Marie: A couple of days ago, RAS learned that "Trump's peace plan" -- the one he at first demanded Ukraine accept by Thursday -- appears to have been translated from Russian. Now this: ~~~
~~~ Bloomberg News, republished by the Japan Times: “U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff, fresh from the triumph of the Gaza peace deal, held a phone call last month with a senior Kremlin official to suggest they work together on a similar plan for Ukraine — and that Vladimir Putin should raise it with Donald Trump. In an Oct. 14 phone call that lasted a little over five minutes, Witkoff advised Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, on how the Russian leader should broach the issue with Trump. His guidance included suggestions on setting up a Trump-Putin call before Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s White House visit later that week and using the Gaza agreement as a way in.” MB: We already knew Trump was a veritable Russian asset. Now we know Witkoff, whom Donald Trump has made his chief negotiator for no discernible reason, is a literal asset. He is helping the leader of a major U.S. enemy manipulate the supposed U.S. leader. It's astounding.
~~~~~~~~~~
So yesterday, we learned about Jair Bolsonaro's absurd plan to remove his ankle bracelet and somehow flee Brazil to avoid a long prison sentence imposed after his Trumpy attempt to overturn the presidential election he lost. Well, it turns out there was more to the plot than we knew! (Worth watching to the end.) ~~~
~~~ It would be a very good thing if more American billionaires, CEOs of giant corporations, partners in major law firms, university boards and other assorted chickenhearts & toadies figured out that you can beat a bully, even when there is a huge power differential. ~~~
~~~ Jack Nicas of the New York Times: “In July, Mr. Trump sent an angry letter to the current Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, demanding that the authorities drop charges that Mr. Bolsonaro had attempted a coup. Mr. Trump slapped 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports and imposed sanctions on a Brazilian Supreme Court justice to try to keep Mr. Bolsonaro — a right-wing politician sometimes called the Trump of the Tropics — out of prison. Five months later, Mr. Trump has all but admitted defeat. Mr. Bolsonaro, 70, is in a prison cell, starting a 27-year sentence. And Mr. Trump — after a chummy meeting with Mr. Lula — has just removed the most significant tariffs against Brazil.,,, It is ... a stark example of the limits to Mr. Trump’s ability to bend foreign governments to his will and of his willingness to drop allies and side with a rival when he views it in his interest.”
~~~ Nevertheless, He Persists ~~~
They’re not going to refuse me, believe me. If I say do it, they’re going to do it. That’s what leadership is all about. -- Donald Trump, March 2016, saying that U.S. military personnel would obey his orders, even if those orders were illegal ~~
~~~ Konstantin Toropin of the AP: “The Pentagon’s statement, posted on social media, cited a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court martial or other measures. It is extraordinary for the Pentagon, which until ... Donald Trump’s second term had usually gone out of its way to act and appear apolitical, to directly threaten a sitting member of Congress with investigation.” Thanks to RAS for the link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Heather Cox Richardson: “On social media, a post circulated showing a picture of Kelly in his dress uniform juxtaposed with a photograph of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth guzzling from a bottle; the caption compared Kelly’s 'shirt covered with medals' with Hegseth’s 'shirt covered with booze.'” ~~~
~~~ Unfortunately, when the clown show stars and is run by the titular head of one of Earth's most powerful nations, it is not a laughing matter. ~~
David Sanger, et al., of the New York Times: “Last week..., [Donald] Trump set a hard deadline for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to agree to the details of a 28-point draft peace deal with Russia.... By Monday, that deadline, Thanksgiving Day, was gone. The 28-point plan, which was widely criticized as a series of one-sided concessions to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, had been shrunk to closer to 20 points. Some of the most sensitive elements ... were set aside for future negotiation.... Mr. Putin, some Trump administration officials predict, is likely to dismiss the new draft out of hand, which would lead to a long and drawn-out negotiation.... This account of how the U.S. peace plan touched off a firestorm in the United States and Europe is based on interviews with a half-dozen officials, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. By any measure, the administration’s rollout of the new plan was maladroit at best.” The link is a gift link. ~~~
