Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

“Let’s not pretend [Trump] wants to engage in high-minded discourse.”

It’s a doggy dog world.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

with the Kraken taking a plea, the Cheese stands alone.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Everyone is in a bubble, but some bubbles model reality far better than others!

The Giant Orange Man Baby is having a bad day.

There is one struggling party in US right now, and it’s not the Democrats.

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

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

The gop couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

The problem people have with Biden’s age is the color of the VPs skin.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

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Reader Interactions

252Comments

  5. 5.

    OzarkHillbilly

    My wife got to sleep in this morning. After getting up, she went into the kitchen to make her breakfast and Percy followed her in. Started up with his usual “I want a treat.” whimper and the next thing we knew Billie was in there jumping all over my wife practically howling for a treat.

    As usual, my wife surrendered.

  7. 7.

    Ella in New Mexico

    Seriously, this eerily could also describe the Always Trumpers only the “treats” are donations to one of his grifting PACs

  16. 16.

    JoyceH

    @Baud: I’m starting to buy into Elie Mistal’s theory about Pat Robertson’s death closing the hellmouth.

  17. 17.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Baud: Hmmm…  A housecleaning?  Not being domestically-minded, it would never have occurred to me.

  20. 20.

    trollhattan

    @Omnes Omnibus: ​Good. He killed two here and was the reason we could no longer park in front of the airport terminal.

    During his trial the shrinkwrapped Montana cabin was visible from the road, inside the Mather Field fence.

    ETA, the week of welcome news continues into the weekend.

  27. 27.

    kalakal

    Operation Monarch Plan B seems to be going well.

    The Mrs and I love butterflies and amongst other plants have a lot of milkweed for Monarchs. A few weeks ago we had a lot of happy fat caterpillars and a few crysalids when a disaster struck in the shape of paper wasps who wiped them out in an afternoon.

    Plan B was to wait till the next set of caterpillars appeared and concoct a mad arrangement of mosquito netting held up by assorted garden chairs over the milkweed.

    As of today have 15 healthy looking crysalids waiting to pop 😄

  32. 32.

    Jackie

    Just heard on MSNBC that federal charges require surrendering one’s passport during arraignment.

    I wonder if an exception will be made for TIFG. I hope NOT!

  33. 33.

    Another Scott

    Trying to get motivated to start on chores, but it’s tough.

    I just finished listening to the free half-hour of Popehat/Barro’s Serious Trouble podcast. I was a bit disappointed.

    Barro said that something like (roughly) “TFG boxed up papers that he wanted to keep and left the White House and didn’t cooperate with the normal process of working with the Archives to make sure everything classified was returned.”

    No, that’s not how it works. The classified stuff is supposed to be logged and cataloged and returned before noon January 20 when his right to have access to them ends. A minute after noon, he was breaking the rules and the laws if he had anything classified in his control.

    Popehat was fine.

    I’m, personally, still not seeing the appeal of podcasts – it doesn’t seem to work for me (I read faster, and need to concentrate to absorb stuff, and if I want background noise I’d probably prefer music in most cases).

    YMMV.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  38. 38.

    smith

    @Alison Rose: I saw somewhere that for this arraignment, there will be mugshots. Those are the photos I want to see (and I’m sure someone will leak them).

  39. 39.

    Kirk

    @Baud: My brother and daughter both listen to a large number of podcasts. Their method is to use it when they are not able to read but don’t want to put on music. So it’s what they listen to while they drive or when they’re doing tasks that don’t require their whole attention.

  43. 43.

    Baud

    @Kirk:

    I have only samples a few podcasts, but I find something off about the speaking style.

    I can do audiobooks more easily.

  48. 48.

    Ken

    @Alison Rose: The Smoking Gun‘s collection suggests the police take the picture with whatever makeup and clothes you are, or aren’t, wearing. There’s shots in there where people have been huffing spray paint and still have it all over their faces, or are wearing T-shirts with decidedly NSFW words and pictures.

  52. 52.

    Alison Rose

    @eclare: I’ve tried with so many, but usually either it’s just too long (I don’t need to listen to people babbling for an hour 45) or if it’s two or more people together, they get off on tangents that don’t mean shit to anyone but them and it feels more like listening in on the conversation at the table next to you in the cafe.

    There have been a few that I’ve enjoyed and they’re usually very topic-specific, like a couple of bookish ones from BookRiot or one about ancient literature and society called That’s Ancient History (A++ title). But yeah, usually when I’ve tried, I listen to maybe two episodes and I’m like…nah.

  53. 53.

    JoyceH

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: ​
     

    I published my most recent book in, ulp, 2019. So… yeah. I used to say I’d keep writing the Mary Bennet books as long as people kept reading them, but – I just can’t get going.

  54. 54.

    WaterGirl

    @Another Scott: I still love podcasts – I spend too much of my day at the computer as it is, so I love that I can listen in bed at night with my eyes closed.

    Last night I, too, listened to Josh and Popehat, and I was pissed at something Popehat said that felt like a republican talking point.

    And he said the case was assigned to Cannon because her name was on the document.  But the other judge’s name was also on the document – the one who approved the search warrant.

    I was glad at that point that i had already cancelled my $6 a month paid subscription.  MUCH better info from Andrew Weissman and Mary McCord, which I listened to next.

  57. 57.

    Alison Rose

    @Ken: True. It would just be extra fun to embarrass him by letting the world see what he actually looks like. There was one leaked photo a while back where he appeared to not have makeup on and it was a little yikes. I mean, I haven’t put a speck of makeup on my face since the pandemic started, but before that I always wore it. I never thought women should be expected to and there is nothing wrong with your face just being your face…but like, in his case, I kinda understood why he slapped that stuff on.

