Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Giving up is unforgivable.

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

Let’s bury these fuckers at the polls 2 years from now.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

Keep the Immigrants and deport the fascists!

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. keep building.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

White supremacy is terrorism.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires.

If you still can’t see these things even now, maybe politics isn’t your forte and you should stop writing about it.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

One way or another, he’s a liar.

Part 1: The Momentum Has Shifted

by | 133 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Simon Rosenberg outlines why he believes that momentum has shifted in our favor.

As we discussed last night I think Trump is rotting, his powers are ebbing, his regime is flailing, and his control over Washington has begun fraying. It feels like the opposition to him – us – now has the momentum, and he is in retreat. He has become wildly unpopular, his agenda more so. We are winning special elections all across the country even in red districts in red states. The tide is now truly turning against him, and he has clearly, definitively, lost the consent of the governed.

Which is why he has accelerated his attacks on boats on the high seas in recent days, and appears ready to attack Iran as early as this weekend. For this thing is slipping away from him and he must do something dramatic to change the current dynamic that is not just weakening him but also starting to raise questions about his legitimacy and whether he can and should remain in power.

As we go forward in our fight against him it is critical now to see all the ways they are in retreat, failing, unraveling, losing – Greenland, Minnesota, anti-DEI, Colbert, the tariffs and his economic plan, the Russia talks, the detention camps, crypto, Epstein Epstein Epstein, HHS/FDA/Kennedy, his crazy Cabinet, Abrego Garcia, the jailing of the Senators and House members…..

For what is happening now isn’t STRENGTH, POWER, and subjects BENDING THE KNEE – it is weakness, impotency, and ferocious, effective opposition wherever they look. People here in the US, and around the world, just aren’t bending the fucking knee. We are fighting, and winning against him, again and again.

ICE and the Epstein files are escaping containment

And so just like the Epstein files escaped containment, the other thing that’s escaped containment is their ability to hide what they’re doing with ICE, and that has become now a huge problem for them. The nation has rendered a decision on this.

And yes, what Trump is going to do, and in their arrogance, they believe everything is going to be okay because he has this belief that they’re going to have more money than us. They’re going to spend a lot of money. And that basically they’re going to bullshit their way through all this, the crisis, right. They’re going to spend all this money, beat up our candidates. They beat us in 2024. The same team is coming back to lead Trump’s efforts in 2026. They’re going to have a lot of money.

Why they believe they can win

They view the current team, Schumer and Jeffries, as weaker than our presidential team in 2024. So they think they can take us on those grounds.

The second thing is they’re taking over more and more legacy media. And so they feel like they’re going to take away these independent spaces where we do all of our our work. That’s another way they think they’re going to win, right, so things don’t have to get better. But if they control the media, they can lie, or, you know, something out of 1984. Big Brother can tell his fake and false stories.

The third thing is that I think that there’s already been a deal with Russia… Russia is going to come in and use all the tactics they’ve used already here in the United States and use all throughout Europe to help throw the election to Trump… that we should anticipate a massive intervention from hostile foreign powers in this election, or formerly hostile, allied now, powers to help Trump.

And then they’re going to continue to try to degrade and erode the ability for the elections to be free and fair.

But they’re doing all of this because they’re losing and getting their ass kicked and he’s failing as a president.

  • And I think that we have to recognize that what they’re not doing, really, is they’re not changing ICE policy.
  • They’re not revoking the tariffs.
  • They’re not reinstating the ACA subsidies.
  • They’re not reinstating SNAP or rebuilding USAID.
  • They’re not making any substantive changes to their agenda.

They think in their arrogance and in his delusion, and in his old age and his addled state, that he’s just going to be able to bullshit his way through all this.

That is the first part of his message.  Part 2 will be about how we can take advantage of the shift in momentum.

 

Part 1: The Momentum Has ShiftedPost + Comments (133)

Thursday Morning Open Thread

by | 193 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Mercury was only 50 arcminutes (0.8°) above a very young waxing crescent Moon this evening. KAS member Pete Mumbower captured this image from his home in Vicksburg, MI.