~~~ Felicia Schwartz of Politico: “Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, an unusual choice to play diplomat, spent two days last week delivering a tough message to Ukraine and its European allies: Accept the offered 28-point peace proposal by Thanksgiving, or else. Then, Secretary of State Marco Rubio showed up. Rubio’s arrival in Geneva on Sunday ... changed the tenor of the conversations. The Trump administration team backed away from a firm Thursday deadline and, in the opinion of the Europeans and Ukrainians, started taking their positions more into consideration.... The head-spinning and chaotic past week of U.S. diplomacy has made plain two truths about Rubio’s role in the administration: First, foreign and congressional interlocutors regard him as a clean-up hand on the Russia-Ukraine file, coming in to restore order and realign Washington with its allies and partners, rather than Moscow. Second..., Donald Trump’s preference for jettisoning traditional policy coordination across Cabinet departments has bred a turbulent foreign policy with an array of senior principals operating in their own lanes.” ~~~
~~~ Marie: Driscoll's part at the "piece talks" was almost certainly a reflection of domestic politics: wherein JayDee was trying to undermine not only Ukraine -- he once said he didn't "really care what happens to Ukraine, one way or the other" --- but but more importantly to him, Little Marco. Driscoll is "a close friend of Vice President JD Vance."
~~~ Cassandra Vinograd & Maria Varenikova of the New York Times: “Russia attacked Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, early Tuesday, killing at least six people in a large-scale barrage of missiles and drones, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky, hours after Ukrainian and U.S. delegations finished a round of talks in Geneva on a proposal to end the war. Loud explosions were heard across the city, and the local authorities said air defenses were being deployed against cruise and hypersonic ballistic missiles, as well as drones. They urged people to stay in shelters.” ~~~
~~~ Andrew Solender of Axios: "Rep. Don Bacon was so appalled by the Trump administration's proposed Russia-Ukraine peace plan that he considered resigning in protest, the Nebraska Republican told Axios.... Bacon's deliberations ... demonstrate just how furious pro-Ukraine lawmakers on Capitol Hill are about the proposal.... The centrist foreign policy hawk, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, has already announced he plans to retire in 2027 rather than seek another term. He dubbed the proposal the 'Witkoff Ukrainian surrender plan.'..." ~~~
~~~ Tamar Jacoby in the Washington Monthly: "Kyiv and its European allies have long feared that Trump would betray Ukraine by using U.S. leverage to impose an unfair, unrealistic peace settlement modeled on a real estate deal — splitting the difference between two sides, in this case, a rapacious aggressor and its much smaller neighbor struggling to defend itself. In fact, the 28-point peace plan leaked last week was far worse than that. It didn’t even pretend to split the difference.... The proposed deal would also be disastrous for Europe.... [The proposal,] negotiated by special envoy Steve Witkoff with input from Putin’s close associate Kirill Dmitriev, mandates a long list of draconian concessions from Ukraine....
"Steve Witkoff isn’t just an amateur with shockingly little knowledge of Ukraine or Russia. He’s also dangerously credulous and, after four friendly visits to Moscow, appears to be under the influence of one of the world’s shrewdest manipulators.... Putin will not settle for anything short of his long-standing maximalist demands. He doesn’t want peace.... The near success of the Witkoff plan should alarm Europe, sparking a sense of urgency in Brussels and other European capitals."
Luke Broadwater, et al., of the New York Times: Donald “Trump, who has repeatedly denounced the Affordable Care Act as a 'disaster,' is considering backing an extension of insurance subsidies tied to the health law that are set to expire at the end of the year, according to a senior White House official. Mr. Trump has not made a final decision, the official said....” Politico has a story here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: As you may know, Republicans have been delaying rolling out an alternative to Obamacare since "the big fucking deal" became law more than 15 years ago. Yesterday, Trump delayed announcing the "concept of a plan" for the umpteenth time: ~~
~~~ Jake Traylor & Mychael Schnell of MS NOW: "... Donald Trump is delaying a planned announcement of a proposal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies, according to two White House officials, after congressional Republicans pushed back against the president’s sudden embrace of the expiring subsidies. Trump was expected to unveil a plan aimed at halting ACA premium spikes on Monday, as first reported by MS NOW. But the reveal has been postponed — though not canceled — said the White House officials...."
