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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Slow News Friday?

Slow News Friday?

by WaterGirl|  May 19, 20234:30 pm| 201 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

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First of all, can I say that it should be illegal for videos of Trump to autoplay on social media?  It’s bad enough to see a still of the orange one, but to see his lips moving and hear his voice is too much when you’re not mentally prepared.  Okay, moving on.

Another pet peeve.  When and how did the “You’re not the boss of me!” people turn into “I’m the boss of all of you!” people?  They just get to do that and no one is supposed to notice?  It’s not rules they hate; it’s all about who gets to make the rules.  Fuck them.

🐇

The framing of the tweet about Tim Scott was annoying, but this response from the Hoarse Whisperer was laugh-out-loud funny.

Breaking: Tim Scott announces plans to set fire to $22 million. https://t.co/yKqK2ZwpiL

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@TheRealHoarse) May 19, 2023

🐇

I LOVE THIS:

We cannot keep playing with the livelihoods of millions just for the GOP to try and turn the screws on hungry Americans.
⁰@POTUS must consider invoking the 14th Amendment if necessary. pic.twitter.com/vE8epvCRmd

— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) May 18, 2023

As I said in the comments, let Fetterman be Fetterman.

🐇

Poor Donald Trump.  I think you have worn out your welcome in the courts.
You Get Nothing!

BREAKING: WOW! Trump asked for 21 days to respond to Fani Willis. I thought the judge would give him a week tops. The judge gave him NONE! “The court has received 500 pages from trump. That’s plenty. There will be no more briefings unless solicited by the court.” HAHAHA https://t.co/tLfEnUUG8m

— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) May 19, 2023

🐇

This fellow explains the linear passage of time to Republicans, and more specifically, to Fox Not-News.

Warning: the video below does reference some awful videos that were recently being promoted on twitter, and then were no longer being promoted on twitter, so the complainers on Fox were saying that there had been no issue with cat torture videos being promoted on twitter.  Hence the explainer on the concept of the linear passage of time.  i.e.  there was a problem, the problem was pointed out, after that, something changed, but the fact that it’s not there any longer doesn’t mean that it was never there.

Similar to the concept of object permanence, but different.

Link to video.

Totally open thread.

 

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Previous Post: « Chris Hayes Sets DeSantis On Fire (Open Thread)
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    201Comments

    1. 1.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 4:32 pm

      DeSantis wants to disqualify the judge in the Disney case.

      Reply
    2. 2.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 4:33 pm

      @Baud: Of course they do.  What reason are the giving?  Besides “it’s not fair!”

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 4:34 pm

      @WaterGirl:

      I haven’t read it.

      Link to .pdf file.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Roger Moore

      May 19, 2023 at 4:35 pm

      @Baud:

      DeSantis wants to disqualify the judge in the Disney case.

      Of course he does.  It’s totally unfair unless he gets his personal choice of judge.

      Reply
    5. 5.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 4:36 pm

      With the “slow news day?” heading, I am hoping to tempt the universe into giving us some awesome breaking news this afternoon.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      Bobby Thomson

      May 19, 2023 at 4:37 pm

      Tim Scott wouldn’t get the nomination of the White Chritian Nationalist Party even if Trump wasn’t running, and his shot at Vp is somewhere between No forkin way and You gotta be kidding me.

      Fetterman in a hoody is fine.  I’ve never been a fan of pompe and circumstance.  I’m far more offended by an entire party in thrall to Putin, oil and gas, and gun manufacturers.

      Reply
    7. 7.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 4:40 pm

      “‘Mr. Trump, you may have your answer now.  My ruling is this …”

      Oh, there’s gonna be some ketchup on the walls tonight.

      Reply
    8. 8.

      Jackie

      May 19, 2023 at 4:42 pm

      @Bobby Thomson: I’ll take Fetterman’s wardrobe over Sinema’s ANY DAY!

      Reply
    9. 9.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 4:42 pm

      @WaterGirl: oh no, there’s EVIDENCE!  For one thing, the judge has shown BIAS by actually RULING AGAINST some motions by DeSantis! How can it possibly be fair for a judge to sit on a case when they’ve already made rulings against one party??!?

      Reply
    10. 10.

      oatler

      May 19, 2023 at 4:42 pm

      How’s this? Weather bug on the corner of my screen says Mostly Sunny while hail and high winds are coming on.

      Reply
    11. 11.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 4:43 pm

      @oatler: “mostly …”

      Reply
    12. 12.

      The Moar You Know

      May 19, 2023 at 4:43 pm

      I haven’t read it.

      @Baud: thanks for that.  The issue seems to be that the judge has said in public that when the DeSantis admin says they will do something, people should take them at their word.

      This looks like some weak sauce, but an actual lawyer should look at it.  I am not one.

      Further reading:  seems to boil down to, literally, “judge won’t rule the way we want”.  Good luck with that.

      Reply
    13. 13.

      Bobby Thomson

      May 19, 2023 at 4:43 pm

      @WaterGirl: Shorter Desantis: the judge has outside of this proceeding referred to state action against Disney as retaliatory, so he therefore has prejudged the merits of this case in which Disney is suing us for retaliation.  To which my response is, “Good luck getting traction with that argument after Desantis bragged about sticking it to Disney in his book.”

      Reply
    14. 14.

      rikyrah

      May 19, 2023 at 4:46 pm

       

      Anti-Telework Bill?

      https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTRE2empm/

      Reply
    15. 15.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 4:48 pm

      @Bobby Thomson: along with the obvious political aspects, might this be considered an analogy to an attempt at some sort of “brushback pitch”?  Trump has tried the same sort of thing on more than one occasion, maybe DeSantis thinks he can or should?  (And separately, what on Earth makes someone think that’s a good idea?)

      Reply
    16. 16.

      The Moar You Know

      May 19, 2023 at 4:49 pm

      Shorter Desantis: the judge has outside of this proceeding referred to state action against Disney as retaliatory, so he therefore has prejudged the merits of this case in which Disney is suing us for retaliation. 

      @Bobby Thomson: reading it the same way.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      Cameron

      May 19, 2023 at 4:49 pm

      New thing I learned today: the most unfriendly city in the United States for work-from-home jobs is Bradenton, FL, which is just to the north of where I live.

      Reply
    18. 18.

      Bobby Thomson

      May 19, 2023 at 4:51 pm

      @bbleh: you would be surprised how many lawyers think it is a good idea to show that judge who’s boss.

      Reply
    19. 19.

      DFH

      May 19, 2023 at 4:55 pm

      You said: “When and how did the “You’re not the boss of me!” people turn into “I’m the boss of all of you!” people?  They just get to do that and no one is supposed to notice?  It’s not rules they hate; it’s all about who gets to make the rules.”

      This twitter thread helped explain it pretty well to me:

      https://twitter.com/_EthanGrey/status/1534024500970459138

      “If this has been a source of confusion, then your assessments of what Republicans mean by “freedom” were likely too generous. Here’s what they mean: 1. The freedom to tell people what to do. 2. Freedom from being told what to do.”

      Pretty much boils down to … heads I win, tails you lose. Sophomoric.

      Reply
    20. 20.

      Aziz, light!

      May 19, 2023 at 4:56 pm

      Wow, that wasn’t Doug J on the NYT announcement? This “serious competitor” will burn up faster than a meteorite.

      Reply
    21. 21.

      lowtechcyclist

      May 19, 2023 at 4:56 pm

      @Bobby Thomson:

      Shorter Desantis

      Is there any other kind? ;-)

      Reply
    22. 22.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 4:57 pm

      @oatler: I like “clear skies” when you can look out the window and see the pouring rain.

      Reply
    23. 23.

      Betty Cracker

      May 19, 2023 at 4:59 pm

      According to Politico, the White House is telling Dem lawmakers to chill on the 14th Amendment talk.

