• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

I’d like to think you all would remain faithful to me if i ever tried to have some of you killed.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

The fight for our country is always worth it. ~Kamala Harris

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

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

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The rest of the comments were smacking Boebert like she was a piñata.

This country desperately needs a functioning fourth estate.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Damn right I heard that as a threat.

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

Roe is not about choice. It is about freedom.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

When they say they are pro-life, they do not mean yours.

Mobile Menu

  • 4 Directions VA 2025 Raffle
  • 2025 Activism
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Criminal Justice / Trump Arrest Watch (Open Thread)

Trump Arrest Watch (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  August 24, 20231:19 pm| 318 Comments

This post is in: Criminal Justice, Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity, Trump Crime Cartel

FacebookTweetEmail

I’ve been following updates on the coup plotters’ surrenders at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution while awaiting the arrest of the kingpin himself this afternoon. There are pro-Trump protests, but they sound pretty low energy. Here’s a screen grab from AJC reporter Zachary Hansen’s Twitter feed:

Trump Arrest Watch (Open Thread)

This was taken a couple of hours after the planned start of the protest. Tens showed up! Also according to the AJC, co-conspirators Mark Meadows and Trevian Kutti surrendered and were granted bonds of $100K and $75K respectively.

I don’t often say this, but I say it sincerely now: It’s a great day for America!

Open thread!

ETA: Here’s AJC’s YouTube livestream of the event:

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « Thursday Morning Open Thread: Internet Hangover Balm
Next Post: It Appears That the 10/23 Date Fani Proposed Was Only Accepted for Cheese-Bro »

Reader Interactions

318Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 1:20 pm

    I want that mugshot.

     

    BWA HA HA AH HA HA AH AH

  2. 2.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 1:21 pm

    Bringing this over:

     

    Fani Willis ain’t new to this.
    She true to this.

    She just submitted the request that the trial FOR ALL 19 DEFENDANTS BEGIN

    OCTOBER 23, 2023

    BWA HA HA HA HA HA AH AH AH AH AH HAH A AH

     

    AND..

    Don’t forget..

    It will be TELEVISED.

    BWA HA HA AH AH AHA HA HAH

  3. 3.

    J.

    August 24, 2023 at 1:21 pm

    #LockHimUp

  4. 4.

    Yarrow

    August 24, 2023 at 1:21 pm

    Do they release height and weight? Have they done that for the others?

  5. 5.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 24, 2023 at 1:22 pm

    I’m trying to keep the upcoming criminal trials in perspective, not count chickens, etc, but goddam do I love this move by Fani Willis

    BrooklynDad_Defiant!@mmpadellan. 17m
    HOLY SHIT, DA Fani Willis just requested that the trial for trump and ALL of his co-defendants begin on October 23, 2023 — 60 DAYS FROM NOW! Are you ready for that, folks

    ETA: IANAL, should I put that in my nym for the next couple of years of Trials of the Century?, but this looks like a haymaker landed on the whole crew, not just Cheese Bro

  6. 6.

    Anonymous At Work

    August 24, 2023 at 1:24 pm

    @rikyrah: Cheesey-bro and Meadows wanted a speedy trial and a RICO case means all-together.  Willis, unlike Smith, gets to play defendants off one another, which is an advantage for RICO law.

  7. 7.

    Mike in NC

    August 24, 2023 at 1:25 pm

    Fat Bastard was famous for speaking to law enforcement audiences and urging them to rough up the people they were arresting. Wouldn’t mind seeing a little bit of that later today. Of course, make sure you write that “the police had tears in their eyes” as they did so.

  8. 8.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    August 24, 2023 at 1:26 pm

    Fulton county has closed airspace from 5:45 to 9 EDT tonight. I hope that Trump’s desire for prime time viewing of his arrest will backfire. I hope he looks weak

    ETA: Re releasing the height and weight, I saw Giuliani’s posted but there may have been a FOIA request rather than automatic release. I’m not sure.

  9. 9.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 1:27 pm

    Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has agreed to a $100,000 bond deal with prosecutors, according to court documents. Link

  10. 10.

    HumboldtBlue

    August 24, 2023 at 1:28 pm

    It’s gotta be 90 degrees and humid out there. Ain’t nobody in their right got-damn mind gonna stand around and wait for that fat fucking traitor to drive by.

    And yet here we are.

  11. 11.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 24, 2023 at 1:28 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: apparently they’re self reporting weight and height, so look for trump to have lost thirty pounds and had a growth spurt recently

  12. 12.

    Righteous Hazard

    August 24, 2023 at 1:29 pm

    I honestly don’t know if America’s justice system, which excels at jailing the powerless but sucks absolute ass at holding the powerful accountable, can convict him. But I am glad that Ms Willis is at least willing to put it to the test.

    I don’t know how this will all turn out, but I am glad about what is going down today. The traitorous fuck’s mugshot ain’t enough, but today is a good day.

    Never postpone joy.

  13. 13.

    Rebel’s Dad

    August 24, 2023 at 1:31 pm

    @Righteous Hazard: To paraphrase Dr. King, joy delayed is joy denied.

  14. 14.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 1:32 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: DA Fani Willis just requested that the trial for trump and ALL of his co-defendants begin on October 23, 2023

    Fani Willis is just trolling those entitled shits now.   LOL

  15. 15.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 1:32 pm

    That photo is pathetic. There were more people in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s livestream chat for Rosa the Sea Otter’s 24th birthday.

  16. 16.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 1:32 pm

    @Scout211: What an unusual phrasing. I wasn’t aware the defendant’s agreement to bail was necessary, except in the sense of signing the check.

    Which reminds me, I saw that video of Giuliani going into a bail bond store — was that verified?

  17. 17.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 1:34 pm

    @Alison Rose: In fairness, Rosa the Sea Otter will only have one 24th birthday, but Trump indictments happen several times a month.

  18. 18.

    Kay

    August 24, 2023 at 1:35 pm

    Oooh. Book ‘im. I hope he has to wear the plastic sandals.

    In other news though- more on Biden’s student loan plan:

    When you are living through a policy moment it is sometimes clear what is, as President Biden once put it, “a big fucking deal.” And sometimes it is not. For the past couple of years almost all of the headlines and energy around student loan reduction centered on Biden’s plan to forgive $10,000 to $20,000 worth of loans, a plan that the Supreme Court shot down.

    But what if another part of the plan, income-driven repayment (IDR), ends up being the BFD At the time, I remember chatting with others about how IDR had the bigger longer term potential, but policy scholars, like everyone else, tend to focus on the short-term rather than long-run change.

    What the SAVE plan would do

    The Biden administration unveiled SAVE (Saving on a Valuable Education) earlier this year, but more details became clear this week as it opened for enrollment. The Biden administration will invite 30 million borrowers to benefit from the initiative.

    SAVE has a number of features. It limits loan balances from growing if borrowers fail to make interest payment. If they keep making payments, their balance will not grow due to unpaid interest growth.

    But the heart of SAVE is expanding IDR, which ties repayment to a percentage of income and number of dependents. The SAVE plan improves these terms of IDR, limiting payments on to just 5 percent of discretionary income for undergraduate loans and 10 percent for graduate loans. SAVE also expands the dollar amount of income protected from repayment. This is expected to save the average borrower about $1,000 per year, but the effects are greater for borrowers with less money to spare. The New York Times notes that “a single person who makes less than $32,805 a year would make $0 monthly payments. The same goes for someone in a household of four with income below $67,500.” Low balance borrowers will seee their loans forgiven after 12 years rather than 20.

    I asked Professor Dominique Baker, an expert on educational access if SAVE has the potential to to eclipse student loan forgiveness.

    I think it will definitely be as big of a deal. One of the “big” pieces about SAVE is that it is reshaping how student loan repayment happens. That, paired with one-time debt cancellation and reforms to the price of college is how we both fix the harms of the past and change the system so that it doesn’t happen again. I think of it as part of a larger scale project to reorient higher education back to being a public good, with public institutions primarily funded by public dollars (a fun mix of federal, state, and local monies).

  19. 19.

    wjca

    August 24, 2023 at 1:37 pm

    @Ken: Zing!

  20. 20.

    zhena gogolia

    August 24, 2023 at 1:38 pm

    Wish I could stay on here to watch with you all.

  21. 21.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 1:38 pm

    @Ken: I think they are referring to an agreement between the court and Meadows’ attorneys about the amount of the bail, not the bail itself*. It wasn’t written well, but it’s CNN live updates.

    *And I get all my legal expertise from Law&Order episodes, where the defense attorney and Assistant DA argue about the bail amount and remand in front of the judge.  So I know what I’m talking about.  🤣

  22. 22.

    dmsilev

    August 24, 2023 at 1:39 pm

    @Alison Rose: Yes, but otters are cute.

  23. 23.

    KrackenJack

    August 24, 2023 at 1:42 pm

    In an old thread, there was a discussion of an Alan Nourse book. While looking for it, I found this.

    The Bladerunner (1974)
    Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992

    In 2014 seventeen-year-old Billy Gimp risks great danger as a procurer of illegal medical supplies for a skilled surgeon determined to provide health care for people considered unqualified for legal medical aid.

    Sometime SF is prophetic.

  24. 24.

    Anoniminous

    August 24, 2023 at 1:42 pm

    Speaking of aquatic mammals, Wanda’s Trip to the Aquarium

  25. 25.

    ArchTeryx

    August 24, 2023 at 1:42 pm

    @Alison Rose: Hey, it’s important to the aquarium staff, and I’ll bet Rosa herself loves all the attention she gets that day even if she doesn’t understand why. Otters are fairly social critters.

  26. 26.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 1:43 pm

    What an absolutely great day for America!

  27. 27.

    Chief Oshkosh

    August 24, 2023 at 1:43 pm

    @Yarrow: I don’t think they actually measure; they just record the arrested person’s response.

  28. 28.

    brendancalling

    August 24, 2023 at 1:45 pm

    @Kay: Today I logged into my student loan account for the first time since before the pandemic. I had received an email from the servicer two weeks ago, but have put off looking at it because I’m already in plenty of regular debt, and didn’t want to see that massive loan I’ve been paying on forever or experience the anxiety it always gives me.

    Well, I had to set up a whole new account, because it was a new servicer, and that was a stress test in itself. But I got it done, and logged in and all my student loans have been paid off.

    I am a 52 year old man, and I started crying. They’re gone. Gone. I can’t believe it. THANK YOU JOE BIDEN AND THANK YOU DEMOCRATS.

  29. 29.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 1:46 pm

    @dmsilev: They sure are, and we owe them all our thanks, in honor of Otter 841’s chaotic goodness.

  30. 30.

    trollhattan

    August 24, 2023 at 1:46 pm

    Putin cites “people who died” and “employees of the Wagner Company” in his first mention of plane that go boom.