[image or embed]

— Kalamazoo Astronomical Society (@kzooastro.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 7:44 PM

We won’t ever forget Melissa, Mark, and Gilbert Hortman.
Now, we honor Melissa’s legacy by building the Minnesota she believed in and fought so hard for.

[image or embed]

— Minnesota House DFL (@mnhousedfl.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 11:06 AM

“In this country American means white. Everybody else has to hyphenate.” —The Queen, Toni Morrison

[image or embed]

— Professor Bigfoot (@professorbigfoot.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 11:11 AM

The SAVE America Act is about one thing—making it harder for everyday American citizens to vote.

[image or embed]

— Rep. Jim McGovern (@repmcgovern.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 2:32 PM

After years of monopolizing the live event industry and overcharging fans, a court has ruled that our lawsuit with Live Nation will go to trial. 
I’ll keep fighting to deliver justice to fans, artists, and venues across the country.

[image or embed]

— New York Attorney General Letitia James (@newyorkstateag.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 6:26 PM

show full post on front page

Thursday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (193)

Foreign Office Briefing: Accountability Is Possible

by | 75 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

In the midst of the American crisis of impunity, it can be difficult to see how any of the obvious bad actors among us will ever see any consequences for the way they’ve trashed society. However, two news stories that broke overnight/first thing this morning (US time) offer some rays of light.

First, a very unhappy birthday to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (b. 19 February 1960), who apparently was just arrested by the Thames Valley Police. He is charged with suspicion of misconduct in public office. This is based on information in the latest Epstein files release which suggests that he was passing confidential government information to his buddy Jeff while serving as trade envoy.

The theatre around arrests of high-profile figures in the UK is always amusing. From that BBC link:

“As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office and are carrying out searches at addresses in Berkshire and Norfolk.

“The man remains in police custody at this time.

“We will not be naming the arrested man, as per national guidance. Please also remember that this case is now active so care should be taken with any publication to avoid being in contempt of court.”

Assistant Chief Constable Oliver Wright said: “Following a thorough assessment, we have now opened an investigation into this allegation of misconduct in public office.

The “man in his sixties from Norfolk” is the probably the first member of a reigning British royal family to be arrested since Charles I in the 1640s. Fun!

'Being detained at your brother's pleasure' will never not be funny

— Tom Jamieson (@tomjam.bsky.social) 2026-02-19T10:28:41.662Z

But this won’t be our only callback to Charles I today. Next, Korea.

show full post on front page

Foreign Office Briefing: Accountability Is PossiblePost + Comments (75)

On The Road – frosty – New Orleans

by | 14 Comments

This post is in: ,

frosty

WaterGirl posted a plea to the slackers among the jackaltariat who hadn’t given her any Mardi Gras or NOLA pictures for the sidebar. I told her I might be able to help.

I remembered that we had been through there in 2015 (and again in 2020). In 2015 I was still working but Ms F was retired and decided to take a little trip without me … to California and back. As I recall, she said “I’m going to hitch up the trailer and drive to the West Coast. You’re welcome to come along.”

She was gone ten weeks. I flew to Birmingham and went with her to Albuquerque, then flew back to BWI, worked a couple more weeks then flew to Minneapolis and we drove the rest of the way back together. Amyway, here’s a few pictures from NOLA. It was the first time either of us had been there. Let me just add that August is not the best month to be camping in Louisiana.

On The Road - frosty - New Orleans 4

New Orleans School of Cooking. We signed up for a demonstration, not a cooking class, but it was really good. We got to sample everything the two women cooked, and there was free beer. Gumbo, red beans, pralines, and I forget what else. High point: One cook dropped a brick of lard into the red beans at the end. There was an audible gasp. She said “Are you my Californians?” They said yes. Response: “Get over it!”

On The Road – frosty – New OrleansPost + Comments (14)

War for Ukraine Day 1,455: Zaluzhnyi Spills the English Breakfast Tea

by | 14 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , , , ,

It’s been another long day today and I’m a bit fried. More air fried than deep fried. But I’m going to just try to keep this to the basics.