Thomas Beaumont of the AP: “... Donald Trump is directing the federal government to combine efforts with tech companies and universities to convert government data into scientific discoveries, acting on his push to make artificial intelligence the engine of the nation’s economic future. Trump unveiled the 'Genesis Mission' as part of an executive order he signed Monday that directs the Department of Energy and national labs to build a digital platform to concentrate the nation’s scientific data in one place. It solicits private sector and university partners to use their AI capability to help the government solve engineering, energy and national security problems, including streamlining the nation’s electric grid, according to White House officials.... Officials made no specific mention of seeking medical advances as part of the project.” MB: I expect I understand this as well as Trump does, which is to say, not much.
“A National Embarrassment.” John Ismay of the New York Times: “For years, the Coast Guard’s policy on harassment plainly stated that incidents of hatred and prejudice 'have no place' in the service. But last week, the Coast Guard issued a new directive raising the bar for proving that displaying hate symbols in public merits punishment. Among several changes, the policy downgraded swastikas and nooses from symbols of hatred to merely 'potentially divisive.' The revisions set off a backlash. Seth Levi of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit civil rights group, called the new policy 'a national embarrassment.' Just hours later, on Thursday night, the Coast Guard’s leadership gave assurance that the public display of hateful symbols would continue to be banned. But whether a service member could display such symbols in private remained unclear.” Ismay tries -- with minimal success -- to suss out how this all happened.
Jesus Jiménez of the New York Times: “At a congressional hearing in Los Angeles on Monday, more than two dozen people testified to lawmakers about the fear and upheaval gripping Southern California immigrant communities after months of federal raids led by Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The testimony came from men and women whose loved ones had been arrested or who had been detained themselves. Some had witnessed immigration arrests, and still others were local elected officials who described agents whose actions, they said, went outside the law.... Democratic members of Congress organized the hearing at the urging of Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles and a former member of Congress.... Other hearings are expected to be held in other cities.”
⭐Ella Lee of the Hill: “A federal judge on Monday dismissed the cases against two of ... [Donald] Trump’s political adversaries after finding that the prosecutor he hand-picked to pursue charges against them was unlawfully appointed. U.S. District Judge Cameron Currie said that Lindsey Halligan, the U.S. attorney selected by Trump to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), was never eligible to assume the post. She dismissed the indictments without prejudice, meaning the Justice Department could try to bring the charges again with another prosecutor, though the path forward is uncertain. Halligan is the fourth U.S. attorney loyal to Trump to have been found to be unlawfully serving in her post by a judge.” MB: That's all she wrote. This just happened, so I'll link to a more detailed story when one comes up. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Jeremy Roebuck & Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post: “A federal judge dismissed charges against former FBI director James B. Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday, delivering a blow to ... Donald Trump’s efforts to engineer prosecutions of two of his prominent foes. U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie ruled that Lindsey Halligan, the prosecutor overseeing both cases, had been unlawfully appointed to her position and, therefore, indictments she secured against Comey and James must be thrown out. Currie, however, denied a request to bar the Justice Department from seeking to indict them again under a lawfully appointed prosecutor.” The New York Times story, by Alan Feuer & Devlin Barrett, is here. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ “That Cannot Be the Law.” Garrett Owen of Salon: “Futhermore, Currie said that Halligan’s assignment amounted to a political appointment with the goal of prosecuting Comey. 'It would mean the government could send any private citizen off the street — attorney or not — into the grand jury room to secure an indictment so long as the attorney general gives her approval after the fact,' Currie wrote. 'That cannot be the law.'” ~~~