    Typically non-specific.

  31. 31.

    Betty Cracker

    August 24, 2023 at 1:47 pm

    NOTE: I embedded a YouTube livestream of the AJC’s Fulton Co. Jail coverage in the original post.

  32. 32.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 1:47 pm

    @brendancalling: congratulations! That’s wonderful.

  33. 33.

    Jeffg166

    August 24, 2023 at 1:48 pm

    @rikyrah: I want the weigh in readout.

  34. 34.

    Yarrow

    August 24, 2023 at 1:48 pm

    @Chief Oshkosh:  Well, that’s no fun! He’ll be 6’2″ and 185 pounds of pure muscle, then.

  35. 35.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    @brendancalling: Wow. Such good news.  👏

  36. 36.

    Betty Cracker

    August 24, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    @brendancalling: FANTASTIC! So happy for you! :)

  37. 37.

    Chief Oshkosh

    August 24, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    @brendancalling: It’s a great feeling, ain’t it? I paid mine off years ago, but that’s because (1) when I took out those loans, the Republican vampires hadn’t figured out how to make them just another revenue stream, and (2) when I took out those loans, it was so long ago that college didn’t cost that much to begin with!

    I am very happy for you and all the others that President Joe Biden helped to get out from under the rightwing boot that has been pressing down on your neck.

  38. 38.

    Yarrow

    August 24, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    @brendancalling:  Congratulations! Such a huge deal!

  39. 39.

    Soprano2

    August 24, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    @Kay: I think it will definitely be as big of a deal. One of the “big” pieces about SAVE is that it is reshaping how student loan repayment happens. That, paired with one-time debt cancellation and reforms to the price of college is how we both fix the harms of the past and change the system so that it doesn’t happen again. I think of it as part of a larger scale project to reorient higher education back to being a public good, with public institutions primarily funded by public dollars (a fun mix of federal, state, and local monies).

    I think this is the actual biggest deal out of all of it. The one-time student loan forgiveness didn’t do anything about the people in the future who would be in the same boat as the people are now. This turns the student loan program into a loan/grant program, where you pay for x years and then the rest is turned into a grant when it’s forgiven. The Pell Grant program used to be a lot more robust than it is now, which is part of the reason people I knew in college (from the early ’80’s) didn’t have nearly as much crippling debt as students do now. This also gets rid of the argument that people borrowed money and then didn’t have to pay any of it back. Conservatives will still howl, but the average person will like it.

  40. 40.

    Princess Leia

    August 24, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    @brendancalling: I am so happy for you!!!!!

  41. 41.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 1:49 pm

    @brendancalling: Woo hoo!

  42. 42.

    Bill Arnold

    August 24, 2023 at 1:50 pm

    @brendancalling:

    But I got it done, and logged in and all my student loans have been paid off.

    That is wonderful!

  43. 43.

    Raoul Paste

    August 24, 2023 at 1:50 pm

    @brendancalling:   Congratulations.

  44. 44.

    ArchTeryx

    August 24, 2023 at 1:51 pm

    @brendancalling: Sadly, that won’t happen with me, BUT I’m working toward forgiveness in a government job. If Biden gets re-elected, I will be through PSLF before the next President takes office. I hope he’s re-elected. Seriously.

    Congrats on getting that stuff off your back. Must feel like a thousand pound weight just got lifted.

  45. 45.

    HumboldtBlue

    August 24, 2023 at 1:51 pm

    @brendancalling:

    This lady agrees with you, tears and all.

  46. 46.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 1:52 pm

    @Scout211: You prompt me to make a prediction: About four days into the Georgia trial, it will become obvious to everyone that trials are not at all like Law and Order. The networks will scrap both their plans for continuous coverage and the elaborate “Trial of the Century Legal Team Central” sets they built.

    Also, the online coverage with the most hits will be from some clever person who has added sound effects to the trial video. The opening bars of the Perry Mason theme and the Law and Order two-note are obvious choices, also that “dah-dah-DAAA” in the squirrel meme.  (WITNESS: “It was Donald Trump.”  “dah-dah-DAAA” as the camera swings to Trump.)

  47. 47.

    patrick II

    August 24, 2023 at 1:52 pm

    MSNBC had a short take from the Tucker / Trump interview. In it Trump said _how unpopular “Fanny” Willis is – – ” she’s getting killed “. It seems it went right by the commentaters who didn’t mention his wording. she’s getting killed is not about her inpopularity in the polls, although that is what he would claim he meant. It was a message to his followers in ambiguous gangster speak that blows right past most people.

  48. 48.

    Geo Wilcox

    August 24, 2023 at 1:53 pm

    @brendancalling: I remember when I paid mine off, not a lot since it was from 1970’s and I had a ton of scholarships. It felt so wonderful.

    I bet you felt a thousand times happier than I did.

  49. 49.

    Soprano2

    August 24, 2023 at 1:53 pm

    @brendancalling: I’m so glad, I can’t imagine the wave of relief and disbelief that washed over you when you saw that. I was lucky, I didn’t have to borrow money for college so I never went through that, but I knew people who were paying off loans and even the smaller ones could cause some stress. Just think, your experience is being replicated all over America this week.

  50. 50.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 1:53 pm

    @Scout211: you’re definitely an expert. 😉

    The bond amount in Atlanta is agreed to by the prosecutor and defense. Courts will rarely overrule the parties (although it is possible). This happens fairly regularly in arrests that result from significant investigations.

    Often defendants, that have means, will agree to what the prosecutor is asking for rather than contest the bond amount before the judge.

  51. 51.

    zhena gogolia

    August 24, 2023 at 1:54 pm

    @brendancalling: So great! Congratulations!

  52. 52.

    MattF

    August 24, 2023 at 1:55 pm

    @Chief Oshkosh: I’ve seen comments to that effect, that they just ask you for your height and weight. It’ll be easy to tell with TFG— if, e.g., his reported height and weight are 6’ 7” and 227 pounds…

  53. 53.

    Kay

    August 24, 2023 at 1:55 pm

    @brendancalling:

    I am a 52 year old man, and I started crying. They’re gone. Gone.

    Congratulations! The stress (and shame) people feel with debt is important. I hear the “I don’t want to look” a lot and understand it.

  54. 54.

    zhena gogolia

    August 24, 2023 at 1:56 pm

    @patrick II: Yes, ask Marie Yovanovitch what she thought “she’s going to go through some things” meant.

  55. 55.

    Almost Retired

    August 24, 2023 at 1:56 pm

    I hope the Fulton County Jail has a bariatric scale available for this evening.

  56. 56.

    Josie

    August 24, 2023 at 2:00 pm

    @brendancalling: ​
     “I am a 52 year old man, and I started crying.”
    Of course you did. Who would not when such a burden is lifted. Congratulations.

  57. 57.

    Baud

    August 24, 2023 at 2:01 pm

    @brendancalling:

    You’re welcome.

    Congrats.

  58. 58.

    Frankensteinbeck

    August 24, 2023 at 2:02 pm

    @MattF:

    This makes me wonder if there is a rule that if your lie is sufficiently obvious they do measure you.

  59. 59.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 2:04 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: he’s not overweight, he’s…undertall 

    LOLOL

  60. 60.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 2:05 pm

    @brendancalling: Congratulations!

    I hope you and all the people being pleasantly surprised right now tell everyone they know about this. It’s the kind of issue where word of mouth will do a lot of the campaigning for us.

  61. 61.

    catclub

    August 24, 2023 at 2:06 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: ​
      Speedy trial, bitches!

  62. 62.

    Sure Lurkalot

    August 24, 2023 at 2:06 pm

    @brendancalling: I love your story and all the other anecdotes I’ve read about how borrowers learned their loans went pffft. The sense of relief is palpable. I think there have been tons of tears!

    I hit the lottery when it came to a college education…my father paid for my undergraduate degree and I was able to fund my graduate degree without loans with teaching gigs in my department and a fellowship. It’s a huge advantage to start your adult life not in debt. I’m so happy for everyone whose indebtedness has been erased.

  63. 63.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    August 24, 2023 at 2:07 pm

    @brendancalling: Congratulation to you!

  64. 64.

    SiubhanDuinne

    August 24, 2023 at 2:08 pm

    @brendancalling:

    Oh wow! I’m crying with relief and happiness for you. That’s just wonderful news!

  65. 65.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 2:08 pm

    @Soprano2:

    Conservatives will still howl, but the average person will like it.

    “BUT..BUT..MORAL HAAAAAAZARD!” (and all that)

    from the same people who were just fine with historically HUGE, unpaid-for tax cuts for the rich…

    from the same people who had their own pandemic loans forgiven…

     

  66. 66.

    Narya

    August 24, 2023 at 2:08 pm

    @brendancalling: I am ecstatic for you!!

  67. 67.

    Almost Retired

    August 24, 2023 at 2:08 pm

    @brendancalling:   That’s just wonderful.  And very good public policy!  That’s money you can use to stimulate the economy instead of tickling the banks’ bottom line.  Or something like that.  Anyway, congratulations.  I remember my student loan liberation day because, alas, it wasn’t that long ago.

  68. 68.

    Quinerly

    August 24, 2023 at 2:09 pm

    So sick of Trump and what he has done to this country. I am to a point that I wish he would just flee to a country that won’t extradict him. Let him go live in North Korea or Russia.

    Why isn’t he dead already? Stroke or heart attack.

  69. 69.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 2:11 pm

    Huh. It seems the word “woke” was only uttered once in last night’s debate, and not by DeSantis.

  70. 70.

    Quinerly

    August 24, 2023 at 2:13 pm

    @brendancalling:

    💙💚💛💜🩵🤎

  71. 71.

    patrick II

    August 24, 2023 at 2:14 pm

    I thought Nicki Haley was running for VP, but after last night it is clear she’s going for the gold.

  72. 72.

    Brachiator

    August 24, 2023 at 2:14 pm

    @Mike in NC:

    Fat Bastard was famous for speaking to law enforcement audiences and urging them to rough up the people they were arresting. Wouldn’t mind seeing a little bit of that later today. Of course, make sure you write that “the police had tears in their eyes” as they did so.

    Trump might continue, “And one of the cops said to me, with tears in his eyes, ‘Sir, you took the best mug shot photo ever.’ It was a Perfect photograph. Even better than the selfies I took with the ruler of North Korea.”

  73. 73.

    ...now I try to be amused

    August 24, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    @trollhattan:

    Putin cites “people who died”

    I didn’t know Putin liked the Jim Carroll Band. (YouTube)

  74. 74.

    Betty Cracker

    August 24, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: Haha, good question! I’m sure they hear some pretty outlandish claims. ;-

    @patrick II: Yep — or positioning herself for 2028.

  75. 75.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    @smith:  It seems the word “woke” was only uttered once in last night’s debate, and not by DeSantis.

