What a moment đ pic.twitter.com/0MkhkLAL0e
— Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) April 18, 2024
Talked to hundreds of high schoolers in Las Vegas who are passionate about gun violence prevention.
Everybody deserves to be safe from gun violence.
Together, we can make that happen. pic.twitter.com/qZWZEiJmrt
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 18, 2024
House Minority Whip Katherine Clark on why Dems arenât taking a position to save Mike Johnsonâs job. âWeâre waiting to see if he is going to allow us to save our global security and make sure that America has its security.â
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 19, 2024
(That’s my Rep!)
Bidenâs new Title IX rules protect LGBTQ+ students, but transgender sports rule still on hold https://t.co/J3OaDcSLcj
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 19, 2024
But it's not just the economic gains (though they certainly hate us for that) that Republicans hate us for. It's for educating those they keep in the dark
— Nathan from Michigan (@NathanfromMI) April 18, 2024
.@nytdavidbrooks argued on the @NewsHour that abortion wouldn't make much of a difference to voters in November. @RuthMarcus replied with two words, "suburban women". Looks like Ruth was right. pic.twitter.com/LbwGngRMQW
— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) April 13, 2024
"Lawsuits by members of Congress and police officers against Donald Trump for his actions on Jan. 6 may advance despite the related criminal case against him in Washington, a federal judge ruled Thursday."https://t.co/Se2Q8Rz1nc
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) April 18, 2024
Uncontroversally (I hope) good news:
Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from 'Star Trek' boldly goes home after twisting voyage https://t.co/6ToBcP7sMO
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 18, 2024
Baud
We were just talking about insulin.
NotMax
Too raw metal for my usual taste (and maybe for this time of morning) but the choices so on point are a bit limited. Judge and Jury.
I cringe when I hear your name
It makes me feel so sick inside
;)
comrade scotts agenda of rage
Years ago, Driftglass called David Fucking Brooks a “Republican Testicle Cozy”.
It still fits.
SFAW
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
Of course, he’d probably have to be Eddie-Gaedel-size to fit TFG.
ETA: NotMax, being old, may be the only one to get the ref.
Marmot
Remember the old maxim!
âDavid Brooks is always wrong.â
rikyrah
Good Morning Everyone đ đ đ
NotMax
@SFAW
Ah, the classic Veeck sneak.
;)
Baud
@rikyrah:
Good morning.
SFAW
Off topic, but: at 7:35 AM, the SFAW-ette called the slumbering Mrs. SFAW and me to let us know that Tay-Tay had dropped 31 new tracks — TWO ALBUMS’ WORTH!!! — yesterday (or last night or whenever).
I was going to harsh her mellow by asking if she was upset about Jason Kelce (Travis’s brother) losing his Super Bowl ring, but decided against that.
For those not following All Things Kelce: apparently Jason lost it in a pool of chili. [I have no idea if this was an Olympic-sized inground pool, or a five-foot-diameter above ground pool. But either way, it elicited a “WTAF?” comment from me when I read the teaser/headline.]
SFAW
@NotMax:Â â
Veeck as in Wreck, smart guy.
Baud
David Brooks does the thing conservatives always do: Present their wishes as facts in the hopes that their wishes will come true.
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
Heh. Apt.
dmsilev
Shouldn’t David Brooks go back to what he does best, overpaying for airport booze and then trying to blame Joe Biden for the price of hamburgers?
OzarkHillbilly
Not to step on Betty C’s toes but…
Him him again. and again. and again.
RevRick
@Baud: In innumerable ways, both large and small, Joe Biden keeps trying to improve the lives of average Americans.
sdhays
Republicans saying abortion wonât make much of a difference in the next election seem like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. They keep saying it, and keep being proven wrong when an election actually occurs.
Tâis but a scratch!
Betty Cracker
@SFAW: One of the tracks is called âFloridaâ and is a collab with Florence Welch (of The Machine). Itâs brilliant!
sdhays
@SFAW: I hope it was good chili.
RevRick
@OzarkHillbilly: Abortion may be the issue that not only allows us to win the House and hold the Presidency, but also hold the Senate, even with the brutal map weâre facing.
Scout211
I have been having fun this morning reading all the news about Taylor Swiftâs double album release on all of the online news sites. Â For CNN, NBC and all of the others to feature news and live updates about her new release right next to news stories the bombing of Iran sites is just crazy. Â But for me, a nice respite.
eclare
@SFAW:
Saw that about Jason’s ring…I have questions, too.