I want to start with just a brief bit on the news of the day, which is that Trump may or may not order some sort of invasion or war or military campaign against Iran. For those interested, here is, once again, the link to my 2018 professional publication on why going to war with Iran would be galactically stupid.

My February 2026 bottom line up front (BLUF): Despite all sorts of changes since 2018, if CENTCOM and SOCOM are ordered to stick an arm in there, they’re going to pull back a bloody stump. We don’t have the ground forces, we don’t have a defense industrial base (DIB) that can handle what will become a protracted regime backed insurgency against our entry, we don’t have the popular will to support it, Trump and his team have done nothing to actually generate support, and we no longer really have soft power or allies. A US war against Iran to bring down the Islamic Republic/current government doesn’t actually help the Iranians, including those protesting. No one on Trump’s team really cares about the Iranians themselves. And an attack would lead to lots of civilian casualties/civilian harm. I guarantee Trump and his team will not have even a workable plan about how to reconstruct Iran should we invade and somehow manage to be successful. Not least because Trump, Hegseth, Gabbard, Rubio, etc don’t have any real strategic objectives here other than kill the religious leaders, the Quds force, etc.

GEN (ret) Zaluzhnyi, the Ukrainian ambassador to the Court of St. James, spilled some English breakfast tea today.

“I will repel this attack, because I know how to fight,” – General Zaluzhnyi told Zelensky’s chief of staff at the time Yermak over the phone when dozens of agents from Ukraine’s security service entered his office.

The search of Zaluzhnyi’s office took place in mid-September 2022…

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 1:42 PM

…at the very moment Ukraine was conducting its successful counteroffensive in the northeast.

SBU officers did not say what they were looking for. The search was carried out in front of more than a dozen British officers present at the time.

Details from @apnews.com : apnews.com/article/ukra…

[image or embed]

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 1:42 PM

From the AP:

LONDON (AP) — Ever since he was ousted as the head of Ukraine’s army in 2024 and appointed as the country’s ambassador to Britain, Valerii Zaluzhnyi has widely been seen as the top political rival to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zaluzhnyi, 52, refuses to discuss his political ambitions, saying he doesn’t want to risk harming national unity during a war with Russia that is approaching its fourth anniversary. Yet in a sign of his possible desire to run for the presidency – after the war is over – Zaluzhnyi spoke publicly for the first time about a deep rift between himself and Zelenskyy in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Tensions emerged soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, and tempers often flared between the two men over how best to defend the country, Zaluzhnyi said. The strained relationship reached a boiling point later that year, when dozens of agents from Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service raided Zaluzhnyi’s office, he told the AP.

Zaluzhnyi alleges that the previously unreported incident was an act of intimidation. It risked exposing their rivalry at a time when national unity was paramount.

Ukraine’s security service, known as the SBU, said that no search was ever carried out at Zaluzhnyi’s office, though it acknowledged that the address was part of an investigation unrelated to him. Zelenskyy’s office declined to comment for this story. The AP could not independently confirm Zaluzhnyi’s account of the raid.

Even years later, the revelation threatens to polarize public opinion in Ukraine at a critical moment in the war. Russian forces are making slow, steady gains across Ukraine’s eastern front, and both sides are clinging to incompatible demands as the U.S. presses them to reach a peace deal.

Zaluzhnyi said that during the 2022 raid on his office he called Zelenskyy’s chief of staff warning him he was prepared to call in the military to stop it and protect the command center: “I will fight with you and have already called in reinforcements to the center of Kyiv for support.”

While that near crisis early in the war passed, disagreements between Zaluzhnyi and Zelenskyy over how to defend their country persisted, according to Zaluzhnyi, who said he often challenged the president’s military strategy.

A dispute over a counteroffensive in 2023 that ultimately failed was particularly contentious, the former general said. Although Zaluzhnyi’s popularity with the public had been cemented by several successes on the battlefield, Zelenskyy dismissed him as army chief in February 2024, and later announced he would be headed to London.