    I’ll guess it was one of the post-debate analysts, saying “The audience woke up about twenty minutes after the debate.”

  76. 76.

    Sure Lurkalot

    August 24, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    @Almost Retired:

    And very good public policy!  That’s money you can use to stimulate the economy…

    Linking back to HumboldtBlue’s earlier comment with a TikTok of a sobbing woman who learned her loan was discharged and now she can afford to pay a plumber to fix her damned bathroom leaks. Very good public policy indeed!

    @HumboldtBlue:

  77. 77.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 2:16 pm

    @brendancalling: 🎉🎉🎉

  78. 78.

    BeautifulPlumage

    August 24, 2023 at 2:17 pm

    @brendancalling: yay! Congratulations! Enjoy that weight being lifted off.

  79. 79.

    Brachiator

    August 24, 2023 at 2:17 pm

    @brendancalling:

    This is great news. I am very happy for you.

  80. 80.

    MattF

    August 24, 2023 at 2:18 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Right. “I have special fat cells that weigh less”.

  81. 81.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 2:19 pm

    Heh

    Denazified. pic.twitter.com/CK3hLeIaIW
    — Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) August 23, 2023

  82. 82.

    trollhattan

    August 24, 2023 at 2:20 pm

    @…now I try to be amused: Once had it memorized but ATM I just remember this verse.

    Brian got busted on a narco rap
    He beat the rap by rattin’ on some bikers
    He said, hey, I know it’s dangerous
    But it sure beats Riker’s
    But the next day he got offed
    By the very same bikers

    Great song to dance to.

  83. 83.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 2:21 pm

    @Ken: Actually it was Nikki Haley when, asked about education, she pivoted to demonizing trans kids.

  84. 84.

    TaMara

    August 24, 2023 at 2:21 pm

    @brendancalling: This is amazing!!! Congrats! I think we should have a thread where folks talk about direct benefits from Biden’s policies.

  85. 85.

    The Thin Black Duke

    August 24, 2023 at 2:21 pm

    @brendancalling: Congratulations!

  86. 86.

    HumboldtBlue

    August 24, 2023 at 2:22 pm

    Talk about irony.

    Zoom CEO Eric Yuan told employees this month that the company was making the surprising decision to send some workers back to the office regularly because its flagship remote-work product didn’t allow employees to build as much trust or be as innovative as in the office, according to a leaked meeting recording viewed by Insider. Zoom, one of the main enablers and beneficiaries of remote work, told employees living within 50 miles of a Zoom office that they must work there at least two days a week.

  87. 87.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 2:22 pm

    @smith: I think they all got the RNC memo: “say ‘woke’ no more”

  88. 88.

    Roger Moore

    August 24, 2023 at 2:22 pm

    @brendancalling:

    But I got it done, and logged in and all my student loans have been paid off.

    I like to say there are two kinds of surprise: the good kind and the bad kind.  That’s definitely the good kind!

  89. 89.

    BeautifulPlumage

    August 24, 2023 at 2:23 pm

    @Jeffro: speaking of pandemic loans, the justice dept is still bringing charges and recovering money from that shit show.

  90. 90.

    trollhattan

    August 24, 2023 at 2:24 pm

    @HumboldtBlue: I’d look for a rental 51 miles away.

  91. 91.

    trollhattan

    August 24, 2023 at 2:25 pm

    @Jeffro: “I awoke to find the debate had already ended.”

    My kind of woke.

  92. 92.

    Bedraggled and Bedazzled

    August 24, 2023 at 2:31 pm

    Does anyone here know if parent plus loans qualify for forgiveness under any program? Stepped in to help last kiddo and it’s been a pretty rough ride.

  93. 93.

    Sure Lurkalot

    August 24, 2023 at 2:33 pm

    Walking into the grocery store some peeps at a table asked if I wanted to sign a petition to lower property taxes. I turned and said “no, I don’t”. Almost 2/3 goes to public education.

    Anti-tax b.s. pisses me off as much as our excessive admiration of wealth (and they’re connected)!

  94. 94.

    HumboldtBlue

    August 24, 2023 at 2:33 pm

    And if you need a little funkification on a Thursday, here ya go.

  95. 95.

    brendancalling

    August 24, 2023 at 2:34 pm

    @ArchTeryx: My friend, I hope you get that PSLF, and when you do I will rejoice with you.

    I am going to volunteer my ASS off for Democrats this season. I mean, I always do SOMETHING, but this time I’m ready to walk through a brick wall for the Dems.

  96. 96.

    Redshift

    August 24, 2023 at 2:35 pm

    @brendancalling:

    I am a 52 year old man, and I started crying. They’re gone. Gone. I can’t believe it. THANK YOU JOE BIDEN AND THANK YOU DEMOCRATS.

    That is so awesome, I can only imagine! Democrats getting it done for the people!

  97. 97.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 2:37 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot: seconded!

    OR

    “Sure I’ll sign a petition to lower property taxes…as long as we’re going to progressively raise income taxes for the same (or higher!) amount of revenue.  We ARE going to do that, right?”

  98. 98.

    Anyway

    August 24, 2023 at 2:38 pm

    @brendancalling: Awww, so happy for you.

  99. 99.

    Snarki, child of Loki

    August 24, 2023 at 2:39 pm

    I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how quickly TFG violates his bail terms.

    Because it seems likely that it will advance technological capabilities for measuring the shortest possible time.

     

    So, maybe a few femtoseconds? Less?

  100. 100.

    CaseyL

    August 24, 2023 at 2:41 pm

    @brendancalling: This is such a wonderful thing! I’m overjoyed for you and for everyone else getting their student loans forgiven/paid off/made to go *poof​

  101. 101.

    Karen S.

    August 24, 2023 at 2:41 pm

    @brendancalling: Fantastic! A friend of mine woke up to a zero balance on his student loans a couple of weeks ago. He’d been dealing with them for at least 20 years without ever being able to get ahead. He’s soooo relieved.

  102. 102.

    Bupalos

    August 24, 2023 at 2:43 pm

    @Soprano2: I was super excited by a summary of the new payment terms. Sounded really revolutionary. But isn’t it limited to like 15K in borrowing or something?

  103. 103.

    Redshift

    August 24, 2023 at 2:44 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    Walking into the grocery store some peeps at a table asked if I wanted to sign a petition to lower property taxes. I turned and said “no, I don’t”. Almost 2/3 goes to public education.

    Anti-tax b.s. pisses me off as much as our excessive admiration of wealth (and they’re connected)!

    Yeah, it pisses me off something fierce. The way people on our side lose that argument is by letting it be just about taxes, which nobody likes paying. Unless they can say what we shouldn’t be spending money on, fuck off (and if it’s just “stuff that benefits people who aren’t me,” you don’t have an argument, you’re just a selfish asshole.)

    I went to a local budget town hall a couple of years ago (I ought to go more regularly, but I just find it so unpleasant), and along with the people on fixed incomes with legitimate concerns, there was this guy talking about how we can’t keep having these property tax rates, it’s “unsustainable” and people are going to start moving away! When it came to my turn to speak, I talked about how I consider a budget a moral document, and what we as citizens choose to spend is a reflection of our values, not just money. And then I pointed out that the “unsustainable” rates that guy was talking about had been around for like twenty years, and, surprise, no one was moving away.

  104. 104.

    brendancalling

    August 24, 2023 at 2:44 pm

    Now, onto the REAL topic: has that orange bastard been frogmarched yet?

  105. 105.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    August 24, 2023 at 2:46 pm

    @Mike in NC: Fat Bastard was famous for speaking to law enforcement audiences and urging them to rough up the people they were arresting.

    Didn’t he also call for the Central Park Five to be executed after they had been proven innocent?​

  106. 106.

    MattF

    August 24, 2023 at 2:47 pm

    @Snarki, child of Loki: In fact, new prefixes were recently added to the SI system:

    One ronna (R) is the equivalent of one octillion of something (10˄27 or 1 followed by 27 zeros), whereas one ronto (r) is the equivalent of one octillionth of something (10˄minus27 or a decimal point followed by 26 zeros and a 1). One quetta (Q) is the equivalent of one nonillion of something (10˄30) and one quecto (q) is the equivalent of nonillionth of something (10˄minus30).

    So, metrology anticipated this issue and dealt with it.

  107. 107.

    ETtheLibrarian

    August 24, 2023 at 2:48 pm

    Every time I think about him and his follower I think of a cult. That reminds me of Living Color’s “Cult of Personality.”

    Appealing to the racists/misogynists’ and those who feel America isn’t for them anymore (all the mediocre white people who now have to work to get what their ancestors got without working for just based on them being white)

    I know your anger, I know your dreamsI’ve been everything you want to beOh, I’m the cult of personality

    And yet……

    I exploit you, still you love meI tell you, one and one makes threeOh, I’m the cult of personality

    And then….

    You gave me fortune, you gave me fameYou gave me power in your god’s nameI’m every person you need to beOh, I’m the cult of personality

    It feels like it will never end.

  108. 108.

    Redshift

    August 24, 2023 at 2:53 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I hope that Trump’s desire for prime time viewing of his arrest will backfire. I hope he looks weak

    I think he will. An underrated aspect of all of the mundane procedures being televised is that for the first time we’ll see him doing what he’s told, being bored, sitting and waiting, not dominating the room or impressing people.

    Previously, he’s just had his pretend-president motorcade outside and his tall tales of the court personnel telling him they really didn’t want to be doing this. This time we’ll all have video of what really happens.

  109. 109.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 2:54 pm

    @Bedraggled and Bedazzled: Does anyone here know if parent plus loans qualify for forgiveness under any program

    From the google search, it looks like most recent articles are saying that it is possible, but very limited.  Here is one site with information, but most of them say the same thing.

    Direct PLUS Loans for parents, more commonly referred to as parent PLUS loans, are the only type of federal student loan available to parents of college students. They are similar to other federal student loans, but forgiveness options are limited.

    If you have a parent PLUS loan, you can only get student loan forgiveness through Public Service Loan Forgiveness or the Income-Contingent Repayment plan, and borrowers must meet certain requirements for each option, such as making 120 payments or working for a qualifying employer. Depending on the circumstances, student loan discharge is an alternative for borrowers who don’t qualify for forgiveness, but this option also carries its own requirements that must be met.

  110. 110.

    Mike in NC

    August 24, 2023 at 2:54 pm

    @…now I try to be amused:  That made me think of the hit “88 Lines About 44 Women” from the 1980s, but it wasn’t Jim Carroll (it was The Nails, who I can’t even remember).

  111. 111.

    ArchTeryx

    August 24, 2023 at 2:55 pm

    @brendancalling: Thank you! Believe me I feel the relief from here. My own loans went to get a STEM PhD that turned out to be utterly worthless in the job market.

    What area? Molecular virologist. A specialty that, I kid you not, nobody would hire into DURING A VIRAL PANDEMIC.

