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Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about its history.”

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

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

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

If you voted for Trump, you don’t get to speak about ethics, morals, or rule of law.

We will not go back.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

We still have time to mess this up!

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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Monday Afternoon Open Thread

Monday Afternoon Open Thread

by WaterGirl|  March 20, 20232:58 pm| 139 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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Happy Indictment Week to all who celebrate!

I might worry that saying that could jinx something, but when they’re already setting up the barricades, I think it’s safe to assume this is real.

Nice to see NY planning ahead!

Steel barricades arriving outside Manhattan Criminal Court @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/aWESUZ01fU

— Robert Costa (@costareports) March 20, 2023

“I definitely didn’t commit a crime, but if I did, I definitely hid it long enough to get away with it” isn’t the winning defense he thinks it is.

— 𝙽𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝙸𝚜 𝙷𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝙸𝚝  (@NashIsHereForIt) March 20, 2023

Please please please.

He is daring the NY court for a gag order.

He will violate the gag order.

He will commit more crimes to cover his previous crimes. pic.twitter.com/gfcqQIGXxM

— Jack E. Smith ⚖️ (@7Veritas4) March 20, 2023

Open thread.

 

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Previous Post: « Their Own Private Idaho
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Reader Interactions

139Comments

  1. 1.

    cain

    March 20, 2023 at 3:03 pm

    From a man who once had a great conversation with an empty chair:

    “Go ahead, make my day”

  2. 2.

    Maxim

    March 20, 2023 at 3:05 pm

    It’s caps lock all the way down.

  3. 3.

    Alison Rose

    March 20, 2023 at 3:06 pm

    God damn, someone take his fucking caps lock and shift keys away, please. JFC.

  4. 4.

    Benw

    March 20, 2023 at 3:07 pm

    Happy Indy Week to you as well, WG!
    Tomorrow, the Tuesday of Indy Week, the ghost of Elliot Ness will leave manilla folders with candy and goodies under the traditional Indy Gavel, set out on Indy eve by the excited children!

  5. 5.

    Dangerman

    March 20, 2023 at 3:07 pm

    Gag order? Only way he shuts up will be the Tunch at the Vets treatment pic from about a week ago.

    ETA: Not saying I’m against TFG getting hogtied, blindfolded, and gagged.

    ETA: Just reviewed the photo. Tunch’s voluminous white butt kinda reminds me of TFG, actually.

  6. 6.

    patrick II

    March 20, 2023 at 3:12 pm

    So, it really will be Tuesday?

  7. 7.

    Old School

    March 20, 2023 at 3:13 pm

    Google tells me the police union endorsed Trump rather than NYPD.

    I can’t find anything about Trump being honored as “Man of the Year.” Did he make that part up?

  8. 8.

    Renie

    March 20, 2023 at 3:14 pm

    I read it will be either tonight or Wednesday.   Someone also said Manhattan DA normally does indictments Monday and Wednesday.  Hope it doesn’t happen tomorrow so trump looks ridiculous since he’s been saying Tuesday.

  9. 9.

    Hungry Joe

    March 20, 2023 at 3:18 pm

    Gotta be prepared, but I expect little, if any, resistance from MAGAsses. They’ve seen their fellow goons busted and sentenced for 1/6, and the promise of a Trump pardon is 1) meaningless for NY state charges, and 2) meaningless because, well … Trump.

  10. 10.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    Repeat: I think it would be hysterical if they waited until Wednesday.

  11. 11.

    Ken

    March 20, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    @Dangerman: Not saying I’m against TFG getting hogtied, blindfolded, and gagged.

    And spanked with a rolled-up Forbes magazine, if I’m correctly recalling what Stormy Daniels said.

  12. 12.

    bbleh

    March 20, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    A big part of his appeal to his followers is this I-can-do-anything-I-want-I-dare-you-to-stop-me schtick.  And the best way to puncture that balloon is not to rise to any bait he throws out (and he’s throwing out a LOT) and proceed methodically with your own agenda on your own timetable.  So far pretty much everybody who’s considering prosecuting him seems to be doing more or less that, and that — and especially the federal investigation — has been widely reported to have him increasingly rattled.

    Let him bluster.  And let him surrender quietly and be ROR’d.  All I want is a copy of the mugshot.

  13. 13.

    NotMax

    March 20, 2023 at 3:20 pm

    Has the trending ball started rolling on something ending in -gate yet?
    //

  14. 14.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 20, 2023 at 3:20 pm

    Wow.  Begging for the police to save him.  The flop sweat is strong with this one.

  15. 15.

    ColoradoGuy

    March 20, 2023 at 3:21 pm

    How do you break the Caps Lock key on a phone!?

  16. 16.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 3:21 pm

    I’m hoping to someday be rich enough to fund my own district attorney.

  17. 17.

    arielibra

    March 20, 2023 at 3:21 pm

    @Benw: You are en fuego today.