      Reply
    24. 24.

      lowtechcyclist

      May 19, 2023 at 5:00 pm

      @DFH:

      “If this has been a source of confusion, then your assessments of what Republicans mean by “freedom” were likely too generous. Here’s what they mean: 1. The freedom to tell people what to do. 2. Freedom from being told what to do.”

      Protects but doesn’t bind, binds but doesn’t protect…yep.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:00 pm

      @DFH:

      what Republicans mean by “freedom” were likely too generous. Here’s what they mean: 1. The freedom to tell people what to do. 2. Freedom from being told what to do.”

      You’re right.  That’s it in a nutshell.

      Reply
    26. 26.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 5:00 pm

      @DFH: @WaterGirl: See also Wilhoit’s Law

      ETA: ah lowtechcyclist got there first.

      Reply
    27. 27.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 5:00 pm

      Judge McBurney will have none of your shit [smack!].

      Whines about “New York Georgia judges” commence in 3, 2, 1…

      Reply
    28. 28.

      Redshift

      May 19, 2023 at 5:01 pm

      When and how did the “You’re not the boss of me!” people turn into “I’m the boss of all of you!” people? They just get to do that and no one is supposed to notice?

      They always were. As Stuart Stevens put it, the only core principle conservatives have is “We get to tell you what to do. You don’t get to tell us what to do.” It fades sometimes when they’re only talking about the rules they’re against, like masks and so-called lockdowns, but “You’re not the boss of me!” always has an unspoken “I said me, I didn’t say anything about who is the boss of you.”

      Reply
    29. 29.

      Urza

      May 19, 2023 at 5:01 pm

      @rikyrah: There’s a reason most offices that didn’t make it mandatory are still at around 20% capacity.  And those 20% going in do it to get away from family mostly.  Very few people go in cause they prefer the office.

      Reply
    30. 30.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:02 pm

      @Betty Cracker: My hopeful view is that just means that the Dems should quit saying the quiet parts out loud.  But as one of the just do the 14th amendment people, I have to say that doesn’t sound good.

      Reply
    31. 31.

      debit

      May 19, 2023 at 5:02 pm

      I really would have appreciated some context about last link. I did not want to know that horrific videos like that are real. For anyone who hasn’t clicked yet, warning: descriptions of animal torture.

      Reply
    32. 32.

      Suzanne

      May 19, 2023 at 5:02 pm

      When and how did the “You’re not the boss of me!” people turn into “I’m the boss of all of you!” people?

      They have always been like this! They’re fucken hypocrites! Not just sanctimonious, not just self-involved, not just stupid as shit!

      Reply
    33. 33.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 5:02 pm

      @Aziz, light!: Hoping against hope “one of the most serious” is a smack on DeSantis because it puts “who?!?” on the same level as Ronny Meatballs.

      Reply
    34. 34.

      Old School

      May 19, 2023 at 5:05 pm

      @Cameron:

      New thing I learned today: the most unfriendly city in the United States for work-from-home jobs is Bradenton, FL, which is just to the north of where I live.

      Tracked it down.  1.8% of the job listings in Bradenton offer remote work.  Article does not posit why that would be.

      Reply
    35. 35.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:07 pm

      @debit: I knew the awful videos were real, but to me the video I linked didn’t describe any of it, and anything I saw had already been referenced for the past week or so.

      But I am squeamish and I would never want to upset anyone or be insensitive, so I am sorry about that.

      edit: I added an explanation up top.

      Reply
    36. 36.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 5:07 pm

      @Betty Cracker: @WaterGirl: per previous comments, 14th is a negotiation-stopper.  It’s basically the equivalent of what the Freedumb Caucus said.  The Freedumbers don’t have any problem running around playing with matches because they’re not gonna get much of the blame if the whole thing burns down, but from this I would guess that the WH figures Biden will, and (unfortunately) I agree.

      I note also the different ways the media are spinning the current “pause”: some say bothsides while others say — explicitly — the GOP negotiator walked out.  To my mind, that’s not a good look for the GOP, but I realize I’m not their target audience for this little stunt.

      Reply
    37. 37.

      Betty Cracker

      May 19, 2023 at 5:07 pm

      @WaterGirl: Yep. It could be part of the strategy, i.e., it’s a phased approach—break glass in case of emergency but not before.

      Reply
    38. 38.

      debit

      May 19, 2023 at 5:08 pm

      @WaterGirl: cat in a blender was descriptive enough.

      sorry. I can’t get the mental image and sound out of my head.

      edit: I removed the video and added a link instead.

      Reply
    39. 39.

      Matt McIrvin

      May 19, 2023 at 5:08 pm

      “You’re not the boss of me not being the boss of you!”

      Reply
    40. 40.

      lowtechcyclist

      May 19, 2023 at 5:08 pm

      I don’t know if this story has been discussed here, but for a few weeks, a man has been carrying an AR-15 near an elementary-school bus stop in Severn, MD every morning.

      I had no idea open carry was legal in Maryland.  Seems like a heavily Democratic legislature could fix that.

      Reply
    41. 41.

      different-church-lady

      May 19, 2023 at 5:08 pm

      They’re not exactly clearing the field for Trump, are they?

      Reply
    42. 42.

      Kelly

      May 19, 2023 at 5:10 pm

      Curses 🤬 on autoplay. I particularly hate it when I’m browsing for a movie or show to watch on one of our steaming services and the show just starts while I’m trying to read the description to decide if I’m going to watch it. Previews playing unasked for as I browse are also an abomination.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:11 pm

      @debit: Really nice to see you here – sorry to have upset you!

      Reply
    44. 44.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 5:11 pm

      @WaterGirl: @debit: please, can we speak of it no more?  Like EOF.  And WG, thanks for edit.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      Urza

      May 19, 2023 at 5:12 pm

      @different-church-lady: They’re not exactly putting up any serious competitors for him either other than DeathSantis finally making it official.

      Reply
    46. 46.

      Cameron

      May 19, 2023 at 5:13 pm

      @Urza: Yes, next week he’s throwing his pudding….I mean hat, yeah, hat…into the ring.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:14 pm

      @debit: Truly sorry to have upset you.  I struggled with that last week – I even started a new thread when someone felt felt they had to graphically talk about the videos.

      Musk is a blight on the world.

      Reply
    48. 48.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 5:14 pm

      @Urza: I think you would be surprised.  I don’t like working from home.  I like having contact with people.  I like getting out of the house (not avoiding family).  I know that this blog, and maybe online people on general, tends toward introverts (or as CornerStone phrased it “elderly shut-ins”), but not everyone is that way.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      Cameron

      May 19, 2023 at 5:14 pm

      @Old School: And 2nd worst is Largo, also in FL.

      Reply
    50. 50.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:14 pm

      @lowtechcyclist: “Everything we do is for the children”, my ass!

      Reply
    51. 51.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:15 pm

      @Kelly: Totally agree!

      Reply
    52. 52.

      Tony G

      May 19, 2023 at 5:15 pm

      I would like to see Biden break of these nonsensical “negotiations” with McCarthy and just repeat, every single day, that the U.S. constitution prevents him from defaulting on the obligations of the United States, and that he will adhere to the constitution.  Period.  Every single day.  And then he should just ignore any noise that McCarthy or the other GOP “leaders” make.

      Reply
    53. 53.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 5:15 pm

      @lowtechcyclist:

      Or a good guy with a gun could shoot him to protect the children.

      Reply
    54. 54.

      debit

      May 19, 2023 at 5:18 pm

      @WaterGirl: ack, I know you didn’t have any ill intent. Let’s let it go, if you’re okay with that. Im sorry for my part

      Truly, Musk is a blight  I’m deleting all my twitter bookmarks and won’t give him another click

      Reply
    55. 55.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:19 pm

      @debit: Moving on!

      Reply
    56. 56.

      debit

      May 19, 2023 at 5:21 pm

      @WaterGirl: bygones!!