  112. 112.

    AWOL

    August 24, 2023 at 2:56 pm

    @Alison Rose: Yes, but otters actually possess stable genius and can use instruments to obtain food. The TIFG can only play with his sad instrument.

  113. 113.

    geg6

    August 24, 2023 at 2:57 pm

    @brendancalling:

    Congratulations!  As a financial aid adminsitrator, this makes me so happy!  I have just spent the last two days begging a few students who have plenty of aid to cover their bills to decrease their loans only to the amount they need rather than borrowing the full amount that they are offered.  They see that big refund coming and don’t understand how getting that refund may come back to bite them in the ass later on.  I convinced them to do it in the end, but it was a battle during which I had to talk to their parents, their coaches and their advisors to help me convince them.

  114. 114.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 2:57 pm

    Ha!

    As noted by ABC news: in addition to “woke” going missing at the GOP debate last night, guess what other word we didn’t hear?

    “recession”

    =)

  115. 115.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 2:57 pm

    @MattF: I dunno, it’s possible Trump’s violation will take on the order of a Planck time, less than a billionth of a quectosecond, so still outside the system.

  116. 116.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 2:57 pm

    @HumboldtBlue: Ha!

  117. 117.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 2:59 pm

    @Jeffro: I hear there was plenty of sucking Dump’s ass though.

  118. 118.

    Bedraggled and Bedazzled

    August 24, 2023 at 3:00 pm

    @Scout211: thank you very much; I am so happy for all those whose burdens are relieved by these policy efforts.

  119. 119.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 3:01 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: only from Vivek!

  120. 120.

    MattF

    August 24, 2023 at 3:02 pm

    @Ken: I was actually a bit disappointed with the new prefixes— I was rooting for harpo-, chico-, and groucho-.

  121. 121.

    Trivia Man

    August 24, 2023 at 3:02 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: when he gets a jumpsuit be sure to provide it in the size he reported to be

  122. 122.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 3:04 pm

    @MattF: I assume they didn’t want a repeat of the milli/micro mess.  Groucho/Giga, chico/centi, harpo/hecto, zeppo/zetta….

  123. 123.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 3:05 pm

    I’ve been out so just now catching up on AJC news
    Harrison Floyd, the former director of Black Voices for Trump, has been booked into the the Fulton County Jail.
    No bond agreement for Floyd has been filed, according to the court docket. Floyd is being charged with violating the state’s RICO Act, conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings and influencing witnesses.
    All 18 other co-defendants in the 2020 election conspiracy case have been given consent bond orders, including former President Donald Trump. It was not clear how Floyd’s case would proceed Thursday.

  124. 124.

    geg6

    August 24, 2023 at 3:06 pm

    @Bedraggled and Bedazzled: ​
     
    Unfortunately, no. The program is only for student loans.

  125. 125.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 3:06 pm

    I see that Hugh Hewitt is complaining that the GOP debate was “a gift to Biden”

    Hugh, baby, we’re just trying to keep you employed in your role as Chief Duct-Taper of the Republican Party!  Why the long face?  LOL

    “In the first Republican debate on Wednesday night in Milwaukee, the Biden-orchestrated fiasco in Afghanistan of two years ago came up only fleetingly.  His appeasement of the Chinese Communist Party and its dictator for life, Xi Jinping, barely rated a whisper.  Not a word was spoken about the left’s sustained assault on the Supreme Court and the mortal threat it poses to the rule of law.”

    MORTAL, I say!

    LOL

    And Hugh, it’s “Left” not “left”   =

     

    ETA: also LOL

    The nation faces a crisis, a real one, and it has nothing to do with the former president or the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot

    Ummmmmm

  126. 126.

    lee

    August 24, 2023 at 3:07 pm

    @Chief Oshkosh:

    @brendancalling:

    Wife & I paid ours off over a couple of decades ago. In a fark.com thread I asked about what was so different about ours versus current and I was astounded at the difference. It really has turned into a giant money extraction scheme to benefit the banks.

  127. 127.

    eversor

    August 24, 2023 at 3:07 pm

    Does turning your ass in count as being arrested?

    I mean I’ve been arrested.  And how it went for everyone (well male, most women got the kid gloves and then got processed) I know was you got at best a cuffing, into the back of the car, hauled into jail, spent the night (or weekend!), and then got processed and let go.  Or often not let go.  Often there was a bit of a scuffle and ass kicking involved.

    Turning yourself in whenever you can be bothered to do it for processing and then walking out after isn’t what I’d call arrested.  Dive tackle the fat bastard and haul him out in his underwear!  Hurl him in there for the weekend.  Give him the proper arresting.  Just the greatest arresting.  Make him watch sitcoms and eat baloney and pbj for three days.  Give him the concrete slab with no blanket and cold metal toilet in a crowded room.  Shit break a rib or two.

  128. 128.

    Gravenstone

    August 24, 2023 at 3:08 pm

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Hoping his desire to do this “prime time” backfires and he gets tired and surly staff who would rather be home than working late dealing with his arrogant ass.

  129. 129.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 3:08 pm

    Trump announced that his arrest time will be 7:30 pm. It’s gonna be a long wait here . . . Here is his post on Lie Social.

    231,000,000 Views, and still counting. The Biggest Video on Social Media, EVER, more than double the Super Bowl! But please excuse me, I have to start getting ready to head down to Atlanta, Georgia, where Murder and other Violent Crimes have reached levels never seen before, to get ARRESTED by a Radical Left, Lowlife District Attorney, Fani Willis, for A PERFECT PHONE CALL, and having the audacity to challenge a RIGGED & STOLEN ELECTION. THE EVIDENCE IS IRREFUTABLE! ARREST TIME: 7:30 P.M.

  130. 130.

    Gravenstone

    August 24, 2023 at 3:09 pm

    @HumboldtBlue: Ain’t nobody in their right got-damn mind

    And here I believe you have identified the crux of the problem.

  131. 131.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 3:10 pm

    @JPL: Harrison Floyd has not been bonded out yet, because he is already under arrest for kicking a FBI agent.

    He might be the first one to experience Fulton County Jail accommodations.

  132. 132.

    JoyceH

    August 24, 2023 at 3:10 pm

    Something I’ve been curious about. I know all former presidents get Secret Service protection for life. But – do they all travel in almost-presidential sized motorcades like Trump does, or is that just his own sense of importance doing that?

  133. 133.

    Baud

    August 24, 2023 at 3:11 pm

    @Scout211:

    THE EVIDENCE IS IRREFUTABLE! ARREST TIME

     
    Taken alone, this part is truthful.

  134. 134.

    geg6

    August 24, 2023 at 3:11 pm

    @Bupalos:

    Direct from the studentaid.gov website:

    Borrowers with original principal balances of $12,000 or less will receive forgiveness of any remaining balance after making ten years of payments, with the maximum repayment period before forgiveness rising by one year for every additional $1,000 borrowed. For example, if your original principal balance is $14,000, you will see forgiveness after 12 years. Payments made previously (before 2024) and those made from now on will count toward these maximum forgiveness timeframes.

  135. 135.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    August 24, 2023 at 3:12 pm

    Book’em Dan-O, treason one!

  136. 136.

    eversor

    August 24, 2023 at 3:14 pm

    @JoyceH:

    No, they don’t.  Shit you can find the Obama’s randomly wandering into restaurants and avoiding the whole pomp because they don’t want it.

    Most senior government officials hate that shit.

    Most also don’t own their own country clubs though.

  137. 137.

    geg6

    August 24, 2023 at 3:14 pm

    @Scout211:

    That’s not part of the SAVE plan, though.  That’s always been there.

  138. 138.

    Jackie

    August 24, 2023 at 3:15 pm

    @Snarki, child of Loki:  TIFG went after Pence last night; called him a liar for saying Pence had to choose between the Constitution or TIFG re J6 during the debate.

    That may not cause consequences for TIFG at this time, but I’m curious if he’ll be admonished and reminded of the terms he agreed to and that every word he says or posts re potential witnesses is being watched by Judge Chutkan and Judge McAfee.

  139. 139.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 3:15 pm

    @JoyceH: Now you have me wondering how Jimmy Carter arrived at the Habitat worksites.  I could totally imagine him driving his own beat-up pickup truck with his tools in the back.

  140. 140.

    dmsilev

    August 24, 2023 at 3:16 pm

    @Scout211:

    ARREST TIME: 7:30 P.M.

    Hmmm. I’m chairing a talk session then. Wonder whether the organizers would object if I paused for a brief moment to commemorate the occasion?

    Probably.

  141. 141.

    Frankensteinbeck

    August 24, 2023 at 3:17 pm

    @Scout211:

    231,000,000 Views, and still counting. The Biggest Video on Social Media, EVER

    I assume this is a lie?

  142. 142.

    Mike in NC

    August 24, 2023 at 3:18 pm

    @Jeffro:  Hugh Hewitt is the God-bothering pinhead who interviewed Trump dozens of times hoping to discover that elusive working brain cell.

  143. 143.

    geg6

    August 24, 2023 at 3:18 pm

    @lee: ​
     

    to benefit the banks.

    The banks have nothing to do with student loans other than private educational loans, which are not covered under the SAVE plan. All federal loans are direct from the USDE.

  144. 144.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    August 24, 2023 at 3:18 pm

    @Redshift: ​
     

    The Democratic Party is the people’s party, and the Republican party is the party of special interest, and it always has been and always will be.

    ~ Harry S. Truman

  145. 145.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    @David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch:

    Book’em Dan-O, treason one! 

    And then shitslap the shit out of them all!

  146. 146.

    gvg

    August 24, 2023 at 3:20 pm

    @Bedraggled and Bedazzled:

    Some https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/topic/repaying_loans/article/are-direct-plus-loans-eligible-for-pslf

  147. 147.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 3:20 pm

    @JoyceH: I once saw Reagan post-presidency, in a non-official situation. He had a phalanx of SS agents and couple of limos, but no big motorcade.

  148. 148.

    dmsilev

    August 24, 2023 at 3:20 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: Seems like a safe bet. Only question is whether Musk is fudging the numbers or whether the numbers are accurate and TFG is the one lying about them.

    I guess “both” is, as usual, the most likely scenario.

  149. 149.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    August 24, 2023 at 3:20 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: ​
     Would Joe Isuzu lie to you

  150. 150.

    Rebel’s Dad

    August 24, 2023 at 3:21 pm

    @brendancalling: WOOHOO!!!!!!!

    This is fantastic news! Congratulations!

  151. 151.

    Jackie

    August 24, 2023 at 3:23 pm

    @Redshift: Is he planning to speak at the press afterward.

    I say speak at, because for sure, he won’t be taking questions!

  152. 152.

    Old School

    August 24, 2023 at 3:24 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I assume this is a lie?

