;)
July 29, 2022
** DOJ Ramps Up Investigation of Trump. Evan Perez & Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Justice Department prosecutors are preparing to fight in court to force former White House officials to testify about ... Donald Trump's conversations and actions around January 6, according to people briefed on the matter. At issue are claims of executive privilege that prosecutors expect the former president to make in order to shield some information from the federal grand jury as the criminal investigation moves deeper into the ranks of White House officials who directly interacted with Trump. DOJ's preemptive move is the clearest sign yet that federal investigators are homing in on Trump's conduct as he tried to prevent the transfer of power to Joe Biden."
Katelyn Polantz of CNN: "Former Justice Department staffer Ken Klukowski, who worked with Jeffrey Clark at the agency, is cooperating in the DOJ's January 6 criminal investigation, after investigators searched and copied his electronic records several weeks ago.... Klukowski's proximity to Clark suggests investigators are seeking more information about the former Justice Department lawyer. Trump had sought to install Clark as attorney general in the days before the January 6 attack on the US Capitol as top officials refused to go along with his vote fraud claims.... Klukowski could provide unique insight into Clark and efforts to subvert the 2020 presidential election. He was at the center of an effort by Trump to get the Justice Department to falsely claim there was significant voter fraud in Georgia and other states that he lost. In the days before January 6, Clark helped Trump devise a plan to oust then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, place himself atop the department, and have the DOJ intervene in Georgia to set aside its voting results in order to sway the state to Trump."
Glenn Thrush, et al., of the New York Times: "As the Justice Department investigation into the attack on the Capitol grinds ever closer to ... Donald J. Trump, it has prompted persistent -- and cautionary -- reminders of the backlash caused by inquiries into Mr. Trump and Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland is intent on avoiding even the slightest errors, which could taint the current investigation, provide Mr. Trump's defenders with reasons to claim the inquiry was driven by animus, or undo his effort to rehabilitate the department's reputation after the political warfare of the Trump years. Mr. Garland never seriously considered focusing on Mr. Trump from the outset, as investigators had done earlier with Mr. Trump and with Mrs. Clinton during her email investigation, people close to him say. As a result, his investigators have taken a more methodical approach, carefully climbing up the chain of personnel behind the 2020 plan to name fake slates of Trump electors in battleground states that had been won by Joseph R. Biden Jr. That has now led them to Mr. Trump.... [F.B.I. Director Christopher] Wray appears to be proceeding with the same level of caution...." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Over the past couple of days, I watched "The Comey Rule," a Showtime miniseries based on James Comey's memoir. IMO, the series is not particularly good, and Jeff Daniels is ever-so miscast as Comey. Despite relying on Comey's book, Daniels portrays Comey as the self-righteous jerk he is. So there's that. I remembered most of what Comey did, but what I did forget was how enraged I was by Comey's stunts, and that was before I knew the FBI was faking it when, right before the election, it leaked a false claim that there was no evidence Trump had colluded with Russians. So if you want to revive your disdain for Comey, the series is worth watching. "The Comey Rule" is now airing on Netflix.