  59. 59.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Josie: If that’s where you are, maybe just let yourself daydream about your character. I keep a notebook for each book I write where I jot down ideas. I also often record how I feel at the start of every writing session because it helps me to remember that I felt that way last time too and made it through.

  63. 63.

    JAFD

    Happy Portugal Day from the capital of Lusophone North America !

    Podcasts – There are a bunch I’d be interested in, but (a) I can read faster than I can listen,  (b) need to concentrate on listening to get anything out of them, get distracted if doing something else,  (c) my hearing not what it was, picking out faint voices or unusual accents hard.  Darn

  66. 66.

    Rebel’s Dad

    @Baud: A modern-day Hercules cleaning out the Augean Stables, in anticipation of the impending mountain of bullsht to come.

  70. 70.

    raven

    @frosty: I listen to audible books while I workout in the pool. I just finished “Twilight of the Gods” about the last year of the Pacific war and it was 34 hours long

     

    I’m having trouble reading and writing since I started taking gabenpentin over a year ago. I’m sleeping better than I have in years so I guess I’ll just keep taking it.

  74. 74.

    Ken

    @AWOL: a one-way trip to Elba.

    Italy might view that as an act of war. The U.S. has several remote islands.  We could stick him on Baker or Howland just so there’s someone living in the UTC-12 time zone.

    Unfortunately neither is good for “Able was I ere I saw Elba” style acronyms. I wonder if we could petition for one of them to be renamed “Murt”.

  75. 75.

    tomtofa

    @Alison Rose: Anything as long as they don’t take it from chest/stomach height angled up toward his towering, majestic face, as so many of his photos are.

  76. 76.

    WaterGirl

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I don’t know about the pandemic, but I definitely agree on the back brain processing thing.

    A loss like that is like an injury to our souls and it takes a lot longer to heal than we might hope.

  77. 77.

    Karen S.

    That cartoon is great. I needed a laugh.

    My mother died over a year ago, and my 95-year-old dad had begun slipping into dementia before her death. It was manageable, more or less. We got live-in caregivers for him so he could stay in his own home for as long as possible. He did okay. I talked to my brother, who flew in to visit him for a couple of weeks, this morning and he told me that Dad is convinced that Mom died “yesterday.” It doesn’t matter what day it is, when he wakes up in the morning, he insists that Mom died “yesterday.” There’s nothing my brother can say to him to convince him otherwise. This has started happening recently, although he’s never said that to me when I visit him. My wife and I see him at least twice a week. My brother and I have decided rather than try to persuade that Mom didn’t die “yesterday” to just go along with him. So when he asks about making funeral arrangements, we’ll say, “Don’t worry. We’re on it. We’ve called the funeral home.” My brother used some version of that today and that seemed to make Dad happy.

    My wife and I toured a handful of memory care facilities earlier this year. We liked a couple of them. Next week, I’m going to call them and see how soon we can move my Dad in. In addition to him being stuck on when Mom died, he has started to wander. He still recognizes me, my wife, and my brother, but it’s probably only a matter of time before that’s no longer the case. We don’t have the capacity to take care of him anymore. It makes me so sad. He’s such a proud and stubborn man who achieved so much in his life. He grew up in a small Missouri town on the Mississippi during Jim Crow. He’s told me stories of picking cotton to earn money and some of what it was like to be Black during that time and in that place. With some good fortune, ambition, intelligence, and hard work, he became a PhD chemist during a time when Black men weren’t expected to get that far in life.

    My brother urged to me to do something nice for myself today, so I will.

  81. 81.

    Alison Rose

    @Karen S.: It’s definitely better to just go along with things they believe, especially if there’s no harm done by them believing it. In my Dad’s final months, his dementia got worse, and my Mom very quickly realized that it wasn’t worth the stress and upset it caused him for her to try to convince him he wasn’t right about something minor, like thinking his friend Peter was coming over or talking about having gone to a baseball game. They won’t remember the correction in short order, and it just leads to so much unnecessary difficulty.

    It’s an awful thing to cope with, though, and I’m sorry your family are having to do so. <3

  83. 83.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: There is a part of me that wants the government to leave him with it, fuel up his plane, and turn its back for an hour or so.  “What?!  He flew to Saudi?  Golly.”

  89. 89.

    Alison Rose

    Okay, I did not know this about Jack Smith and now I like him even more. What a badass.

    But Smith is not likely to be cowed. The guy’s tenacious. In an interview a few years ago, Smith discussed his passion for Ironman competitions. He talked about the time he got hit by a truck while riding his bike and fractured his pelvis. He was back doing a triathlon 10 weeks later.

  93. 93.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: Hahaha.

    Pretty sure Trump is not going to like this prosecutor!

    edit: By comparison, he may make tough prosecutors like Fani and Alvin look like the nice little lady that helps him across the street.

  95. 95.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @JoyceH:

    I used to say I’d keep writing the Mary Bennet books as long as people kept reading them, but – I just can’t get going.

    Write a side book.  For fun.  Grab an idea that sounds entertaining to write.  I don’t know what that is for you.  It will replenish you for your main series.

  96. 96.

    raven

    OK, the most important, thrilling incredible soccer game EVAH (at least this week) is up!

  102. 102.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @Another Scott: I have a vague recollection [quick Google search, ah yes] “what do you get when you cross Lee Iacocca with Count Dracula?”