~~~ Politico's report is here. Judge Currie's ruling re: Letitia James is here. Her ruling re: James Comey is here. Thanks to Politico; via the courts. Both rulings begin with "On [date], Lindsey Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, appeared before a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia." IOW, it appears that one big point of the ruling is that Halligan had no idea what she was doing. In the next graf, in both orders, Currie knocks Pam Bondi: "... I agree with [Defendant] that the Attorney General’s attempt to install Ms. Halligan as Interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia was invalid." Blondie doesn't know what she's doing, either. AND the whole order is an implicit rebuke of His Nibs Hisself, because he ordered thhese prosecutions. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Update. Rebecca Falconer of Axios: "Attorney General Pam Bondi said she'll 'take all available legal action, including an immediate appeal' after a judge dismissed the cases against New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) and former FBI Director James Comey on Monday.... Bondi during a Monday briefing defended the credentials of ... [Donald] Trump's former personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia at the center of the judge's reasons for the case's dismissal earlier Monday." MB: According to MS NOW's Lisa Rubin, Halligan herself continues to refer to herself as "U.S. Attorney." ~~~
~~~ David Kurtz of TPM: The law governing the appointment of U.S. attorneys is "a structural allocation of power between [MB: among!] all three branches: The executive branch gets to fill the slot, but only temporarily, so that it can’t do an end run around the legislative branch, where the Senate must confirm U.S. attorneys.... To square the circle, Congress gave the judicial branch the power to appoint interim U.S. attorneys after 120 days and thus assure some minimum degree of competence and professionalism.... Lindsey Halligan was precisely the type of U.S. attorney that the statutory scheme ... was designed to avoid: a loyalist of the president who had been his personal attorney and most recently worked in his White House; a neophyte with no prior experience as a prosecutor; a transient figure dispatched to play a transactional role: indict named enemies of Trump without regard to the law, the facts, or principles of justice." ~~~
~~~ Marie: It occurs to me that this law may never have been tested. If that's the case, and Bondi follows through on her threat to appeal, the matter could wind up before the Supine Court, where the stars of the star chamber could overrule this law that vexes the Mad King.
Rachel Siegel & Perry Stein of the Washington Post: “A witness’s testimony to federal investigators is highlighting the unconventional and sometimes erratic nature of the Trump administration’s attempt to prosecute Democrats on charges of mortgage fraud. Justice Department official Ed Martin, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte and their allies have used direct messages to strangers on social media and out-of-the-blue phone calls to try to build cases against Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California), according to an account given to prosecutors by GOP congressional candidate and real estate agent Christine Bish.... On social media and in television interviews, Pulte routinely encourages people to send information to fraudtips@fhfa.gov./// Bish ... recognized [a] document [Trump posted to try to incriminate Schiff] as one of hundreds she sent to ... [the] tip line.... [Bish & Pulte] never spoke, but Pulte messaged back later on to ask for more information, including on Oct. 17, when he asked for 'whatever schif docs you have.'”
Stacy Cowley of the New York Times: “On Friday, the [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, under the supervision of Budget Director Russell Vought,] said it would now require its financial examiners to recite a 'humility pledge' to companies before beginning a review.... [The pledge] ... details a set of changes, including a more limited review scope and an agency commitment to 'work collaboratively' with the businesses it oversees. In a notice announcing the change, the bureau described its own supervision department as 'the weaponized arm' of the agency under its Biden-era director and said its exams had been carried out with 'thuggery.' On Monday, the consumer bureau’s staff union fired back with a statement denouncing the pledge as 'creepy' and 'disrespectful.'... The new pledge is, for now, mostly symbolic. Mr. Vought halted nearly all work at the bureau shortly after his arrival in February, and bank examinations have not resumed.”