** How Conveeeenient, Part 2. The DHS/Secret Service Cover-up Expands. Carol Leonnig & Maria Sacchetti of the Washington Post: "Text messages for ... Donald Trump's acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and acting deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli are missing for a key period leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.... The Department of Homeland Security notified the agency's inspector general in late February that Wolf's and Cuccinelli's texts were lost in a 'reset' of their government phones when they left their jobs in January 2021.... The office of the department's undersecretary of management also told the government watchdog that the text messages for its boss, undersecretary Randolph 'Tex' Alles, the former Secret Service director, were also no longer available due to a previously planned phone reset. The office of Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari did not press the department leadership at that time to explain why they did not preserve these records, nor seek ways to recover the lost data.... Cuffari also failed to alert Congress to the potential destruction of government records." The Secret Service is a division of the DHS.>
Melanie Zanona of CNN: "Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was seen by reporters arriving for his interview Thursday with the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021. Mulvaney resigned from his position as special envoy to Northern Ireland in the aftermath of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. He previously served as ... Donald Trump's acting chief of staff until March 2020, when the President replaced him with Mark Meadows." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday afternoon)
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Jan. 6 select committee is preparing to produce 20 witness interview transcripts to the Justice Department amid prosecutors' increasingly public investigation of efforts by Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. 'The Select committee intends to share 20 transcripts,' a committee spokesperson said in a late-Thursday update on the panel's engagement with the Justice Department. 'We have no plans to share additional transcripts at this time.'" ~~~
~~~ Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The Jan. 6 select committee has formalized a path to share witness transcripts and evidence with the Justice Department, its chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told Politico Thursday.... Agreement on evidence-sharing would mark a significant milestone as the DOJ inquiry into efforts by Donald Trump and others to overturn the 2020 election enters a more public-facing phase. Federal investigators have sought to access the congressional committee's 1,000-plus witness interview transcripts since April, but the select panel has resisted as its probe continued to generate extraordinary new evidence and witness testimony.... In a wide-ranging interview, Thompson said the select committee is entering an intense period of closed-door work to handle 'housekeeping' matters -- such as how to handle the five GOP members of Congress the panel subpoenaed but who have refused to comply. He said the panel is still mulling decisions about whether to formally request testimony from Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Katherine Faulders, et al., of ABC News: "The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is working to secure testimony from a growing number of officials in ... Donald Trump's Cabinet, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News. Trump's former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who reportedly discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment as a vehicle to remove Trump from office with then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, recently sat with committee investigators for a transcribed interview, the sources said. ABC News previously reported that Pompeo is expected to speak with the committee in the coming days, though his interview is not officially scheduled." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Pete Williams of NBC News: "Lawyers for ... Donald Trump are urging a federal appeals court to rule that he cannot be sued for allegedly inciting the 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol because he has total immunity from such lawsuits.... The former president's lawyers are seeking to shield him from civil lawsuits filed by Democratic members of Congress and two U.S. Capitol Police officers who said they were injured during the siege. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta pared back some of those claims in February but declined to dismiss all of them. Mehta ruled that Trump was not immune from civil lawsuits and that he was acting as a candidate, not performing one of the duties of his office, when he spoke at a rally before the riot." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC opined that Trump will be a defendant in various lawsuits till the day he dies. Trump's expectation of continuing legal troubles could help explain why he moved his official residence to Florida; Florida is fairly generous to people filing for bankruptcy, and O'Donnell thinks Trump might have to file for bankruptcy sooner or later. It looks to me as if Trump would lose Mar-a-Lardo, though; the protected property has to qualify for a homestead exemption and can't exceed half an acre in a municipality; & the Palm Beach property is 17 acres. Plus, he operates the place as a club now, so. ~~~
~~~ While I was checking on the size of the Mar-a-Lago acreage, I read this on the Wikipage: In the early 1980s, Trump "offered the Post family $15 million for [Mar-a-Lago], but they rejected it. Trump purchased the land between Mar-a-Lago and the ocean ... for $2 million, stating he intended to build a home that would block Mar-a-Lago's beach view. The threat caused interest in the property to decline, and Trump ended up getting the property for $7 million in 1985." There has never been a waking moment in Trump's life when he was not acting like a jackass.
Julia Mueller of the Hill: "Former President Trump defended the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tournament planned for his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., against calls from families of 9/11 terror attack victims to back out. 'Nobody's gotten to the bottom of 9/11, unfortunately,' Trump told ESPN Thursday.... 'I've known these people for a long time, in Saudi Arabia, and they've been friends of mine for a long time. They've invested in many American companies ... and frankly, what they're doing for golf is so great,' he said on ESPN Thursday.... Families of victims who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks condemned Trump for hosting the tournament, slated for this weekend at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, due to Saudi ties to the attack's plotters." ~~~
~~~ Mariana Alfaro, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump was spotted using the presidential seal on multiple items during the LIV Golf tournament at his Bedminster, N.J., golf course. The seal was plastered on towels, golf carts and other items as the former president participated in the pro-am of the Saudi-sponsored tournament Thursday. It is against federal law to use the presidential and vice-presidential seals in ways that could convey 'a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the Government of the United States.'... This is not the first time the display of the seal has been reported at Trump properties.... Last year, a D.C.-based watchdog group [CREW] accused his Bedminster golf club of profiting from using images of the presidential seal.... While violating this law could result in imprisonment of 'not more than six months,' a fine, or both, these punishments are rarely doled out." MB: Some federal entity -- maybe the GAO -- at least should send the Trumpster a cease-and-desist letter.
Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "The U.S. economy shrank again for a second straight quarter, at an annual rate of 0.9 percent, raising concerns the country may be heading into recession and compounding the Biden administration's political challenges as it grapples with decades-high inflation. The new figures, released Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, come at a tumultuous time for the economy, though economists disagree on the likelihood of a full-fledged slump. In the past, six months of contraction have usually indicated a recession. The official determination is made by a separate panel of experts, though recessions aren't typical when unemployment is near record lows." The AP's report is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Lydia DePillis of the New York Times highlights significant details: "Consumer spending, which powers the majority of the economy, rose 1 percent on an annualized basis, a marked slowdown from previous months.... Home construction, also referred to as residential fixed investment, sagged 14 percent at an annual rate.... Inventories, which measure the amount of stuff that's been produced or imported but not yet sold, depressed the overall number by more than two percentage points on an annual basis.... Business construction, known as fixed investment in nonresidential structures, dove by 11.7 percent on an annual basis.... Federal government spending shrank 3.2 percent on an annual basis.... Final sales to domestic purchasers ... sank 0.3 percent." Emphasis original. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ President Biden's statement on the GDP report is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "The U.S. economy is not currently in a recession. No, two quarters of negative growth aren't, whatever you may have heard, the 'official' or 'technical' definition of a recession; that determination is made by a committee that has always relied on several indicators, especially job growth. And as Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, noted yesterday, the labor market still looks strong. That said, the U.S. economy is definitely slowing, basically because the Fed is deliberately engineering a slowdown to bring inflation down. And it's possible that this slowdown will eventually be severe and broad-based enough to get the R-label."
Peter Baker & Jane Perlez of the New York Times: "President Biden and President Xi Jinping of China confronted each other over Taiwan during a marathon phone call on Thursday, but neither side reported any concrete progress on that longstanding dispute or any of the other issues that have flared between the two powers in recent months. In their first direct conversation in four months, Mr. Xi sharply warned the United States against intervening in the conflict with Taiwan while Mr. Biden sought to reassure his counterpart that his administration was not seeking to upset the current situation between the two sides and cautioned that neither should either of them."
President Biden spoke about the Inflation Reduction Act (the Schumer/Manchin deal) and the GDP report Thursday: ~~~
Payback #1. Schumer Rolled McConnell; GOP Senators Take It Out on Sick Veterans. Eugene Scott & Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a bill to help veterans exposed to toxic burn pits weeks after the measure initially sailed through the Senate with 84 votes, angering Democrats, veterans groups and comedian Jon Stewart, a leading proponent to aid the community. Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, was particularly incensed by the turn of events. Tester, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), other lawmakers and Stewart on Thursday morning joined veterans outside the Capitol -- who originally came to Washington to see the bill pass -- to assail the GOP.... Democrats accused Republicans of voting against the bill in retaliation for a deal announced earlier by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) that will allow Democrats to move ahead on an economic, health-care and climate package without Republican votes."
Payback #2. Fail. Amy Wang & Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "The House on Thursday voted to pass the $280 billion Chips and Science Act, a bill that would subsidize domestic semiconductor manufacturing and invest billions in science and technology innovation, in a bid to strengthen the United States' competitiveness and self-reliance in what is seen as a keystone industry for economic and national security. The House passed the legislation on a 243-187 vote, with strong bipartisan support -- despite a last-minute push by House GOP leaders to whip against the bill.... After the stunning news Wednesday night of a deal between Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Democratic leaders on a separate climate, health-care and taxes bill, House GOP leaders urged members to oppose the chips bill as retribution, in an effort to deny [President] Biden and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) a legislative win. Twenty-four Republicans defied the leadership and joined Democrats in backing the measure." The bill now goes to President Biden for signature. CNN's report is here.