  18. 18.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 3:23 pm

    @Ken: ​
      Fuckin’ rule 34…

  19. 19.

    Spanky

    March 20, 2023 at 3:26 pm

    @Old School:

    Did he make that part up?

    Say it ain’t so!

  20. 20.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    March 20, 2023 at 3:26 pm

    Speaking of NY, some Proud Boys got the shit beat out of them when trying to disrupt a Drag Queen Story Hour in NYC:

    “I came here to help, not get the shit beat out of me” – a member of Proud Boys, with visible blood on his face ushered away from Drag Queen Story Hour event in NYC as protesters chant “Fuck the Proud Boys”

  21. 21.

    Dangerman

    March 20, 2023 at 3:26 pm

    @Ken: I’m just amazed that the Jerkle’s Boner was to bone her.

    ETA: Sorry, Merkle, to compare you to Trump. You were a NY Giant. Nothing about Trump is giant. OK, maybe his Tunchian Ass.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    March 20, 2023 at 3:26 pm

    @ColoradoGuy

    Caps lock him up!
    :)

  23. 23.

    bbleh

    March 20, 2023 at 3:27 pm

    @Spanky: He’s certainly never made up anything like that before!

  24. 24.

    NotMax

    March 20, 2023 at 3:28 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    See yesterday’s Late Night thread.

  25. 25.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 3:30 pm

    @NotMax: You may take any internets from the top shelf.

  26. 26.

    dmsilev

    March 20, 2023 at 3:30 pm

    @cain: The chair definitely won that particular debate.

  27. 27.

    Mike in NC

    March 20, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    Fat Bastard can never resist using that stupid, “ME! Your FAVORITE President” bit. Here’s hoping he gets tazed for resisting arrest tomorrow and publicly shits his pants.

  28. 28.

    SpaceUnit

    March 20, 2023 at 3:34 pm

    He forgot to use the word ‘woke’.

  29. 29.

    oldgold

    March 20, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    I am hoping Jack Smith is learning from this.

    On the documents case, he needs to run silent, deep and at warp speed towards indictment.

    The Republic may depend on it.

  30. 30.

    Alison Rose

    March 20, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    LOL Stormy FTW

    “hit” is very generous. I’d say more like a pathetic thump but whatevs https://t.co/ws2cXhcXx0
    — Stormy Daniels (@StormyDaniels) March 18, 2023

    She’s responding to a tweet at her that just said “Trump hit that” with some laughing emojis

  31. 31.

    p.a.

    March 20, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    I hate tRump too.  Fuckin’ Soros, where’s MY money?

  32. 32.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 20, 2023 at 3:37 pm

    Everyone here is reading that all caps rant the way I am, right?  “You and me is buddies, ain’t we, NYPD?  You wouldn’t let the DA prosecute your buddy Trump, right?”

    If he thinks as ‘mafia boss’ as everyone says, then what he’s actually asking for might be for the NYPD to threaten the DA for him.  Does that sound right?

  33. 33.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 3:38 pm

    CAN I IMAGINE? Yes, yes I can.

  34. 34.

    NotMax

    March 20, 2023 at 3:39 pm

    @p.a.
    Key to a safe deposit box hidden inside every Obamaphone.
    //

  35. 35.

    Scout211

    March 20, 2023 at 3:40 pm

    FOR A CRIME THAT DOESN’T EXIST

    What an idiot.

    “The crime that I haven’t yet been charged with doesn’t exist.”

    LOLOLOLOL

    🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

  36. 36.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 3:41 pm

     

    Maurice W (@iamMauriceW) tweeted at 10:22 AM on Mon, Mar 20, 2023:
    Did you know-network refused to have Franklin, the Black Character, in the Peanuts T.V. Show. Charles Schultz’s fought back & won. However with the Thanksgiving Special, network demanded Franklin sit at servant table, Animators instead sat him alone opposite all other characters

     

    Maurice W (@iamMauriceW) tweeted at 10:30 AM on Mon, Mar 20, 2023:
    According to Charles Shultz wife, he didn’t find out what they had done to Franklin until it was completed and ready to air.   It was never his idea to give Franklin a bootleg chair and sit him on one side of a table alone…It was the studio, network and animators. https://t.co/m8XDYVhTg0
    (https://twitter.com/iamMauriceW/status/1637839040274657283?t=gKE41Gvnq-ZFhjefhBVDfg&s=03)

  37. 37.

    Elizabelle

    March 20, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    Well dang, ladies.  Rupert Murdoch is off the marriage market, again.

    Springtime for ….  The sprightly 92-year old is engaged to a 66-year old widow, whose previous husband also accumulated media properties.  Rupert is divorced from Jerry Hall, his bride of 2016.  This will be marriage #5.

    To quote the intending bridegroom:

    “We’re both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together,” said Murdoch, who turned 92 earlier this month.

    Oh puh-leez let that math be way off.   WaPost link, but not a gift link.  I value you all too much for that.