  103. 103.

    trollhattan

    This movie script just wrote itself.

    Four children have been found alive after surviving a plane crash and spending weeks fending for themselves in Colombia’s Amazon jungle. Colombia’s president said the rescue of the siblings, aged 13, nine, four and one, was “a joy for the whole country”.

    The children’s mother and two pilots were killed when their light aircraft crashed in the jungle on 1 May.
    The missing children became the focus of a huge rescue operation involving dozens of soldiers and local people. President Gustavo Petro said finding the group was a “magical day”, adding: “They were alone, they themselves achieved an example of total survival which will remain in history.”

    The children belong to the Huitoto indigenous group. Mr Petro shared a photograph of several members of the military and Indigenous community caring for the siblings, who had been missing for 40 days.

    The Cessna 206 aircraft the children and their mother had been travelling on before the crash was flying from Araracuara, in Amazonas province, to San José del Guaviare, when it issued a mayday alert due to engine failure. The bodies of the three adults were found at the crash site by the army, but it appeared that the children had escaped the wreckage and wandered into the rainforest to find help.

    A massive search began and in May, rescuers recovered items left behind by the children, including a child’s drinking bottle, a pair of scissors, a hair tie and a makeshift shelter. Small footprints were also discovered, which led search teams to believe the children were still alive in the rainforest, which is home to jaguars, snakes and other predators.

    Members of the children’s community hoped that their knowledge of fruits and jungle survival skills would give them a better chance of remaining alive. Indigenous people joined the search and helicopters broadcast a message from the children’s grandmother, recorded in the Huitoto language, urging them to stop moving to make them easier to locate.

    After they were found, their grandfather, Fidencio Valencia, called on the authorities to allow the children to be moved closer to their family in Villavicencio, roughly 130km (80 miles) from Bogota.

  105. 105.

    Brachiator

    @Another Scott:

    I’m, personally, still not seeing the appeal of podcasts – it doesn’t seem to work for me (I read faster, and need to concentrate to absorb stuff, and if I want background noise I’d probably prefer music in most cases).

    I love podcasts. Of course, some are NPR programs, but the point is that I can listen to them when I want, not when they are scheduled.

    I used to have a very long commute on trains and buses without Wi Fi. Downloads of podcasts were lifesavers.

    But I also used to listen to the radio during long drives. Podcasts feed the habit.

    ETA. I see that some auto companies are trying to eliminate car radios. This would be a huge cultural shift. I may take a look later, but I wonder if home radio sales have been declining.

    Also, especially with respect to economic issues, I supplement podcasts like Marketplace and the Indicator with lots of reading.

  106. 106.

    Brachiator

    @trollhattan:

    Four children have been found alive after surviving a plane crash and spending weeks fending for themselves in Colombia’s Amazon jungle. Colombia’s president said the rescue of the siblings, aged 13, nine, four and one, was “a joy for the whole country”.

    I saw this story recently. An absolutely amazing story. It is heartbreaking that the adults were killed, but I am astounded to read about how the children survived. And the youngest was a one year old!

    And you’re right. The movie writes itself.

  107. 107.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Was curious to see if Sarah Kendzior had responded to the recent Trump classified documents indictment, and she hasn’t directly commented on it, only retweeted her own tweets from last August, including a post promoting her new book, “They Knew”. Here’s a some of the tweets:

    Sarah Kendzior

    @sarahkendzior

    Aug 10, 2022

    The most dangerous thing anyone can do is make this situation *only* about Trump and ignore both the broader criminal apparatus holding him up and the institutional complicity and rot that let him in.

     

    Sarah Kendzior

    @sarahkendzior

    Aug 10, 2022

    Wondering if we’re seeing real accountability? Ask yourself these questions:

    1) Have these people been prevented from doing further harm?

    2) Are officials committed to revealing the full truth?

    3) Could the action be used as a vehicle to cover up greater national security crimes?

    She’s got nothing and she knows it. She’s just as much a grifter as those she accuses of grifting imo

    ETA:

    Also too, from the description for the June 9th Gaslit Nation podcast hosted by Kendzior and Chalupa, that was recorded on June 8th. Just can’t help themselves:

    Did you celebrate the long awaited federal indictment of Trump? That’s perfectly fine to do, even if history has shown Trump has gotten away with decades of corruption, and our legal system favors the rich. At the very least, Trump may be knocked out of the presidential race with the help of the indictments, and they’re reportedly throwing him into a rage. But the long term outlook requires caution.

  108. 108.

    Soprano2

    @Baud: I love podcasts. I listen to them while I’m at work, in the car and cleaning house. I get to hear things I never would otherwise. I’m loving the “Maintenance Phase” podcast. The only downside I’ve found is that some people doing them have voices made for writing (looking at you, Danielle Moody and Molly Jong-Fast). There’s a reason people who want to be on the radio and TV get voice training.

  110. 110.

    Ruckus

    I just got an email from Ken White, The Popehat Report called “Jack Smith, Donald Trump, and the Kobayashi Maru.”

    I’m suggesting that it is a very good thing to read. A very well laid out discussion/lawyerly concept that he lays out, that is very timely.

  111. 111.

    narya

    @WaterGirl: There was a much longer convo for paid subscribers, in which more horrifying information was provided: Cannon could impanel a jury and then instruct them to acquit, and that would be the end of it. It could not be relitigated (double jeopardy); nor could it be reviewed.  Ken also made an impassioned speech for Jack going ahead with the case anyway–putting forth his strongest case, in the appropriate venue. He also sent an email that provided more information on that, from the Principles of Federal Prosecution in the US Attorneys’ Manual. I realize I am more of a Popehat fan than many here . . .