    Could be a record for Twitter.  Baby Shark reached 13 billion views on YouTube in June.

  153. 153.

    MattF

    August 24, 2023 at 3:24 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: Google says the most viewed video on YouTube is the Baby Shark Dance, with over 13 billion views.

    ETA: DO DO DO DO DO DO DO

  154. 154.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 3:25 pm

    Man, he looks tired. And annoyed. TOUGH LUCK BUTTERCUP.

    Meadows pic.twitter.com/lbAqdjwUs5
    — Ari Melber (@AriMelber) August 24, 2023

  155. 155.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 3:25 pm

    @brendancalling: Great news!!

  156. 156.

    Redshift

    August 24, 2023 at 3:27 pm

    @JoyceH:

    Something I’ve been curious about. I know all former presidents get Secret Service protection for life. But – do they all travel in almost-presidential sized motorcades like Trump does, or is that just his own sense of importance doing that?

    Oh, that’s all him. He doesn’t have a president-sized secret service detail, so there’s no need for extra vehicles. There’s none of the securing the area, snipers on the roof and all that. Just personal bodyguards. And the secret service protection is just offered, not required, so normal former presidents only have the secret service agents when they need them, not the maximum number sitting around their gold-plated mcmansion.

  157. 157.

    David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch

    August 24, 2023 at 3:28 pm

    @dmsilev: ​
     There are firms you can hire to run a video continuously using a bot to increase “views”

    View Bots are bots that artificially increase views. Since YouTube capitalizes on views, and creators get paid based on attention, this is one of the top bots used. Since repeatedly hitting the refresh button on a video won’t increase the “view count,” this bot helps people boost their views artificially.

    Feb 1, 2022

  158. 158.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    @Old School:

    MediaiteTrump Makes Totally Meaningless Claim His Tucker Interview Received 100 Million Views In Four Hours

     

    A “view” on Twitter, now known as X, simply is a record of each time a person (or bot) scrolls past a tweet. The platform explains on its own website, “Anyone who is logged into Twitter who views a Tweet counts as a view, regardless of where they see the Tweet (e.g. Home, Search, Profiles, etc.) or whether or not they follow the author. If you’re the author, looking at your own Tweet also counts as a view.”

    Notably, the count does not indicate who actually watched the interview and will also count the same person viewing the tweet multiple times. Twitter dropped its “video view” count in early summer, in what critics argued appeared to be a gambit to hide key data from advertisers.

  159. 159.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    @dmsilev: I’ll guess that Musk fudged what he told Carlson, and Carlson fudged what he told Trump, and Trump fudged when he posted.

    I am irresistibly reminded of a Three Stooges short where, standing in a kitchen filled with foam, they realize “We all put the yeast in the beer.”

  160. 160.

    brendancalling

    August 24, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    @Mike in NC: I like to think of Hugh as half-sentient Spam. Same with Prager, except Prager has more spam-juice on him.

  161. 161.

    Mike in NC

    August 24, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    @JoyceH:  Trump probably insists on golfing while guarded by 10 Secret Service agents who double as caddies and are charged as much as he can scam the taxpayers for.

  162. 162.

    Jackie

    August 24, 2023 at 3:33 pm

    @Jeffro: I heard “Hunter Biden” within the first 5 mins from Pudd’n Boots and stopped watching.

  163. 163.

    Mel

    August 24, 2023 at 3:34 pm

    @brendancalling: That is great news!! I’m so happy for you!

  164. 164.

    Redshift

    August 24, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I assume this is a lie?

    Given that most of both TFG’s followers and Muskrat’s followers are mass-created accounts with no activity, it would not surprise me at all of somebody set up a script to “view” the interview, and Melon disabled any controls that keep bots out of the view count.

    Or equally likely, they could just be lying.

  165. 165.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 24, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    @Alison Rose: I remember when trump was in Walter Reed with Covid– the seriousness of which was repeatedly lied about, under-reported scandal number 6,408– Meadows at one point was reported to be weeping on a bench away from the crowd and the media.
    I imagine Mitch McConnell, Mike Pence and Melanie were all cheering for the Angel of Death. Maybe Barron and notIvanka too. Ivanka was modeling widows weeds and the other two were trying to remember anything he’d ever said to them than might could be interpreted as, “I love you and I’m proud of you”. That may or may not have been when Junior took with Guilfoyle and started making those jittery videos. Just sayin’

  166. 166.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 3:35 pm

    OT: my dog, how stupid are our fellow Americans? Stupid enough to sell out Frye Festival 2 organized by the same fraudster who went to jail over Frye Festival 1. I can’t.

  167. 167.

    laura

    August 24, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    @brendancalling: Congratulations – let those tears flow! Then use this in your personal pitch to turn out the vote and reelect the Administration that did this.

  168. 168.

    Mel

    August 24, 2023 at 3:36 pm

    Betty, I think that a set of sculpted butter mugshot replicas would be the perfect way to commemorate this week’s events!

  169. 169.

    Redshift

    August 24, 2023 at 3:37 pm

    @Scout211:

    A “view” on Twitter, now known as X, simply is a record of each time a person (or bot) scrolls past a tweet.

    Oh, right, I’d forgotten all about that. Given that the tweet was probably force fed to everyone who’s on the algorithmic feed, it wouldn’t take much.

  170. 170.

    Ramona

    August 24, 2023 at 3:39 pm

    @rikyrah: AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

    Joy, joy, happy, happy!!!

  171. 171.

    Mel

    August 24, 2023 at 3:40 pm

    @LAO: I saw that last night, and I kept picturing the photo of that sad, lopsided cheese sandwich.

    PT Barnum would be so proud of the Fyre Festival Bro…

  172. 172.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 3:41 pm

    @LAO:

    OT: my dog, how stupid are our fellow Americans? Stupid enough to sell out Frye Festival 2 organized by the same fraudster who went to jail over Frye Festival 1. I can’t. 

    You gotta be shitting me.

  173. 173.

    Old School

    August 24, 2023 at 3:42 pm

    While we wait for the ring leader, here's those Gotham City mug shots in one handy image #TrumpMugShot #RudyMugShot pic.twitter.com/OlRoATdsvy— HappyToast★ (@IamHappyToast) August 24, 2023

    I see they’re are up to nine villains currently.

  174. 174.

    gvg

    August 24, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    @Bedraggled and Bedazzled: This may be helpful. Look for the very end fir the info on Plus consolidation loopholes etc. https://www.verifythis.com/article/news/verify/student-loan/parent-plus-loans-can-be-forgiven-if-consolidated-what-to-know/536-e024a045-8edb-4bb1-b84d-3327fbbb6586

    https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/topic/repaying_loans/article/are-direct-plus-loans-eligible-for-pslf. Official Fed link

  175. 175.

    Bedraggled and Bedazzled

    August 24, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    @gvg: thank you for your help and the link. We knew what we were doing, the kiddo helps out as much as they can (a marvelous human and lurking jackal), and I’d rather have done this for them than going bail for a Rico charge in Georgia.

  176. 176.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 3:45 pm

    @Mel:

    Betty, I think that a set of sculpted butter mugshot replicas would be the perfect way to commemorate this week’s events! 

    What did butter ever do to deserve that kind of mistreatment? :)

  177. 177.

    cain

    August 24, 2023 at 3:46 pm

    @brendancalling: 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

    Congratulations! So glad to have read this.

  178. 178.

    Betty Cracker

    August 24, 2023 at 3:48 pm

    @Mel: Thanks for the memories!

    Trump Arrest Watch (Open Thread) 1

  179. 179.

    RandomMonster

    August 24, 2023 at 3:48 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: What did butter ever do to deserve that kind of mistreatment? :)

    Consider a mugshot sculpted from dog squeeze instead.

  180. 180.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    @Kay:

     

    CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP

  181. 181.

    Jackie

    August 24, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    @Alison Rose: Poor dear! He could’ve been a senator for life instead of being an indicted ex COS. 🎻

  182. 182.

    cain

    August 24, 2023 at 3:49 pm

    @Ken: oh.. I disagree – for Gen Zs and clued in Gen X and Gen Y  – everything is going to be on tiktok – you’re going to see all the distillation of the court there or on mastodon/bluesky whatevs. This won’t be like Watergate – on TV.

    It won’t be a slam dunk for the networks though. Except when sentencing day comes – the entire world is going to be watching. Hell, even Trump is probably going to be on his phone looking at everyone watching him – it will be his greatest moment in his narcissistic life.

  183. 183.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 3:51 pm

    @Betty Cracker: Hahaha!  I’d forgotten exactly how sad those “sandwiches” were!

  184. 184.

    Urza

    August 24, 2023 at 3:51 pm

    @eversor: That would need to be on Pay per View

  185. 185.

    gvg

    August 24, 2023 at 3:52 pm

    @brendancalling: I have just read that when they were trying to process Biden’s original plan, the Department of Ed was prioritizing the higher interest rate loans first, so anyone applying now may see the same thing.

    The SAVE official documents also say that missed payments aren’t going to be reported to credit agencies for a little while as we start the payments back up. Calling it an On ramp period.

    I also recall that during DeVos period it was mentioned that she had the department denying loan forgiveness and forbearance that the law said should have been granted, or simply didn’t staff the process on others. So some of the writing I have seen on line is saying PSLF only had 32 approvals out of millions of applications since 2016 and its hopeless almost too hard to qualify. The problem is not the qualifications. It was a lawbreaking Department head. Back in the 90’s and aughts, PSLF used to be routine and schools and such recruited based on them.

  186. 186.

    cain

    August 24, 2023 at 3:53 pm

    @patrick II: She saw 🤡 to the left of her and 🤡 to the right – and decided to go for 🟡🟡🟡.

    These emojis are brought to you by the Bureau of Emoji Safety.

  187. 187.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 3:54 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: God, speaking of this and of his ridiculous motorcades, imagine the absurd spectacle this fuckwagon’s funeral is gonna be. He’ll want to be lauded and praised like he was Lincoln, MLK, the Pope, and Beyoncé all in one.

  188. 188.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 3:55 pm

    @LAO: I saw a post about that and was like…okay, this whole human race experiment has been fun, but I think it’s clear by now it’s a net failure. Time to pack it in.

  189. 189.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 3:55 pm

    @Kay:

    Going to say this again: IT MATTERS who is President and their experiences and their viewpoint.

     

    President Biden respects the PROCESS.

     

    And, he’s also enough of a political nerd to understand that getting into the weeds, you can do a lot for people – IF YOU WANT TO.

    Will not stop bring this up.

    That Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

     

    From 2007-the Biden Administration:

    7,000 People had their loans forgiven.

    7,000

     

    During Dolt45’s Term…99% WERE REJECTED

     

    During President Biden’s Administration

    600,000 people and counting have had their loans forgiven. 

    600,000 +

  190. 190.