      Reply
    57. 57.

      twbrandt

      May 19, 2023 at 5:22 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: I am very much of a work-from-home person, although I do like to go to a coworking space just get out of the house and have human contact occasionally.

      But I completely understand that many people do want to work in the office, and that’s completely fine. Do whatever is best for you.

      Reply
    58. 58.

      kalakal

      May 19, 2023 at 5:23 pm

      @Cameron: which is just south of me.

      Reply
    59. 59.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 5:24 pm

      They make you wear pants in the office.

      Reply
    60. 60.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 5:24 pm

      @WaterGirl: I am pretty sure they have multiple irons in the fire and don’t want the 14th Amendment solution to become fixed in people’s head as THE solution.  Remember the whole public option thing?

      Reply
    61. 61.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:25 pm

      This is interesting. The Chamber of Commerce writes to Biden – are the Republicans not even listening to the Chamber of Commerce anymore?  Do the Rs not need big business anymore because they have their pet billionaires?

      Chamber of Commerce demands that Biden ignore the Constitution. https://t.co/5AuKQhFfx2

      — emptywheel (@emptywheel) May 19, 2023

      Reply
    62. 62.

      What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

      May 19, 2023 at 5:26 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: I would go in more often if my commute weren’t about an hour one way. The frustrating thing about THAT is, I live in the DC area and am only about 8-9 miles from the office as the bicycle takes me. Getting there by bike takes about 45-50 minutes. Getting home takes a little longer because it’s an uphill grade from the Anacostia to home most of the way. No towering climbs but still, gravity is working gently against me.

      If I take metro, and bike to the metro stop, I can be to work in about 35-45 minutes IF my transfer from the Red to Green metro lines goes smoothly. But I usually walk to the metro so that adds about 10-15 minutes vs. biking to the metro and…I’m not saving any time vs. biking. Driving…takes an hour. It’s the worst way to get into the office. I did it once, early in the pandemic when DC was a ghost town and it still took like 40 minutes.

      If I could get back and forth in like 20 minutes I’d probably go in a time or two more a week. I DO NOT want to go back to always in the office. That has nothing to do with fear of Covid, just the disutility of commuting plus the advantages of telework.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:26 pm

      @debit: I don’t even remember what we were talking about. :-)

      Reply
    64. 64.

      Eyeroller

      May 19, 2023 at 5:26 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​
       I am very introverted. But I liked working in the office. I liked having coworkers around, occasionally going for lunch or coffee or whatever. I did not enjoy commuting, I’ll grant that, but where I live it’s not too bad. Now that I live alone I miss going to the office even more. Plus at the office I did not have to worry about cats walking on my keyboard constantly, or harrassing me to serve them their lunch.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      Roger Moore

      May 19, 2023 at 5:27 pm

      @bbleh: ​
       
      The goal is to set things up so they can blame their inevitable loss on bias rather than a shit case. It might possibly be useful if they expect the appeals court to be biased in their favor, and it will certainly be useful in insulating themselves against the loss in the court of public opinion.

      Reply
    66. 66.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 5:27 pm

      @Old School:

      Explains all these “Let’s go, Bradenton!” signs I’ve been seeing.

      Reply
    67. 67.

      Cameron

      May 19, 2023 at 5:28 pm

      @kalakal: I don’t know what the situation in Largo is, but the deal in Bradenton has me scratching my head.  It’s not just sub shops and art galleries – there are branches of some pretty big companies there.

      Reply
    68. 68.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 5:28 pm

      @twbrandt: I get that.  I just get a little frustrated when people around here suggest that work from home would suit everyone.  Also, there are a shitload of jobs that simply cannot be done from home.

      ETA: I also enjoy having the chance to use that CS line.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      JPL

      May 19, 2023 at 5:29 pm

      @WaterGirl: My hopeful view is that democratic house members enmasse grab a microphone and say we could default because they want to keep tax cuts for the rich and let the poor starve.

      Just like Jesus would do.  amirite

      Reply
    70. 70.

      Old School

      May 19, 2023 at 5:31 pm

      @Cameron:

      And 2nd worst is Largo, also in FL.

      My mother-in-law lives in that general area and has a work from home job, so I guess there are some available.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      JPL

      May 19, 2023 at 5:32 pm

      @debit: When Musk took the reins, I deleted my account.  That does not mean you can no longer see what your favorite folks are saying.   You can’t comment, but I avoided anyway.

      Reply
    72. 72.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 5:32 pm

      @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:
      Per the posted notices they’re STILL passing covid around in my newish-to-me suburban outpost, to which I have to commute 50% post-WFH, all this after bike and light rail commuting downtown for a decade, pre-covid.
      The drive ranges from 20 to 40 minutes, depending. The cycle commute ranges from 50 to 70 minutes, depending, and in spots is harrowing no matter which route I pick.
      If they can’t fix it to my satisfaction before year’s end, I’m fucking out. Stress will get me before the F-250s do.​

      Reply
    73. 73.

      karen marie

      May 19, 2023 at 5:34 pm

      I am so bored.  I don’t want to do my work.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 5:36 pm

      @karen marie: Have you considered quiet quitting?

      Reply
    75. 75.

      JMG

      May 19, 2023 at 5:36 pm

      According to Politico (yeah, I know), unnamed White House aides have told “progressives” that Biden will never invoke the 14th amendment for what sound very much like Republican reasons (market turmoil, prolonged legal battle unsettling Wall St.) I do not believe this story because if that’s what Biden was going to do, I don’t think he’d piss off his most loyal supporters in Congress ahead of time. Of course, I also believe that on balance unnamed White House aides of either party are the dumbest people in Washington. The ones who use their names seem more sensible.

      Reply
    76. 76.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 5:36 pm

      @karen marie: Are you up for doing my work?  It would be a change of pace, anyway!  :-)

      Reply
    77. 77.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 5:37 pm

      Best Twitter comment on Fetterman at that press conference: “Fetterman blending in.”

      Reply
    78. 78.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 5:42 pm

      Gavin becoming one of the Dem’s best trollers of Republicans, all while advocating for California.

      SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom is ramping up his pressure campaign against Republicans as a slow-moving natural disaster hits a conservative-leaning region of California. And the Democrat is using a perennial Republican calling card — water funding — to drive home his message.
      Newsom, who has grown increasingly frustrated over the lack of federal action, is casting Republicans as unwilling to fund critical flood protection in the Central Valley, where record snowmelt has already submerged farms and will continue to threaten communities into the summer, while California steps up to front the money.
      Now, he’s singling out House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. David Valadao, who represent the region, in a letter shared with POLITICO that marks an unusual escalation for a governor more used to calling out his foes in speeches and tweets than issuing stern, behind-the-scenes appeals for their cooperation.

      At the heart of the squabble is a levee protecting the city of Corcoran and a state prison complex from the slowly-rising Tulare Lake, which had been a dry lakebed for decades until this year’s record snowmelt started flowing down the mountains. Newsom agreed to front $17 million to increase the height of the levee after pressure from local leaders, who also asked federal representatives for help.
      “While they called for ‘immediate action,’ House Republicans refused to act on their request, pushing instead for more cuts to local infrastructure projects, and driving the country closer to the brink of default, as you play politics with the American economy,” Newsom wrote to McCarthy and Valadao in the letter dated May 11, which references the partisan standoff between congressional Republicans and the White House over the debt limit.

      Valadao spokesperson Faith Mabry pushed back, calling the letter “nothing more than political posturing from the governor on an issue that is completely nonpartisan.”
      “Rep. Valadao and our team have been in close communication with the governor’s office and local leaders in the Central Valley since the storms began — for Newsom to play politics on flood response is shameful and incredibly disappointing,” Mabry added.
      Since the flooding started, Valadao and other California members of Congress have said they are working on getting additional federal support. Federal disaster agencies may be able to reimburse some or all of the $17 million because of President Joe Biden’s emergency declaration, Newsom officials said last week, but the process could take months or years.
      A representative for McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
      Along with Newsom’s direct appeals to get the lawmakers to work on providing federal funding for Corcoran, there’s an element of political jiu-jitsu: a Democratic governor most closely associated with liberal parts of the state calling out the pair of conservatives from rural California for not adequately focusing on the needs of people in their own backyard.