  114. 114.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Suzanne: Yeah it’s totally apples and oranges.  For ingesting a linear story I much prefer reading books or long articles, but I love podcasts that just have good, funny, knowledgable people talking about various subjects.  Whether it’s former prosecutors doing real deep dives on the legal issues re: Trump (LegalAF, Jack Podcast, Talking Feds etc.) or comedians just yucking it up over news, pop culture, reviewing films etc.  When you get good chemistry among the participants they can go 2-3 hours easy without it ever getting stale.

  115. 115.

    Another Scott

    @Ruckus: Thanks for the pointer. Linky.

    A quick skim through it – Popehat seems to be ignoring the fact that this is a classified documents case. That really does change everything. The US Government has no choice – none – but to prosecute this blatant and unrepentant stealing classified documents. Not doing so would break the whole system.

    Yes, he’s a lawyer (and apparently a good one), but he’s missing a huge part of the picture, IMHO.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  120. 120.

    Chris Johnson

    Vaush dropped a video that was delightful :)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPM_nmA2pjI

    He’s hammering home to his largely very young audience the sheer, unimaginable severity of what this indictment means. His video title is, in all caps, ‘IT’S JOEVER FOR TRUMP’ and he does a really good and thorough job of explaining just why that is to a lot of naive people who have no reason to assume all this means anything. Vaush is a really good reality check here. Apparently they figure this trial is only going to last a month even knowing Trumpworld’s obstructive tendencies. They have so much of this literally on video and with extensive documentation of every sort. It is unthinkably more trouble than Trump has ever been in, and Vaush adds that in his opinion Trump will never be President again no matter what else happens, because the administrative state will literally never work with him again even if he was ‘elected’ in some fantasy world: even if you completely destroyed elections and put him in against all reality, he’d face complete stonewalling now that the administrative state has seen what he has done.

    If you need hopium that is practical and sensible, this is a good video.

  121. 121.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @narya:

    Did he mention that the prosecutors can request a new judge given Cannon’s history? There was a tweet by a lawyer that was posted here mentioning it

  124. 124.

    🐾BillinGlendaleCA

    My trash can died, it is one of those with a sensor to open and close and stopped doing the open/close thing.  So I ordered a new one from the Home of the Orange Apron and picked it up yesterday at the beginning of my dinner break from my duties at said Home.  I unpacked it early this morning, big ass dent in the side like one of the delivery folk(I’m looking at you Padilla) ran into it with a fucking forklift(or reach).  I will be returning it and ordering a new one.

    ETA: I should probably do that when the Service Desk Lead or DH is there, I think they’re the only folk who know how to re-order stuff.

  128. 128.

    narya

    As for podcasts: I like music when I run, but I have a pretty small playlist (that might change when I subscribe to Apple Music soon), and the music helps pace me. I started experimenting with podcasts when I walk (usually about two-hour walks), and I’ve found 8 or 10 that I like. I’ve also tried a few that I simply hated, and a few that meandered way too much. While I’ve listened to a couple of audiobooks, that really didn’t do it for me. I find them to be useful for getting up to speed or doing a deep dive on something, where the interplay among the hosts adds nuance. I was surprised, tbh, how much I’ve liked the addition of podcasts to my listening habits.

  132. 132.

    Chris Johnson

    @Another Scott: It’s not even just a classified documents case. It’s literally an espionage act case. A bunch of this stuff, apparently it would make NO difference whether it was classified or declassified, it’s still defense information that Trump does not have license to hide from the feds and his OWN LAWYERS in conspiracies with confederates.

    Some of this is about how knowingly he has lied and concealed what he’s doing and the extent of what he’s doing, and that’s what they’ve got video of him doing. It’s all consistent with him intentionally taking it to feed to Putin (or, fine, if there is a more likely candidate, you can believe he’s feeding the Saudis or whoever). Who he’s conducting espionage for may be not public yet, but this indictment is a picture of a guy conducting espionage of the most sensitive info chosen for its potential to damage, on purpose, in full awareness that he’s spying.

    And again, this indictment is him charged under the Espionage Act. Not ‘misclassifying’.

  133. 133.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: All federal cases are assigned to both a district judge and a magistrate judge.  The magistrate judge handles a lot of the procedural disputes and such before trial.  Any decisions made by the MJ can be overridden by the DJ.

  135. 135.

    narya

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Yes, but they also thought that might not be a good strategy or a successful one. I have absolutely no doubt that Jack thought this through and has multiple plans for multiple contingencies. I thought the indictment itself was masterful (I am NOT a lawyer!), but Cannon is absolutely an unprincipled hack. Personally, I want to see more indictments–I think that would mitigate the hackery.

  137. 137.

    ARoomWithAMoose

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Maybe the Federal Circuit there assigned Cannon as a bit of jui-jitsu, the prosecutor can pretty much immediately ask for a new judge to be assigned based on that judge’s previous deferential history WRT to TFG (nominated by TFG, heard and granted the appeal for a special master assignment for evidence review which was outside of the jurisdiction of that circuit, it needed to go through the DC circuit), and if replaced she’ll need to recuse herself from any en banc reviews in that circuit of the various stonewalling appeals TFG lawyers will file in this case.

  138. 138.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @narya: ​
      Popehat is pretty knowledgeable, but so is Jack Smith. And Smith is the one with the intimate knowledge of the case.