    H.E.Wolf

    August 24, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    @Bedraggled and Bedazzled: ​
     Hello to the lurking jackal! :)

  191. 191.

    WaterGirl

    August 24, 2023 at 3:56 pm

    @Ken: Isn’t that what C-SPAN is for?

  192. 192.

    Jackie

    August 24, 2023 at 3:57 pm

    @Ramona: TIFG can thank his buddy Chesebro for that! 😂

    I hope the law requires a request for a speedy trial supersedes any requests for unnecessary delays!

  193. 193.

    cain

    August 24, 2023 at 3:58 pm

    @HumboldtBlue: hahaha! The sales team must be hitting their head against the wall. Eric Yuan is a moron.

    The one company that made bank on remote work is helping to weaken its own product.

    Then again, with all the AI bullshit – people are already moving on. I can see AI trying to steal ideas from conversations on Zoom.

  194. 194.

    japa21

    August 24, 2023 at 3:59 pm

    Hope all my fellow Chicago area jackals are taking care. Heat index just hit 120.

  195. 195.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 3:59 pm

    @Betty Cracker: 🤣🤣🤣

  196. 196.

    cain

    August 24, 2023 at 3:59 pm

    @trollhattan:

    I just wish the conservatives would go back to sleep. Drink a glass of warm milk with a laxative.

  197. 197.

    Roger Moore

    August 24, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    @eversor:

    Turning yourself in whenever you can be bothered to do it for processing and then walking out after isn’t what I’d call arrested.

    The law disagrees with you.  Legally, you are under arrest when you reasonably believe you don’t have the right to leave.  That would certainly apply in a case where you go to jail, have your fingerprints and mug shot taken, and go to a bail hearing.  Letting you go in under your own power at a time of your choosing makes it a polite arrest, but it’s still an arrest.

  198. 198.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    @Alison Rose: You’re just talking about the line to piss on his fat, orange, fascist corpse, right?

  199. 199.

    Redshift

    August 24, 2023 at 4:00 pm

    @Jeffro:

    I see that Hugh Hewitt is complaining that the GOP debate was “a gift to Biden”

    Translation: “It was on Fox, why didn’t they spend the whole time pushing the things Fox always pushes? Waahh, waahh!”

  200. 200.

    WaterGirl

    August 24, 2023 at 4:01 pm

    @TaMara: Before seeing your suggestion, I had already asked a couple of people so far to write guest posts about their experience getting their student loans forgiven.

  201. 201.

    Scout211

    August 24, 2023 at 4:01 pm

    What would we do without The Onion

    Fyre Festival 2 Announced Following Organizer’s Release From Prison

    Billy McFarland, who went to federal prison for crimes related to 2017’s infamous Fyre Festival, has announced that tickets for Fyre Festival 2 are now on sale for $499, though no dates, lineup, or location have been confirmed. What do you think?

    “I bet they’ve still got some bread and cheese slices in storage somewhere.”
    SERGIO GUEVARA, CONTENT ASSOCIATE

     

    “Perhaps it’s time to rethink whether prison has a deterrent effect.”

    JULIANA PIERCE, TRAINING SPECIALIST

     

    Luckily he’s already been convicted of fraud, so he knows what to avoid.”

    ANDRE DUNNEBACK, SYSTEMS ANALYST

  202. 202.

    gvg

    August 24, 2023 at 4:02 pm

    @Bedraggled and Bedazzled: I do not know this source, but they have a lot more than any of the other links I found. I have been saving all of them because I know people will be asking.  I work in financial aid.

    https://www.savingforcollege.com/article/are-parent-loans-eligible-for-student-loan-forgiveness#:~:text=Public%20Service%20Loan%20Forgiveness%20for,a%20Federal%20Direct%20Consolidation%20Loan.

  203. 203.

    JCJ

    August 24, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    @LAO:  After that whole fiasco for some reason the Milwaukee Bucks had Ja Rule (one of the organizers) perform at halftime of a game.   He was still out there performing to a very indifferent crowd when the Bucks came out and started warming up for the second half, totally ignoring him.  That was funny enough, but he got really mad about it which made it even funnier

  204. 204.

    TerryC

    August 24, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    @brendancalling: Sweet!

  205. 205.

    Yarrow

    August 24, 2023 at 4:03 pm

    @Ken:

    Now you have me wondering how Jimmy Carter arrived at the Habitat worksites. I could totally imagine him driving his own beat-up pickup truck with his tools in the back.

    I didn’t see him arrive but he certainly had Secret Service officers with him on the one I worked on. Maybe four of them? They were around him the whole time.

  206. 206.

    cain

    August 24, 2023 at 4:04 pm

    @Mike in NC: I wish God to come down as Pee Wee Herman and keep poking him saying “I know you are, what am I?” That’s the kind of God bothering I can get behind.

  207. 207.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:04 pm

    @Scout211: I’m beginning to believe that the Onion isn’t satire. 🤔

  208. 208.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 4:04 pm

    @LAO: Especially considering the wikipedia page has sections on “Lawsuits” and “Criminal Investigation”, and a long section of horror stories about the facilities, food, and lack of entertainment.

  209. 209.

    ...now I try to be amused

    August 24, 2023 at 4:05 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: The TIFG Memorial Latrine.

  210. 210.

    bjacques

    August 24, 2023 at 4:05 pm

    @…now I try to be amused: except with Putin, every line of “People Who Died” ends with “fell from a roof on East 29”

    Except “Prigo couldn’t fly; Prigo died!”

  211. 211.

    lollipopguild

    August 24, 2023 at 4:06 pm

    @Alison Rose: Where do you think he will be buried? On his golf course?  They are going to have to have fencing topped with razor wire around his burial site to keep people from pissing on his grave.

  212. 212.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 4:07 pm

    @japa21: Howard Street wunderground station is reporting 102.

    Been blasting my AC since last night.

    Looking forward to this heat breaking tomorrow.

    Hoping for a storm tonight.

  213. 213.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    @lollipopguild: Under the cobblestones in Red Square.

  214. 214.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    @Ken: I love true crime documentaries, especially those about financial frauds. There have been at least 2 of them about Frye festival , that were really good. What is it about fraudsters and film crews? I’m looking at you Roger Stone.

  215. 215.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 4:09 pm

    @lollipopguild:

    They are going to have to have fencing topped with razor wire around his burial site to keep people from pissing on his grave. 

    Bottles can be saved up.  Piss balloons?

  216. 216.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 24, 2023 at 4:11 pm

    Philip lewis @Phil_Lewis_ 44m
    The booking photo for HarrisonFloyd, the leader of Black Voices for Trump. He is the only defendant without a bond agreement, so he is still in custody

    He was part of the attempt to scare Ruby Freeman into some kind of false confession, and he assaulted the FBI agent who delivered his subpoena

    I imagine a text from someone in Fani Willis’s office to Floyd’s lawyer: “You know how to reach us”

  217. 217.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:12 pm

    According to MSNBC, the judge granted KC’s motion, effectively severing his case, trial date 10/23.

    ETA: I’m not saying they’re correct.

    https://x.com/muellershewrote/status/1694804986780164410?s=46&t=X9PV5VKSwOZNT_u34CCUFQ

  218. 218.

    Yarrow

    August 24, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    @LAO:  Who or what is KC?

  219. 219.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 24, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    @lollipopguild: I read something the other day, can’t recall where noconfirming that he got some kind of graveyard tax break for the plot where they put Ivana. Apparently he at one point thought of some trump-branded cemetery, which now probably would turn a profit

    all of which is an excuse to link to “Go mow your mom”

    ETA: It worked. They sent in landscapers after that got tweeted around

  220. 220.

    Bedraggled and Bedazzled

    August 24, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    @gvg: thank you!

  221. 221.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    @Redshift: Translation: “It was on Fox, why didn’t they spend the whole time pushing the things Fox always pushes? Waahh, waahh!”

    “I CAN’T HOLD THIS WHOLE PARTY TOGETHER BY MYSELF, YOU ASSHOLES!!!  GET WITH THE PROGRAM!”  – H.H.

  222. 222.

    lollipopguild

    August 24, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    @Alison Rose: Thank you for that! I LOL!

  223. 223.

    cain

    August 24, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    Are we going to have a celebration thread for when Trump surrenders and gets a mugshot?

  224. 224.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 24, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    @LAO: I know you’re not a GA lawyer, but are you surprised? Seems to this layman like a really quick ruling

  225. 225.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    @Yarrow: Ken Cheseboro. Sorry to lazy to spell out.

  226. 226.

    Roger Moore

    August 24, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    @LAO:

    Fyre Festival has learned its lesson.

    –Susan Collins

  227. 227.

    Jackie

    August 24, 2023 at 4:16 pm

    Great news I’ve been watching for! RBG’s postage stamp will be released Oct 2!!!

    U.S. Postal Service to Unveil Stamp Honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg

    https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2023/0824ma-usps-to-unveil-stamp-honoring-ruth-bader-ginsburg.htm

  228. 228.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:  Yesterday the Washington Post had an article about him.   He could be the first to experience Fulton County jail house hospitality.

    It was that long ago that someone died of bed bug bites.

  229. 229.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’m shocked

  230. 230.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    @lollipopguild: They are going to have to have fencing topped with razor wire around his burial site to keep people from pissing on his grave.

    They can try, but then there will just be an uptick in hang gliding with a corresponding boom in shorts with velcro flys.

    Or in sales of drones that can carry liter jugs.

    Or…

    …you get the idea!

    We’re AMERICANS, dammit!  We won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, especially not in this case!   =)

  231. 231.

    Bill Arnold

    August 24, 2023 at 4:18 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Piss balloons?

    How to Make a Funnelator(easy)

    this can shoot tennis balls/anything else 100m ish

  232. 232.

    misterpuff

    August 24, 2023 at 4:19 pm

    @Old School:

    While we wait for the ring leader, here’s those Gotham City mug shots in one handy image #TrumpMugShot #RudyMugShot pic.twitter.com/OlRoATdsvy— HappyToast★ (@IamHappyToast) August 24, 2023

    I see they’re are up to nine villains currently.

    I beleive The Flash calls that a Rogue’s Gallery.

  233. 233.

    Yarrow

    August 24, 2023 at 4:20 pm

    @LAO:  Oh, thanks. There are so many of them I forget names.

  234. 234.

    BeautifulPlumage

    August 24, 2023 at 4:22 pm

    @LAO: ​
     
    They just went on sale!!! How can they be sold out already!?! That’s crazy.

    “… let’s just do it & be legends.”

  235. 235.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 4:23 pm

    @Jackie: Yay! Will be ordering.

  236. 236.

    Bill Arnold

    August 24, 2023 at 4:25 pm

    @misterpuff:

    I believe The Flash calls that a Rogue’s Gallery.