      Specifically, Newsom’s request also turns on its head years of Republican agitation in California and Washington for more water-infrastructure funding, a point the GOP has repeatedly used to paint Democrats as out of step with the region.
      The federal government funded repairs to the levee in 1969 and 1983, and Newsom in recent public remarks has said he finds it “absolutely extraordinary, but not surprising, that you have representatives in the Central Valley that opposed federal funding for infrastructure.” The levee continues to cause problems because the ground has sunk as farmers pump groundwater for their crops.
      https://www.politico.com/news/2023/05/17/gavin-newsom-kevin-mccarthy-california-water-money-00097513

      Reply
    79. 79.

      geg6

      May 19, 2023 at 5:44 pm

      I’m very proud of my junior senator.  Since coming back from Walter Reed, he’s been on fire.  I loved his question to bailed out bankers the other day:

      https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4007070-fetterman-floats-work-requirements-for-bailed-out-bank-executives/amp/

      The FOX universe is saying this is an incoherent question, but I love it!

      Reply
    80. 80.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 5:45 pm

      @Cameron: That would really seem to mar Largo’s reputation.

      Reply
    81. 81.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 5:50 pm

      @oatler:

      I have been getting used to the idiosyncrasies of Windows 11 since upgrading recently, and one of the nice things is that I now have a widget icon in my task bar that shows me the current local temperature with a basic image. Unobtrusive and has been pretty accurate. Nice.

      Reply
    82. 82.

      mrmoshpotato

      May 19, 2023 at 5:52 pm

      First of all, can I say that it should be illegal for videos of Trump to autoplay on social media?

      Amen!  My condolences to your memory.

      Reply
    83. 83.

      Geminid

      May 19, 2023 at 5:52 pm

      @trollhattan: My Atlanta friend is a retired attorney, and he did jury duty on a civil trial before Judge McBurney. Warren’s seen a fair amount of judges, and he thought McBurney was top-notch.

      Reply
    84. 84.

      geg6

      May 19, 2023 at 5:54 pm

      @Urza:

      I actually do not like WFH.  At all.  And it’s not because I want to get away from my family.  I have all the freedom in the world to do it several days a week, but I rarely take advantage of it.  I found, over the course of COVID when I had no choice but to work from home almost every day, that I worked many more hours than I do when I go into the office.  Screw that.  Give me my (usually) 8 hour day.  They don’t pay me enough to regularly work 10-12 hours with no lunch break every day.  I’m happy to go in.

      Reply
    85. 85.

      eclare

      May 19, 2023 at 5:55 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      I feel the same way, as long as the commute isn’t bad.  But I just live with a cat and a dog, so getting away from family is not an issue.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      Matt McIrvin

      May 19, 2023 at 5:55 pm

      @twbrandt: I think I’d be perfectly happy working full-time at the office as long as it wasn’t such a pain to COMMUTE TO and FROM the office.

      As it is, I actually look forward to going in once-twice a week to get re-energized and be able to talk to people about work stuff in person. But not having to spend 2+ hours a day just going back and forth between two places is precious. (I work longer hours when I’m WFH, too, because of that–though the bus I use has wifi and I can get some stuff done on it.)

      Reply
    87. 87.

      Geminid

      May 19, 2023 at 5:59 pm

      @JMG: I wouldn’t say the Congressional progressives are the most loyal to President Biden. The “moderate” New Democrat Caucus has been as supportive of Biden as the “progressive” Progressive Caucus, may even more so. Most of the Blue Dog Caucus has been too.

      Reply
    88. 88.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 5:59 pm

      @Matt McIrvin: I’ll give you that. I don’t think I have ever lived more than 10 miles from work.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      Ken

      May 19, 2023 at 6:00 pm

      Obviously the reason the White House wants to squash discussion of the 14th amendment is that they’re not planning to use section 4, on the public debt. Section 3, on insurrectionists being barred from Congress, on the other hand….

      Reply
    90. 90.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 6:02 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      Just Some Fuckhead, I think (or maybe also): “A blog audience that is largely elderly white shut-ins with four or more animals living vicariously through a near-recluse hillbilly in West Virginia.” Memorable enough to bookmark.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      eclare

      May 19, 2023 at 6:04 pm

      @Steeplejack:

      HA!  My car is five years old and has less than 9,000 miles.  I definitely qualify.

      Reply
    92. 92.

      Bill Arnold

      May 19, 2023 at 6:04 pm

      Re explaining “the linear passage of time to Republicans”, some might like the hardcore True Detective version. This is the Professor version of his “Time is a Flat Circle”, the clip with the beer can crushing.
      True Detective – Membrane Theory (M-Theory) ((Youtube, 1:50)

      Detective Rust Cohle : It’s like in this universe we process time linearly forward. But outside of our space time from what would be a fourth dimensional perspective time wouldn’t exist. And from that vantage could we attain it? We see our space time would look flattened. Like a single sculpture of matter and super-position of every place it ever occupied. Our sentience is just cycling through our lives like carts on a track. See everything outside our dimension that’s eternity. Eternity looking down on us. Now to us its a sphere but to them its a circle.
      It’s like in this universe we process time linearly, forward, but outside of our space-time from what would be a fourth-dimensional perspective time wouldn’t exist, and from that vantage could we attain it we see our space-time
      with a flattened like a single sculpture.

      Reply
    93. 93.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 6:05 pm

      @Steeplejack: CS probably quoted it.   I will give proper attribution in the future.

      Reply
    94. 94.

      Cameron

      May 19, 2023 at 6:06 pm

      @trollhattan: :)

      Reply
    95. 95.

      cckids

      May 19, 2023 at 6:13 pm

      @trollhattan:

      Whines about “New York Georgia judges” commence in 3, 2, 1…

      “So unfair, very bad!” I’ll forever hear that nasal whine :(

      Reply
    96. 96.

      glc

      May 19, 2023 at 6:13 pm

      @WaterGirl: But do we want breaking news?

      Incidentally Twitter links stopped working for me a while ago (a week perhaps?) probably because I don’t have an account. But whether that’s a minus or a plus is very uncertain.

      Reply
    97. 97.

      Redshift

      May 19, 2023 at 6:13 pm

      @WaterGirl:

      This is interesting. The Chamber of Commerce writes to Biden – are the Republicans not even listening to the Chamber of Commerce anymore? Do the Rs not need big business anymore because they have their pet billionaires?

      The Chamber is supporting the GOP nihilists here, why would they need to listen?

      They seem to have made the same transition the NRA did a few years back — from supporting any candidate who votes their way (anti-regulatory, in this case) to being an explicitly Republican group, supporting them no matter how disastrous what they’re doing is for business. (With the NRA, the tell was supporting GOP candidates against Democrats who’d checked all of their boxes.)

      Reply
    98. 98.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 6:14 pm

      @mrmoshpotato:

      My condolences to your memory.

      Huh?  That flew right over my head.

      Reply
    99. 99.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 6:16 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      I frequently call myself an elderly shut-in in conversation without attribution.

      Reply
    100. 100.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 6:17 pm

      @geg6: One solution to that is to get a simple timing program.  Once you hit your limit for the day or week, you stop working.

      I use this one.  I find that my “sense” of how much I have worked for a particular client on a particular day is often not accurate at all.  Sometimes in one directions sometimes in the other.

      So Toggl keeps my billing accurate.

      Toggl

      Reply
    101. 101.

      Citizen Alan

      May 19, 2023 at 6:18 pm

      @JPL: I am in the weird situation of being unable to delete my twitter account because I was permanently suspended a few years back for hurting the feelings of some republican asshole (redundant, I know).

