Dan Ruetenik, et al., of CBS News report on an incident, 18 days before Jeffrey Epstein's death, in which guards found him in his cell, unresponsive but later claiming his cellmate tried to kill him, and still later changing his story to "I don't recall." Via Heather Cox Richardson. MB: The details the CBS reporters have dug up are great fodder for conspiracy theorists and could add to public demands to release the files. Richardson's post is worth reading for other content. So much news, so little time.
Benjamin Mullin of the New York Times: “Nexstar, a major owner of local ABC stations, said on Tuesday morning that it would pre-empt [Jimmy] Kimmel’s show indefinitely. Sinclair, another owner of local affiliates, said the same on Monday evening, hours after Disney announced 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' would return, saying it would replace the show with news programming, pending further 'discussions with ABC.' Those decisions set up a high-stakes impasse between Disney and the TV station groups that transmit its shows to millions of households across the United States. The stations owned by Nexstar and Sinclair represent a meaningful source of ad revenue for Mr. Kimmel’s show. But pre-empting it indefinitely could lead to backlash for both Sinclair and Nexstar, especially from viewers who enjoy 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!'” Nexstar's decisions means that “about a quarter of the ABC stations in the United States won’t be airing” Kimmel's show. ~~~
~~~ Marie: Hmm. Bob Iger made more than $41MM last year on account of being such a brilliant manager. What will he earn this year? Thirteen cents? He sure blew this Kimmel thang.
Eli Stokols of Politico: “... Donald Trump blasted the United Nations in his speech to the General Assembly on Tuesday, complaining about deficiencies inside the organization’s headquarters and asserting that he was singlehandedly engaging in peacemaking efforts because the UN hadn’t done enough.... The president painted a picture of the UN as an outdated, ineffective organization and said he’s worked to end 'seven wars' without any help.” ~~~
~~~ The pinned item (at 11:00 am ET) from a New York Times liveblog: “... Mr. Trump used his speech to make dubious claims about immigration and green energy, and to lecture the representatives of nations gathered in the room.... Going well beyond his allotted time, Mr. Trump also took shots at his predecessor, Joseph R. Biden, political opponents and close NATO allies that have recognized a Palestinian state. Mr. Trump repeated his demand that 'we want all the hostages back' from Gaza without mentioning the issues of Israel’s efforts to take Gaza City or his past promises to get more food and aid to the enclave.”
Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: “... Donald Trump on Tuesday canceled a previously scheduled meeting with top Democratic leaders in Congress, just days before government funding is due to expire next week. 'After reviewing the details of the unserious and ridiculous demands being made by the Minority Radical Left Democrats in return for their Votes to keep our thriving Country open, I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,' Trump wrote in a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social. The plans were set just a day earlier after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) wrote to Trump and demanded a meeting with him to discuss lowering the price of health care in a bill that would keep the government open past Sept. 30. Trump initially agreed to the meeting, but then changed his mind.... The president said he would be willing to meet with Democrats if they agree with him on his policies.” Thanks to RAS for the link. See also RAS's related commentary below. ~~~
~~~ Marie: See, Donald, usually when you agree to negotiate a deal, you don't tell the other side that they can sit down with you only after they agree to all of your side's demands. Oh, P.S. You remind Ken W. that the "TACO" rule (Trump Always Chickens Out) still applies.
You may find that you want to take up needlepoint so you can make you some of those nice Goodfellas throw pillow covers:
See also Akhilleus' commentary below on Dr. Von Bleach's advice.
~~~~~~~~~~
Marie: As predicted, Dr. Donald Von Bleach -- evidently on the recommendation of Dr. Crazy Q. Quack -- had the audacity to stand at a White House podium & advise Americans -- especially American women -- to accept dangerous and unlikely conclusions about the causes & cures of autism. ~~~
~~~ Azeen Ghorayshi of the New York Times: Donald “Trump and top federal health officials on Monday launched a broad offensive against the mainstream understanding of autism, claiming without new evidence that acetaminophen — the active ingredient in the common pain reliever Tylenol — was a cause of the disorder. The officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, also endorsed a B-vitamin-based drug, leucovorin, to treat autism. It has only been studied in dozens of research participants.... Most scientists believe that the neurological disorder results from a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. The briefing at the White House featured often unsubstantiated medical advice from Mr. Trump, reminiscent of his first term, when he encouraged Americans to try unproven treatments for Covid. The president on Monday repeatedly issued strong warnings that flew in the face of the recommendations of leading medical groups: 'Don’t take Tylenol. Don’t take it. Fight like hell not to take it.' He urged pregnant women to 'tough it out' when in pain, except in rare instances, such as a dangerously high fever.” ~~~
~~~ Ali Swenson & Lauran Neergaard of the AP: “... Donald Trump on Monday used the platform of the presidency to promote unproven and in some cases discredited ties between Tylenol, vaccines and autism as his administration announced a wide-ranging effort to study the causes of the complex brain disorder.” ~~~