  38. 38.

    danielx

    March 20, 2023 at 3:44 pm

    @Old School:

    Did he make that part up?

    Surely you jest.

  39. 39.

    smith

    March 20, 2023 at 3:45 pm

    @different-church-lady:I’m hoping to someday be rich enough to fund my own district attorney.

    Why buy a piddly DA when you can buy multiple state attorneys general who are considering filing suit against you? And use your charitable foundation to do it? There’s a reason TFG thinks the DA was bought off  — it’s been his MO for years.

  40. 40.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 3:45 pm

    Michelle_BYoung (@michelle_byoung) tweeted at 10:23 AM on Mon, Mar 20, 2023:
    Collins is actually downplaying what a disaster replacing VP would be. It’s not just that Harris personally doesn’t deserve that kind of insult, it’s the Black base of the party doesn’t deserve it & if they think Blk women in particular who do the lions share of party organizing

    Michelle_BYoung (@michelle_byoung) tweeted at 10:25 AM on Mon, Mar 20, 2023:
    2. Would stand idly by & carry on this work while the historic VP is replaced for no reason they got another think coming. It’d be party suicide, a self inflicted mortal wound that’d take generations to recover from.
    ……………………..

    shadowhikari (@shadowhikari2) tweeted at 0:02 PM on Mon, Mar 20, 2023:
    They don’t realize, by entertaining and voicing this talk at all, they’re de facto insulting the base of BW voters. Like if y’all can’t see how racist and sexist it is to be doing this for the first female and non white VP even if it never happened, idk what to tell you.

  41. 41.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    March 20, 2023 at 3:45 pm

    @NotMax:

    Ah, I didn’t read it, scanning now

  42. 42.

    OverTwistWillie

    March 20, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    Uh Donnie, I got some bad news for youse…

  43. 43.

    danielx

    March 20, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    @Elizabelle: ​
     
    I can sense the miasma of diappointment….

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 3:47 pm

    @Benw: I’m excited to see what the ghost of Elliot Ness leaves us!

  45. 45.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    March 20, 2023 at 3:48 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Nope, that’s how it sounds to me too. Guys’ a thug

  46. 46.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    @Ken: I would pay good money NOT to have to see that.

  47. 47.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 3:50 pm

    @arielibra: I am planning to front page Benw’s bible verse from this morning.

  48. 48.

    VeniceRiley

    March 20, 2023 at 3:50 pm

    @rikyrah:  Bingo!

  49. 49.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 3:50 pm

    @NotMax: Okay, I laughed out loud at that one.

  50. 50.

    HeleninEire

    March 20, 2023 at 3:51 pm

    @WaterGirl: Great. It was awesome!

  51. 51.

    Betty Cracker

    March 20, 2023 at 3:52 pm

    Does anyone know how arresting a suspect works in a normal case like this? From what I’ve read, it sounds like the most likely charge is falsifying business records or something like that. If NY charged a former resident now living in FL who was NOT Trump, what’s the process? Would the NY cops demand that the suspect return to NY to face charges, issuing an extradition order or whatever if he refused to surrender on an agreed-upon date?

  52. 52.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 3:52 pm

    Michelle (@Michell33650674) tweeted at 3:01 AM on Sun, Mar 19, 2023:
    How often do we have to remind American women that, in Iran in the 50’s, women there were just like us?  They dressed normally, went to college, drove cars, had lives of their own.  MUSLIM EXTREMISTS TOOK THAT ALL AWAY.  Christian extremism will do the EXACT SAME THING.  Get it?
    (https://twitter.com/Michell33650674/status/1637363606344826882?t=x-TJbsQpdLdYN6vEtPHbBg&s=03)

  53. 53.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 3:52 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: Pretty much.

  54. 54.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 3:53 pm

    Bob south florida water man (@WaterDean) tweeted at 6:27 AM on Mon, Mar 20, 2023:
    Not just Florida: The entire GOP is waging a nationwide racism-fueled war on public education https://t.co/H0EyV2m800 The white supremacist have taken over 27 states and the house.
    (https://twitter.com/WaterDean/status/1637777871421751297?t=31U55KQdPaHUTLSJ2uyGpw&s=03)

  55. 55.

    Elizabelle

    March 20, 2023 at 3:53 pm

    @rikyrah:   Hey there.  Who is the “Collins” who has the ridiculous idea to replace MVP Harris?  (ETA: Is it Gail Collins of the FTF NY Times?  Susan is the first that always comes to mind, but I don’t see her saying anything that stupid.  In public.)

  56. 56.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 3:55 pm

    @HeleninEire: It truly was!

  57. 57.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    @Betty Cracker: What I have read is that Trump will NOT be arrested – unless he refuses to turn himself in.

    If he turns himself in, he will be photographed and arraigned and charged and fingerprinted and all that, but not actually ARRESTED.

    The question remains – is Trump so stubborn / fearful of being arrested that he will actually be the cause of his own arrest?

