;)
The Conversation -- November 22, 2024
Fritz Farrow of ABC News: “President Joe Biden on Wednesday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards at a private ceremony, the White House said. Richards, the daughter of the late Texas Gov. Ann Richards, left the reproductive health care organization in 2018 after leading it for 12 years. Earlier this year, Richards revealed she was battling glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer – the same that killed Biden’s son Beau.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Eric Tucker & Alanna Richer of the AP: “... Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. She’s been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers.” MB: There is a reason Trump is choosing awful Floridians for a top job; it has something to do with humiliating Gov. DeSantolini, and I'm not going to bother to figure out just how that is supposed to go down. (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here.
~~~ Liz Goodwin, et al., of the Washington Post: “Bondi was a local prosecutor in Hillsborough County [Tampa], Florida, and ran to be the state’s attorney general in 2010. In that position, she joined other Republican state attorneys general in suing unsuccessfully to strike down the Affordable Care Act.... In 2013, Trump’s charity made a $25,000 contribution to a political group backing Bondi, in violation of federal tax rules. Trump’s foundation later called the donation an error. The contribution was additionally controversial because it coincided with Bondi’s decision not to pursue fraud complaints against Trump’s for-profit real-estate-seminar business. She endorsed Trump in the 2016 Republican primary.... Bondi was among the Trump supporters and surrogates who trumpeted claims without evidence that fraud had occurred in the 2020 election.” (This story also is linked below.) MB: So Trump & Bondi also have a kind of criminal bond. Sweet.
⭐ Eric Tucker of the AP: “Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as ... Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general following continued scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on the former congressman’s ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The Florida Republican’s announcement came one day after meeting with senators in an effort to win their support for his confirmation to lead the Justice Department. 'While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,' Gaetz said in a statement announcing his decision.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Peter Baker, et al., of the New York Times: “Matt Gaetz ... abruptly withdrew his bid to become attorney general on Thursday in the first major political setback for President-elect Donald J. Trump since his election this month. Mr. Gaetz has consistently denied the allegations, but his prospective nomination ran into trouble in the Senate, where Republicans were deeply reluctant to confirm someone to run the same Justice Department that once investigated him for allegations of sex trafficking an underage girl.... Two people with direct knowledge of Mr. Gaetz’s thinking said he made the decision to pull out after concluding that he would not have the votes in the Senate for confirmation.... The collapse of Mr. Gaetz’s selection underscored the haphazard way that Mr. Trump has gone about assembling his new administration. He picked Mr. Gaetz almost on a whim last week without extensive vetting, knowing that allegations were out there, but essentially daring Senate Republicans to accept him anyway.... Mr. Trump did not indicate who he might select as attorney general instead.” MB: Better call Saul. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Liz Goodwin, et al., of the Washington Post: “Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance spent Wednesday courting votes in the Capitol among GOP senators who sit on the Judiciary Committee, one of whom warned that Gaetz’s confirmation hearing would be like 'Kavanaugh on steroids.'... In those private meetings, Gaetz and Vance acknowledged that they were lacking the support they needed, according to a person familiar with the discussions.... Gaetz seemed nervous and did not appear familiar with the scope of the Justice Department, the person said.... 'I think that was appropriate,' said Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) when asked for his reaction to the news that Gaetz withdrew.... There was a widespread recognition in Trump’s orbit that Gaetz did not have the votes to get confirmed, said a person involved on Trump’s team.... Trump had not realized that his announcement of Gaetz’s selection would come just before the potential release of a House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz, and was furious at the pick’s failure. 'The game changed as of today,' the person said. 'McConnell just told MAGA, “I took down your golden boy in a week.”’” (This story also is linked above.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gaetz has been credibly accused of having sex with a minor, participating in drug-fueled orgies and of trafficking sex workers, he can't get along with his Congressional colleagues, he's barely practiced law, and he's "unfamiliar with the scope of the Justice Department." And here's how the reporters characterize him in the lede to this story: one "of the president-elect’s unconventional Cabinet picks." Un-effing-conventional. Right. Choosing Caligula's horse would be "unconventional" (though as Akhilleus pointed out several days ago, not as bad as Trump's picks). ~~~