Marianne Levine & Anthony Adragna of Politico: "Democrats convened for a private caucus meeting Thursday morning to discuss the stunning Wednesday deal announced by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). During the meeting, Schumer touted the agreement and urged his caucus to pull out all the stops in order to get the bill passed before leaving D.C. for Congress' usual summer recess.... In a sign that Republicans will put up a tough fight against the package, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Democrats have 'an absolute monstrosity, and we're going to be really aggressively in opposition.'... On top of the parliamentarian's scrubbing [to comply with rules that will allow the bill to pass via a simple majority vote (reconciliation)], Democrats will need full attendance from their 50-member caucus in order to pass the bill. Underscoring how difficult that will be to pull off, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) tested positive for Covid Thursday; the caucus hasn't had all 50 members voting since the start of the month.... Moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) has not yet backed it or publicly commented and did not attend the caucus meeting Thursday morning." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Emily Cochrane & Annie Karni of the New York Times: "Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, and Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, were both nursing resentments when they met secretly in a windowless room in the basement of the Capitol last Monday to try to salvage a climate package that was a key piece of their party's agenda. Mr. Schumer was discouraged that Mr. Manchin had said he wasn't ready to do the deal this summer, and might never be. Mr. Manchin was frustrated that Democrats had spent days publicly vilifying him for single-handedly torpedoing their agenda.... It was the start of a frenzied and improbable effort by a tiny group of Democrats, carried out over 10 days and entirely in secret, that succeeded this week in reviving the centerpiece of President Biden's domestic policy plan -- and held out the prospect of a major victory for his party months before the midterm congressional elections.... Should it pass both chambers in the coming weeks, the measure would fulfill longstanding Democratic promises to address soaring health care costs and tax the rich, as well as provide the largest investment toward fighting climate change in American history." ~~~
~~~ CNN's How'd-They-Do-That? story is here.
Cruel, Arrogant SOB Mocks World Leaders. Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Justice Samuel Alito, the author of the Supreme Court's earth-shaking decision last month overturning Roe v. Wade, is mocking foreign leaders who lamented his opinion doing away with a half-century of federal constitutional protection for abortion rights in the U.S. During a surprise appearance as a keynote speaker at a religious freedom conference in Rome last week, sponsored by the University of Notre Dame, Alito poked fun at the torrent of international criticism of his opinion for the five-justice court majority." Among those he mocked were Boris Johnson, Emmanuel Macron & Justin Trudeau. Oh, and Prince Harry. MB: Well, yeah, because depriving women of reproductive rights, even when their lives may be at risk, is hilarious. So people who respect human rights are fair game. I would like to wipe the smirk off that prick's face.
Gaetz's Stupid, Cruel Insults Pay Off -- for Abortion Rights. Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: "Olivia Julianna, the 19-year-old reproductive rights activist who this week turned an insult from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) into a fundraiser, has raised more than $1.3 million for women seeking abortions -- after taking just 72 hours to hit the $1 million mark. The donations inspired by Olivia Julianna, a political strategist for the nonprofit Gen Z for Change, happily surprised abortion rights advocates. The $1.3 million raised by the group by early Friday is more than 10 percent of what the National Network of Abortion Funds -- which includes about 90 abortion funds in the United States and Mexico -- distributed in an entire year. It is also enough to fund thousands of abortions, which cost on average $550 per service."
Noah Weiland & Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "The Biden administration now expects to begin a Covid-19 booster campaign with retooled vaccines in September because Pfizer and Moderna have promised that they can deliver doses by then, according to people familiar with the deliberations. With updated formulations apparently close at hand, federal officials have decided against expanding eligibility for second boosters of the existing vaccines this summer. The new versions are expected to perform better against the now-dominant Omicron subvariant BA.5, although the data available so far is still preliminary. At this point, only Americans over 50 and those over 12 with certain immune deficiencies have been eligible for second booster doses. Although some federal officials pressed to bolster the protection of younger Americans now, officials agreed on the goal of strengthening everyone's immunity in the fall with what is hoped to be a more effective booster, ahead of a possible winter surge of the virus."
Liam Stack of the New York Times: "For gay and bisexual men in New York, the summer has been consumed with ... conversations [about] monkeypox [as] cases spike among men who have sex with men. There is widespread fear of the virus, which primarily spreads through close physical contact and causes excruciating lesions and other symptoms that can lead to hospitalization. There is fear of the isolation and potential stigma of an infection, since those who contract monkeypox must stay home for weeks. And some fear the vaccine itself, in an echo of the hesitancy and mistrust that hindered the coronavirus response. Many are also furious at the lags and fumbles in the government's effort to contain the disease, including delayed vaccines and mixed messaging about how the virus spreads and how people should protect themselves. And some are anxious that monkeypox could be twisted into a political weapon to be used against gay and transgender people, whose rights have come under increasing fire from Republicans in recent months."