    Magic 8-ball says it’s quite possible.

    edit: Apparently Trump’s lawyers want to make arrangements to do it all by zoom so he doesn’t have to go to NY.  If that is allowed, it’s a clear message, and a bad one for the country.

  58. 58.

    eclare

    March 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    @Elizabelle:   I wondered that, too.

  59. 59.

    Karen S.

    March 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I saw the video of this yesterday. Made me so happy. Just goes to show that these anti-drag weirdos no nothing about drag queens and LGBT folks. We know how to fight because a lot of us have had to all our lives.

  60. 60.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) tweeted at 11:32 AM on Sun, Mar 19, 2023:
    A DeSantis backed anti-immigrant bill is moving forward in the Florida legislature. It would make it a third degree felony to have an undocumented person in your home or car, even if they are related to you. https://t.co/SvDxcUkM4G
    (https://twitter.com/tomaskenn/status/1637492189054873604?s=02)

  61. 61.

    Josie

    March 20, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    @rikyrah: ​
     Who are the delusional numnuts that are pushing to replace Harris? I wasn’t aware of such a movement.

  62. 62.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) tweeted at 7:40 PM on Sun, Mar 19, 2023:
    DeSantis’ lawyers are trying to demolish Florida’s broad open records and public meeting laws. They claim DeSantis has an executive right to keep government records secret from the public. All to protect corrupt politicians and special interest groups.
    https://t.co/0bSY9pZczA
    (https://twitter.com/tomaskenn/status/1637615079435665409?s=02)

  63. 63.

    mvr

    March 20, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    @Betty Cracker: ​
     They would likely offer an opportunity (via his lawyers) to show up in court for arraignment with the alternative being they go through legal process to ensure his appearance, including extradition if needed.

  64. 64.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    UH HUH

    UH HUH

     

    Dare Obasanjo (@Carnage4Life) tweeted at 10:45 AM on Sun, Mar 19, 2023:
    Everytime Credit Suisse is in the news I remember they had a Black CEO who was turning the company around but the idea of a Black guy running a Swiss bank was so abhorrent they pushed him out.
    So the company fell back into its old ways and is about to fail
    https://t.co/FO7PZbndlt
    (https://twitter.com/Carnage4Life/status/1637480539879010304?s=02)

  65. 65.

    Elizabelle

    March 20, 2023 at 4:04 pm

    Macron’s government survived a no-confidence vote.  For now.

  66. 66.

    Old School

    March 20, 2023 at 4:05 pm

    @Elizabelle:  @eclare:

    Who is the “Collins” who has the ridiculous idea to replace MVP Harris?

    It is Gail Collins, who thought Biden should replace Harris, but then thought better of it.

  67. 67.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    March 20, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    @WaterGirl:

    Apparently Trump’s lawyers want to make arrangements to do it all by zoom so he doesn’t have to go to NY. If that is allowed, it’s a clear message, and a bad one for the country

    Why is it bad for the country? That it would look like the DA got cold feet by not having Trump appear in person in NY? That Trump would be given special treatment?

    Lawyers of BJ, how likely is it the NYC DA would allow this?

  68. 68.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    @Josie:

     

    A number of articles with ‘ anonymous’ sources. Nobody bad enough to put their names on record.

  69. 69.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    @WaterGirl: When did Zoom add a fingerprinting feature?

  70. 70.

    Elizabelle

    March 20, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    @Old School:   How disappointing.  Brent Stephens’ prion disease is migrating to her, perhaps.

    That’s Bedbug Stephens.  Jackass.  He also apparently thinks the economy is heading off a cliff, so — not the time to raise taxes (“pick people’s pockets”, in Stephens’ view) And it is just raising taxes on the rich that is under consideration, no??   Again.  Jackass.

  71. 71.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 4:08 pm

    @Old School: “I had a bad idea. Then I thought better of it. I now present you with the bad idea anyway.”

  72. 72.

    Math Guy

    March 20, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    I look forward to him being indicted, but I am not certain that he will be convicted in this case. On the other hand, I think Fani Willis is going to nail his fat @$$ to the wall.

  73. 73.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 4:10 pm

    @Math Guy: It would have to be the Great Wall of China for that ass.

  74. 74.

    Alison Rose

    March 20, 2023 at 4:11 pm

    @Old School: Some of this is also stemming from an interview where Elizabeth Warren said something kind of lame about Harris.

    In a local Boston radio interview in late January, Warren was enthusiastic about President Joe Biden running for reelection but, asked if Biden should keep Harris as his running mate, she said, “I really want to defer to what makes Biden comfortable on his team.”

    Apparently she’s tried to call Harris to apologize, but like…E-Dub, I love you, but that was a shit thing to say.

  75. 75.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 4:13 pm

    TRUTH

     

    Olayemi Olurin (@msolurin) tweeted at 10:31 AM on Sun, Mar 19, 2023:
    Please stop letting people with college degrees and the jobs and opportunities they got as a result of those college degrees, tell you that college is not worth it.