~~~ Scoop! Trump Pulled the Plug. Marc Caputo of the Bulwark: “Eight days after making the snap decision to nominate Matt Gaetz to be the nation’s next attorney general, Trump phoned him Thursday morning to tell him he wouldn’t get confirmed, according to a source briefed on the conversation. The president-elect explained that Republican senators were too troubled by the sex scandals and investigations surrounding Gaetz and that the constant and salacious distractions had doomed him. 'You don’t have the votes,' Trump said, according to the source. 'These senators aren’t moving.' Another source familiar with the conversation between Trump and Gaetz said Gaetz had acknowledged he had between four and six Republican votes against him. He could only lose three.... Dumping Gaetz constituted a remarkable about face for Trump, who had not only been adamant that Gaetz would be his attorney general but who had floated the possibility of using a recess appointment to install him.” ~~~
~~~ Paula Reid & Sarah Ferris of CNN: “The woman who says she had sex when she was a minor with then-Rep. Matt Gaetz told the House Ethics Committee she had two sexual encounters with him at one party in 2017, sources familiar with her testimony tell CNN. The woman, who was 17 years old at the time, testified that the second sexual encounter, which has not previously been reported, included another adult woman. She also testified to both sexual encounters in a civil deposition as part of a related lawsuit, sources said. After being asked for comment for this story, Gaetz announced he was backing out as ... Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee.... The other woman who was an adult at the time has denied participating in the alleged second encounter, according to multiple sources....” (Also linked yesterday.)
Here's the redacted Monterey, California, police report on the 2017 incident in which a woman told police Pete Hegseth had sexually assaulted her. Via NBC News. New York Times story, by Sharon LaFraniere, linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
⭐~~~ Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: “Hegseth has devoted a great deal of time to documenting his worldview, including three books published in the past four years.... The man who emerges from the page appears to have sunk deeply into conspiracy theories that are bizarre even by contemporary Republican standards.... He considers himself to be at war with basically everybody to Trump’s left, and it is by no means clear that he means war metaphorically.... And given the power he is likely to hold — command over 2 million American military personnel — he is almost certainly far more dangerous than any of [Trump's other nominees].... Hegseth puts forward a wide range of familiarly misguided ideas: vaccines are 'poisonous'; climate change is a hoax (they used to warn about global cooling, you know); George Floyd died of a drug overdose and was not murdered; the Holocaust was perpetrated by 'German socialists.' Where Hegseth’s thinking begins venturing into truly odd territory is his argument ... that the entire basic design of the U.S. public education system is the product of a century-long, totally successful communist plot.... [He] calls for the 'categorical defeat of the Left,' with the goal of 'utter annihilation,' without which 'America cannot, and will not, survive.'... Hegseth incessantly equates the left to wartime enemies.” Oh, read on. Thanks to laura h. for this gift link, which she made at the end of yesterday's Comments. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Should Hegseth make it as far as Senate hearings, it sounds as if Democrats should hold a story time, where they perform dramatic readings of portions of Hegseth's insane rantings. Maybe at the ends of their allotted times they could ask some pointed questions.
Here's CNN's report on the lawsuit against Linda McMahon, Trump choice for Education Secretary, in which plaintiffs (five John Does) allege she "knowingly enabled the sexual exploitation of children by a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) employee." Washington Post story, by Reinhard & Bhattarai, linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday.)
Here's a moment in the never-ending comedy series, "Trump Grifts": ~~~
Can't Dance, Can't Sing, Sells Guitars. Charlie Nash of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump announced the release of a series of 'limited edition' signed guitars on Wednesday, with the 'Make America Great Again' emblazoned instruments selling for as much as $10,000. 'Coming Soon! The Limited Edition ’45 Guitar. Only 1,300 of each Acoustic and Electric Guitars MADE — Some personally signed!' announced Trump in a social media post, attached to a photo of him holding one of the guitars. On its website, Trump Guitars boasts it is 'the only guitar officially endorsed by President Donald J. Trump.'” In the monologue embedded yesterday, Jimmy Kimmel says Trump can't play guitar. I would give that a 99.9 percent chance of being true. (Also linked yesterday.)