Good Riddance. Olivia Empson of the Guardian: “The 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) has apparently been dissolved with eight months still remaining on its contract, ending a drawn-out campaign of invading federal agencies and firing thousands of federal workers. 'That doesn’t exist,' the office of personnel management (OPM) director, Scott Kupor, told Reuters earlier this month when asked about Doge’s status, adding that it was no longer a 'centralized entity'. The statement confirmed longstanding suspicions that Doge, created by an executive order that Donald Trump signed on his first day, was on its way out.... Suspicions that Doge may have been disbanded began to surface earlier this summer. Politico recently reported that in June, staffers had 'packed up their clothes and bedding' at the department’s headquarters, where they had been sleeping since February, and looked for new homes.” ~~~
~~~ Paul Krugman: “... although DOGE is gone, its malign legacy endures. Arguably DOGE’s biggest “achievement” was shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development. And the dismantling of USAID has left a legacy of death. According to one recent study, closing the agency 'has already caused the deaths of six hundred thousand people, two-thirds of them children.' Back at home, DOGE wreaked havoc on the U.S. government through a combination of arrogance, ignorance and sheer incompetence.... Thousands of dedicated federal employees were pushed out, taking their expertise and institutional knowledge with them, while those who remain are demoralized.... Arguably just as important, is DOGE’s misappropriation of Americans’ personal information along with the destruction of institutional norms on safeguarding that information.”
“Fight Club.” Lisa Lerer of the New York Times: “A group of influential liberal senators is directly challenging Senator Chuck Schumer’s approach to the midterm elections and ... [Donald] Trump, in another sign of growing frustration among Democrats toward the minority leader. The coalition of at least half a dozen senators, who call themselves the 'Fight Club,' is unhappy with how Mr. Schumer and his fellow senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand, the head of Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, have chosen, recruited and, they argue, favored candidates aligned with the establishment. The mutinous mood of the senators — who include Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Christopher S. Murphy of Connecticut, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — reflects the widespread doubts among the Democratic base that party leaders in Congress have a strong vision and a winning strategy for returning to power.... Other senators who have participated in the group’s actions have included Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.”
A Senator AND a Big Ole Tax Cheat. Leo Sands of the Washington Post: “Sen. Jim Justice (R-West Virginia) and his wife agreed to pay over $5 million in unpaid income taxes that the Internal Revenue Service said dated back to 2009. According to court filings Monday, the agreement was struck hours after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Justice and his wife, Cathy, seeking $5,164,739.75 in unpaid federal income tax assessments owed as of August. The civil complaint said the debt originated from the 2009 tax year and included penalties and interest accrued since. Attorneys for all parties signed a joint motion stating that the couple agreed to pay the full amount in addition to statutory interest. The motion, which needs to be approved by a judge, did not say when the money would be paid.”
~~~~~~~~~~
North Dakota. Nathaniel Weixel of the Hill: “Abortion is illegal again in North Dakota after the state Supreme Court reversed a decision from a lower court on Friday, allowing a near-total ban to take effect. The law makes it illegal for anyone to perform an abortion, though it exempts individual patients. Violating the ban is considered a class C felony, so physicians would be subject to a maximum of five years of imprisonment, a fine of $10,000, or both.” MB: North Dakota is one of the least populous U.S. states. If I were a young woman -- whether or not I intended to have children -- or a medical professional who cares for women of child-bearing age -- I would GET OUT. It's not safe to live there.
30 comments:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/us/politics/trump-intel-steel-minerals-china.html
Sounds like communism to me....certainly socialism...or is it Bush II's vaunted "Ownership Society?”
My comment:
When do I get my stock certificates? About the time I get my $2000 tariff bonus? Or my check from Mr. Soros?
Another investimagation? Is that all these fuckers can do? Investimagations? Pretty much everything else they try is marred by incompetence and ignorance that makes the Three Stooges look positively professorial, proficiency incarnate.
So the new target, as directed by the portly puerile potentate and his dipso defense douchebag, is a decorated officer and combat pilot who has flown 39 missions and logged over 5,000 hours in the air, a guy who later became a NASA astronaut and then a United States Senator.
In his naval career, Mark Kelly has received a slew of commendations including two Defense Superior Service Medals; one Legion of Merit; two Distinguished Flying Crosses; four Air Medals (two individual/two strike flight) with Combat "V"; two Navy Commendation Medals, (one with combat "V"); one Navy Achievement Medal; two Southwest Asia Service Medals; one Navy Expeditionary Medal; two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons; a NASA Distinguished Service Medal; and an Overseas Service Ribbon (per Wikipedia).