     

     

    Shannon (@kcshannonlee1) tweeted at 3:43 PM on Sun, Mar 19, 2023:
    Are men or women saying that?  Men can do manual labor or drive a truck and make a living straight out of high school.  Women without an education beyond high school usually only have an opportunity to work for poverty level wages.
    (https://twitter.com/kcshannonlee1/status/1637555516187758592?s=02)

  76. 76.

    Roger Moore

    March 20, 2023 at 4:14 pm

    @Josie:

    Who are the delusional numnuts that are pushing to replace Harris?

    The usual suspects.  There has been a concerted push by “concerned” people that Harris will hold back Joe’s reelection chances.

  77. 77.

    Elizabelle

    March 20, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    @Roger Moore:  Ick.  I’d rather think more about Rupert Sexypants Murdoch.

    Again.  Ick.  (Popcorn!)

  78. 78.

    Scout211

    March 20, 2023 at 4:17 pm

    When you have money, you and your lawyers think you are above the law.  In fact, if you have the money, you can file motion after motion and then file more motions in order to discredit the judicial system. They are getting desperate and that means aggressive, apparently.

     

    Lawyers for Donald Trump launched a broad attack on a Fulton County criminal probe into election interference in Georgia, arguing in a court filing on Monday that the conduct of the prosecutor, the judge and a special purpose grand jury tainted the investigation.

    The former president’s legal team asked a judge to quash the final report of the special grand jury, which has recommended indictments connected to meddling in the 2020 election by Trump and his allies.

    They are also demanding the DA’s office be recused from pursuing the case.

    . . .

    The motion — filed by Trump’s Atlanta-based attorneys, Jennifer Little, Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg — requests that any evidence derived from the special grand jury’s final report be “suppressed as unconstitutionally derived and any prosecuting body be prevented from its use.”

    The aggressive legal offensive from Trump’s team showed they were not planning to wait and see whether the former president would be indicted in Georgia. They are seeking to severely damage — and perhaps shut down — an investigation that heard testimony from about 75 witnesses, including some of Trump’s closest aides and confidantes.

  79. 79.

    rikyrah

    March 20, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    DAMN!

     

    dj spydermann (@djspydermann) tweeted at 6:53 AM on Sun, Mar 19, 2023:
    The Isley Brothers as a group have 32 Albums and a hit record in EVERY decade for the past EIGHT decades. Their first hit was in 1959 with Shout and their current album is #6 on the charts in 2023. Ronald will be 82 this year. https://t.co/hptpftXVTW
    (https://twitter.com/djspydermann/status/1637422149328678912?s=02)

  80. 80.

    Math Guy

    March 20, 2023 at 4:19 pm

    @different-church-lady: 🤭

  81. 81.

    NotMax

    March 20, 2023 at 4:21 pm

    @Elizabelle

    One cannot help presuming the prenup runs so long it’s bound as a three-volume boxed set.

  82. 82.

    Baud

    March 20, 2023 at 4:22 pm

    @Alison Rose: She actually seems to have a bit of a habit of putting her foot in her mouth.  Doesn’t happen often, but it does happen periodically.

  83. 83.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 20, 2023 at 4:22 pm

    @Josie:

    Who are the delusional numnuts that are pushing to replace Harris?

    Pundits, and all their pundit friends say Just Not This Black Woman, so obviously it’s a major sentiment in the Democratic Party.  After all, their pundit friends are all political experts, right?

    @rikyrah:

    the idea of a Black guy running a Swiss bank was so abhorrent they pushed him out.

    The Obama-Trump phenomenon.  They thought they would be fine working for a black man, until he was good at it.

  84. 84.

    Baud

    March 20, 2023 at 4:23 pm

    @Elizabelle: Interesting. Thanks.

  85. 85.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 4:24 pm

    @rikyrah: ​Know who once played guitar for the Isley Brothers? Fellow named Jimi James (pictured here on the left). Not just making hits, they were a talent factory.

  86. 86.

    Geminid

    March 20, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    From a Politico article about the House Republican retreat in Orlando:

        House Republicans are back in a familiar position: as Donald Trump’s political defensive line….

    The chamber’s new Majority had hoped to use its three-day confab to talk up its agenda for the next two years. Instead they’ve been inundated with questions about the former president’s weekend announcement that he is expecting to be arrested on Tuesday.

  87. 87.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: ​His real downfall: couldn’t fix a watch.

  88. 88.

    Alison Rose

    March 20, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    @Baud: To be fair, if I were a politician (LOLOLOLOLOL) I’d put my foot in my mouth every day mostly because I wouldn’t be able to keep myself from swearing. But yeah, I wonder if some of it is left over from her pre-politics days. Sometimes when she goes off, it’s beautiful. Other times…no.

  89. 89.