That was the most dangerously irresponsible press conference in the realm of public health in American history. Here you have the president of the United States and his bully pulpit, you have the secretary of health and human services and his bully pulpit, both telling you that vaccines are basically causing chronic disorders. -- Pediatrician & vaccine researcher Paul Offit of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia ~~~
~~~ Lena Sun & Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: “... few [health experts] were expecting the president’s direct attack on vaccines — a prolonged riff that shocked medical leaders, alarmed some current and former Trump officials and unsettled Republican allies on Capitol Hill, as the president repeated false claims about vaccine safety and called for changes to the childhood immunization schedule. 'This is based on what I feel,' Trump said at one point, a recurring refrain in his often ad-libbed remarks. The president called for an end to one widely used combination childhood vaccine, insisted that it would be safer to delay another and urged parents to disregard long-standing federal recommendations on when to vaccinate their children in favor of spacing out shots over a multiyear period. All of those arguments have long been espoused by anti-vaccine activists and criticized as harmful by many public health officials and pediatricians. ” ~~~
~~~ Here's more from Ariana Cha & others of the Washington Post. The link is a gift link. ~~~
~~~ Brandy Zadrozny of MSNBC: “In a wild and rambling speech from the White House on Monday that contradicted mainstream scientific consensus and medical guidance..., Donald Trump advised pregnant women not to take Tylenol, claiming it was linked to autism in children, and said expectant mothers should take it only if they 'can’t tough it out' during a high fever. 'Effective immediately,' the Food and Drug Administration will be notifying physicians that acetaminophen, Trump said — tripping over the pronunciation of the main ingredient in Tylenol — 'can be associated with a very increased risk of autism.'... For years, Trump has spread the extensively debunked and disproven theory that vaccines are to blame for autism.... A 2024 study in JAMA, in which researchers analyzed data from 2.5 million children in Sweden, found no association between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism, ADHD or intellectual disability.” MB: Zadrozny is best-known as a reporter who covers crazy QAnon-style conspiracy theories. ~~~
~~~ New Rule: If Trump can't pronounce it, you can't take it, Ladies. ~~~
~~~ RAS links to a news roundup post by Ron Filipkowski of MeidasTouch, who cites some of Trump's nonsensical/batshit medical advice.
~~~ Amanda Marcotte of Salon: “As with most claims coming from Kennedy’s disinformation-happy machine, this finding is false. But it’s easy to see how the idea fits neatly into the right’s sexist vision of motherhood as a state of endless self-sacrifice. Tylenol is already discouraged for treating minor aches and pains during pregnancy. The medical consensus is that it should only be used to battle high fevers that can be dangerous for both the mother and the developing fetus. But the vision of a woman enduring misery to 'protect' her baby is romanticized by the right — even if the suffering would, in this case, only risk the health of the baby.” Thanks to akaWendy for the link.
Chris Cameron of the New York Times: Donald “Trump signed an executive order on Monday targeting the left-wing antifascist movement, known as antifa, threatening “investigatory and prosecutorial action” against those who financially support it. But Mr. Trump’s order said that he was declaring antifa a “domestic terrorist organization” — a designation that does not actually exist under U.S. law. Anti-fascism, like fascism itself, is a broad political ideology rather than a specific organization, and the U.S. does not have a domestic terrorism law. The order came amid a wider intimidation campaign by the president and his administration targeting his critics, political opponents and major media institutions.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Yes, he's a bonkers dictator. But that's A-Okay as long as Congress and the Supremes endorse all the bonkers dictator stuff, as they do.
Emmett Lindner & Lauren Hirsch of the New York Times: “The software giant Oracle will oversee the security of Americans’ data and monitor changes and updates to its powerful recommendation technology under a new deal to avert a TikTok ban, according to a senior White House official. A copy of the algorithm, the recommendation engine that powers the app’s addictive feed of short videos, will be licensed from China to an American investor group that will oversee the app in the United States, the official said. Oracle will also invest in the new American TikTok, as will the private equity firm Silver Lake, another senior official said. It will be 'secured' in the United States outside the control of TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, one of the officials said. The U.S.-run TikTok will work to retrain the copy on users’ data in the United States, and China will not have access to the data, the officials added.... In the United States, TikTok will be operated by a board of directors with national security and cybersecurity credentials, one of the senior officials said.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: The founder & key stockholder in Oracle is Larry Ellison, one of the "monster" billionaires Josh Marshall mentioned in his essay linked yesterday. So Trump, as Marshall suggested, has just made Ellison more monstrous. We may never find out what Monster-in-Chief Trumipty-Doo-Dah gets out of the TikTok deal. ~~~
~~~ David Streitfeld & Theodore Schleifer of the New York Times profile Larry Ellison, one of Trump's favorite (for now) billionaires. “On a recent day, he saw the value of his Oracle holdings increase by about $100 billion, making him briefly the richest man in the world. Mr. Ellison now has a net worth of $367 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. [Elon] Musk is higher.”