Marie: According to Google's dictionary, "retribution" is "punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act." So 99 percent of Trump's pledge to obtain "retribution" against his perceived enemies is not retribution at all, because the actions of his foes were neither wrong nor criminal. Perhaps Trump really is seeking "retaliation" or "punishment," but there too is an implication that one's adversaries have committed some wrongful act. So in my opinion, Trump is going for pure assault. And here the assault begins: ~~~
~~~ Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “... Donald J. Trump on Wednesday instructed congressional Republicans to block the passage of a bipartisan federal shield bill intended to strengthen the ability of reporters to protect confidential sources, dealing a potentially fatal political blow to the measure — even though the Republican-controlled House had already passed it unanimously. The call by Mr. Trump makes it less likely that the bill — the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act, or PRESS Act — will reach the Senate floor and be passed before the current session of Congress ends next month.... Mr. Trump issued the edict in a post on his Truth Social platform Wednesday afternoon. Citing a 'PBS NewsHour' report about the federal shield legislation, he wrote: 'REPUBLICANS MUST KILL THIS BILL!'
“Mr. Trump has exhibited extreme hostility to mainstream news reporters, whom he has often referred to as 'enemies of the people.' In his first term as president, he demanded a crackdown on leaks that eventually entailed secretly seizing the private communications of reporters, including some from The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN.” (Also linked yesterday.)
So we're on about Chapter 3 of the Department of Government Efficiency comedy series, and some familiar characters are about to join the cast: ~~~
~~~ Rebecca Shabad of NBC News: "The House Oversight Committee announced Thursday that Republicans plan to create a subcommittee that would work with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy on ... Donald Trump's recently announced advisory group, the 'Department of Government Efficiency.' The GOP-controlled panel said in a post on X that the subcommittee, which would be formed for the next Congress starting in January, would be chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News that the subcommittee would 'align with the Trump administration’s priorities to eliminate government waste, streamline the federal government’s operations and cut red tape that’s stifling jobs and increasing costs for the American people.'" (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: As you know, Comer and Greene are old hands at buffoonery, and should be welcome additions to the high jinks. Will Jim keep up his hilarious history of making pratfalls the way he did when "investigating" Joe & Hunter Biden? Who will Miss Margie -- who has blamed Jews for wildfires and Democrats for hurricanes -- pick as the scapegoat for government inefficiency?
Reid Epstein of the New York Times: “Speaking on Thursday to a group of young, Democratic elected officials, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made a case for reorienting how the party communicates with voters, even as he warned that expressing outrage at ... Donald J. Trump would not be enough to lead Democrats to victory.... 'We’ve got to figure out how to take online conversations offline at scale,' he said. 'While it is not obvious how to do that, that is something that through human history until about 15 years ago, we all did. And so we’re going to have ways to do that that might on some level be a return to form but on other levels, entail information environment work that is unfamiliar to people who have taken a free press in a democratic society for granted.'”
Greg Sargent of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: “You probably missed it, because it created barely a ripple in the media, but last Friday, a federal judge appointed by Donald Trump struck down one of President Biden’s most pro-worker policies: his effort to ensure that far more Americans benefit from overtime pay. Around four million salaried workers with lower incomes are the losers in this decision, yet it generated startlingly few news stories and no outraged missives from leading columnists.... The Justice Department hasn’t said whether it will appeal the decision striking the rule down. It should, to compel Trump to either keep defending it or actively let it die.” Read all of Sargent's piece. This isn't about one mean judge; it's about GOP politicians' hypocrisy and their ever-so-fake embrace of working people. (Also linked yesterday.)
It Takes More than $148MM to Shut Up Rudy. Brandi Buchman of the Huffington Post: “A civil contempt hearing is now on the books in Washington, D.C., for Rudy Giuliani — just a day after two election workers he defamed, Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, notified a judge that they believed the former New York City mayor has continued to smear them publicly. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell ordered Giuliani on Thursday to respond to the motion for civil contempt by Dec. 2.... In recent comments on his podcast..., Giuliani repeated his lie that the mother-daughter duo passed a USB drive to each other containing votes for Joe Biden when they were working the polls at an arena in Atlanta in Nov. 2020.... Giuliani’s statements aired on Nov. 12 and Nov. 14.... In one of the podcasts this month, Giuliani claimed the women were 'quadruple-counting votes.' He also seemed to criticize Howell, who will oversee the civil contempt hearing, by calling her 'bloodthirsty.'”