      Reply
    102. 102.

      mrmoshpotato

      May 19, 2023 at 6:19 pm

      @karen marie:

      I am so bored. I don’t want to do my work. 

      It’s close to the end of the day, but do you have a drum to bang on?

      Reply
    103. 103.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 6:21 pm

      @glc:   Hmm, what do you mean when you say twitter links stopped working for you?

      Can you see the tweets that are up top?  If it’s a video, can you press play?  Can you click on the tweet and go to that tweet on twitter?

      What doesn’t work?

      Reply
    104. 104.

      prostratedragon

      May 19, 2023 at 6:23 pm

      Wow. Early this morning I found myself thinking that TFG and his lawyers greatly underestimated the amount of sheer hatred building against them for their maliciously dilatory behavior. And Judge McBurney on cue.

      Reply
    105. 105.

      NotMax

      May 19, 2023 at 6:24 pm

      @Steeplejack

      Prefer “vintage homebody.”
      ;)

      Reply
    106. 106.

      karen marie

      May 19, 2023 at 6:24 pm

      @WaterGirl:  Would there be anyone prefacing everything they said with “in terms of”?

      @Omnes Omnibus:  Only if I want to be quiet not paid.

      Reply
    107. 107.

      mrmoshpotato

      May 19, 2023 at 6:27 pm

      @WaterGirl: Condolences to having the memory of a Dump video autoplaying.

      Reply
    108. 108.

      Mallard Filmore

      May 19, 2023 at 6:31 pm

      @DFH:

      Slavery is when you own me.

      Freedom is when I own you.

      Reply
    109. 109.

      Geminid

      May 19, 2023 at 6:34 pm

      @Redshift: The national Chamber if Commerce solidly backed Congressional Republicans through the last decade. To the consternation of Republicans, they started hedging their bets in 2020 by endorsing 20 Democratic Representatives, and I think they endorsed most of them again in the last cycle. My Representative, Abigail Spanberger, was one of the 20, and Sharice Davids (KS-3) was another.

      Spanberger’s 2020 debate with the Republican was interesting in that she had been endorsed by the Chamber while he was endorsed by the Club for Growth. They agreed on the need for more rural broadband but nothing else. Spanberger was reelected by a little under 5,000 votes that year.

      Reply
    110. 110.

      JMG

      May 19, 2023 at 6:34 pm

      @Redshift: The guy wrote the Chamber letter, or at least who signed it, used to be McCarthy’s Chief of Staff.

      Reply
    111. 111.

      Scout211

      May 19, 2023 at 6:35 pm

      @glc: Incidentally Twitter links stopped working for me a while ago (a week perhaps?) probably because I don’t have an account.

      That happened to me, too, on my Mac. I have never been a subscriber either, but I never had a problem clicking on a tweet and linking to the Twitter page.

      My browser told me I should clear my cookies but I looked at my browser preferences and found Twitter was listed as a site not allowed to add cookies. I don’t know if it was a recent Chrome update or a new thing for Twitter. But I don’t remember setting that preference or changing that preference in the past week.   I changed the setting to allow cookies and now I can click through to Twitter or click on a tweet in a search.

      By the way, this didn’t happen on my iPad.

      Reply
    112. 112.

      Kay

      May 19, 2023 at 6:35 pm

      WASHINGTON — A Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant who supervised the intelligence branch of the Washington, D.C., police was indicted this week, charged with tipping off former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about a pending warrant for his arrest just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

      Between July 2019 and January 2021, Tarrio and Lamond communicated “at least 500 times using cloud-based messaging services, including Google Voice, Apple iMessages, and Telegram, an encrypted messaging application,” the indictment said. They sent approximately 145 messages using a secret chat function on Telegram that causes messages to disappear, the indictment charged, adding “at least 101 of these messages were destroyed.”

      Reply
    113. 113.

      Roger Moore

      May 19, 2023 at 6:36 pm

      @Redshift:

      but “You’re not the boss of me!” always has an unspoken “I said me, I didn’t say anything about who is the boss of you.”

      This makes total sense for someone who believes in social hierarchy. Their view of the way the world works is that there are people above them to can boss them around and people below them who they can boss around*.  They want to climb the social hierarchy so there are fewer people bossing them around and more people they can boss around.

      The way they do that is to resist letting other people boss them around and trying as hard as possible to boss other people around.  It’s all about exerting social dominance.  It doesn’t matter how minor the point or how wrong they were; conceding anything puts them on the slippery slope to being subordinate.  This is the root of a lot of “Karen” behavior and also why they resist doing anything the liberals like.

      *I guess there might also be some people at the same level who can’t boss each other around.

      Reply
    114. 114.

      Matt McIrvin

      May 19, 2023 at 6:37 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: At some jobs I’ve had the commute has been an hour+ of pushing through nearly motionless Boston-area traffic jams, populated by aggressive assholes, both ways. On bad days the commute home could stretch to 2 hours.

      Reply
    115. 115.

      Scout211

      May 19, 2023 at 6:37 pm

      @Kay: Another “whistleblower?” Gym Jordon should be on that in a a quick minute.

      Reply
    116. 116.

      Geminid

      May 19, 2023 at 6:40 pm

      @Kay: That was a big story this afternoon on WTOP, the DC all-news station.

      Reply
    117. 117.

      prostratedragon

      May 19, 2023 at 6:40 pm

      @Scout211:  Happening to me on linux, only with firefox; chrome, which I do not like, works ok, as does firefox on my android phone.

      Reply
    118. 118.

      lowtechcyclist

      May 19, 2023 at 6:40 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      I think you would be surprised.  I don’t like working from home.  I like having contact with people.

      So do I.  Also, I’ve got a really crappy workspace at home, which was already overloaded by other stuff before the pandemic sent us all home.

      I’ve been telling my bosses for two years now that I wanted a real workspace again, just a regular cubicle.  But the office is shut down for renovations, so tough luck.  I’ll be retiring before they’re done.

      Reply
    119. 119.

      Ruckus

      May 19, 2023 at 6:41 pm

      @Baud:

      And you want to wear a skirt?

      Reply
    120. 120.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 6:44 pm

      @Ruckus: That’s a man-kilt, baby!

      Reply
    121. 121.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 6:45 pm

      @karen marie: If you would like to do my work for me, I could promise never to utter that phrase.  Or write it!  :-)

      Reply
    122. 122.

      trollhattan

      May 19, 2023 at 6:46 pm

      @Kay:

      “How deep is the corruption?”
      “How long’s the handle on your shovel?”
      Effectively, this mook invited in a guy who helped wound scores of his fellow officers.

      Reply
    123. 123.

      Roger Moore

      May 19, 2023 at 6:47 pm

      @What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?:

      This reminds me of an interesting point I heard recently on the Downs-Thomson paradox.  The basic idea is that traffic tends to increase until driving is as slow as taking public transit (or bicycling, walking, or whatever the best alternative to driving is).  As long as driving is faster, people will switch modes to driving to save time, creating more traffic.  That will keep happening until traffic gets bad enough that it’s no faster than taking public transit.

      Where this gets really nasty is if pubic transit has to use the same traffic lanes as cars do.  In that case, it will always be slower than driving, and traffic will keep getting worse.  If you want traffic to improve, you have to have public transit (or other non-car means of transport) with dedicated rights of way.

      Reply
    124. 124.

      zhena gogolia

      May 19, 2023 at 6:48 pm

      @Roger Moore:

      Where this gets really nasty is if pubic transit has to use the same traffic lanes as cars do.

      phrasing!

      Reply
    125. 125.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 6:52 pm

      @NotMax:

      Could work, depending on how “vintage.”

      Reply
    126. 126.

      Burnspbesq

      May 19, 2023 at 6:52 pm

      R.I.P., Jim Brown. He was the GOAT in two sports (until Lyle Thompson came along) and so much more.

      Reply
    127. 127.