Thirty one songs is amazing, her next tour can be based on just those two albums. And whew, I would not want to be Joe Alwyn today. Travis, you are on alert, treat her nicely.
cain
@comrade scotts agenda of rage:
Imagine him arguing that abortion won’t make a difference when every special election the GOP has lost – or that Arizona is now leans Dem not toss up.
The man is an utter fool – I can’t believe he makes as much money as he does. The man knows nothing about women, life, or salad bars.
Warren Senders
Katherine Clark is terrific. She’s my rep, too, and a great sequel to Ed Markey. I am SO fortunate to live in MA.
Soprano2
@sdhays: It’s wishful thinking on their part. They finally got what they thought they wanted, and then found out it was electoral poison because when they get out of the Fox News bubble they see that their “ban all abortion” position is not popular with ordinary people. So they lie about the position they’ve been advocating for decades!
I’m still pretty freaked out about my nephew-in-law’s death yesterday. His wife (my niece) lives here, but most of his family lives in Michigan. On top of the horror of his death, she’ll have to decide where he’s buried. I don’t envy her that. I sure hope they can figure out why he died, most 39-year-olds don’t just keel over.
cain
@RevRick: Even better when the GOP gets spanked – they’ll only keep going down the well and get even more extreme. Stripping off even more GOP people because ultimately that will just lead to even more dysfunction and in-fighting.
geg6
@eclare:
Or Matty Healey. She torches them both. It’s delicious.
eclare
@Soprano2:
Oh gosh, I’m so sorry to hear about your nephew-in-law.
Scout211
This.
But unlike the Republicans who are walking back their extreme positions, the Arizona legislature has refused to repeal the ancient anti-abortion law, twice!
I donât understand this. Can anyone who knows Arizona politics explain this to me? How in the world do they think this ancient law remaining in effect results in some sort of political advantage to them? Â It makes zero sense to me.
Lapassionara
@Soprano2: Some do. I know a 39 year old who had to have an arterial stent implanted to fix his heart. The doc told him he had âthe widow-maker.â
Layer8Problem
“Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home . . . ”
Those warp nacelles are looking a little droopy, but it comes by it honestly. It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.
Layer8Problem
@Scout211: Elect unquestioning nuts, get unquestionably nutty reactions. “Our positions aren’t wrong, it’s the voters that are wrong.”
Soprano2
@Lapassionara: They went on a safari to Africa last year. He had a seizure the first or second day they were there. The doctors don’t know why it happened; he had never had a seizure before. My SIL told me he had been texting his doctor for a refill of the anti-seizure meds they put him on, but hadn’t gotten them yet. I sure do hope that’s not what killed him. I also hope they figure out what happened, because not knowing is the worst outcome.
Soprano2
@Scout211: I know, this makes no sense to me either. They’re all saying they don’t want that law to take effect, yet they won’t vote to repeal it either. I bet they want to pass something like a 6-week ban in its place.
Ksmiami
@sdhays: âyouâre a loonyâŚâ
TBone
The accelerator pedals are experiencing rapid, unplanned disassembly đ
https://www.thedailybeast.com/tesla-is-recalling-thousands-of-cybertrucks-over-scary-accelerator-fault
Lapassionara
@Soprano2: not knowing is the worst. My condolences.
Wag
Off topic, but has anyone read any commentary about Don the Conâs sartorial choices at the trial? Â Ditching his trademark white shirt and red tie for a blue shirt and navy tie? Â Does he think heâs invisible in the new outfit? Â Does he think the change to blue will fool voters into thinking a Democrat is on trial instead of him?
Hamlet of Melnibone
@Scout211: They want the law in place more than they want the political advantage that removing it would give them.
Another Scott
+1 on the first tweet. It’s a masterful little video and everyone should see it.
Especially folks in rural America.
Cheers,
Scott.
TBone
@Wag: I dunno but his whining this morning about how unfair it all is had me LOLing and shouting CRY HARDER, WHINY ASS TITTY BABY.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=72rYHuWidSM
eclare
@Another Scott:
Agree. Joe is so good at relating to ordinary people, which makes for good policies for ordinary people.
Betty Cracker
@TBone: I saw one in the wild the other day for the first time. It was absolutely hideous.
NotMax
@https://balloon-juice.com/2024/04/19/tgifriday-morning-open-thread-when-are-we-finally-gonna-get-a-slow-news-week/#comment-9169035
Love the anecdote about the opening for the original Star Trek.