    Not sure the correct form. I have a Rogues’ Gallery (a bunch of browser tabs) for mostly-international rogues. Maybe it should be “Rogues Gallery”.

  237. 237.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:26 pm

    @BeautifulPlumage: At this point, the people who bought pre-sale tickets absolutely deserve to be scammed.

  238. 238.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 4:27 pm

    @Bill Arnold: Doesn’t say not to point it at a fat, orange, fascist shitstain’s grave.

  239. 239.

    Noskilz

    August 24, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    CSPAN will have coverage at 6:30PM ET

  240. 240.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    @BeautifulPlumage: I’d bet a lot of people are doing it for viral content. They know it’s probably going to suck again, and if they can get a TikTok of some nasty food or single port-a-potty with a mile-long queue to get traction, then it works out for them.

  241. 241.

    stacib

    August 24, 2023 at 4:28 pm

    @japa21: I’m inside an air conditioned warehouse, and the heat is still almost unbearable every time I open the door to unload a truck.

  242. 242.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 4:29 pm

    @LAO:

    At this point, the people who bought pre-sale tickets absolutely deserve to be scammed. 

    Maybe this year’s “sandwiches” will be cheddar cheese!

  243. 243.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 4:29 pm

    UH HUH

    UH HUH

     

    #SCOTUS Sucks  (@trcterp) posted at 0:17 PM on Tue, Aug 15, 2023:
    Harrison Floyd and Trevian Kutti lied, harassed, and threatened an elder, Ruby Freeman, just to appease massa.

    Beyond disgusted with them.
    #IndictmentDay #TrumpIndictment https://t.co/RRA1lAh6RM
    (https://twitter.com/trcterp/status/1691499403167539217?t=_HIiVUCv3igb3aXtyWuf9w&s=03)

  244. 244.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    Folks are wearing Wolf, Rat and other costumes.   I’m north of the jail by miles and it is 92 and feels like 101 here.  They have to be a couple of degress higher.

    I can’t imagine.

  245. 245.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) posted at 11:59 AM on Thu, Aug 24, 2023:
    Ken Chesebro, the Trump co-defendant who asked for a speedy trial, thought he was calling Willis’ bluff on her readiness to go to trial. He was not. Willis is not here to play.
    (https://twitter.com/JoyceWhiteVance/status/1694756230940561816?t=dCTndZxEiEnAzEB-pvnvtw&s=03)

  246. 246.

    jimmiraybob

    August 24, 2023 at 4:30 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:
     

    “You’re just talking about the line to piss on his fat, orange, fascist corpse, right?”

    If Trumpco can just figure out how to monetize.

  247. 247.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:31 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: You tell me this now! I better jump on the secondary market to snag a VIP ticket.

    I just can’t believe how stupid people are, even if they’re doing for clout.

  248. 248.

    tobie

    August 24, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    @LAO: Damn. All the co-defendants will now get to see the evidence Willis presents. Kind of hard to see how severability works in a conspiracy charge.

  249. 249.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    @LAO: Won’t that make it difficult for the prosecution? Especially if all the defendants ask for their trials to be  severed. Will Fani have to present bits and pieces of the conspiracy for each, so the whole of it is obscured?

  250. 250.

    tobie

    August 24, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    @smith: My thoughts too. It looks like Chesebro’s gambit paid off.

  251. 251.

    Dangerman

    August 24, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    My message for Trump:

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

    ETA: Initially typed as “my massage for Trump”; I’m going to go try and recover

  252. 252.

    japa21

    August 24, 2023 at 4:35 pm

    @mrmoshpotato: I’m out in La Grange.  No way the AC in my 70 year old apartment is able to keep up.

  253. 253.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:36 pm

    @tobie: It’s not optimal, I’m sure Willis’ team is working on a motion as we speak.

     

    @smith: in a conspiracy, all the evidence is admissible (in a general sense) against all defendants. So allowing one defendant to go early would give the remaining defendants a very significant advantage.

  254. 254.

    BeautifulPlumage

    August 24, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    @Alison Rose: ​
      I’m just going to pretend I didn’t read that. How depressing.

  255. 255.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 4:37 pm

    @LAO: If  they sever Chesbro  from the rest of the group what does that do to the RICO charges

    edited already answered

     

    edit

  256. 256.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    More Hugh Hewitt on why Biden won the GOP debate:

    The Republican Party has always been the serious party, the party that would talk about national security despite a legion of chattering heads saying voters don’t care. It was the party of opportunity. It was the party that unabashedly stood for the ideal of a colorblind society and free speech. Where were the champions of those values in Wednesday’s debate?

    yesssss…when I think of the GOP, I think of “colorblind society” and “free speech”…absolutely!

    The candidates appear to be succumbing to the pressure to be other than serious. It stems, of course, from social media, the exigencies of small-donor fundraising, a media ecosystem that rewards clicks, and even the poisonous influence of anonymous, unhinged commentators on political discourse.

    “WHY WON’T YOU PEOPLE QUIT LISTENING TO THE RUBES AND DO WHAT RUPERT AND CHARLES ARE TELLING YOU TO DO??!?” – H.H.

  257. 257.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 4:38 pm

    @LAO: Thanks you just answered me.

  258. 258.

    Dangerman

    August 24, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    @lollipopguild: They are going to have to have fencing topped with razor wire around his burial site to keep people from pissing on his grave.

    Dropped from a drone?

  259. 259.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 4:39 pm

    @JPL: it doesn’t change the RICO charges but it would give the remaining defendants quite the preview of the case against them.

    ETA: I just saw you follow up comment, but like all lawyers I love repeating myself. 😁

  260. 260.

    WereBear

    August 24, 2023 at 4:40 pm

    @KrackenJack: look up Gravy Planet/The Space Merchants. Or The Sheep Look Up.

  261. 261.

    Ken

    August 24, 2023 at 4:41 pm

    @misterpuff: I still think Trump will be the Joker.

  262. 262.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 4:45 pm

    @brendancalling:

    Why am I crying reading this?

    Bless you, JoeyB and your Administration.

  263. 263.

    Alison Rose

    August 24, 2023 at 4:45 pm

    @rikyrah: In response to someone asking her how feasible she thinks it is to try 19 people in October:

    She would not have asked for the date if she wasn’t ready.
    — Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) August 24, 2023

    Damn right.

  264. 264.

    Jeffro

    August 24, 2023 at 4:46 pm

    It’s time for “Count The Lies In A Single Paragraph”, with Hugh Hewitt!  Hugh, what do you have for us today?

    Did anyone hear a clear word spoken in the debate about education and school choice? A half-dozen states have embraced parental control of the tax dollars they pay for education, thus freeing parents to find the school or tutor who can help their children recover from the catastrophic learning loss inflicted by the debacle of pandemic policy. Oh, the message came loud and clear from the debate that the country cannot ever again allow an economic shutdown, but what about the children whose futures were put in jeopardy? What about parents who intend to vote for a candidate based on who will do the most to help their family?

    Hmm…what do we think, contestants?  5 lies?  6?  9?

    Remember: it has to be at least a half-truth or less to count.  And “Real DooziesTM” count as TWO lies!

  265. 265.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 4:47 pm

    @ArchTeryx:

     If Biden gets re-elected, I will be through PSLF before the next President takes office. I hope he’s re-elected. Seriously.

     

    The rules have changed enormously for the PSLF.

     

    From 7,000 forgiven

    to over 600,000

  266. 266.

    tobie

    August 24, 2023 at 4:48 pm

    @LAO: Good to know Willis can appeal this ruling. If Chesebro’s trial is held well before the others, Willis loses some of the leverage she would have on the co-defendants to cooperate.

    I dunno…as soon as I heard that the judge in this case was President of the Fed Society chapter in his law school, I had grave doubts about him.

  267. 267.

    misterpuff

    August 24, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    @Bill Arnold: You are correct, SIR!

  268. 268.

    prostratedragon

    August 24, 2023 at 4:49 pm

    Annnnd, it’s Chesebro on Sept 23rd.

  269. 269.

    Kayla Rudbek

    August 24, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    @brendancalling: congratulations!

  270. 270.

    WereBear

    August 24, 2023 at 4:50 pm

    @Almost Retired: I remember my student loan liberation day because, alas, it wasn’t that long ago.

     
    Likewise. Bailed with a bachelor’s when I saw the writing on the wall about tuition trends. Falling in love was a factor. Which means all I got out of it was him.🥸

  271. 271.

    JaySinWA

    August 24, 2023 at 4:53 pm

    I haven’t seen any explanation for the high bail amounts, but I haven’t looked very far. My understanding of the purpose of bail is to ensure the defendant’s appearance in court. Theoretically not punitive, although it usually is for people with no means.

    I would have expected most of these clowns to be released on their own recognizance, with little expectation that they wouldn’t show up in court. Is this bail requirement a normal Georgia thing? Is it something specific to the type of charges being made?

    I’m not complaining, just confused

    ETA is there an explainer post out there somewhere?

  272. 272.

    Hoodie

    August 24, 2023 at 4:53 pm

    @LAO:  Is the advantage that it might give the later defendants two bites at the same evidentiary apple?  However, if the evidence is what it is, is this necessarily that big of an advantage?  Is there any kind of issue preclusion that might occur?  Is there a disadvantage for the other defendants because they can’t necessarily control or influence the process of his case? For example, can Willis compel others to testify against Chesebro? 

  273. 273.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 4:55 pm

    @tobie: It would not only harm this case but future RICO cases in GA

  274. 274.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 4:55 pm

    @japa21: 🎶Ah how how how🎶

    I got my window unit blasting through my kitchen into my living room just to keep from sitting and sweating.

  275. 275.

    piratedan

    August 24, 2023 at 4:56 pm

    we know that Ms. Willis has been working on this case for a while and considering the “quality” of Team Coup, I gotta hope that Ms. Willis has a field that is bereft of fucks regarding the legal kabuki that will spew forth from Team Coup.  After watching these dudes come up with the half-cocked justifications for the coup itself, the procurement of the memos outlining the coup, the actions taken from those directive memos, I would rather put my money on Fani having her ducks in a row than Chesebro.

  276. 276.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 4:56 pm

    @japa21:

    Hope all my fellow Chicago area jackals are taking care. Heat index just hit 120

     

    oh Dear Lord. I have to leave work in a half-hour.

  277. 277.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 4:57 pm

    @Hoodie: I’m also wondering about the knock-on effects of a successful prosecution of Chesebro early on. He was absolutely central to the fake electors part of the plot. If he’s convicted for that, could it convince others who were part of fielding the fake electors to plead out?

  278. 278.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 4:58 pm

    @rikyrah: Gonna be a very warm trip home. :) 🥵

  279. 279.

    prostratedragon

    August 24, 2023 at 4:58 pm

    Whoa. If you can grab a bottle of water from somewhere, please do.

