure a punchline is even necessary for that one...and a “toe up”? Yeah, I caught that one...and oh yeah, it looks like Our Treasonous Orange Pustule wants to attack Iran also – madness on so many levels that it’s hard to list all of them...also, is it necessary to point out again that we actually had a nuke deal with Iran under Obama, but Pumpkin Pol Pot walked away from it as soon as he first parked his bulbous butt in An Oval Office?...and oh yeah, we recently had another ridiculous confirmation hearing for another idiotic Trump nominee, and that would be Casey Means for surgeon general, some other damn “social media influencer” who’s grossly unqualified...



...and I don’t know if this newer tune is anthemic of anything or not, but I thought I’d present it anyway as we begin what hopefully will be a snow-free weekend.

Thursday Stuff

Jesse Dollemore discusses the SOTU address the other night from “Dementia Donnie,” including Dem U.S. House Rep Al Green and his thoroughly appropriate “Black people aren’t apes” sign...I’m surprised Markwayne Mullin didn’t rip his jacket off first before he tried to grab Green’s sign, since that seems to be Mullin’s go-to move in typical WWE fashion, and Steve Scalise and Troy “I’m Leaving To Give Up My House Seat To My Brother” Nehls were no better of course...and yeah, we have had a “turnaround for the ages,” but definitely NOT in a way that does any good...I also agree with Jesse that Green should have had some company from the “D” team when he exited from that chamber, but this is what we can expect from Hakeem Jeffries, sadly...at least Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib knew what to do, to their credit...

...also, every time Cantaloupe Capone loses a court battle in his effort to illegally arrest and transport US citizens to God knows where, remind me to chant “U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!” (and one more thing: all of that yammering by our traitorous orange meat sack about “open borders” and “sanctuary cities” are lies that should have been effectively pushed back against decades ago)...



...and Elliott Morgan of Rebel HQ gives us more bad economic news from our regime of frauds and bottom feeders...I know it’s old stuff a bit to see data on just how badly those stinking tariffs from Don The Con are polling, but I think that needs to be emphasized against his other myriad policy disasters...and listening to that nonsense from Mike Lawler on that CNN panel is about what you can expect from the “party of Lincoln”; NOBODY honestly believes that Pumpkin Pol Pot is going to sit down and negotiate or whatever about ANYTHING, including those stinking tariffs...and oh yeah, three guesses who was once caught on tape saying the economy does better under Dems than the Repugs, and the first two guesses don’t count...

...and Farron Cousins informs us of Repug U.S. Senator John Neely Kennedy appearing on Fix Noise to make fun of AOC, though he ended up dumping on working Americans in general; yeah, well, at least nobody I know has to come up with some BS folksy, down-home act to hide the fact that they were educated at Oxford (and God almighty, why the $#@! can’t the goddamn Dems as a party be as good at social media as AOC is??!!)...



...and this New York Times clip brings us the tale of how Vermont made childcare affordable...the fact that 44 percent of those polled said having a family cost too much in this country shouldn’t be surprising since we’ve spent decades showering tax cuts on the rich at the expense of working families...something is SERIOUSLY wrong when ANYONE has to dip into their 401(k) to pay for child care...I can’t imagine what kind of an expense it is for that business in Smuggler’s Notch to offer free child care, but kudos to the guy running it for doing the right thing...nice work by Ally Richards also; everyone’s efforts led to the passage of Act 76, which meant a comparatively meager sales tax increase to provide millions in child care funding...



...and Desi Lydic of The Daily Show gives us more lowlights from that perverse spectacle of a speech the other night...it seems that Gramps is watching too many “mad slasher” horror movies on his TV in the White House while he snacks on his Big Macs and fries, because a whole of bunch of demented carnage from his addled noggin somehow made its way into that interminable speech (with Troy Iwata – sorry I didn’t get the “Heated Rivalry” joke, but I have a feeling I know what the punchline was)...



...and I don’t see any tour dates in this area for her, but I’ll keep an eye out (really like this newer tune, and why do I have a feeling that this is spot-on for the Tangerine Toddler?).