Joyce Vance on Substack: “Voters who ignored the facts about the [excellent] economy and used them as an excuse to vote for Trump weren’t people who wanted a change.... They didn't like new policies advanced by the Biden-Harris administration, a more inclusive vision of America where traditionally marginalized people had equal opportunity.... They wanted the 'old stability,' the patriarchy that has run the country for generations. In many ways, that's what’s at the heart of the conservative coalition. It's not a rejection of the established order; it's an embrace of it. If that’s what Trump voters thought they were getting, they may be sorely disappointed.... People who voted their pocketbook without concern for their children, or at least their ability to find someone to clean their house, are going to be in for a rude awakening. We’ll get back on our game and be ready by the time Trump is sworn into office.” Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.)
Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: “Senate Democrats have reached a deal with their Republican counterparts to confirm a dozen judges nominated by President Joe Biden while pulling four of his nominees from consideration, the latest step in a battle over who controls the nation’s federal courthouses on the eve of a second Donald Trump presidency.... A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) told The Washington Post that all of Biden’s remaining appeals court nominees will be withdrawn as part of the deal struck with Republicans to get 12 lower-court judges confirmed. He said none of the four had the 50 votes needed for Senate confirmation.... Seven other nominees will not advance. They are still in committee or awaiting confirmation hearings....
“At the same time, lawmakers are facing new pushback against a bill that would increase the number of federal judges across the country, with some Democrats reluctant to give Trump more judgeships to fill. The bill — known as the Judges Act — was initially bipartisan, passing unanimously in the Senate over the summer. It remained stalled in the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday night as lawmakers headed home for the Thanksgiving recess.” The Huffington Post's report is here.
Katie Glueck of the New York Times: “Senator Bob Casey, a three-term Democrat from Pennsylvania long seen as an institution in state politics, conceded on Thursday to his Republican challenger, the former hedge-fund executive David McCormick, amid a recount in one of the nation’s top Senate races.” (Also linked yesterday.)
Thalia Beaty & Farnoush Amiri of the AP: “The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday that would give the Treasury Department unilateral authority to strip the tax-exempt status of nonprofits it claims support terrorism, alarming civil liberties groups about how a second Trump presidency could invoke it to punish political opponents.... The proposal has drawn concern from a range of nonprofits who say it could be used to target organizations, including news outlets, universities, and civil society groups, that a future presidential administration disagrees with. They say it does not offer groups enough due process.... Critics also see it as redundant as it is already against U.S. law to support designated terrorist groups.... The bill passed 219-184, with the majority of the support coming from Republicans who accused Democrats of reversing course in their support for the 'common sense' proposal only after Donald Trump was elected to a second term earlier this month.”
Marie: I am happy to report that Monica Hesse of the Washington Post has a column today in which she explaiins to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-N.C.) the geography of public women's restrooms in the United States, including, presumably in the U.S. Capitol and its adjunct buildings. Hesse also reminds the Congresswoman that if she is super-worried that incoming Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.) will see Nancy's ankles while she is using a toilet in a Capitol restroom, that Nancy has her very own private bathroom to which she can repair when the necessity arises.
Audra Burch of the New York Times: “The number of hate groups, as identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is resurging after a period of decline during the height of the pandemic.... Flash displays of hate and white power are happening more frequently in the United States, a trend that experts say is a reaction to changing demographics, political turmoil and social catalysts. More than 750 such incidents have taken place since 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League, with more than half of them occurring in the last 18 months.... Almost every week, small white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups have been descending on downtowns, gathering in public parks or rallying on the grounds of state houses and courthouses across the country.... National experts describe a familiar pattern: Small groups of mostly masked men chant and wave swastika or white power flags in public and yell racial slurs at targets as varied as immigrants, Black people, Jews and L.G.B.T.Q. people. They unfurl offensive banners over highways or post racist fliers in communities. The demonstrations are typically captured on video and ricochet across social media to large audiences.”
Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post: “The Chinese government espionage campaign that has deeply penetrated more than a dozen U.S. telecommunications companies is the 'worst telecom hack in our nation’s history — by far,' a senior U.S. senator told The Washington Post in an interview this week. The hackers, part of a group dubbed Salt Typhoon, have been able to listen in on audio calls in real time and have in some cases moved from one telecom network to another, exploiting relationships of 'trust,' said Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Virginia), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a former telecom venture capitalist. Warner added that intruders are still in the networks. Though fewer than 150 victims have been identified and notified by the FBI — most of them in the D.C. region, the records of people those individuals have called or sent text messages to run into the 'millions,' he said, 'and that number could go up dramatically.'”
~~~~~~~~~~
Georgia. How to Cover Up State-sanctioned Womanslaughter. Amy Yurkanin of ProPublica: “Georgia officials have dismissed all members of a state committee charged with investigating deaths of pregnant women. The move came in response to ProPublica having obtained internal reports detailing two deaths. ProPublica reported in September on the deaths of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, which the state maternal mortality review committee had determined were preventable. They were the first reported cases of women who died without access to care restricted by a state abortion ban, and they unleashed a torrent of outrage over the fatal consequences of such laws.... 'Confidential information provided to the Maternal Mortality Review Committee was inappropriately shared with outside individuals,' Dr. Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, wrote in a letter dated Nov. 8 and addressed to members of the committee. 'Even though this disclosure was investigated, the investigation was unable to uncover which individual(s) disclosed confidential information. Therefore, effective immediately the current MMRC is disbanded, and all member seats will be filled through a new application process.'” Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: The appropriate reaction to Toomey's directive is to pass a law requiring that, with the permission of the deceased's heir(s), the record of each incident of preventable death be released to the public. I don't expect the GOP-controlled Georgia legislature to do that, of course.
Illinois. Todd Feurer of CBS News Chicago: "The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned former 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett's conviction for orchestrating a hate crime hoax. Smollett was convicted of five counts of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 150 days in jail in 2021, but was released after only six days behind bars while he appealed his case. Smollett has maintained his innocence from the beginning. Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack near his Streeterville apartment in January 2019 after he walked several blocks for a Subway sandwich shop. After police investigated his claims, detectives later focused on Smollett himself, and he was charged with staging a fake hate crime against himself with brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, who later testified he paid them to stage the attack." (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~~~~~~~~
Brazil. Why Does This Sound So Familiar? Ana Ionova of the New York Times: “The Brazilian authorities announced on Thursday that they were recommending criminal charges against former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro over his role in a broad plot to cling to power after he lost the 2022 presidential election. The accusations sharply escalate Mr. Bolsonaro’s legal troubles and highlight the extent of what the authorities have called an organized attempt to subvert Brazil’s democracy. After Mr. Bolsonaro narrowly lost to the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist, he refused to acknowledge defeat but left office anyway. Brazil’s federal police urged prosecutors to charge Mr. Bolsonaro and three dozen others, including members of his inner circle, for the crimes of 'violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état and criminal organization.'
“The charges are the culmination of a sweeping two-year investigation in which police raided homes and offices, arrested senior aides to Mr. Bolsonaro and secured confessions and plea deals with people involved in the plot. The announcement comes two days after four members of an elite military unit, including a former top aide to Mr. Bolsonaro, were arrested and accused of planning to assassinate Mr. Lula shortly before he took office in January 2023.”
13 Comments
Reader Comments (13)
Comer must be joking! In the article above, he is quoted saying that his Oversight Committee will establish a Government Efficiency Subcommittee to oversee the operations of the executive branch. This is apparently in addition to the Government Operations Subcommittee, which ... oversees the operations of the executive branch!
That's efficiency?
Irony is dead dead dead, most sincerely dead.
@Patrick: Yeah but. I'd hate to give Comer credit for having a brilliant idea that he likely didn't have, but I do think that giving Miss Margie a make-work project where she had no real power but kept her too busy to cause trouble elsewhere would be an effective and worthwhile government efficiency.
Vindictive sex trafficker is out. Vindictive bribe taker is in.”