      Ruckus

      May 19, 2023 at 6:58 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      I’ve owned 2 businesses. Neither could be run from home. Now one, the machine shop, some of the machines could run unattended 24 hrs a day so they made money even when the lights were out and the door was locked. But they still required power that most houses don’t have, 3 phase and a fair amount of amps.

      But yes I do/did agree with you – I don’t like to take work home. Now sure the trip to and from could sometimes be a pain in the ass. It once took me 4 hours to drive 33 miles in LA. Every single freeway interchange had major accidents, no one was getting anywhere any time soon that day. Normally that drive took 35 minutes, as long as I left at the right time. I left at the right time that day. Not long after that I moved the business, cut the trip down to 15 minutes. Then the Northridge earthquake happened. And that 12 mile trip became a 2 hr dive in both directions. I never even think of going on a game show, what with my luck…..

      Reply
    128. 128.

      JPL

      May 19, 2023 at 6:59 pm

      @Citizen Alan: hahaha   That reminds me of the old song You don’t own me, except he does.   sorry

      Reply
    129. 129.

      NotMax

      May 19, 2023 at 7:00 pm

      Brewhaha.

      Ted Cruz says he’s opening an investigation into Bud Light Source

      Reply
    130. 130.

      Scout211

      May 19, 2023 at 7:00 pm

      Are you in the list?

      Moscow bans ‘500 Americans’ from Russia including CNN journalists

      CNN — 
      Former United States President Barack Obama, late night television host Stephen Colbert, and CNN’s Erin Burnett are some of the “500 Americans” Russia has banned from entering the country.

      Russia on Friday announced it was banning “500 Americans,” many prominent figures of US executive power, from entering the country “in a response to the regularly anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the Joe Biden administration,” according to a statement from Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

      The list includes Obama, former US Ambassador Jon Huntsman, several US senators and the next expected chairman of the joint chiefs Charles Q. Brown Jr.

      The rambling list of names also includes American late night TV hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Colbert, and Seth Meyers.

      Reply
    131. 131.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 7:00 pm

      @mrmoshpotato: oh, duh, got it!

      Reply
    132. 132.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 7:01 pm

      @JMG:

      The guy wrote the Chamber letter, or at least who signed it, used to be McCarthy’s Chief of Staff.

      Wow.  That says everything, doesn’t it?

      Reply
    133. 133.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 7:02 pm

      @Scout211: What browser do you use on your iPad?

      Reply
    134. 134.

      Ruckus

      May 19, 2023 at 7:03 pm

      @trollhattan:

      When Baud wears it?

      Reply
    135. 135.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 7:04 pm

      @Kay:

      A Metropolitan Police Department lieutenant who supervised the intelligence branch of the Washington, D.C., police was indicted this week, charged with tipping off former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio about a pending warrant for his arrest just ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

      I thought about adding that to this post as I was putting it together, so I’m glad you linked to it.

      The bolded part is the most appalling.  Even the leadership of a lot of these institutions is corrupt.

      Reply
    136. 136.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 7:04 pm

      @Burnspbesq:

      New York Times obituary (🎁): “Jim Brown, Football Great and Civil Rights Champion, Dies at 87.”

      Reply
    137. 137.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 7:05 pm

      @Steeplejack: … a near-recluse hillbilly in West Virginia.

      I beg to differ.  He’s northern panhandle!  Hillbilly indeed!

      Reply
    138. 138.

      Scout211

      May 19, 2023 at 7:05 pm

      @WaterGirl: Chrome for iPad.

      Reply
    139. 139.

      Ruckus

      May 19, 2023 at 7:07 pm

      @Roger Moore:

      I’d bet you know of the all electric Metro train system here in LA. I use it regularly and it is a lot cheaper than the gas for my car which gets 30-40+ mpg. Of course that’s not in traffic… And watching out the windows as we fly by the not so rush hour traffic is entertaining.

      Reply
    140. 140.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 7:14 pm

      @bbleh:

      We report, you decide.

      Reply
    141. 141.

      Dan B

      May 19, 2023 at 7:14 pm

      A “non profit” paid 15 unhoused men $100 each to pose as vets being displaced by refugees in upstate New York.  It went viral on many right wing media sites.  None have retracted the video.

      Reply
    142. 142.

      Matt McIrvin

      May 19, 2023 at 7:14 pm

      @lowtechcyclist: The thing about the move to WFH and the difficulty bosses have in ending it is, just before this happened, a lot of offices had moved to open-plan schemes without even enough room to give everyone a permanent spot to work, let alone a cubicle. It’s fine if it’s mostly a WFH situation and not everyone is there every day. But I don’t know what people expect if they want everyone to be in all the time.

      Reply
    143. 143.

      Matt McIrvin

      May 19, 2023 at 7:16 pm

      @Steeplejack: That’s another “I had no idea he was still alive” situation.

      Reply
    144. 144.

      Dan B

      May 19, 2023 at 7:17 pm

      @Ruckus: When I was last in LA we took the train from Pomona to downtown and the bus from downtown to LACMA.  It took more time to go the few miles to LACMA than Pomona to downtown.

      Reply
    145. 145.

      Dangerman

      May 19, 2023 at 7:18 pm

      Tim Scott has seen Blazing Saddles, right?

      Reply
    146. 146.

      narya

      May 19, 2023 at 7:21 pm

      Since it’s still a slow news day . . . a friend’s sister died over last weekend; she was in the middle of a second bout with cancer, and, even though her recent doctors’ visits were promising, she apparently just up and died, thereby skipping the slow lingering death. Anyway, I had never met her, but of course we wanted to support her brother, our friend, so we went to the service and then the luncheon. She was a lesbian, and much beloved, and the stories that were told at the luncheon made me wish even more that I had known her. And, here’s the bizarre part–one of her friends was someone I met in grad school, and was friends with, 35 years ago; I last saw her about five years ago, I think. Small, small world . . .

      Reply
    147. 147.

      David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

      May 19, 2023 at 7:31 pm

      #FindOutFriday
      – Teixeira ordered to be held without bail
      – Rudy’s lawyer quits civil case
      – Donald denied a reply in the GA DA case
      – DC officer indicted for tipping of Tarrio
      – GA DA narrows charging window
      – Alvin Bragg weighs new Weisselberg charges

      And it’s only 1:30 PT
      — Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) May 19, 2023​

      Reply
    148. 148.

      Ivan X

      May 19, 2023 at 7:32 pm

      @Dan B: I hate to be an insensitive idiot but can someone explain to me why unhoused is now the more thoughtful word? I’m not saying that it isn’t more thoughtful, but I want to understand why, since like many old persons, I find myself more resistant to change than I wish I were, and I find change easier if I know the why behind it.

      Reply
    149. 149.

      Scout211

      May 19, 2023 at 7:34 pm

      @Dan B: I posted that downstairs. The local State Assemblyman ran with that story and made many news appearances, pumping up the outrage.  Veterans vs immigrants! Outrage!

      His excuse? I wasn’t aware it was fake.  It’s like there is no checking the validity of these stories. Do they not have staff? If it serves their political purpose, they just run with it. Like so many other GOP politicians, they use the outrage to their political advantage and then claim ignorance or bad information when it’s found to be a lie. Grrrr.

      Reply
    150. 150.

      David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

      May 19, 2023 at 7:38 pm

      @Scout211: ​
       
      They must have got this blacklist from Dump.

      I watch Jimmy Kimmel every night. He rarely if ever talks about Russia. But Jimmy does cut Dump to pieces every chance he gets.

      Reply
    151. 151.

      Roger Moore

      May 19, 2023 at 7:41 pm

      @WaterGirl:

      The bolded part is the most appalling. Even the leadership of a lot of these institutions is corrupt.

      It also suggests another reason the police weren’t prepared for the attack on the capitol.  At least one person in charge of finding out that kind of information was on the wrong side.

      Reply
    152. 152.