    Beatrice Fitzpatrick

    March 20, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    YES 

  90. 90.

    different-church-lady

    March 20, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    @Josie: It’s the “Some Democrats”, as usual.

  91. 91.

    eclare

    March 20, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @rikyrah:   Wow!

  92. 92.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @different-church-lady: Yeah, i know.  Details, details.

  93. 93.

    Betty Cracker

    March 20, 2023 at 4:32 pm

    @WaterGirl: & @mvr: Thanks! Maybe it would be best for the country if Trump holes up at Disgraceland hoping that a “MAGA moat” of supporters who surround the place (as has been proposed by online nutters) prevent his arrest and extradition. That would maximize the Trump buffoonery and put DeSantis in an untenable situation, so win-win maybe?

    @Alison Rose: It was a boneheaded comment, but I read somewhere that Warren released a statement clarifying that she’s 100% behind Biden-Harris and didn’t mean to imply otherwise. I also read something (at The Hill maybe?) saying the two had dinner recently (not just Warren and Harris but a bipartisan group of women senators who meet with Harris occasionally at the VP’s residence) and put it behind them.

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 4:32 pm

    @Alison Rose: The expression damned with faint praise comes to mind, but it’s not even faint praise.

  95. 95.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    @Scout211: That will go nowhere.  But of course, some court somewhere will have to respond.

  96. 96.

    Sister Golden Bear

    March 20, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    @Dangerman:

    ETA: Not saying I’m against TFG getting hogtied, blindfolded, and gagged.

    I’d pay good money to see the Anger Yam with a Hannibal Lecter mask over his yap, being wheeled around trussed up to a furniture dolly. A gold-plated furniture dolly, cuz he’s special, doncha know.

  97. 97.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    @rikyrah: That’s amazing!  But no link to their current song. :-(

  98. 98.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear: The level of detail in that statement suggests that you have given this some serious thought! :-)

  99. 99.

    Dangerman

    March 20, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    @Math Guy: I’m concerned a jury in Georgia will hang. Doesn’t matter if he’s guilty. Can you imagine the payday if some MAGA fuck hangs the jury 11-1?

    Not as likely in NYC.

  100. 100.

    Frankensteinbeck

    March 20, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    the Anger Yam

    Good one.

  101. 101.

    Roger Moore

    March 20, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    @Betty Cracker:

    It was a boneheaded comment

    It could have been a badly worded support for Biden.  What she probably meant was to support whomever Biden wants as his running mate, rather than to show lukewarm support for Harris. To be completely fair, it was an obnoxious move on the part of the interviewer; they’re the one trying to drive a wedge between Biden and Harris by not treating them as a unit.  An experienced politician like Warren should be able to respond better, but make no mistake about what’s really going on here.

  102. 102.

    Baud

    March 20, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    @Geminid:

    The chamber’s new Majority had hoped to use its three-day confab to talk up its agenda for the next two years. Instead they’ve been inundated with questions about the former president’s weekend announcement that he is expecting to be arrested on Tuesday.

    Sounds like they were saved from people learning about their agenda.

  103. 103.

    Sister Golden Bear

    March 20, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    @Elizabelle: Well I suppose “filthy rich and barely breathing” is an attractive type of man for some women.

  104. 104.

    Baud

    March 20, 2023 at 4:42 pm

    @Roger Moore: I agree.  I don’t know of any reason she would have a problem with Harris.  And it is not a responsible topic for serious reporters.

  105. 105.

    Ruckus

    March 20, 2023 at 4:43 pm

    @rikyrah:

    It’s not just the Black base that would be pissed off.

    This old white fart would be plenty pissed off.

    She is a good VP and I think she would make a great president. I thought enough of her that I voted for her in the CA primary for president and I’m very glad that Joe Biden chose her as his running mate.

  106. 106.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 4:45 pm

    Fifty-seven years ago, the World Cup trophy was stolen from its display case in Westminster. The ransom was thwarted by Pickles the dog, who found the trophy hidden beneath a parked car. Good boy, Pickles!

    You’d think “lesson learned” but noooo, the Cup was last seen in Brazil until again being stolen in 1983.

  107. 107.

    eclare

    March 20, 2023 at 4:45 pm

    @Ruckus:   Same here.  My friends and I were ecstatic when Joe chose Kamala.

  108. 108.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear: ​”Something, something, blowtorch and pliers.”

  109. 109.

    Suzanne

    March 20, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    I have a whole bag of popcorn! I’M READY!

  110. 110.

    bbleh

    March 20, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    @Scout211: @WaterGirl: It’s a Hail Mary. Trump has always been Catholic, you know. Really, believe me.

  111. 111.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    Man of Courage, speaks.

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, when asked about rumours of former President Donald Trump’s impending indictment, denounced the man in charge of the investigation, New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

    What the man who might be Mr Trump’s most formidable presidential rival said next, however, was telling.

    “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair,” he said. “I just I can’t speak to that.”