  140. 140.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @narya:

    Did they say why? She’s clearly a hack. Her conduct last year and her smackdown by the 11th Circuit afterwards is clear evidence of this

  141. 141.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @ARoomWithAMoose: She wouldn’t be a part of any review.  She is a trial not an appellate judge.

    People really need to stop overthinking this.  But now I am shouting into the wind.

  143. 143.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus:  Thanks for that information.

    Cannon is a magistrate judge. Judge Reinhart (sp?) who approved the search warrant also seems to be a magistrate judge.

    So were both names put on the indictment because either one of them could be tapped for the procedural stuff?  Will just one of them be assigned to the case?

    Does the district judge appear to be a reasonable person or a hack?

    Could either Cannon or Reinhart be the presiding judge for this case?

  144. 144.

    schrodingers_cat

    I prefer video podcasts that are shorter less than half an hour. While driving I prefer music or silence or conversation if not alone. There is a podcast on Indian history (mostly recent history and the history of the freedom struggle) that I watch regularly. A lot books on Indian history are simply unavailable here. Especially true of books that are not in English.

    There is lucrative industry preying on the fears of Democrats. Josh Barro is a Republican hack.

  146. 146.

    VeniceRiley

    Go MAN CITY. Nail-biting the 2nd half. Inter falls in agony if you brush by their shirt. As an American female, I detest that. Plus, my wife has supported City for decades through the lower league bad times.

  149. 149.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Thanks for the information

    ETA:

    So in other words, she couldn’t just empanel a jury and instruct them to acquit? The district judge, Reinhardt would overrule it 

    ETA2: So wait, if she’s the district judge, she could overrule the procedural decisions made by Reinhardt, the magistrate judge, to fuck with the case?

    @Baud:

    It may sound silly, but sometimes I do feel old. I realize that 40 (which isn’t old by any means, but it’s not 20 either) is closer than it used to be. It’s only 12 years away

  152. 152.

    Another Scott

    @narya: I think Fake Jack Smith (7veritas4) kinda insinuated that there could be more indictments related to this (but of course I cannot find it at the moment; maybe it was someone else).  There were so many documents that it sure seems possible (IANAL) that the DoJ could file new ones if Cannon somehow blows-up this prosecution.

    (Infamous cases always seem to draw the 0.1% chance edge cases arguments out of the woodwork.  Even hack judges don’t like to be slapped down on appeal, and if it were so easy to foil prosecution attempts we would hear about examples of them…)

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  157. 157.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: There are lots of things that could happen that would keep Cannon from being judge for the actual trial.  Some are more likely than others.  I don’t have the bandwidth to do an explainer.  I think I am going to go shopping for a Father’s Day gift for my dad.

    Deep breaths everyone.

  161. 161.

    raven

    @Omnes Omnibus: Joyce Vance explained what you are saying but the MSNBC posse kept beating the drum that it was curtains because she was going to be the judge. I side with you and Vance since you actually know of what you speak.

    eta

    I’m surprised that the University of Alabama lets her be as outspoken as she is on MSNBC.

  163. 163.

    Chris Johnson

    I don’t believe for one second that Judge Cannon has not been planned for. I don’t know whether she’s going to be compelled to act against Trump to save her own ass, or whether she’s going to be booted to the curb, but there is no way she’s gonna be the Hail Mary pass here. No way. No way she’s gonna bail him out this time.

  165. 165.

    zhena gogolia

    @Chris Johnson: I am with you on this, and on the idea that somehow there’s some innocent explanation for TFG’s keeping these documents. It has nothing to do with his vanity, or Milley, or any of that. It has to do with his relationship to Putler.

  166. 166.

    Jackie

    @trollhattan: It was on the news a lot the first weeks after the plane crash – then nothing. I was so thrilled they were ALL FOUND ALIVE! A one year old baby… Miracles DO happen!

  168. 168.

    different-church-lady

    @Jackie: ​
      TRUMP: “It’s in one of the boxes. NO, I DON’T KNOW WHICH FUCKING BOX IT’S IN!”

  169. 169.

    Chris Johnson

    @zhena gogolia: Yup. Upthread I went on a tear about it. I’m speculating, intuiting, and I do not have proof, but I am absolutely convinced this is straight up espionage and he’s Putin’s guy, has been since the 80s. And that makes it all more complicated yet weirdly simple.

    It’s nothing to do with carelessness, or Trump’s ego. None of it is arbitrary, or even him selling secrets to the highest bidder. Anything to do with the Saudis is him or Kushner trying to be sneaky and being weasels, but he’s Putin’s property, as are a bunch of people on both hard right and hard left in this country.

  170. 170.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: I know!  And one of you is the one who occasionally hurts my feelings because his teasing doesn’t come off as good-natured teasing..

    I don’t think you need to let him go, but maybe just have a gentle word with him? :–)

  174. 174.

    Jackie

    Good thing FL has open carry! //

    “If you want to get to President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me, and 75 million Americans just like me. And most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA. That’s not a threat, that’s a public service announcement.”

    — Kari Lake, quoted by Insider,

    Tuesday could get ugly.

  176. 176.

    trollhattan

    @Jackie: “You’re going to have to go through me.”

    Okay lady from Stepford, we can do this. [note to self: do NOT look at her eyes.]

  177. 177.

    smith

    @Jackie: We’ll find out soon enough. And what materializes on Tuesday or doesn’t may be an indicator of how TFG’s electoral chances look going forward.

  178. 178.