Apparently no one was happy with the initial (pre-airdate) takes of the opening credits and Alexander Courage, the composer of the theme music, asked them to run it again. That time he stood at the microphone, scrunched up his lips and went “Whoosh” each time the ship crossed the screen. That version stayed in.
narya
@Soprano2: I’m so sorry! That’s awful.
smith
I believe that after the alternate jurors are picked today, they will hold a Sandoval hearing on TFG’s previous bad acts the prosecution intends to bring up in cross examination if he chooses to testify. The list is a doozy. Here’s hoping he stays true to form and ignores his lawyers’ advice not to testify. I’m guessing that a substantial proportion of the jurors are unfamiliar with some of these, and making him answer questions about them should have quite an impact.
NotMax
Fixy fix.
@Layer8Problem
Love the anecdote about the opening for the original Star Trek.
Apparently no one was happy with the initial (pre-airdate) takes of the opening credits and Alexander Courage, the composer of the theme music, asked them to run it again. That time he stood at the microphone, scrunched up his lips and went âWhooshâ each time the ship crossed the screen. That version stayed in.
TBone
@Betty Cracker: anyone who buys into fElon’s cons deserves what they get. I’ve only seen the cars here so far, with driver invariably distracted by his dashboard video. We honk loudly, catch their attention, and then I flip the bird and laugh right in their faces.
Eunicecycle
@TBone: I hate listening to him, so is that where he was complaining about being cold? That doesn’t seem like a thing a “real man” would complain about. Such a sissy.
ETA And I am always cold and am a sissy about it.
narya
While I’m hoping that the fight over abortion helps us in the fall, I think we have a long slog ahead of us. “Fetal personhood” has entered the chat and I suspect that’s what various states will use to override anything voters pass.
sab
I went to see our family lawyer yesterday. I have known him since we were both in junior high school in the late 1960s. He has always been an active Republican. Not any more. He is beyond anti-Trump. He doesn’t even identify as Republican any more. He’s just disgusted with them.
Geminid
From Axios correspondent Barak Ravid:
Ravid will likely have an Axios article later today. He also writes about these matters for the Israeli news site Walla.
I think the US announced this sanctions regime in February. France and the UK quickly followed suit, and Germany did a couple days later.
TBone
@Eunicecycle: nope he held forth this morning complaining about how everyone else gets to talk while he is gagged đ and some other grievances I can’t remember because I was laughing so hard. He’s not gonna be able to keep his trap shut without ever-larger doses of whatever sedative they’re giving him.
ETA But his complaining about being cold yesterday is also delicious!
Tony Jay
@TBone:
The problem where the shoddy aluminium casing around the accelerator slips off and wedges under the weird footwell to pin the accelerator down?
I wonder what Elon did with all that glue?
TBone
@sab: heartening
TBone
@Tony Jay: huffing it
JWR
@sdhays: ;) Black Knight loses another limb, says that it’s a mere flesh wound. Now come back and fight, ya sissy!
Tom Levenson
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: My morning is made.
Baud
@Scout211:
No one is walking anything back. It’s the difference between talk and action. With talk, Republicans can lie. With action, they can’t.
Baud
@sab:
đ
Layer8Problem
@NotMax: Geez, that “whoosh” was Courage? I’m floored. We got his theme, and we got his vocalization! And to think I as a callow youngster was not so big on the whoosh. The mark of a classic is that every time you revisit it you find something new. If memory serves they reorchestrated the theme after the first season.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@SFAW: Oh. You mean actually lost it, as in misplaced it, not had it rescinded or something. A pool of chili? I have questions.
Geminid
@Tony Jay: Glue? That’s legacy technology!
Betty
@Wag: It was probably on advice of his lawyers. Maybe the only advice he’ll take from them.
geg6
@TBone:Â â
It would be lovely to see that mother fucker get the Bobby Seale treatment.
Eunicecycle
@TBone: someone theorized his lawyers had them turn down the temperature so he would stay awake.
Frankensteinbeck
David Brooks can’t get pregnant and has never had to worry about getting pregnant. Therefor, nobody cares about the issue.
@Scout211:
They don’t. They’re acting on principle. Their principles are hideous, cruel and abominable, but they do have them.
Also, lying to cover up the practical backlash from doing the ‘right’ thing is a no-brainer for them.