    He went on to mention “porn star hush money payments” a second time, before pivoting back to criticism of what he called a “high-profile politicised prosecution” by someone he said was backed by deep-pocketed liberal donor George Soros.

    The Florida governor seemed to go out of way to emphasise the tawdry origins of the potential crimes being investigated, even while denouncing the investigation itself.

    That could be a sign of how Mr Trump’s presidential rivals handle a possible arrest and criminal trial for falsifying business records and state campaign finance law violations.

  112. 112.

    NotMax

    March 20, 2023 at 4:54 pm

    @bbleh

    “Your Favorite Catholic. ME!”
    //

  113. 113.

    Ruckus

    March 20, 2023 at 4:56 pm

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    First it would set a very bad precedent.

    Second why the hell should he get special privileges? He is a citizen like unlike most other citizens, he is accused of violating a rather serious law and there is a procedure, and he has zero excuse not to show up. Hell he owns his own plane. Or he can be flown up to NYC by the PD, in handcuffs. Go easy, go not so easy, his choice. But the not so easy way is the completely stupid way, so it’s at least even money that he’ll refuse and have to be extradited.

  114. 114.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 20, 2023 at 4:56 pm

    @rikyrah: It’s so foolish. I think a lot of these people just look at poll numbers, compare X and Y and imagine candidates can be swapped in and out with zero transaction cost. But it doesn’t work that way. You don’t just shaft a huge chunk of your base with zero cost.

  115. 115.

    Benw

    March 20, 2023 at 4:57 pm

    @WaterGirl: our gavel is all set out!

    @WaterGirl:  Ruh roh!

  116. 116.

    Ruckus

    March 20, 2023 at 4:58 pm

    @different-church-lady:

    China doesn’t want him. Or his fat ass.

    China is actually trying to make it’s country better and that would be a big fat step backwards.

  117. 117.

    NotMax

    March 20, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    @different-church-lady
    Which wall Mexico is still making payments for.
    //

  118. 118.

    WaterGirl

    March 20, 2023 at 5:05 pm

    @bbleh: Ha!

  119. 119.

    Betty Cracker

    March 20, 2023 at 5:08 pm

    @Roger Moore: I agree Warren meant no harm — she responded clumsily to a dumb gotcha question. From what I’ve seen, very few Democrats took the conflict bait, which is heartening.

  120. 120.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 5:09 pm

    Rand Paul continues finding ways to be both fucking weird and utterly irrelevant, at the same time.

    Guessing if adorable future spree-shooter Hunter Kimbell had been sent home for wearing a “Justice for George Floyd” tee, Senator Paul would have rushed to his support, posed with him, and posted it to Rand Paul’s Twitter.

  121. 121.

    Geminid

    March 20, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    @Matt McIrvin: Many of these anti-Harris agitators are just trying to make trouble for the Democratic Party. Joe Biden is a tough target right now, so they try to undermine VP Harris, or Secretary Buttigieg.

    Some are just amoral pundits, trying for clicks. Others self-describe as “progressives; they resent elements of the current Democratic coalition and would like to reshape it in their image. Kamala Harris is in their way, both now and more importantly, in the future. So they’ll try to undermine her at every opportunity.

    I used to call these ostensible allies “conditional Democrats.” Now I just call them Copperheads.

  122. 122.

    Elizabelle

    March 20, 2023 at 5:22 pm

    @Geminid:  Copperheads.

    Shitheads works too.

    Why would they think we would take advice from Copperheads/Shitheads (take your pick) who would not vote for the Democratic ticket if you paid them?

    I think a lot of these pundits and political reporters just interview each other.  And Republicans.  (In many cases, I repeat myself there.)

    It’s just clickbait, with the intent of undermining the Democratic party and its voters.

  123. 123.

    stinger

    March 20, 2023 at 5:23 pm

    @rikyrah: This kind of speculation is malarkey. Have they met Joe Biden? He would NEVER replace Harris while she’s healthy and wants the job. He picked her in the first place for reasons that have not since changed. And he’s kept her deeply involved in domestic administration and foreign policy. She’s his running mate.

  124. 124.

    trollhattan

    March 20, 2023 at 5:30 pm

    @Geminid: ​Think this is correct. Find/create then exploit division wherever you can. They do not care who or what, just that it has an effect.

  125. 125.

    stinger

    March 20, 2023 at 5:36 pm

    @Elizabelle:

    I think a lot of these pundits and political reporters just interview each other. And Republicans. (In many cases, I repeat myself there.)

    This made me laugh. Twice!

  126. 126.

    Betty Cracker

    March 20, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    @Geminid: I can understand why folks might question whether Harris has the political chops to win a presidential race and/or why people think this country is still too racist and sexist to elect Harris president. I don’t necessarily share those anxieties, but those are opinions I can understand. What I don’t get is why anyone thinks Harris is an enemy of progressive policies. I consider myself a liberal progressive, and I’d describe Harris that way too.