    Ruckus

    @Karen S.:

    Dad had Alzheimers. For almost 15 yrs. We had him in a couple of homes for 10-12 of them. He didn’t know my name for most of the last 10-12 but he did recognize me as someone he knew well. He had forgotten how to speak for the last 5 or so. But he would shake my hand whenever I walked into the room, with a big smile. He lost speech and many memories but not a lot of strength – he’d almost crush my hand every time. I am a very, very strong believer in the concept that it is almost impossible for the vast majority of us to care for parents who are in this condition. It is just too devastating to have to do this 24 hrs a day. And make no mistake it is a 24 hr a day job. The 2 sisters who ran 5 homes for Alzheimers patients and where he lived for his last few years cried at his funeral.

  179. 179.

    Tony Jay

    @Jackie:

    Sounds like a plan, Kari. Get all 74 million to line up in defence of their MASSIVE FAILURE and see how long it takes for the Tank of Justice to roll over all them.

    Wingnuts like pancakes, don’t they?

  186. 186.

    JaySinWA

    West Virginia State Patrol: Observe and Disrespect

    According to a letter sent by Cpl. Joseph Comer, a member of the WV State Police, to state lawmakers, Governor Jim Justice, and the office of the Attorney General on February 16, a hidden camera or cameras were placed and operated inside the female locker room at the State Police Academy.

    https://www.wtrf.com/west-virginia-state-police-investigation/west-virginia-state-police-investigation-10-more-minors-42-more-women-in-total-to-sue-west-virginia-state-police-over-hidden-cameras/

  187. 187.

    Sister Golden Bear

    We take no pleasure in reporting that @CrackerBarrel has fallen.

    A once family friendly establishment has caved to the mob. pic.twitter.com/IM0p1NT20S
    — Texas Family Project (@FamilyProjectTX) June 8, 2023

    <“Ashokan Farewell” begins playing>

    Dearest Father,

    The Pride Army began besieging us a week ago, unleashing their massive glitter cannons. We resisted valiantly, but this morning the enemy advanced under the cover of ear-splitting disco music that bedazzled our senses.

    We were fiercely attacked on all fronts, by the rainbow-adorned hordes, facing wave after wave of Dykes on Bikes, the Stonewall Cavalry Brigade of unicorn-riding drag queens, and packs of snarling leather-clad wild bears.

    All hope was lost when the First Battalion Transvestite Brigade Airborne Wing parachuted out of the sky into our rear, wearing fabulous make-up and carrying fabulous guns.

    One of them seized Billy-Ray and instantly transed him. Watching his pronouns change was one of the most horrible sights I’ve seen in this terrible war.

    We were also betrayed from within after being infiltrated by those we thought were on our side, but who turned out to be secretly bisexuals. They uncloaked and began making out with all the men nearby, who were powerless to resist.

    Sadly I must report that Cracker Barrel has fallen and we are on the run now. I pray that I am not captured and sent to their infamous Camp Castro re-education center, where  horrors await at the hands of those they call the Queer Eyes.

    Please send my love to Mother, I fear I may not make it home.

    If I fall, know that I only looked at those magazines under my bed because I wanted to be inspired to exercise by reading about  fitness.

    Your loving son (no homo),
    Cletus

  189. 189.

    trollhattan

    Jeez, we’re getting a civil defense alert from NWS re. hail so big y’all in the northern Sierra Foothills should go inside and stay in interior rooms. “There’s this one really big stone.”
    Kidding, I think they said half-inch.

  191. 191.

    Sister Golden Bear

    In other news, I went to the Pride celebration in the nearby city of San Mateo this morning — and this year was the first time they’ve had a Pride parade. Small, but festive. SF Pride vastly overshadows all the other Pride celebrations in the Bay Area, so it was a respectable turnout, with lots of families.

  192. 192.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @trollhattan:  where is the Golux when you need him?

    If this rain were hail, we might stain the hail with blood and it might turn into rubies.

    BTW, has anyone seen the Golux?

  194. 194.

    Ruckus

    @Another Scott:

    I think you have to take into account that he is a lawyer, that he writes on a different level than news casts or reporters. For him, I’d think that wouldn’t need to be said. Also I’m pretty sure this is a short version of the podcast, a few steps were left out because he was trying to make a single point. Most of the emails like this one that I get are like that they are more part of a story and far less pontification. To me they seem very much like lawyer to client than an open publication.

  195. 195.

    WaterGirl

    @trollhattan: Best final exam ever was for my mythology class, and we had no advance warning.

    Not a single question.

    You had to create a myth, and it had to adhere to all the tenets that make a myth a myth.

    I’m sorry we didn’t get those back. I would love to see what I wrote.

  199. 199.

    Ken

    @WaterGirl: You shouldn’t pay for anything that doesn’t bring you joy.

    But you might want to know that the other judge is a magistrate judge, and every case has a district judge and a magistrate judge assigned to it, and Trump’s indictment as of now has both Judge Cannon (the district judge) and Judge Reinhart (the magistrate judge) assigned to it.

    Remains to be seen exactly how they got assigned and whether they will remain assigned.

  205. 205.

    trollhattan

    @Alison Rose: ​Know folks who had dented cars and broken car windows from hail, but hail that big is more of a Midwest and Rocky Mountain thing.

  207. 207.

    WaterGirl

    @trollhattan: That couldn’t happen now with the internet.  Everyone would know what the final was going to be and would have their myth written ahead of time.

    I remember a 4th grade science test.  Just one question:

    Write down everything you know science that we learned about in Chapter 7 (or whatever chapter it was).

  208. 208.