Beyond the Beltway
Texas. Mothers Against Greg Abbott go to the darkest of dark comedy:
Wisconsin. Scott Bauer of the AP: "A Wisconsin judge said Thursday that a Republican-ordered, taxpayer-funded investigation into the 2020 election found 'absolutely no evidence of election fraud,' but did reveal contempt for the state's open records law by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and a former state Supreme Court justice he hired. Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn awarded about $98,000 in attorneys' fees to the liberal watchdog group American Oversight, bringing an end in circuit court to one of four lawsuits the group filed.... The fees will be paid by taxpayers, which is why the judge said she was not also awarding additional punitive damages against Vos. Costs to taxpayers for the investigation, including ongoing legal fees, have exceeded $1 million.... All of American Oversight's lawsuits stem from records requests it made to Vos and Michael Gableman, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice hired by Vos in June 2021 to investigate the 2020 presidential election won by President Joe Biden. Vos ordered the investigation under pressure from election loser Donald Trump...."
Way Beyond
Ukraine, et al.
The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates for Friday are here. ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Friday are here: "Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a call with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is being arranged and that it would 'be interesting to listen to Blinken's proposals on a prisoner swap.' Washington is trying to secure the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who are detained in Russia.... The first grain shipments from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea are expected to begin by the end of the week following confirmation from the United Nations, Ukrainian authorities announced Friday.... Ukraine and pro-Russian forces are accusing each other of killing Ukrainian prisoners of war in an occupied area of the eastern Donetsk region. A minister for the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic said a Ukrainian strike using U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems hit a prison, killing at least 53 Ukrainian troops captured in Mariupol.... Russia is likely using mercenaries from the Wagner Group on the front lines like normal army units, due to major shortages of combat infantry, Britain's Defense Ministry said in its Friday update."
Liz Sly of the Washington Post: "Russian advances in Ukraine have slowed almost to a standstill as newly delivered Western weapons help Ukrainian forces reclaim much of the advantage they had lost in recent months, opening a window of opportunity to turn the tide of the war in their favor again. Russian troops have made no significant territorial gains since the Ukrainian retreat on July 2 from the eastern city of Lysychansk under withering artillery fire. The retreat gave Russia full control over Luhansk, one of the two oblasts, or regions, that make up the broader eastern Donbas area, and it marked Russia's only meaningful strategic success since its retreat from territory around Kyiv in April. The lack of progress may be explained at least in part by the 'operational pause' declared by Russia's Defense Ministry after the seizure of Lysychansk -- to allow Russian troops a chance to 'rest and develop their combat capabilities,' in the words of ... Vladimir Putin."
The New York Times' live updates of developments Thursday in Russia's war on Ukraine are here. The Guardian's live updates are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ The Washington Post's live briefings for Thursday are here: "Russia's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that no concrete result has been achieved in U.S.-Russian prisoner exchange negotiations, after Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States made a 'substantial proposal' to Moscow for the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner and security consultant Paul Whelan. In Ukraine, air raid sirens blared as strikes were reported outside the capital, Kyiv, and in several other regions. Here's the latest on the war and its global impact." (Also linked yesterday.)
News Lede
AccuWeather: "Heavy rain poured down across eastern Kentucky late Wednesday into Thursday, triggering deadly flash flooding that caused mudslides, washed away homes and roadways and promoted a flash flood emergency. The deluge produced more than 10 inches over a 24-hour period in the hardest-hit areas and came only days after another disastrous flood inundated the St. Louis area. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told CNN early Friday that the death toll had risen to 15 and that number would likely double." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times is liveblogging developments in the Kentucky flooding.
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Reader Comments (10)
The Dummies have spoken!
Never underestimate the snarling, frivolous sleaziness of TuKKKer KKKarlson. He never misses an opportunity to play to his viewers’ basest, most churlish instincts.
Commenting on monkeypox, a painful and highly contagious (and in rare cases, perhaps fatal) viral condition that seems, thus far, to affect predominantly gay men,
This Faux “News” walking, talking genital wart has decided that monkeypox needs a new name, and after polling his viewers (you can just imagine the off the charts loutishness of this demographic) it was determined that this new name should be “Schlong Covid”. One might reasonably wonder what smartass eighth grade douchebag came up with that one. It appears the smartass eighth grade douchebag in question was the host of this supreme waste of time.
Other choices were “Hunter Hives” and “Adam Schiffilis”. How clever. Just wondering what he would rename it if this virus affected predominantly white Christian nationalist traitors. Maybe Unfair Burden of the Master Race?