  280. 280.

    rikyrah

    August 24, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    @Alison Rose:

    As I said to myself when I read it..

    They don’t understand Black Professional Sensibilities.

     

    DA Willis was ready to try the before the Indictments came in.

    SHE.IS.NOT.PLAYING.WITH.THEM.

  281. 281.

    Bupalos

    August 24, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    @japa21: Shit. I assume that is headed Cleveland’s way next…

    edit- nooope. more consistent mid-70’s weather. I feel for the rest of the country this year, and almost feel guilty, I’m not sure there’s been an actual uncomfortable day in northeast Ohio all summer.

  282. 282.

    WaterGirl

    August 24, 2023 at 4:59 pm

    @Yarrow: Maybe the Cheese-Bro guy?

  283. 283.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 5:00 pm

    @Hoodie: Willis and her team have a trial strategy, for example how the evidence is presented, what it means and how they intend to connect all of the dots. They do not want to reveal that strategy. That’s the advantage to the remaining defendants.

    It may seem strange to describe a trial this way but a trial is a story telling competition—who tells a more compelling story the prosecution or the defense?

  284. 284.

    WaterGirl

    August 24, 2023 at 5:00 pm

    @LAO: Trump judge?

  285. 285.

    Highway Rob

    August 24, 2023 at 5:01 pm

    @BeautifulPlumage: My understanding, re-not-exactly-confirmed after a brief google search in which I only read headlines, is that the organizer says they’re sold out, and that it’s only the first round that are sold out w/ more to come at a higher price. So take “sold out” with a grain of salt the size of Gibraltar.

  286. 286.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    @WaterGirl: The Georgia state judge. Apparently he’s a member of the federalist society. But I’m not sure what the actual effect of the Chesedoro trial schedule order is. We may be misunderstanding what’s going on. I’m really not sure at this point.

  287. 287.

    Bupalos

    August 24, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    @Jeffro: I’m not taking away your cheeseburger, I’m freeing you to find another lunch that suits you better.

  288. 288.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    @rikyrah: Willis is so fucking impressive.

  289. 289.

    mrmoshpotato

    August 24, 2023 at 5:07 pm

    @Highway Rob:

    the organizer says they’re sold out, and that it’s only the first round that are sold out w/ more to come at a higher price fleece even richer, stupider idiots. 

    Fixed.

  290. 290.

    lowtechcyclist

    August 24, 2023 at 5:08 pm

    @Alison Rose: ​
     

    imagine the absurd spectacle this fuckwagon’s funeral is gonna be. He’ll want to be lauded and praised like he was Lincoln, MLK, the Pope, and Beyoncé all in one.

    His funeral will be whatever he pays for while he’s still living. (Expected amount: $0.00.) My WAG is that his kids and Melanoma will quietly inter him next to Ivana in that soggy-looking corner of the Bedminster golf course.

  291. 291.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 5:11 pm

    @LAO: Here’s another interesting possibility: Chesebro’s lawyers went for the Oct trial date to call what they thought was Fani Willis’ bluff, expecting her to counter with a later date. Are his lawyers actually going to be ready to go to trial just a few weeks from now?

  292. 292.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 5:13 pm

    @lowtechcyclist:  I doubt that Melania goes.

  293. 293.

    Ruckus

    August 24, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    @brendancalling:

    My sister passed away at 66 yrs old with cancer and thousands upon thousands of dollars of college debt. And she worked part time for a large, private SoCal college along with her own, many times award winning business.

    I didn’t go through with the advanced degree I wanted because I knew I’d be in debt for the rest of my life, like my sister ended up. I did OK because I had skills in a completely different type of work that got me reasonable paying jobs when I needed them. Life can be OK even if doesn’t go in any direction you wanted it to, as long as you are capable of riding on top of the tide, rather than drowning in it. As many/most Americans seem to have to find out, too many the very hard way.

  294. 294.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 24, 2023 at 5:17 pm

    @JPL: I imagine before the coroner arrives to pronounce official time of death, Melanie and Barron– with all the cash, jewelry, silverware, right down to trump’s bed-curtains and night-shirt– will be their way to Luxembourg or Licthenstein or wherever she’s stashed the cash she got from the twice renegotiated pre-nup, leaving behind only whatever written evidence she has to criminally implicate Ivanka and that Saks men’s department mannequin she married (at least that’s how I would like to see this story end)

  295. 295.

    Kathleen

    August 24, 2023 at 5:17 pm

    @Kay: According to the Screech Tweeters he hasn’t done anything, or enough, or needs to do more or something. Meanwhile I keep wondering why these people who constantly harp on him to “do something” don’t “introduce legislation”.

  296. 296.

    Roger Moore

    August 24, 2023 at 5:18 pm

    @Hoodie:

    For example, can Willis compel others to testify against Chesebro?

    She can put them on the stand, but they’d be well advised to take the 5th on everything unless they had cut a deal to testify.

  297. 297.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 5:20 pm

    @smith: I expect they’ll do their best to be ready but it’s going to be some Herculean task. I don’t envy the defense team at all.

  298. 298.

    Ruckus

    August 24, 2023 at 5:22 pm

    @Quinerly:

    A devil doesn’t have a heart or brain, it’s just pure evil. Or pure stupid. With SFB it’s both.

  299. 299.

    stinger

    August 24, 2023 at 5:28 pm

    @brendancalling: ​
      Hooray! So happy for you!

  300. 300.

    Kathleen

    August 24, 2023 at 5:33 pm

    @brendancalling: That is so awesome!

  301. 301.

    smith

    August 24, 2023 at 5:33 pm

    @LAO: A Herculean task they asked for themselves. If we really see a trial of Chesebro on Oct 23, it could turn into a bumblefest.

  302. 302.

    Kathleen

    August 24, 2023 at 5:34 pm

    @Jeffg166: It will be “rigged” against him, I’m sure.

  303. 303.

    Ruckus

    August 24, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    The worst part is that a lot of people likely have paid back the cost of the schooling, except that the loan rates and time have them paying far, far too much of that loan as interest. If they were paying over time like my sister, they have/had, long ago paid back the loan, just not all of the interest. Of course the loan companies/colleges take the interest out first and the cost of the actual schooling last, like they normally do. They get paid, we get screwed.

  304. 304.

    catclub

    August 24, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    @LAO: ​
     

    That’s the advantage to the remaining defendants.

    But there will lots of parts of the overall case that may not apply to chees-bro, and will not be revealed to the rest of the defendants.

  305. 305.

    LAO

    August 24, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    @catclub: Cheseboro is the alleged architect of the entire “legal scheme.” Everything is relevant to case against him.

  306. 306.

    Ruckus

    August 24, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    @Quinerly:

    Why isn’t he dead already? Stroke or heart attack.

    The world is never that lucky. vlad has been said to have terminal cancer but of course he’ll get to screw millions of humans out of money and life – just because.

  307. 307.

    Manyakitty

    August 24, 2023 at 5:49 pm

    @brendancalling: wow, that is FANTASTIC!!!! Thrilled for you!

  308. 308.

    Hoodie

    August 24, 2023 at 5:54 pm

    @LAO: True, but that can cut both ways.  These speedy trial statutes are not necessarily defendant-friendly.  He won’t have a lot of time to prepare and Willis will bury him in discovery, since she’s been investigating this for well over a year.  Seems like it could be suicide for Chesebro and not really that helpful for the other defendants.  This seems more like a gimmick to  delay the trials of the others, not a real strategy.

  309. 309.

    Miss Bianca

    August 24, 2023 at 5:57 pm

    @brendancalling: Yay!!

  310. 310.

    L Boom

    August 24, 2023 at 6:00 pm

    @brendancalling: same here! I ignored the emails because I thought they wouldn’t actually mean anything. Until I got the “Your student loans have been forgiven” email. And holy fucking shit, $109k of student loans, some of which were about 30 years old, were forgiven. Joe Biden is my new god.

  311. 311.

    Ruckus

    August 24, 2023 at 6:06 pm

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:

    Didn’t he also call for the Central Park Five to be executed after they had been proven innocent?​

    Yes he did.

    Stupid shit never falls out of his head, which is why he’s so full of it. Important stuff never gets a chance to enter that shit filled ugly orb.

  312. 312.

    wenchacha

    August 24, 2023 at 6:19 pm

    @…now I try to be amused: Good one!

  313. 313.

    artem1s

    August 24, 2023 at 6:43 pm

    @Kay:

    I think of it as part of a larger scale project to reorient higher education back to being a public good, with public institutions primarily funded by public dollars (a fun mix of federal, state, and local monies).

    That is one Big Fucking Biden Deal. Love that he and his staff always seem to have multi level plans in motion. It’s never a one and done with them. It’s perfect for dealing with both the MSM and Gohmert GOPers who have the attention span of gypsy moths. Make them pay for not doing their homework and not paying attention to the long game.

  314. 314.

    JPL

    August 24, 2023 at 6:45 pm

    Great Biden ad on the local news just now!   America is back.   Since I live in the Atlanta area, they are focused on trump’s arrival.

    Great timing.

  315. 315.

    Noskilz

    August 24, 2023 at 6:48 pm

    CNN has their live stream on their main page right now

  316. 316.

    Manyakitty

    August 24, 2023 at 6:56 pm

    @Roger Moore: so what you’re saying is that there’s a difference between being under arrest and being arrested.

  317. 317.

    Kristine

    August 24, 2023 at 7:40 pm

    @japa21:

    Hope all my fellow Chicago area jackals are taking care. Heat index just hit 120.

    Fever’s finally breaking—temp’s in the low 80s. Near-constant rumbling over the lake, and Lake County is under a Sever T-Storm Watch until 10pm.

    Yesterday, my car temp read 102F in the open garage/shade.

  318. 318.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    August 24, 2023 at 8:27 pm

    @brendancalling:  No, no, no, he is a block of cream cheese.  Whiter man has never existed, unless albino.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - dmkingto - SF Bay Area Scenes 7
Image by dmkingto (7/31/25)
Donate

Recent Comments

  • suzanne on GOP Stupidity Open Thread: He’s Not *My* Daddy, You Weirdos (Jul 15, 2025 @ 4:23pm)
  • bbleh on GOP Stupidity Open Thread: He’s Not *My* Daddy, You Weirdos (Jul 15, 2025 @ 4:22pm)
  • matt on GOP Stupidity Open Thread: He’s Not *My* Daddy, You Weirdos (Jul 15, 2025 @ 4:22pm)
  • Harrison Wesley on GOP Stupidity Open Thread: He’s Not *My* Daddy, You Weirdos (Jul 15, 2025 @ 4:21pm)
  • J. on GOP Stupidity Open Thread: He’s Not *My* Daddy, You Weirdos (Jul 15, 2025 @ 4:20pm)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Feeling Defeated?  If We Give Up, It's Game Over

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!