    JaySinWA

    @WaterGirl: They are conveniently pining it on the dead guy.

    I wonder who stomped on the camera, I could see it being someone finding it and being outraged, OTOH … destruction of evidence?

    They seem to have a fairly long timeline, presumably backed up by other evidence.

  210. 210.

    narya

    I, too, believe that TFG is a puppet; I also think that actually proving it would be extremely difficult. I don’t know how you’d show that THIS payment/consideration is for THAT action, and, given SCROTUS rulings that there must be an actual quid for the quo, you’d be hard-pressed to do that.

    Re: Cannon. My understanding is that part of why she caught this case is that it’s related to a former case that she also held, the one where she acted so egregiously. It sounded as though if a judge has already handled a matter, any subsequent action related to that matter also gets thrown to that judge. If that’s true, then Jack would know that. It’s still possible that it gets reassigned (one example Popehat gave would be if there were a new judge and the person in charge wanted to “balance the caseloads”), but it sounds unlikely.

    I realize this could still go horribly, but I agree w/ Popehat that the Right Thing to Do is to make the best and strongest case and go forward. Hacks gonna hack.

  212. 212.

    mrmoshpotato

    Happy to see my rotating tag about slapping Van Jones.

    Sad that it will be true for the rest of his days.

  214. 214.

    JaySinWA

    @Jackie: Tuesday could get ugly.

    Kari Lake and a more cryptic Andy Biggs have made calls to violence but I am not hearing much uptake. Then again, one person can do a lot of damage.

    Trump is calling for people to show up. It will be interesting to see how many show up. Here’s hoping for the blowout blowhard crowds he got with the Manhattan indictment.

  215. 215.

    MattF

    Fintan O’Toole, at the New York Review of Books website (behind a paywall, unfortunately):

    Secrets are a kind of currency. They can be hoarded, but if kept for too long they lose their value. Like all currencies, they must, sooner or later, be used in a transaction—sold to the highest bidder or bartered as a favor for which another favor will be returned. To see the full scale of Donald Trump’s betrayal of his country, it is necessary to start with this reality. He kept intelligence documents because, at some point, those secrets could be used in a transaction. What he was stockpiling were the materials of treason. He may not have known how and when he would cash in this currency, but there can be little doubt that he was determined to retain the ability to do just that.

    Before the publication of the grand jury’s indictment, it was possible to believe that Trump’s retention of classified documents was reckless and stupid. The indictment reveals that recklessness and stupidity are the least of his sins. With Trump, it’s always a mistake to equate anarchy with purposelessness or to think that the farce is not deadly serious. Trump’s hoarding of official secrets is both breathtakingly careless and utterly calculated. At the heart of that calculation is a cold resolve to not give up the power that access to highly restricted information had given him.

    Perceptive, as usual.

  217. 217.

    Soprano2

    @narya: Wait – a judge can instruct a jury to acquit and they have to do that? Before the case is heard? Doesn’t sound right to me.

  220. 220.

    Shana

    @Baud: I need to be doing long form elaborate cooking in order to listen to podcasts. I don’t usually carry my phone around with me all day so listening while doing other things around the house won’t work.

    When sewing I go back and forth between the sewing room and the bedroom where the iron is. I prefer movies I’ve taped then because I can stop them when I go sew and start up again when I’m ironing, or pinning. Also, full length mirror is in the bedroom.

  223. 223.

    JaySinWA

    @different-church-lady: They collected (some of) the passports when they searched and seized at MAL, and then returned them after the search as they weren’t relevant.

    So they knew where they used to be, and which ones he had. He pitched a fit along with his lawyers, but the return was automatic. I imagine he will whine about it this time especially because it is required.

  228. 228.

    Another Scott

    @JaySinWA: I think the feds will be ready.

    MiamiHerald.com:

    This much is certain: Many of the roads around the Wilkie D. Ferguson U.S. Courthouse, at 400 N. Miami Ave., will be closed before his arrival to face a string of charges associated with the handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach. And it’s likely to lead to a commuting nightmare throughout downtown.

    Other safety measures, as well as the law enforcement presences near the 14-floor glass tower are expected to be asphyxiating.

    “The Miami Police Department is ready to ensure the safety of the city,” is all Miami Police Chief Manny Morales would say Friday about security issues.

    The U.S. Marshal Service, which provides courthouse security and will coordinate with local law enforcement, also would not discuss preparations, but issued a statement: “The U.S. Marshals are responsible for the protection of the federal judicial process, and we take that responsibility very seriously. Ensuring that judges can rule independently and free from harm or intimidation is paramount to the rule of law, and a fundamental mission of the USMS.”

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  229. 229.

    JaySinWA

    @narya:There’s a fancy name for it

    I believe the term is a directed verdict. I wonder if the jury could nullify one. Otherwise there can be a dismissal with prejudice but I believe that can be overturned.

    I believe judges try and give a plausible explanation for such an action. It would be a tough sell in this case.

  230. 230.

    Jackie

    @trollhattan: We get those hailstorms here, too. Southeastern WA. A few years back an entire new cars lot got wiped out between shattered windshields and golf sized dents. It made national news.

  231. 231.

    bbleh

    @Karen S.: @Ruckus: concur in Ruckus’s remarks.  Caring full-time for “only” 3 years (so far) for a mom with progressive dementia, and it is emotionally draining, mentally challenging, and physically debilitating.  I can be “retired” — there would be no way to hold down even a part-time job — and I can afford to contribute to household expenses and some part-time caregivers, so I’m lucky, but even so it’s slowly but steadily ruinous.  And yes, do nice things for yourself: you can’t take care of someone else if you don’t take care of yourself.