Now let's check out the drunken lout who is aggressively trying to screw with this highly decorated veteran. Drunk Pete has spent 10,000 hours in various bars, alternating getting sloshed with assaulting and attempting to humiliate and cheat on various women. His medals include the Buzz Lightyear Toy Story medal he got in a cereal box one morning when trying to recover from a three day bender.
The other asshat in this proceeding is Cadet Bonesaw who has....no military decorations. Oh, except the Purple Heart he got from a veteran who earned it. At that time, Fatty joked that he always wanted a Purple Heart but never wanted to do what was required to get one ie, to be wounded in combat serving the country. News flash, Fatty, your cowardice is not a secret.
So these clowns are threatening to recall Senator Kelly to active duty so they can...court martial him? For quoting the law?
This shit is beyond embarrassing. This is harassment. These incompetent motherfuckers need to waggle their little dinkies around to show that they're MANLY MAGA MEN. What they actually demonstrate is a crude show of moral incontinence, frequently seen in fraidy cat cowards and bullies.
This is the cream of the MAGA crop going up against a real man, a real American patriot.
Just appalling.
"Cultists Who Bought Trump’s Coin Have Lost It All
"The selloff is part of a broader rout that’s wiped out more than $1 trillion of value across the digital asset world. The Trump family’s fortune has fallen to about $6.7 billion from $7.7 billion in early September, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a decline largely tied to its growing portfolio of crypto ventures.
Those holdings involve intricate deals that go beyond straight bets on the value of digital currencies. Everyday investors, who have more ways than ever before to invest in Trump-linked projects, stand to feel greater pain. Any speculator who bought Trump’s memecoin at its peak after it was announced inauguration weekend, for instance, would have lost almost the entire value of their investment by this month."
Bossware
"Bossware booms as bots determine whether you're doing a good job
A lot of companies are turning to employee monitoring tools to make sure workers aren't slacking off"
Beauty Queen Turns into Pumpkin! Film at 11.
So here we have insurance lawyer Lindsay Halligan who went to the ball as a big time US Attorney, going after a couple of Enemies of the Fascist State, both on the Fat Hitler Most Wanted List. But oops! The clock struck midnight and she was turned back into an insurance lawyer/pumpkin.
She should be glad. Here we have yet another show of astounding incompetence, incompetence that could easily have gotten her disbarred, like so many other lawyers who have attached themselves like barnacles to the Fat Whale, who ends up drowning everyone and everything that comes into contact with him. Lindsay Halligan, briefly transmogrified into a Trumpy US attorney (as opposed to a legitimate US attorney) is back doing what she does best: serving as eye candy for the Orange Monster.
It seems that Eva Braun Bondi is not taking "Fuck off and die, you uneducated morons" for an answer. She will do whatever illegal and unconstitutional things she can to keep up the attacks. Can't wait for her future disbarment.
Of course, Fatty could run to HIS justices on the Supine Court, get Halligan de-pumpkinized and the phony indictments back on. The traitors on this court await every opportunity to piss on the Constitution and the rule of law to aid and abet this compulsively stoopid administration.
We shall see. Until then...Pumpkin Pie for EVERYONE!
Buzz Lightyear Toy Story medal award recipient mad at Scouts.
"U.S. ready to cut support to Scouts, accusing them of attacking 'boy-friendly spaces'
In a draft memo to Congress, which sources shared with NPR but which has not yet been sent, Hegseth criticizes Scouting for being "genderless" and for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
But the law includes an exemption: the Secretary of Defense can withhold support if he determines providing it would be "detrimental to national security."
Drafts of a report to Congress obtained by NPR show Hegseth invoking that clause — accusing Scouting America of fostering "gender confusion.""
More on breaking healthcare news from Glorious Leader
@Ken W.: There are lots of answers to your questions:
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
When hell freezes over.
And on and on.
RAS,
I like the "breaking healthcare" phrase in your post above. Seems very appropriate. "Breaking healthcare" is the Republican plan.
Perhaps someone with a brain who has experience communicating with a perpetually liquored up half-wit that the Boy Scouts of America almost went completely under a few years ago because of the disturbing cases of sexual abuse of boys by scout masters, many of whom were ministers or teachers.