      Elizabelle

      May 19, 2023 at 7:41 pm

      @Kay:  That story is huge.  There are likely many, many complicit in law enforcement, and we need to find them and remove them.

      Just looked in on The New York Post.  Its website would seem to have gone to DefCon 3: top stories are Prince Harry is a cheapskate, something about Hunter Biden’s baby mama, and Obama officials protected Hillary Clinton against any FBI investigation.  Plus, critics complain don’t be dissing Casey Desantis.  Oh, and Beyonce and Jay-Z just bought a really, truly expensive house.

      To their credit, they do have a story about newly indicted Lt. Shane Lamond, a lot of a ways down the website.  But it is there. You have to look for it.   It’s a very comprehensive AP story.  And the NY Post has it tagged under “white supremacists.”

      Of course, the BezosPost put the story in their “Metro” section, and that is an interesting choice.

      Reply
    153. 153.

      David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

      May 19, 2023 at 7:42 pm

       Biden to Name Air Force Chief to Top Military Post, Officials Say

      The appointment of Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. would mean that the top two Pentagon leadership positions would be inhabited by Black men for the first time in American history.

      Women piloting F-35s, Asians sweep Oscars, Blacks quarterbacks in the Super Bowl and now Blacks running the military – welcome to Biden’s America.

      It’s so hard being a straight, white male in this country.

      Reply
    154. 154.

      MomSense

      May 19, 2023 at 7:44 pm

      @Ivan X:

      I think the terminology is somewhat in flux.  There are several issues with homeless. It has a lot of baggage. The connotations around the word home are less pragmatic.  Home is also a feeling.   The pros of homeless are that the term is a legal one with respect to the UN definitions of human rights.

      The use of unhoused and unsheltered  is driven by activists who feel that it better expresses the reality of the situation.  The terms are more stark, more reality based.  We are literally trying to get bodies in safe shelter.

      Reply
    155. 155.

      Ken

      May 19, 2023 at 7:45 pm

      @Dan B: “You furnish the pictures, and I’ll furnish the war.” — William Randolph Hearst

      Reply
    156. 156.

      What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

      May 19, 2023 at 7:48 pm

      @trollhattan: My bike ride is great – the DC area and DC especially have done a wonderful job of adding bike infrastructure. Especially if I take the scenic route I can go almost door to door on paved multi-use trails. Even on the direct route I have bike lanes and trails for the majority of my commute. But I can’t do it 4-5 days a week without my legs giving out. Plus I have a somewhat senile MIL at home and a dog to walk. My wife’s in health care so she’s in the office 4 days a week so being home helps a lot.

      Reply
    157. 157.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 19, 2023 at 7:48 pm

      @JMG:

      sound very much like Republican reasons

      Why do you consider those “Republican” reasons? Market turmoil and a prolonged legal battle unsettling Wall St would be bad for the economy and workers’/retirees’ 401k/IRA balances

      Reply
    158. 158.

      Manyakitty

      May 19, 2023 at 7:49 pm

      @Citizen Alan: hey, same!!! Andrew Clyde (murder party, GA) said something about his wife having a vision that trump won. I asked if his religion called that witchcraft, and what they’re supposed to do with witches, and that I hoped he wouldn’t burn her at the stake. 🤷‍♀️

      Reply
    159. 159.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 7:49 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

      Agree.

      Reply
    160. 160.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 7:53 pm

      @Scout211:

      Former United States President Barack Obama, late night television host Stephen Colbert, and CNN’s Erin Burnett are some of the “500 Americans” Russia has banned from entering the country.

       

      Good. I love Obama but his habit of smoking pot in Gorky Park is just asking for trouble.

      Reply
    161. 161.

      Ksmiami

      May 19, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:

      Checks notes… Guess the ethnicity and gender of most corporate CEOs…

      Reply
    162. 162.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 7:55 pm

      @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:

      Women piloting F-35s, Asians sweep Oscars, Blacks quarterbacks in the Super Bowl and now Blacks running the military

      We didn’t start the fire
      It was always burning since the world’s been turning…

      Reply
    163. 163.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      May 19, 2023 at 7:58 pm

      Someone on here was talking about Hank Green (and his brother, writer John Green) the other day. Hank has been diagnosed with early stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Treatable but still cancer.

      Reply
    164. 164.

      UncleEbeneezer

      May 19, 2023 at 7:59 pm

      Why former Trump Org executive Allen Weisselberg could face perjury charges
      The Manhattan district attorney won’t comment, but filings in the New York attorney general’s civil case may reveal the gist of Weisselberg’s potential problem.

      Reply
    165. 165.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 8:00 pm

      @Baud: That’s all fine, but my concern is letting Air Force people get the top job.  They are even nuttier than sailors.

      Reply
    166. 166.

      Jay

      May 19, 2023 at 8:00 pm

      @Ivan X:

      unhoused people have “homes”, they are not “homeless”, it’s just that their “home” might be a car, a van, an old camper, a tent, a tarp, a particular park bench, a shopping cart.

      while the general perception of the unhoused is that they are drug addled “crazy” people, most actually work and earn income. They just don’t earn enough income to afford rent, or have personal histories that make them unattractive to landlords.

      So, “homeless” has become a pejorative and unhoused has become the preferred term because it more clearly represents the problem. Here we just had a new record set. The cheapest 2 bedroom apartment in the Lower Rainland lists for $2800 a month, no utilities included.

      Reply
    167. 167.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 19, 2023 at 8:02 pm

      @Baud:

      That being said, to add to my thoughts, never say never. I hope it’s just loose talk by WH aides to reporters

      The GOP negotiator walking out does not bode well imo. I hope it’s just theatrics

      Reply
    168. 168.

      kalakal

      May 19, 2023 at 8:02 pm

      I have just seen the most convincing, and indeed eloquent, argument for Brexit ever! Huzzah! I am now a convert. /S x 1 zillion

      seriously watch the video clip, you’ll never see a better demonstration of someone clinging to a delusion in the face of all the evidence*

      Brexit Benefits

      * New Zealand produce has always been available in UK shops

      Reply
    169. 169.

      Sister Golden Bear

      May 19, 2023 at 8:03 pm

      Nevermind, I misread the article.

      Reply
    170. 170.

      Baud

      May 19, 2023 at 8:04 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

      We’ll see.

      Reply
    171. 171.

      Elizabelle

      May 19, 2023 at 8:05 pm

      @Sister Golden Bear:

      As a show MC …

      You are multi-talented!  Agree re Biden’s approach.

      Reply
    172. 172.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 8:06 pm

      @kalakal: ​
        I am assuming it was lamb. Because lamb is hard to come by in England.

      Reply
    173. 173.

      japa21

      May 19, 2023 at 8:08 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Only people with an artillery background are truly qualified.

      Reply
    174. 174.

      kalakal

      May 19, 2023 at 8:08 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: Yep, nary a sheep to be found the length & breadth of the country

      Reply
    175. 175.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 8:09 pm

      @Ivan X: To me, unhoused is too close to unclean, and that conjures up images that are not helpful.

      But I am not on the naming committee.  For anything!

      Reply
    176. 176.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 8:11 pm

      @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:

      There is very little daylight between Russians and Republicans these days, as the saying goes.

      Reply
    177. 177.

      WaterGirl

      May 19, 2023 at 8:12 pm

      @Roger Moore: Yep.  Finding out or passing it on.  (Or failing to pass it on.)

      Reply
    178. 178.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 8:13 pm

      @japa21: I am not that parochial.  Of course, artillery is the king of battle for a reason.

      Reply
    179. 179.

      David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

      May 19, 2023 at 8:15 pm

       Former United States President Barack Obama, late night television host Stephen Colbert, and CNN’s Erin Burnett are some of the “500 Americans” Russia has banned from entering the country.

      They also banned Cocaine Bear which is really over the line(s)

      Reply
    180. 180.

      Roger Moore

      May 19, 2023 at 8:17 pm

      @Ruckus:

      I’d bet you know of the all electric Metro train system here in LA.