  232. 232.

    Ruckus

    @zhena gogolia:

    I think you are likely correct here – but.

    SFB is a case of barely walking but always shitty ego. He thinks he’s Clark Kent (of course that means AKA superdupperman.) But in reality he’s Weird Al Dumbavich. And the rest of this Weird Al’s family are the ones that vote for him. He may not be an actual egotistical moron but he sure plays the part. He seems like he has the IQ of a roll of TP, and overall his life is proof of that. And he has all the social skills of that roll of TP. And while I believe that the motive he had for stealing all the government paper may have been an ulterior motive like money, given his life, it could just as easily been him throwing a tantrum like a 6 yr old with access to documents that he should never have been within 100 miles of. When I was given a high level clearance in the military, in my early 20s, I knew without being told that any discussion, theft of documents, sharing of info was illegal. SFB can not seem to get what that means because he really is Weird Al Dumbavich.

  233. 233.

    bbleh

    @Soprano2: @narya: @JaySinWA: as I understand it, under Rule 29, once all evidence has been presented, a judge can determine that, even under the most generous reading of the prosecution’s evidence, a reasonable jury could not convict, and acquit the defendant.  (I think I recall the term “directed verdict” is no longer used.)  That acquittal could not be appealed, and the case could not be retried because that would be double jeopardy.

    So unless I’m reading it wrong, yeah, she could do it, and unless there is some “out” for a prosecutor to claim she abused her discretion under the rule (which I can’t find any mention of), then that would be that.

    You may commence hyperventilating now.

  234. 234.

    Jackie

    @JaySinWA: I’m hoping, too. I think most are aware a lot of their “good patriot buddies” are cooling their butts in jail for following TIFG’s orders.

  235. 235.

    trollhattan

    @raven: ​Yoikes! Must have been the world’s longest minute (including wondering if the funnel cloud is next).

  237. 237.

    Another Scott

    @bbleh: Thanks for this.

    Google tells me that Rule 29 motions are seemingly often / usually pro-forma:

    A “Rule 29 Motion,” based on Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 29, is typically made twice during a federal trial – first, at the close of the Government’s case, and again at the close of the entire case.

    I can’t quickly find how often they are successful.

    It looks like the government gets to respond to the motion, so there seems to be a standard process. So, we shouldn’t expect Cannon to act like Judge Roy Bean – assuming she actually gets the case. I don’t think…

    I’m sure all of Smith’s lawyers have considered all this stuff backwards / forwards / insideout. They do this stuff for a living.

    Thanks again.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  238. 238.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:

    One day, quite a few years after I took over and ran the family business he asked me a question, one that told me dementia was due within a very short time. I’d seen this in his mom, who, with his dad lived with us for grans last couple of years – more humans to take care of her, as most of the types of homes we have for this didn’t exist back then. That’s when it started, with one simple question. He’d forgotten decades of living. He adapted well for a while, but of course it kept getting worse. If I hadn’t see this in his mom, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I’d bet that a lot of humans with old age mental issues start showing them long before they become too large to overlook. Which is one reason why we normally say that people live with Alzheimers only 4-6 yrs. I believe that it’s normally longer and discussions I’ve had with family members of other sufferers has shown me that evidence is there, it’s just not always recognized. And some don’t ask questions that show that 50-60 yrs of memories might no longer be in there or accessible.

  240. 240.

    bbleh

    @Another Scott: it’s my understanding that a motion is almost ALWAYS made by the defense to acquit under Rule 29 because … why not?  And from what I’ve seen, it’s granted only very rarely.  The problem, as far as I can tell, is its finality.  An acquittal is forever (unless the jury has already rendered a verdict of guilty, in which case the ruling is subject to appeal).

    But yeah, I can’t imagine this possibility has not been foreseen.  And there’s CERTAINLY no guarantee that Cannon didn’t learn anything from the last time and is preparing a secret plan to upend everything at the last minute (or even, as noted upthread, that she’ll be the trial judge).

    pant pant pant …

  241. 241.

    Miki

    @trollhattan: Had a huge hail storm (golf ball size) about a year ago in Minnesota that did a number on my house and garage (roofs, gutters, window and door wraps, fascia, some siding, etc.). Most houses around me have had work done, some requiring all new siding (my house is stucco, but garage is vinyl). Meeting with my contractor Monday to firm up plans, but total cost is close to 20 grand. TG for insurance.

  242. 242.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, ICYMI, from Friday…

    Today, our Administration is announcing a list of 43 prescription drugs that'll become more affordable for folks on Medicare Part B.

    That's our lower cost prescription drug law – the Inflation Reduction Act – in action. https://t.co/1ToxmSmObA

    — President Biden (@POTUS) June 9, 2023

    Good, good.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  245. 245.

    Mo MacArbie

    Heavens, I am not going to go down the worry hole over Cannon minting the platinum gavel.

  250. 250.

    Gvg

    @raven: in the 80’s a hailstorm hit one side of Orlando about noon, and so many cars were damaged that every body shop in central Florida was booked for 6 months. Insurance companies had extra agents from out of state in tents in parking lots for weeks to help process the claims. Turns out that weekdays in daytime, fewer cars are protected by garages and carports so that hailstorm managed to destroy more paint jobs than most.

    About 6 years later I bought my 2nd car, not much better than the first but some, however it was a repainted survivor of that hailstorm, and eventually the roof paint showed it, whereas the factory paint on the sides was still great.

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