The change brought about in scouting was an effort to give young kids a chance to grow up to be decent, thoughtful, productive members of society rather than adults warped by a traumatic time as Boy Scouts.
Given the predilection in the Fat Hitler Reich for bailing out and protecting scumbags convicted or suspected of serial sexual assaults, Drunk Pete would prefer to hire back those former scout masters. At least the ones not still in prison. The rest can get a blanket pardon and go back to diddling little kids.
So many people on Bluesky agog sarcastically with the incredible news of an idea of a concept of an outline of a daydream of a nightmare of an alternate health plan, first mentioned in 2015 or 2016, having postponed it since it was inaugurated many years before that...but it was postponed. These morons must drink with Hogsbreath at breakfast time. They don't even know THEY named it Obamacare. If they had simply renamed it Dumpcare, all would be good... (Hello unversal healthcare, the only possibility, coming soon to a laptop near you, maybe in spring of 2058.)
Typo city-- universal--
Stable Genius
"Today at the White House, President Trump said Biden’s turkey pardons last year were invalid because the former president signed the clemency notice with an auto pen. Trump added that when he saw the turkeys, he thought maybe they should be named Chuck and Nancy, in an apparent dig at Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi. “But then I realized I wouldn’t be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people,” Trump said, adding he wouldn’t do it “no matter what Melania told me.”"
If Nancy and Chuck gave Fat Hitler a couple million bucks I bet he would find his autopen to sign a pardon. He always has a price.
Missouri
"Missouri AG Sics ICE On Activists Collecting Signatures For State Referendum Against GOP Gerrymandering
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway on Thursday involved federal immigration agents in her push to halt a campaign seeking to strike down the state’s congressional map. Hanaway, a Republican, alleged in a pair of social media posts that a firm working with the campaign to collect signatures was “reportedly employing illegal aliens.” Hanaway wrote that her office “referred this matter” to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE."
The idea that the indolent, half baked semi-intelligence possessed by a barely literate man-child like Trump could accommodate the myriad concerns, details, and competing requirements of a national healthcare system is a knee slapper of galactic proportions. If this fat fascist could manage the shadow of an outline of a plan, as Jeanne puts it, would be an achievement. TrumpCare is just another rigged game of three card monte, presented to gull the rubes. He might as well announce that he has cracked the cancer code. It would be just as believable.
I realize it’s a question without any satisfactory answer that makes sense, but why, and how is it, that at EVERY fork in the road, at each and every turn, the decision of the Trump administration, when pulling up to two signs, one of which says “Turn here for decency, respect for rule of law, good government, and true concern for Americans in need”, and the other, which says “Go this way for greed, stupidity, fascism, violence, and evil”, they ALWAYS choose the second route?
The Loony Toons administration
@RAS: Okay. I'm confused re: the supposed mirror image in Your Loony Toons post. I absolutely do not understand that "explanatory" note. I don't see how the photo can be a mirror image.
If you look at the photo here -- https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/sorry-kid-table-pete-hegseth-170105185.html -- you'll see that (1) the eagle on the medal with the Great Seal has his head facing the correct way (i.e., not a mirror image). (2) Also, a service person wears his medals on his left side; the medals appear to be on Kelly's left side, as you look at them. If you look at yourself in the mirror with your hand over your heart, you'll see that your hand is on the "other" side in the mirror image.
Therefore, the photo that Brendan Nyhan -- who supposes himself to be a very intelligent person -- seems to think is a mirror image -- cannot be a mirror image.
I checked my phone to see if it somehow reverse-mirrored images or partially reverse-mirror images. And it doesn't. Or at least not "normally." What am I missing here? Don't worry about embarrassing me. I could be wrong. If so, there is something I'm really not seeing, and I need to be straightened out.
P.S. Anyone who can help, please do so. This has me perplexed.
Marie,
Not sure I get it either. It certainly looks correct (that is, not a mirror image--the medals are on the left side of the uniform). I don't know the order of military medals, but I'm sure a numb nut weenie like Drunk Pete obsesses over stuff like that (plus no beards and proper foundation make up with just the right touch of highlighter in the hair).