      The Gold L (soon to be A) Line has been my primary mode of commuting since 2016.  I’m generally going against the main flow of traffic, so it isn’t much of a time saver for me personally, but I still like it.

      One of the big things I’ve noticed since I started taking the train regularly is all the inconvenient parts of driving.  People talk about how it takes you point to point rather than having to go out of your way, but that’s only true if we devote a disproportionate share of our space to parking.  If you try driving to some place that prioritizes people and the stuff they want to do over parking, it turns out cars are pretty inconvenient.  And then there’s the time (and money) you devote to filling up on gas, getting regular service and repairs, smog checks, shopping for a new car, etc.

      Reply
    181. 181.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 8:18 pm

      @kalakal: ​
        When I first flew into Gatwick in 1984, the fuzzy little fuckers were grazing within yards of the runways. I suppose EU regulations did away with them. That, or it was the professionalization of Rugby Union. Damned spivs these days, may as well be footie players.

      Reply
    182. 182.

      David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

      May 19, 2023 at 8:19 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus: ​
        Admiral Ackbar removed himself from consideration fearing the promotion would be a trap

      Reply
    183. 183.

      kalakal

      May 19, 2023 at 8:21 pm

      @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:

      Former United States President Barack Obama, late night television host Stephen Colbert, and CNN’s Erin Burnett are some of the “500 Americans” Russia has banned from entering the country.

      That’s got to hurt the MAGAs, Putin refutes ‘birther’ conspiracy

      Reply
    184. 184.

      Jay

      May 19, 2023 at 8:21 pm

      @WaterGirl:

      probably it’s a mindset. In places where there is a lot of affordable housing, there isn’t that problem. Study after study, program after program has shown that if the “unhoused/homeless” are given safe, affordable shelter, the majority never have that issue anymore.

      There was a trial in Winterpeg, and the Lower Rainland, where instead of putting people on “welfare”, ($860 a month), they were given $10k in cash, no strings attached. 6 months later, between 86% and 94% were housed, employed, and had money in the bank.

      I spent 6 months job hunting from where ever I could get free WiFi, because we had no cell service, no data plan, and had to tell potential employers up front, that while I had a phone number, I could not do phone interviews, because I had no phone service.

      Reply
    185. 185.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 8:22 pm

      @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: ​
        Smart fish(?).

      Reply
    186. 186.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 8:25 pm

      @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: that perks me right up. Thank you!

      Reply
    187. 187.

      Sister Golden Bear

      May 19, 2023 at 8:27 pm

      @Elizabelle: I’ve been more of a performer, though MCing is fun too. And I got a great story out of one MCing gig.

      A friend of mine asked me to MC a burlesque show at an AA event, which I was eager to do because it was one of my first MCing gigs. I just needed to 86 the booze jokes and substitute AA-related jokes (asking my friends who were in the program for suggestions). She mentioned it was at one of the airports near SFO, which was a little weird, but whatever.

      Night of the gig, I get to the hotel and it’s swarming with young adults and teens Turns out it was the All California Young People’s AA Conference, and they’d booked the entire hotel.

      Go to the green room and ask how large an audience she was expecting. Oh, 600-700 people. The largest show I’d MC’d previously had an audience of a few dozen people, OMG, I need a drink. And I can’t, because I’m at an AA conference.

      Then I find out she had an 18-performer line-up, which is extremely long show, and with burlesque shows there’s more time needed to fill between acts while the stage kittens clean up the stripper droppings. And now I’m not sure I have enough material. OMG, I really need a drink. And I can’t because I’m at an AA conference.

      Then a minor crisis erupts — no one had thought about the fact that there were kids under 18 attending the conference, and we couldn’t check IDs to get into the ballroom where the show was being held (because it was an AA event). So there’s a debate about whether we should try to make the show PG-rated. Which would put a bunch my already short material off-limits. OMG, I really fucking need a drink. And I fucking can’t because I’m at a fucking AA conference.

      Fortunately, they ended deciding instead to have a pre-show announcement that anyone under 18 had to go do something else. Thankfully it ended up being a great audience — being pumped up on coffee and Red Bull made them an energetic room. Although we did have to call on the SFO air traffic controllers to land a couple people were so wired they were buzzing around the ceiling.

      Reply
    188. 188.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 8:33 pm

      @JMG: @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): the kind of economic sh!tstorm that would ensue from a default would be catastrophic, and of course middle-class Americans would take it in the neck because who else?  (Got a job vulnerable to layoffs?  Ruh-roh. Have a retirement account that’s in anything except cash or money market?  Ruh-roh…)

      Even a near-default would cause a lot of turmoil in financial markets, especially stock markets, and the history of the 19th century, not to mention 1929, makes it very clear that something that starts there does not necessarily stay there.

      And politically — unfortunately — it would be a disaster for Biden imo.  Like it or not, people (unfairly) credit or blame the President for prevailing economic conditions, despite his/her extremely limited ability to influence them.  And in this case, he would be more involved than in, say, the average recession, and recessions have been a major anchor on re-election prospects since forever.

      Reply
    189. 189.

      bbleh

      May 19, 2023 at 8:34 pm

      @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch: @Baud: Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!

      Reply
    190. 190.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 8:49 pm

      @Matt McIrvin:

      Have to admit I was mildly taken aback myself.

      Reply
    191. 191.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 8:54 pm

      Also RIP: “Andy Rourke, Bassist for the Smiths, Dies at 59.” (🎁)

      Reply
    192. 192.

      Omnes Omnibus

      May 19, 2023 at 8:56 pm

      @Steeplejack: ​
        That one kind freaked me out.

      Reply
    193. 193.

      El Muneco

      May 19, 2023 at 8:57 pm

      @Redshift: As I have a habit of putting it, “The T-Shirt doesn’t say ‘F my feelings’!”

      Reply
    194. 194.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 9:01 pm

      @Steeplejack:

      The Smiths, “This Night Has Opened My Eyes.”

      Reply
    195. 195.

      Steeplejack

      May 19, 2023 at 9:03 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      It gets your attention when people your own age start going out—no matter how old you are.

      Reply
    196. 196.

      glc

      May 19, 2023 at 9:39 pm

      @WaterGirl:

      Like Scout 211, and also on Mac.

      The posts at BJ look fine but if I try to follow on to the original on Twitter (or really, to get to the linked document) I get a note from them about clearing my cookies. Which I did not look into – I take this more as a “Do you really need to see Twitter?” comment, and just go away.

      It’s fine as far as I’m concerned. Twitter is breaking its own internal systems and no doubt plans to break some more, so this seems like a natural development. If the links work for people with accounts on Twitter, I would ignore the issue.

      Reply
    197. 197.

      CaseyL

      May 19, 2023 at 9:48 pm

      @Dorothy A. Winsor: That was me, and I saw the news.  Also saw Hank’s vlog where he talks about it.  I’ll keep an eye on his treatment progress.

      Reply
    198. 198.

      James E Powell

      May 19, 2023 at 10:19 pm

      @Omnes Omnibus:

      For the great majority of my trial attorney career, I did not take work home. I really needed the separation or it would have been my whole life.

      Reply
    199. 199.

      Another Scott

      May 19, 2023 at 10:40 pm

      @glc: I had that Twitter issue a week or few ago.  I brushed off the “clear your Twitter cookies” comment, but that actually fixed it for me.  (Winders with Chrome.)

      Alternatively, you could try a different browser and see if that works.

      Good luck!

      Cheers,
      Scott.

      Reply
    200. 200.

      glc

      May 19, 2023 at 10:54 pm

      @Another Scott: Thanks. I might try that if I become unhappy with the way things are.

      Reply
    201. 201.

      NotMax

      May 20, 2023 at 3:53 am

      @Omnes Omnibus

      Because lamb is hard to come by in England.

      More lamb = less mutton.
      Q.E.D.
      ;)

      Reply

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