How about a new name for TuKKKer?
The choices are:
Hitler’s Testicle Cleaner
Um…never mind. No other choices. That’s the one.
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/tucker-carlson-deems-monkeypox-schlong-covid-after-viewers-vote-to-rename-disease-disproportionately-affecting-gay-men/
Well, I got a new one of those "Dummies" although for this guy we gots to come up with a different title–-he's new to me. Last night on one of the MSNBC shows this video was shown. During Pete Buttigieg's hearing where talk of roads and bridges and whatnot was being discussed, out of the blue this dolt, a Troy Nehls (R) starts questioning Pete about Biden's frailties. Some honey behind Troy held up placards with pictures. Pete, as is his wont, replied with a perfect comeback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6bgBVkCv-8
One wonders how these creatures crawl out of their holes every day thinking they somehow will make a difference or maybe not–––maybe they are like rats and are only out for what fills their bellies.
PD,
Where was this belligerent, insulting schmuck all those times when it was clear that his Dear Leader had lost his fucking mind and needed a lot more than the 25th amendment?
These pigs all get their marching orders and head out like malevolent robots to spout the party line. And the trick is to ask questions but never allow the other person to respond or even speak. Just talk over them demanding that they respond to your lies, insinuations, and petty, baseless bullshit. Pete is unflappable. He’s always ready with facts, figures, and appropriate put downs for these anal cysts.
Last week some other treasonous MAGA moron attacked him about the price of electric cars. Except his data was years old. Pete, off the top of his head, read this idiot chapter and verse of the most recent figures, drove him around the block and then kicked him off next to the dumpster he lives in.
I heard "Mayor" Pete put down that same waste of space last week sometime, but no placards were raised with misleading perspective designed to embarrass Biden, so they upped the ante with a different video. Despicable Him, whoever he is...some forgettable fatso from Texas...
Update on yesterday's Jeanne rant: 2 out of 3 county commissioners have after all approved the funding for the parenting program run by the Lancaster YWCA. But of course, there will be some discipline: possibly only for this coming year, and the one a**hole who proposed blocking funding gets to lecture everyone else on what IS or IS NOT political with regard to a nonprofit, and the one commissioner who changed his vote gets to feel noble. I would bet Josh belongs to an evangelical church fussing about Hilary and Hunter from the pulpit every damn Sunday...
AK: Got it! "Anal Cysts"–--now there's the name I've been searching for.
@Jeanne & @P.D. Pepe: I thought I had linked last week to this WashPo story, which includes a video clip, about Buttigieg & the Foxbot congressman, but I checked back and I must have just read the story & gotten distracted. Or else I gave up because the story is so long-winded & I didn't feel like rewriting it. Anyhow, I'm glad Mehdi Hasan resurrected the exchange yesterday.
If these Foxbots weren't such bullies, I would feel sorry for them because they're so woefully misinformed. But they were born wearing their stupidity like chips on their shoulders, and there's no getting through to them. Pete did a great job talking over what's-his-name, but I wish that sometimes when these jerks start spouting TuKKKer's talking points, witnesses would wait till they shut up for a second and explain that there's a world outside Fox "News" and it's just chock-full of interesting facts that it would behoove them to acquaint themselves with.
It was nice seeing Republicans crying all over TV yesterday about how they had been stabbed in the back by Manchin. How dare a Democrat make a deal with his fellow Democrats. The GOP spent a lot of money to buy buy Joe's vote, but there is no loyalty in DC anymore.
The retaliation against sick veterans is disgusting, but on brand. They continue to try to show the country who they are and how little they care about anyone else, but still half the country loves them for their depravity.
Reporting that says the Russians may have as many as 75k dead or wounded in their war in Ukraine may be a reason for their stalled offensive.
Someone should remind Tucker that AIDS was also predominately a
disease affecting primarily gay men.
So the powers that be didn't really give a damn. Lettum' die.
But them some bisexuals started getting it. And giving it to straight
people.
Oh no! We need research on this deadly disease. These poor souls
are dying (other than gay men).
Seems like history repeats itself. Repeats itself. Repeats itself.
I haven't been here in a long time but with the toxic goings-on in the right-wing I decided to check back in and was very glad to find it is still out here and I was especially glad to see Akhillius is still here. It wouldn't be the same without his "colorful" comments. I always enjoyed them.