The Most Pathetic President* in U.S. History. Tyler Pager of the New York Times: “As tens of thousands of people mourned ... Charlie Kirk on Sunday..., [Donald] Trump made a seemingly unscripted remark that summed up the retribution campaign that has come to define his second term. 'I hate my opponent,' Mr. Trump told the crowd at the memorial in Arizona, 'and I don’t want the best for them.' Mr. Trump has used the full might of his political and executive power to express that mind-set in myriad ways, sparing no facet of American life. He has attacked law firms, universities, political leaders, government agencies, late-night TV hosts, news organizations and cultural institutions, and Mr. Kirk’s killing has only accelerated that campaign. Mr. Trump and his top advisers have signaled a broad crackdown on liberal groups, making the baseless argument that they are part of a violent conspiracy. The president’s comment on Sunday was in keeping with his pugilistic style of politics, although the context was striking: He spoke just minutes after Mr. Kirk’s widow, Erika, said she forgave her husband’s killer.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Given all the damage Trump does, there's no satisfaction in knowing that anyone so vile & filled with hate as Trump is has himself never known a happy day. AND this: ~~~
We will defeat the dark. We will prevail over the forces of wickedness and evil. They cannot imagine what they have awakened. They cannot conceive of the army that they have arisen. We stand for what is good, virtuous, noble.... To those who are against us? What do YOU HAVE? You have NOTHING, you are nothing! You are wickedness, you are jealousy, you are hatred, YOU ARE NOTHING! You can build nothing, produce nothing, create nothing. You thought you could kill Charlie Kirk? You have made him immortal. -- Stephen Miller, at Charlie Kirk's memorial service ~~~
~~~ Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: “Stephen Miller delivered a venomous speech at ... Charlie Kirk's memorial service that bore a close resemblance to one given by a notorious Nazi leader at a similar event.... [Miller used] language that mirrored a 1932 speech given by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels invoking the memory of 22-year-old paramilitary activist whose murder turned him into a fascist martyr.... '"This is 100% Goebbels," argued educator Jürgen Nauditt. 'Terms like "forces of evil," "the good," and "the virtuous," as well as the notion of an "inflamed army," reflect a dualistic worldview that pits good against evil — a stylistic device often used in totalitarian ideologies to mobilize emotions and demonize opponents.' 'It's like they made a clone of Goebbels but somehow the volume got stuck on "screeching banshee,'" commented historian Kevin Kruse." ~~~
~~~ Jonathan Chait of the Atlantic: “[Monday], Stephen Miller delivered a eulogy for Charlie Kirk that served as a battle cry for the Trump administration’s state-sponsored war on his perceived foes—a war for which Miller is the primary strategist. The speech was a jarring piece of rhetoric. It is a perfect encapsulation of the ethos of Trumpism, boiling away the president’s idiosyncratic habits of mixing insult comedy and weird digressions into his rhetoric and leaving, in Miller’s tongue, the residue of pure ideology and will to power.... Trump himself attacks his enemies in such terms routinely, and Miller seems to be attempting to exceed his boss’s Manichaean style by depicting their opponents as the literal embodiment of malevolence.” Thank you to akaWendy for this gift link. ~~~
~~~ Marie: I am indebted to the late, great Molly Ivins when I deduce from the reports linked above that the Battle Hymn of the Trump Regime sounds better in the original German.
Lauren Gurley & Danielle Abril of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration said it will launch investigations into employers who take advantage of the H-1B visa program for highly skilled workers by hiring low-skilled foreign labor to cut costs. The U.S. Labor Department said it would begin opening investigations of employers that 'abuse' the H-1B visa program, as part of a broader effort to prioritize Americans over foreign-born workers in the labor market. The move follows a Trump administration announcement that employers would be charged a $100,000 fee for new foreign workers applying for the H-1B visa to work in the United States.... The effort to make it harder to get H-1B visas would limit legal immigration and has sent shock waves through the tech sector, as well as finance, higher education and health care. The Trump administration proclamation is expected to face legal challenges.... Under the previous system, employers paid application fees that ranged under $5,000 per worker.” ~~~
~~~ Ryan Mac & Natallie Rocha of the New York Times: “... the Trump administration’s visa change is rippling through the tech industry — which uses H-1Bs to hire thousands of software engineers, artificial intelligence specialists and others — in a way that may create haves and have-nots. While the biggest tech companies have the money to absorb the new fee, start-ups are concerned about their ability to attract and pay for talent, particularly when they have limited funding and agonize over every dollar spent. The change may hit at the heart of the U.S. tech ecosystem, tilting the scales in favor of incumbent giants with billions of dollars. Silicon Valley relies on a steady stream of start-ups to advance new ideas and technologies, with some of the ventures eventually growing into behemoths.... The change could ultimately hurt U.S. leadership in tech, some entrepreneurs said....” ~~~
~~~ Paul Krugman on Trump's latest attempt to wreck the U.S. economy: "H-1B visas are a critical ingredient in America’s success. They allow the best and the brightest from around the world to teach in our universities, do research in our research institutes, and work in our tech sector. The rollout of Trump’s new $100,000 fee for holders of H-1B followed what has become a familiar pattern. First, without warning, the White House announced a drastic policy change that, on its face, looked catastrophic for many workers and businesses.... Then — a day late and $100,000 short — the administration scrambled to limit the damage, announcing that this was a one-time fee that didn’t apply to those holding previously issued visas. Needless to say, the initial proclamation didn’t state any of these later clarifications. Magnifying the chaos, the clarifications were announced by posts on X — which does not, as far as I know, constitute an official channel for statements of U.S. policy. And there is an outstanding legal question: does Trump even have the legal right to impose these fees? Probably not.... One more thing: Trump’s visa proclamation basically gave his officials open-ended authority to waive the fees for people and companies they like[.]... The potential for corruption ... is obvious." (Also linked yesterday.)
Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: “A White House spokeswoman denied on Monday that the president’s border czar, Tom Homan, accepted a bag with $50,000 in cash as part of an undercover F.B.I. investigation last September, contradicting news reports about the case. F.B.I. agents working under cover made an audio recording of the September 2024 meeting in which Mr. Homan accepted the money in a bag from the fast-food chain Cava, The New York Times reported on Saturday. On the tape, he appeared to agree to try to help the agents posing as businessmen get lucrative federal contracts related to border security in a possible second Trump administration.... Asked by reporters what happened to the money that Mr. Homan received, the White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt on Monday rejected the published accounts and said President Trump remained fully supportive of his border czar. 'Mr. Homan never took the $50,000 that you’re referring to,' Ms. Leavitt said. 'This was another example of the weaponization of the Biden Department of Justice against one of President Trump’s strongest and most vocal supporters in the midst of a presidential campaign.'” ~~~
~~~ Ken Dilanian & Carol Leonnig of MSNBC: "The White House did not initially dispute that Homan took the money when asked about the case on Saturday.... Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee told MSNBC they plan to investigate the facts of the Justice Department's Homan case and the circumstances under which it was closed, a committee spokesperson said.... Update: In an interview on Fox News Monday night, Homan did not echo the White House denial issued earlier in the day. Instead, he said: 'I did nothing criminal. I did nothing illegal. It's hit piece after hit piece after hit piece. And I'm glad the FBI and DOJ came out and said — you know, said that nothing illegal happened and nothing, no criminal activity.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: One might think Trump taught Leavitt to lie lie a pro, but she looks to me like a smug little brat whose first full sentence -- delivered with crumbs falling from her pouty-baby mouth -- was, "I not eat cookies, Mama." BTW, Ken Dilanian said on MSNBC last night that besides audio tape of the Homan sting, hidden cameras caught him accepting that bag-full-o'-cash. My unwelcome advice to Team Trump is the same as it was for the Epstein matter: "If your guy is so innocent, release the files." ~~~
~~~ Update. Ron Filipkowski -- linked above -- writes, "... Democracy Forward filed a FOIA request for the release of the Homan tapes."
~~~ Nonetheless, as certain droll Reality Chex Commenters explained the other day, under new SCOTUS rulings, for the Homan exchange to be considered a crime, either the giver or the taker of the bribe must appear on the scene thusly:
Carrie Johnson of NPR: Over the weekend, Donald "Trump ... openly direct[ed] the Justice Department to go after his political adversaries, adding to a sense of unease inside the department about job security and ethical obligations.... His post emerged only hours after the top federal prosecutor in northern Virginia left his job under pressure [from Trump].... Now Lindsey Halligan, who had been serving as a special assistant to the president, was sworn in Monday as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, though she has no prosecutorial experience. Most recently, she's been helping Trump remove what he calls 'improper ideology' from the Smithsonian museums.... Already this year thousands of employees have left the Justice Department through dismissals and forced resignations. Nearly all of the public integrity unit is gone, as are three in four lawyers in the civil rights division. Many people inside the department are afraid, [for DOJ attorney Stacey] Young said." ~~~
~~~ Devlin Barrett & Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: “A lawyer loyal to ... [Donald] Trump was sworn in as the top federal prosecutor in eastern Virginia on Monday, as the president becomes increasingly impatient for the indictments of two people he despises: the former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and Attorney General Letitia James of New York. The lawyer, Lindsey Halligan, a White House adviser and former Trump defense attorney with no prosecutorial experience, was tapped as the interim U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, whose office has been conducting separate investigations of Mr. Comey and Ms. James. In a sign of how rushed the replacement process was, the internal Justice Department email announcing Ms. Halligan’s arrival misspelled her first name. Ms. Halligan replaces Erik S. Siebert, who was forced out of the job late last week amid rising dissatisfaction from Mr. Trump and his top advisers that Mr. Siebert had not delivered indictments in the two high-profile cases.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: The correct spelling is "L-o-y-a-l." And how uncharitable of the Times to claim she is unqualified for the job without noting that she has the Mar-a-Lardo "look," which is a secondary qualification only because swearing an oath of loyalty to the King is the primary requirement for any Trump admin job. ~~~
~~~ Naming & Shaming. Perry Stein & Yvonne Sanchez of the Washington Post: Erik “Siebert’s resignation — and increasing pressure on prosecutors in Maryland and other jurisdictions — underscores the administration’s apparent willingness to ignore long-standing rules around criminal investigations to target people perceived to be political opponents.... In the current cases, the toll on the subjects already has been high. [Sen. Adam] Schiff, [New York Attorney General Letitia] James and Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook each have had to hire defense lawyers, often at hefty rates. Their legal teams have needed to sift through decades of mortgage and personal financial documents to prepare possible defenses. The subjects have faced public scrutiny on their personal lives, and in some corners, reputational damage — whether or not enough evidence exists to eventually warrant criminal charges. or Trump and some of his top aides, that might be part of the point.”
Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times: “The Department of Defense has quietly delayed its cleanup of harmful 'forever chemicals' at nearly 140 military installations across the country, according to a list of sites analyzed by The New York Times. The Pentagon has been one of the most intensive users of these chemicals, which are also known as PFAS and are a key ingredient in firefighting foam. For decades, crews at U.S. military bases would train to battle flames by lighting jet-fuel fires, then putting them out with large amounts of foam, which would leach into the soil and groundwater. In 2017, military communities nationwide began to report alarming levels of the chemicals in their drinking water. A growing body of research has linked PFAS exposure to serious health concerns including certain types of cancer as well as child developmental and fertility issues. The Pentagon’s new timeline would delay cleanup around military sites by nearly a decade in some cases....”
Andrew Jeong of the Washington Post: “The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday announced sanctions against the wife of a Brazilian Supreme Court justice who ruled in favor of convicting former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro after he attempted a military coup to stay in power in 2023. The sanctions on Viviane Barci de Moraes, wife of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, mark an escalation in the diplomatic feud between ... Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro ally, and the Brazilian administration.... In July, Washington rolled out sanctions against Justice Moraes, while Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazil.... Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva..., said that he and Trump have 'no relationship' during a translated interview aired on the BBC this past week, adding: 'His relationship is with Bolsonaro, not Brazil.'” MB: AND no U.S. sanctions against Putin who keeps killing Ukrainians.
How Not to Respond to Reports You're a Crap Manager. Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stunned department officials with profane outbursts reacting to a series of critical news reports examining her chaotic leadership. The former South Dakota governor and her de facto chief of staff Corey Lewandowski gathered DHS officials to complain about June reports showing that she demanded to personally sign off on payments over $100,000, which caused delays and bottlenecks throughout the department. Employees told New York Magazine the pair – rumored to be a couple – harangued them in harsh terms. 'They were screaming!' a DHS employee told the magazine.”
⭐Mark Kennedy of the AP: “ABC will reinstate Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show in the wake of criticism over his comments about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, officials with the network said Monday. 'We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday,' said a statement from the network.... Word of the reinstatement came as hundreds of Hollywood and Broadway stars — including Robert De Niro, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Selena Gomez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep — urged Americans 'fight to defend and preserve our constitutionally protected rights' in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension. More than 430 movie, TV and stage stars as well as comedians, directors and writers added their names to an open letter Monday from the American Civil Liberties Union that argues it is 'a dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation.' Also Monday, ABC’s 'The View' weighed in on the controversy after not raising it for two episodes after Kimmel was suspended. Co-host Whoopi Goldberg opened the show saying: 'No one silences us' and she and her fellow hosts condemned Disney’s decision.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ The New York Times story is here; the NYT link is a gift link. ~~~
~~~ Alex Weprin of the Hollywood Reporter: “Jimmy Kimmel may be returning to ABC Tuesday night, but his show will remain dark in a large swath of the U.S., with Sinclair Broadcast Group saying that it will preempt the show. 'Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming,' the company said in a statement Monday. 'Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return.'”