  127. 127.

    UncleEbeneezer

    March 20, 2023 at 5:38 pm

    @trollhattan: Yup, it’s the usual suspects who do nothing but shit on the Dem Party and look for reasons to abandon our coalition (if they are ever even a part of it).

  128. 128.

    prostratedragon

    March 20, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    @rikyrah:  An important thing to highlight and keep in mind.

  129. 129.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 20, 2023 at 5:49 pm

    @Josie: Paul Campos on LGM is the one I’ve directly seen floating the idea of replacing Harris. I recall he opened by talking about how old and decrepit Biden is, which is a recurring theme with him, but it was kind of disturbing how that led immediately to replacing Harris who is by no means old or decrepit. I think the reasoning was along the lines of “if he dies we’ll have to deal with her lower poll numbers.”

  130. 130.

    Baud

    March 20, 2023 at 5:51 pm

    @Matt McIrvin:

    I think the reasoning was along the lines of “if he dies we’ll have to deal with her lower poll numbers

     
    Poor baby.

  131. 131.

    Geminid

    March 20, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    @Betty Cracker: That’s how I would describe Harris too. But I’ve observed a lot of resentment on the part of some people on the “Left” towards Black Democrats in general. Some of this comes out of Twitter wars with the assertive K-Hive and their allies. But a lot of it comes from the 2020 primaries, when Black Democrats voted in large numbers for the more moderate candidate.

    Personally, I think the reason Black people voted that way wasn’t because they were relatively conservative, but because they were very pragmatic and realistic. They had to be. Black people had a whole lot riding on the outcome in November, and they knew it.

    I think that most White liberals who started out rooting for a “more progressive” candidate came around to the position taken by the majority of Black Democrats. But there was a hard core of very sore losers, and they still take their bitterness out on the Vice President.

  132. 132.

    prostratedragon

    March 20, 2023 at 6:15 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:
    @WaterGirl:
    The thought has occured to me more than once (without the gold trim), along with a sense that it’s not far off the situation.

  133. 133.

    Matt McIrvin

    March 20, 2023 at 6:16 pm

    @Geminid: The Bernie primary crowd seemed to hate Harris almost as much as they did Warren.

    And there was the “she’s a cop” line of attack, portraying her as a law-enforcement authoritarian. There were specific beefs concerning her prosecution of sex workers and something about denying gender-affirming care to prison inmates.

  134. 134.

    MisterForkbeard

    March 20, 2023 at 6:34 pm

    @Ruckus: Right there with you. Unless Harris comes out and says “you know, I’d rather go do something else” she has 110% of my support as Veep in 2024.

  135. 135.

    MisterForkbeard

    March 20, 2023 at 6:36 pm

    @Ruckus: I might consider it if they stated that Trump was so infirm and weak that he couldn’t manage the trip to NYC to testify for a few hours and/or would require so much medication that his testimony would be in doubt. Maybe then.

    But otherwise – nah, he’s gotta do the ‘everyone is equal under the law’ thing.

    @Matt McIrvin: The “gender affirming care” thing was particularly stupid. Basically, Harris set up a process whereby inmates could get care at state expense. But it was hard to get into and had to be justified, so it only had a few people in the program every year. As opposed to before, when they got nothing. Some on the left wanted to pretend this meant Kamala was anti-trans.

    I hope those fuckers feel bad about lying about her. Especially she caught so much crap for being a black woman who enthusiastically agreed to use people’s preferred pronouns.

  136. 136.

    sab

    March 20, 2023 at 7:00 pm

    I am a tax preparer trying to work remote and it sucks. I will be 70 next years. Lots of experience, but time to give it up.

    Remotely, fifteen minute tax returns are taking me more than an hour. Eats up my employers’ profits completely. I have to sign on to my laptop. Then I have to sign on to the VPN. Then I have to sign on to my particular computer in the office. All of these sign ons take an inordinate amount of time. Then I have to sign on to our tax software, which takes forever. So eventually, if I am lucky this all works out. But mostly it doesn’t. So I timed out on something along the line.

    Eventually I have to get someone in the office to reboot my computer so I can start again. But nobody is there late at night or on weekends. And daytime hours I believe there are too many people on line so it is pointless.

    Handing my office keys in after this season. Too old with too high blood pressure to do this any more. Sad because otherwise I like tax prep. Puzzle solving. Plug the data into the right hole.

  137. 137.

    columbusqueen

    March 20, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    Can we hope the judge orders Cheetolini gagged for the arraignment?

  138. 138.

    artem1s

    March 20, 2023 at 7:45 pm

    @Roger Moore: ​
      It’s also a round about way of questioning Biden’s age and fitness to serve too. “Whatever will we do if he dies and SHE becomes the nominee for POTUS?”

  139. 139.

    The Ithacan

    March 20, 2023 at 8:16 pm

    @sab: try AARP tax prep volunteer.

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