“In March 2016, CREW discovered that the Trump Foundation had broken the law by giving an illegal $25,000 contribution to a political group supporting Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. Charitable foundations like the Trump Foundation are not allowed to engage in politics. Even more problematic was the fact that the contribution was given as Bondi’s office was deciding whether to take legal action related to Trump University.
Needless to say, Bondi never investigated Trump University. And then....
Not long after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi decided not to investigate Trump University, Donald Trump hosted a fundraiser for for her, reported The Huffington Post.
The report showed the invitation to the fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, with its minimum donation request of $3,000 per person, and a Bondi staffer told The Huffington Post that about 50 people attended, meaning Bondi picked up at least $150,000 from the March 2014 event.”
The Trump Transactional Team is taking shape.
Yesterday, Laura wondered why evil rat bastard lawless POS (that’s his real name, btw) Ken Paxton wasn’t picked to be Assault Attorney (thanks, Marie). I thought of that too. But Paxton is an evil rat bastard lawless POS with tons of legal baggage and his own mustache twirling schemes. Trump needs someone he can control without worrying that other crap might get in the way. The Gaetz nomination was one’a those whachamacallit, snap judgement thingies. Kinda what this fat asshole does quite a lot, before having to walk it back.
The other thing is that Paxton isn’t a cute blonde babe who owes Trump.
Actual facts v delusional brain worm opinionation thingies
RFK, Jr. prob’ly saw a graph or two while at Harvard, and maybe once or twice since. Graphs can offer a nice way to visually plot out data points.
Check out this one. Woof!
As the omicron variation of Covid hit, the death rate among unvaccinated Americans (ie, those watching Fox) was 10X that of those who were vaccinated. Ten.Times.
I was vaccinated. I got it twice. It wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t terrible either. AND…I’m NOT DEAD! (Big plus)
If this freakin’ idiot is in charge when another pandemic hits, funeral parlors will be a good investment.
Kids, get your vaccinations while you still can.
Testing, 1,2,3…
@Akhilleus: Yep, in Trump's book, somebody like Paxton who, as they say in Texas, is as ugly as a stomped possum, did not stand much of a chance against a camera-ready blonde babe.
Ha! This is good.
Sex trafficking, hotel room sexual assault, another charge involving sexual abuse, a Krazy Kennedy, a bribe taker, billionaires and grifters galore, TeeVee hosts picked to run huge departments, a hack doctor…
Jumpin Jesus, we’re still two months out from the inauguration (sure to have the biggest crowd in the galaxy, aliens from Jupiter tuning in, black holes ceasing their sucking to pay attention, solar flare flatulence no one has ever seen before!) and the clown car is dragging its rear end, everyone piling out to change the first flat tire…
The thing should be barking mad by New Years.
Oh yeah, and one more thing…
The acid test for getting nominated to a Fatty cabinet post?
“Hasn’t been charged with a crime.” Yet.
@Akhilleus, re: your "this is good" link. Read on down the page. It seems Trump's little Nazi pal Nick Fuentes is as dumb as he is despicable.
In fact, Fuentes' post suggests to me that maybe the reason he is a Nazi is that he is too stupid to understand or correctly interpret information presented to him. In the X post Fuentes wrote, he assumes that two Jewish-Americans instigated a plot to kill Donald Trump. In fact the two Jewish people were victims of the plot, along with Trump.
(I do recognize there's a chicken-and-egg question here: that is, Fuentes either (1) can't interpret written English so he became a bigot or (2) he misinterprets written English because he is a bigot.)
Dusty Schmidt
"Algorithms Are Killing Democracy
To beat back the billionaire-fueled fascist tide, we must first have a shared reality.
What’s become increasingly clear is the fact that we are much more divided in our realities than in our opinions."
New Yorker
"The Technology the Trump Administration Could Use to Hack Your Phone
Other Western democracies have been roiled by the use of spyware to target political opponents, activists, journalists, and other vulnerable groups. Could it happen here?"
By Ronan Farrow
Does anyone know what would happen if trump happened to choke
on one of those Big Macs and there's no one around to do the
Heimlich? Melany is in Manhattan so she wouldn't be there to do it.
I'm sure she has a lot of maneuvers, but the Heimlich probably isn't
one of them.
Would JayDee automatically become the president elect?
Would the speaker become vice-president nominee?