Supremes Continue to Appease Lord High Executioner. Abbie Van Sickle & Ann Marimow of the New York Times: “The Supreme Court on Monday allowed ... [ to fire a leader of the Federal Trade Commission, setting up a court battle over a 90-year-old limit on executive power over independent agencies. In an emergency order, a divided court announced that it would allow [Mr.] Trump, for now, to fire Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, a F.T.C. commissioner, and that it would hear argument in the case in December, a signal that a majority of the court is ready to revisit a landmark precedent limiting presidential authority.... In its brief order Monday, the court said it would consider in December the broader question of whether to overturn the precedent that has prevented presidents from removing independent regulators without cause and solely over policy disagreements. The decision by the court’s conservative majority to allow Mr. Trump to remove Ms. Slaughter drew a dissent from the three liberal justices. Justice Elena Kagan said her conservative colleagues had essentially allowed the president to take charge of agencies Congress intended to protect from partisanship.” ~~~
~~~ Pema Levy of Mother Jones: Donald “Trump has seized investigative and prosecutorial weapons that, in order to safeguard the rule of law, have traditionally been walled off from the president. The Supreme Court handed him these loaded weapons. While it was little remarked upon at the time, last summer’s presidential immunity decision from the Republican wing of the Roberts’ Court gave the president the power to launch any investigation or prosecution he wanted, with real or fabricated evidence, without any repercussions. Just a year later, we are seeing the unprecedented weaponization of the DOJ.... 'The most surprising and consequential ruling in Trump is that “the president has exclusive authority over the investigative and prosecutorial functions of the Justice Department and its officials,’” Harvard’s Jack Goldsmith wrote in February.” Continue reading this indictment of the “reckless” Supremes, and particularly, the Chief Justice. Via Scott Lemieux. ~~~
~~~ MEANWHILE, some lower courts are still doing their Constitutionally-mandated jobs: ~~~
~~~ Jake Spring & Evan Halper of the Washington Post: “A judge on Monday temporarily lifted the Trump administration’s order to halt construction of Revolution Wind, a massive offshore wind energy project that would power hundreds of thousands of homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The judge’s ruling is the first major setback for ... Donald Trump’s campaign against offshore wind energy, which he launched on his first day in office by putting all federal wind leases and permits under review.... The Interior Department issued the stop-work order in August despite Revolution Wind being 80 percent complete, citing vague national security concerns. The Defense Department had previously reviewed and approved the project. District Judge Royce Lamberth in D.C. wrote in his ruling that the developers of the project are likely to succeed in their lawsuit against the administration and are 'likely to suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction.' He also wrote that 'maintaining the status quo by granting an injunction is in the public’s interest.'” ~~~
~~~ AP: “A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore $500 million in federal grant funding that it froze at the University of California, Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in San Francisco granted a preliminary injunction on Monday, saying the government likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires specific procedures and explanations for federal funding cuts. Instead, the government informed UCLA in generalized form letters that multiple grants from various agencies were being suspended but offered no specific details.”
Kirsten Grind & John Eligon of the New York Times: “... a significant factor in Elon Musk’s rupture with his father stems from accusations against Errol Musk of child sex abuse. The allegations have repeatedly spilled over into Elon Musk’s life as relatives have contacted him for help and he has sometimes taken action to intercede, according to personal letters, emails and interviews with family members. The family’s troubles have entangled Elon Musk in a painful three-decade multigenerational saga that continues to trail him. The fallout has kept the 54-year-old mogul tethered to South Africa, where he was born and where Errol Musk lives.... The allegations against Errol Musk involve five of his children and stepchildren, whom he was accused of abusing in South Africa and California....” ~~~
~~~ Marie: I hope we're not supposed to feel sorry for Elon now.
~~~~~~~~~~
22 comments:
Todays physics lesson: Since light travels faster than sound, people may appear
bright until you hear them speak.
Rundown
"Today in Politics, Bulletin 212. 9/22/25"
Ron Filipkowski
Rubio will be whining again today about Trump's friend
"ICC charges Rodrigo Duterte with crimes against humanity
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has been charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The 80-year-old is accused of being criminally responsible for dozens of murders that allegedly took place as part of his so-called war on drugs, during which thousands of small-time drug dealers, users and others were killed without trial.
"Gotta Catch ‘Em All
The Department of Homeland Security has been creating social media posts in recent months that feature intellectual properties of various companies, most of which were not used with express rights or permissions to do so by the license holders. This has led to a discussion of fair use and parody, and now the Pokémon Co. is about to be drawn into the debate.
Earlier today, the Department of Homeland Security shared a video showcasing ICE on a number of different raids and operations. This video in particular uses imagery tied to the Pokemon Company, including multiple pictures and clips from Pokémon: The Series. It also features the original Pokémon: The Series theme song from beginning to end."
This Pokemon ICE mashup is sick.
"Feds Dismantle “Major Threat” To NYC Cell Service
While close to 150 world leaders prepared to descend on Manhattan for the U.N. General Assembly, the U.S. Secret Service was quietly dismantling a massive hidden telecom network across the New York area — a system investigators say could have crippled cell towers, jammed 911 calls and flooded networks with chaos at the very moment the city was most vulnerable.
Initial analysis of the data on some of the SIM cards has identified ties to at least one foreign nation [China], as well as links to criminals already known to U.S. law enforcement officials, including cartel members, Secret Service officials told reporters on Monday in a call previewing Tuesday’s announcement."
Gwar
"Libs of TikTok called GWAR’s performance an act of “incitement,” adding that, “Democrats can’t help themselves. They love promoting violence.”
A representative for GWAR pushed against the New York Post’s article a statement: “Normalizing violence? Humans don’t need GWAR for that. There is nothing normal about the Looney Toon violence acted out on a GWAR stage. GWAR is absurdist spectacle. GWAR is to violence what the New York Post is to journalism. Ridiculous.”…
The kicker? The viral clip that set off the controversy may have been planted from inside GWAR’s own orbit. The clip was the very first post from an account called @hottakekaren, whose bio reads “GWAR’s biggest fan.” The post tagged @RiotFest, @GWAR, and @ElonMusk, while subsequent uploads from the same account tagged @realdonaldtrump, @JDVance, and even @FBI."