The move was widely seen by political analysts as an effort by Zelenskyy to limit Zaluzhnyi’s potential as a political rival by distancing him from day-to-day affairs in Ukraine.

Polls consistently give Zaluzhnyi a slight lead over Zelenskyy in a hypothetical race. Zelenskyy’s once-robust popularity has waned as the war drags on. A corruption scandal implicating several of Zelenskyy’s top officials has eroded public trust, according to lawmakers and activists. Zelenskyy recently reshuffled his leadership team in an effort to restore confidence.

More at the link.

Now we wait to see what the fallout from this is.

Something tells me that after this interview, certain offices in Kyiv might force General Zaluzhny to leave his position as Ambassador.

And this is probably not even one percent of what he could actually say.

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) February 18, 2026 at 4:08 PM

Here is President Zelenskyy’s address from earlier today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

show full post on front page

War for Ukraine Day 1,455: Zaluzhnyi Spills the English Breakfast TeaPost + Comments (14)

Open Thread: South Texas Poujadists Are *Outraged* At the Face-Eating Leopards!

by | 121 Comments

This post is in: , , , , ,

how we got here

[image or embed]

— Lora Kolodny (@lorak.bsky.social) February 14, 2026 at 2:23 PM

The deal was: they demagogue about “illegal aliens,” they militarize the border, they deport people who get reported by their bosses… but they don’t actually go looking for undocumented workers at farms, in kitchens, or on job sites. It was there to discipline labor, not create a shortage of it.

[image or embed]

— Emma the Sewer Socialist (@mayorseidel.bsky.social) February 14, 2026 at 2:15 PM

The Money Bidniz wing of the GOP is starting to feud with its Crazed Racist faction:

… Construction executives have held multiple meetings over the last month with the White House and Congress to discuss how immigration busts on job sites and in communities are scaring away employees, making it more expensive to build homes in a market desperate for new supply. Beyond the affordability issue, the executives made an electability argument, raising concerns to GOP leaders that support among Hispanic voters is eroding, particularly in regions that swung to Trump in 2024.

Hill Republicans have held separate meetings with White House officials to share their own electoral concerns…

The construction industry is one of the latest and clearest examples of how the president’s mass deportation agenda continues to clash with his economic goals of bringing down prices and political aims of keeping control of Congress. Even the president’s allies fear disruptions to labor-heavy industries will undermine the gains with Latino voters Republicans have made in recent years, in large part because of Trump’s economic agenda.

These concerns were the central focus of a White House meeting this week between chief of staff Susie Wiles, Speaker Mike Johnson, and a group of Republican lawmakers, according to three people with knowledge of the meeting, granted anonymity to discuss it. The group talked about growing concerns that Hispanic voters are abandoning the Republican Party in droves, as well as the policies driving these losses — immigration and affordability concerns…

The White House meeting with lawmakers followed others with builders and trade groups this month. A number of industry representatives met at the White House in early February, and the South Texas Builders Association traveled to Washington last week for meetings with lawmakers, including Reps. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), and an ICE official. All three sit on the House Appropriations Homeland Security Subcommittee, with Amodei and Cuellar the top Republican and Democrat on the panel.

“They started off with, ‘hey, we were all Trump supporters, and we thought he was going to secure the border and then kick out criminals, we just never thought that they were going to be coming after our folks, our workers, on that,’” Cuellar said, recounting the message the builders shared the first time he met with them. “They’re builders, contractors, lumber companies, cement companies, in the finance part of it. That type of ripple effect has hurt their economy. Not only individuals, but their economy.”

Cuellar also said that he has asked acting ICE Director Todd Lyons to set up a business liaison to work with the builders, an idea he said the director was receptive to but stalled amid immigration-related clashes in Minnesota…

show full post on front page

Open Thread: South Texas <em>Poujadists</em> Are *Outraged* At the Face-Eating Leopards!Post + Comments (121)