But see, here's the thing. A shitbird like Drunk Pete criticizing a highly decorated military veteran for something like medal order is like the fat guy at the end of the bar complaining that a professional ballplayer he's watching on the TV, who hits 50 home runs and has a batting average of .350 isn't holding the bat correctly. In his expert opinion.
Dear "Defense Secretary" Pete, you ignorant schmuck. At least Captain Kelly HAS all those medals. Why don't you show him your Buzz Lightyear medal that you got in a box of Count Chocula cereal. You can show him that YOU know how to wear a medal, dang it.
Is this really what he spends his time doing? The Secretary of Defense (before he sinks into complete inebriation, that is) doesn't have better things to do?
I'm not sure what Brendan Nyhan is on about here, but this is not a big deal. Don't make yourself crazy.
Dipso Pete's consternation over medals isn't much different than his demented boss, Cadet Bonesaw, being flummoxed about a turkey pardon. WT holy F is wrong with these people? Are we truly being run by dyspeptic children whose peed-in pants have got them so turned around they can't go an hour without screaming at someone about something ineffably stupid?
Yuri Ushakov, Putin's guy "negotiating" a "peace deal" with Condo Man Steve Witkoff, has a resume of serious international diplomacy and Russian style realpolitik the length of both his arms. Condo Man's resume in the same realm? The length of a toenail cutting. Maybe.
Can you imagine Ushakov calling up Putin after he talks to Condo Man?
"Vladimir, can you believe the fucking dodo your fat pal picked for his negotiator? I mean, I like winning and all, but Jesus, Mary, and Catharine the Great, this is like stealing vodka from a sleeping blind man. I almost feel bad for the guy. Don't they believe in at least putting up a fight?"
Akhilleus,
Had two titles in mind for the sermon I submitted to the paper this week but decided on Topsy Turvy.
I was sure the other, Child's Play, would not soon lose its currency.
Oh, I forgot Putin's answer to Ushakov:
"Yuri, don't worry about it. Pee-pee tape does the work."
Ken,
Too true, re: Child's Play.
I was thinking you could also do something with a kind of inverted Secret Garden. In Frances Hodgson Burnett's story, kids having a tough time of it discover a walled in, dying garden and bring it back to life, finding life affirming lessons of work and friendship and beauty.
With Fatty and his "friends", they find a wonderful, burgeoning, flowering garden (the United States) and piss on the plants, water them with ammonia and sulfur, cut down trees, uproot beautiful rose bushes, and pave over the whole enclosure, learning that screwing others for fun and profit and tearing down things they could never construct on their own makes them feel important. As Joni once put it, take paradise and put up a parking lot. America might not be a paradise, but it was a damn sight better just nine months ago than it is now.
That's my bad Marie. I didn't see the picture originally and assumed the fact checkers knew what they were talking about since I know nothing about medal placements. I got caught up in the funny line and jumped the gun.
Thanks, Akhilleus & RAS. I'm left-handed, so oftentimes when I get instructions, I have to reverse-think them. That is, if you tell me to do such-and-such with my right hand, I have to think right hand but do left hand. As a result, I often get things backwards. That's why the "explanation" that said I wasn't looking at what I thought I was looking at confused me. I just assumed I must be "seeing" something backwards.
I feel so much better!
Yes, They can't go an hour without a "royal flush" of silliness about something. I think the point is that we are on edge all the time about what is "comiing" and are unable to just deal with whatever current outrage is occuring. I am experiencing that in my personal life, and my answer is: a nice Sidecar and peanuts and all is well. I really don't know where the country is going, but my god, I hope it includes alcohol.
But Happy Thanksgiving anyhow!! I love you all. (are we permitted to acknowledge friends that we have "known" through the written words? I hope so. Some days, you guys are the best. The rest of the time, you are also the best! Have a great nice weekend, whatever that entails. Try to not obsess (oh sure, Jeanne--) and know that we are all important in the scheme of things. And be thankful! Love and XXXXs! J.
It gets worse. More Sidecar needed. I messed up ANOTHER parens. Time to never do that again.
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