Wednesday Stuff

John and Jayar of The Damage Report tell us about Trumpist judge Aileen Cannon blocking the release of the final report from Jack Smith that looked into the Trump Administration’s alleged mishandling of sensitive government documents and obstruction of the federal probe into same...as I’ve said before, I’m definitely not a “legal eagle” so I may lose track of the fine points on Cannon’s supposed logic here, but it sounds like she never wanted Smith to proceed with this investigation at any point, presumably because this violated some mythical standard of presidential impunity...and by the way, I’m not a fan of “No Malarkey Joe” holding onto classified docs either, but the last I checked, when he was told he needed to turn over those docs, HE PRETTY MUCH FREAKING COMPLIED IMMEDIATELY, UNLIKE #47!...and I think John is spot-on to point out how Cannon is angling for a SCOTUS seat, what with Thomas and/or possibly Alito too deciding to step down during this awful term; this indeed is the driver of all of this legal favoritism on behalf of Cheetoh Hitler (more here)...



...and I realize attention must be paid to that utter train wreck of a speech from our orange lunatic last night, and with that in mind, I give you the following from Rachel Maddow and the MS NOW panel...props to Maddow for rebutting the deluge of lies from Our Treasonous Orange Yam, who is growing ever more detached from reality by the day...and wow, it does indeed sound like “violence porn” from Pumpkin Pol Pot towards the end of that dirge...I agree with Nicolle Wallace’s take that the only ones who think this country is “hot” right now are the people standing in the omelet line at Mar-a-Lago; that sentiment is DEFINITELY NOT shared by at least 66 percent of this country (and yeah, Bri-Fi – taking into consideration what Jen Psaki said, do you really think this utter mess of a speech helps you run for re-election this fall?)...



...well, turning away from the dark, demented fantasies of Mango Mussolini and focusing on the world of reality, Robert Reich asks what the typical worker pay rate would be in this country if it had grown at the same rate as CEO pay over the last 50 years? Good question...the typical worker wage back in 1968 was $25.14 an hour, with earnings jumping to the astronomical level (snark) of $36.49 an hour in 2024...actually, if worker pay had risen at the same rate as CEO pay, it would be $432 an hour by now...we’re reminded once more of how much corporate compensation has gone into stock buybacks, which used to be illegal until it was made OK by (everybody all at once now) The Sainted Ronnie R...and actually, when it comes to labor unions, I give you this, and when it comes to antitrust enforcement, I give you this...



...and John Oliver had a typically well-done segment here IMO on what Apartheid Clyde has done to “the bird app,” turning it from a fairly reputable news source where credible people would keep us informed into a right-wing cesspool propagating all manner of hateful garbage...I have to admit that I really didn’t connect the dots on how that wretched Nick Shirley business on the supposed rampant fraud at Somali-run day care centers morphed into ICE terrorizing the city of Minneapolis (an update is here), and with all of the right-wing madness in this country, I hadn’t really paid attention to what King Elon I was doing “across the pond,” but that definitely is telling also; I would agree with the assessment that Xitter has become a breeding ground for all kinds of wingnut propaganda eventually leading to violence...watching Musk utterly glitch out over the question of why a “collective consciousness” is important to him is weirdly amusing, I have to admit...seriously, though, Musk and everyone in our ruinous administration need to be held to account for the mass starvation and death they are responsible for from gutting US AID (probably should be standing in a docket at the Hague, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen)...by the way, Peter Attia has left CBS News since this segment was filmed (briefly NSFW/H)...



...and Mr. Newberger gives Crazy Eyes Kash Patel the treatment he deserves here; also, maybe I’m being a little too harsh on the U.S. men’s gold-medal-winning hockey team, but as far as I’m concerned, by attending that speech last night where our *preznit spouted off all of his “greatest hits” of bilious, hateful garbage, they have forever stained their accomplishment on behalf of this country (here)...



...and today marks what would have been the 83rd birthday of George Harrison (backgrounder on this tune is here).