Monsters
"ICE agents held 5-year-old girl outside Leominster home to get father to surrender, family says
Video appears to show federal immigration agents trying to coax the man out of his home while asking, "Is that your daughter?"
Leominster police arrived at the scene, recovered the child and returned her to the family.
However, two days later, on Hip's wife's birthday, federal agents returned to the house, pulled the man out of the car and arrested him.
The girl is in good condition, the family says, while her father is being held at an ICE detention center in Plymouth. He and his wife have an active asylum claim [been here 22 years] and are the parents of two children born in the United States."
Stephen Miller just might be more vile & filled with hate than his boss, t****. Jonathan Chait, in The Atlantic, reviews Miller's eulogy for Charlie Kirk, where violent rhetoric is allowed only when he and Trump are the ones spewing it.
"The speech was a jarring piece of rhetoric. It is a perfect encapsulation of the ethos of Trumpism, boiling away the president’s idiosyncratic habits of mixing insult comedy and weird digressions into his rhetoric and leaving, in Miller’s tongue, the residue of pure ideology and will to power.
Miller’s theme was that President Donald Trump’s side embodies pure good, his opponents pure evil, and the former is destined to utterly destroy the latter."
Zoë Schlanger, in The Atlantic (written before yesterdays press conference), writes that "if the federal government were to invest in finding autism’s causes, it would consider the effects of pesticides
"Unlike Kennedy’s concerns about vaccines, his concerns about pesticides have echoed those found in a body of legitimate research. Studies have found associations between exposure to some herbicides and pesticides and cancer, hormone disruption, and other acute and chronic health conditions. These include neurodevelopmental impacts in children, such as autism—which Kennedy has also promised to tackle."
BUT....
"Since taking office, Kennedy has mostly avoided even rhetorically linking specific environmental exposures to health concerns. An earlier MAHA report had more to say on pesticides, but The New York Times and Politico reported that Republican lawmakers as well as the farm lobby expressed concern about its potential impact on farmers. At a Senate hearing, Kennedy said that there are “a million farmers who rely on glyphosate” and told lawmakers that “we are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model.” "
"washingtonpost.com editorial board has endorsed Trump’s idea to reoccupy Bagram air base."
And, oh BTW, Tylenol also causes cankles.
Dr. Death is at it again. He gives the absolutely most irresponsible performance by any public official, never mind the president, giving the horror show of his Covid disaster a run for its money.
This morning on NPR, Helen Tager Flusberg, director of Boston University's Center for Autism Research Excellence, came on to dissect Dr. Death's "appalling" press conference. In addition to debunking (once again) the total lies about vaccines and autism, she made some excellent points about how this latest attack on science and medicine by quacks fronted by a truly monstrous fat man, will cause pain and suffering, and worse, to perhaps millions of families, and especially women, in this country.
Talking about Dr. Death's bullshit about Tylenol (and acetaminophen generally) she suggested the quacks ask why women take Tylenol when they're pregnant. Most frequently, it will be because they have a fever, and perhaps an infection. Whatever tiny issues there might be with acetaminophen, the danger of not using it to control a fever can have catastrophic consequences, and pose an astronomically greater risk than the Tylenol. And by labeling Tylenol as the source of autism, Dr. Death plants the seed of doubt and concern in the minds of all parents with autistic children, making them believe that they were personally responsible for the condition by having taken Tylenol for one or two days during pregnancy. This is malpractice on a galactic scale. The sheer idiocy and irresponsibility in putting that out there defies any attempt to understand why he would do such a thing.
Likely the answer is He Doesn't Give a Shit. If he has a chance to make himself look smart, look good, look like he "cured" autism, he's gonna take it and run with it, consequences to millions of Americans be damned.
Which brings me round to something I've believed for many years, and that is how so many on the right like EZ answers to complex problems. Let's not get all worried about doing the hard work of understanding problems and trying to come up valid and effective solutions. Just take the EZ road.
Crime? Build more prisons.
Moral issues? The Bible.
School shootings? Thoughts and prayers.
Immigration? Build a wall, deport 'em all.
Racial issues? Firehose.
Economic inequality? Rich people know best.
Unemployment? More tax cuts for the rich. It will trickle down.
Covid? Bleach.
part II of previous comment
Of course, Trump takes all this to lower and lower levels. But how can even the stupidest MAGAt think it's all perfectly fine when this fat idiot gets up before a mic and says things like "They ask me, 'Sir, how do you know so much about this stuff?' well, it just comes to me." Who says things like that? Drunk guys at the end of the bar with their flies half open don't even say shit like this. But he does this again and again. and he's ALWAYS WRONG. And I mean catastrophically wrong.
The director for BU's center for autism research was asked a final question. Given the chaos and confusion [all stupefyingly unnecessary] spread by the president and his quack hacks, what should people do?
Her answer: consider who's saying this stuff. Right? Just think about who is giving you this advice. Not a one of them is a scientist, doctor, medical researcher, epidemiologist, or even a student of these professions. It's important to get your medical advice from someone who knows what they're talking about. Not someone who says "Well, I just get this stuff."
I guess he's looking to outdo his Death Count from his first term when more than a MILLION AMERICANS died on his watch, several hundred thousand directly because of his lies and disinformation. This time around he wants to better that record.
Of all the horrible shit this imbecile has done, this press conference yesterday is easily the best case for impeachment. A lot of the other stuff, the tariffs, blowing up fishing boats, going after the press and media outfits, stuffing his own pockets with cash, destroying America's reputation...none of that comes up the level of the insidious evil of lying to Americans about the health of their children and unnecessarily causing harm to unborn babies and their families.
I know that word gets thrown around a lot, but I'm tellin' ya kids, this shit is pure evil.
All so he can look smart. "See? I cured autism! Aren't I great?"
Calling Dante: Where's that new ring of hell?
"The Dealmaker
"Trump Cancels Meeting With Top Democrats Ahead Of Government Shutdown
The president initially agreed to the meeting at the White House, but then changed his mind, citing "ridiculous demands" made by Democrats."
When was the last time that Fat Hitler actually made a deal?
And please for once I hope the Democratic leadership doesn't cave immediately. They have real leverage here and the Republicans control all levers of power. It should be an easy narrative to sing in unison. A little pain now could be used to help so many people here and around the world down the road. But they need to be brave enough and united enough to stand together for the good of our country.
TACO TRUMP
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/23/trump-cancels-meeting-schumer-jeffries-00576176
The Business President*!
Following Dr. Death’s appallingly irresponsible and unfounded claims about Tylenol causing autism, Kenvue, corporate maker of Tylenol lost $2.6 billion of its valuation as it’s stock price tumbled.
Kenvure’s stock looks to recover a bit as the market better considers the source of such quack medical advice (that and the immediate blowback to Dr. Death’s lies), but just two days after throwing a wide swath of American businesses into panic and chaos, he does it again.
All this on top of the continuing chaotic and mercurial instability and unpredictability of his temper tantrum tariffs (on-off, up-down, yes-no-maybe-TACO, who knows).
I’m still flabbergasted, after Dubya plunged the entire world into a recession, causing the loss of trillions all over the globe, and now two terms of an economic moron causing his own worldwide panic, how there are still voters and chin-stroking “experts” who say Republicans are better stewards of the economy.
Old news:
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/19/trump-gold-card-platinum-card
But I note this AM that the price of U.S. residency is already coming down. w
How low will it go?
In Fat Hitler's Amerika, people who have never committed a crime, have been good neighbors for decades, have little children grabbed by ICE agents as pawns in a game of chicken, then the little girl's father is grabbed and dragged off to prison, but a Trump pal who is handed a bag of money as a bribe, caught on video and audio tape (all of which I'm sure Kash Patel has ordered erased by now), has an open and shut case of criminal activity dismissed and is lauded as a great American.
This isn't dystopia, this is hell.
Whatever new conspiracy theories arise from this new CBS report, I'm all for it. We all need to get back to
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
Day and night. Don't let up. Let's not forget that his Charlie Kirk boo-hoos and rowboat bombings and Tylenol blah, blah, are all done to get away from
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
EPSTEIN
Pedo-files! Release 'em. Let's see 'em.
Don't let him squirm his way out of this, the fat snake.
Jimmy Kimmel is back!
Couple of things:
First, FU, Bob Iger, you cowardly fascist footstool.
And another big FU to Fat Franz Ferdinand the Orange. You thought you were bravely protecting the privileges of the MAGAburg Empire and burying late night comedians who pillory your fat ass. Instead, you awoke a digital Gavrilo Princip, who not only shot holes in your attack on the First Amendment, but guaranteed a world wide audience for Kimmel’s return.
Kimmel’s show had been lagging behind both Colbert and the generally harmless hippity hop of Jimmy Fallon, but, at least for the foreseeable future, Fat Ferdinand has made Kimmel Must See Resistance TV.
If I were Jimmy, I’d start the show with the exact same statement that got him punished by Footstool Bob.
Fuck all you fascists!
(Who knew anything about Sarajevo before Franz Ferdinand’s driver made a wrong turn?)
This is why nobody is left in the DOJ corruption department.
"When a phantom foundation with no address, no registration and a founder who might not exist, wires $100 million to the president’s crypto company, America has a problem. When that payment arrives just weeks after Trump visits the UAE and announces “$200 billion in commercial deals,” the problem becomes a national security crisis. Yet, foreign policy experts continue to analyze regional threats while overlooking the elephant in the Oval Office—Trump’s corruption is the single greatest threat facing America today.
The Aqua 1 Foundation story reads like amateur money laundering fiction, except the money is real and flowing directly into the Trump family’s pockets."
Daniel Dale on CNN fact checking some of Fat Hitler's UN speech.
"And, Pamela, there were a whole bunch of other claims that were just out-and-out false. I don’t even have time to run through all of them."
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