EDIT – @Baud:
Also a good point. They’re lazy fucking cowards with huge “No, I don’t wanna!” energy. Sitting on their hands and doing nothing to allow horrible things to happen is their favorite way of doing things.
TBone
@Eunicecycle: đ plus I bet the sedation lowers his blood pressure and makes him cold
sixthdoctor
As it’s an open thread, just posting articles about the “nice” “moderate” Republican senatorial candidate in my state, Larry Hogan:
GOP Senate Candidateâs Error-Laden Memoir Villainized Baltimore, Freddie Gray
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/larry-hogan-republican-senate-baltimore-freddie-gray-1235005837/
And let’s not forget how nice moderate Larry stood solemn and respectful at Elijah Cummings’s funeral after killing funding for a Cummings project and steering the cash to benefit him.
https://newrepublic.com/article/156183/popular-crook-america
p.a.
I would like to kick David Brooks in the yarbles, while at the same time I kinda-sorta can’t blame David Brooks:Â he keeps being given a forum. Â If a liar lies in a forest does he make a sound?
Soprano2
@TBone: Most people would just put on more or warmer clothes.
Betty
@sixthdoctor: He also has said he is antiabortion. The Post has endorsed Alsobrooks in the Democratic Primary. Looking good for that seat.
Old Man Shadow
I guess we’re all just supposed to forget the time that Senate Republicans negotiated a border bill with Democrats where they got almost all of what they wanted and House Republicans tanked it?
TBone
@Soprano2: đ
TBone
@Old Man Shadow: red hats don’t know about that.
NotMax
@Layer8Problem
Yup. Added the triangle “ping” and extended it to fit in a credit for DeForest Kelley.
(I may be one of a scant number who can recctie the lyrics later written by Roddenberry by heart on demand.)
Dorothy A. Winsor
At Kos, Mark Sumner summarized yesterday’s Trump trial. I’m hoping he live blogs today’s. What time does it start?
OzarkHillbilly
Ukraine war briefing: Donald Trump says survival of Ukraine important to the US
I have not read it and don’t intend to (because trump lies about everything) just noting his apparent about face which won’t last.
JWR
Perhaps already discussed, but still funny. From Politico
Not to worry, Donnie has a notoriously thick skin. ;)
Geminid
The House is debating the Rule under which the foreign aid bills will be considered. Punchbowl reporter Jake Sherman
Âand others are covering the process. Evidently Chip Roy sooke against the Rule a short time ago. Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern led off for the Democrats, and said they supported the Rule.I think that once the rule passes, debate will begin on amendments to the the bills. I’m glad I don’t have C-Span ’cause I’ve got stuff to do today.
eclare
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
It is just starting.
Frankensteinbeck
@OzarkHillbilly:
Yep. He says what he thinks any individual audience wants to hear. There are very few things he cares about enough that he has trouble doing it. White supremacy and how great he is, mainly.
oldgold
This morning I was watching CNN ( I just can’t watch Morning Joe’s Know Your Worth segments – at first I was amused by them, but now I find them gag worthy ) when suddenly they abruptly broke from a news story in midsentence to cover Trump’s statement before entering the courthouse. He then proceeded to LIE about the gag order he is currently under for a good five minutes. My question is why do these news networks continuously give him these platforms to spew his LIES. This was not “Breaking News.” This was the same old same old and predictably so. Of course, no reporter was given a chance to ask Trump a question. Now, in CNN’s defense, afterwards they did state that what Trump said was BS, but in my opinion breaking from other coverage for that was a mistake and one the media continues to make.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
Best signal yet that Ukraine funding will get Republican votes. He wants to take credit.
Baud
@oldgold:
MSNBC is 90% Trump coverage now.
a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)
As we all should realize by now, Mamaâs Good Boy Elon Musk is not one of the geniuses behind Tesla, but J. B. Straubel certainly is. Hereâs what heâs doing now.
From the supply chain perspective, this is great stuff. From the recycling technology perspective, that sounds like an awesome level of return from the original materials.
Stanford should be exceedingly proud of him.
H.E.Wolf
Anyone who’d like to help Mucarsel-Powell win in FL this November: write a few postcards to invite FL Democrats to sign up for Vote By Mail.
FL’s Vote By Mail option measurably increases voter participation. Postcards To Voters has teamed up with the FL Democratic Party to sign up FL Dems.
The Republican majority in the FL state legislature required all Floridians using Vote By Mail to resubscribe in 2024… which gives Democrats a potential advantage if their voters sign up en masse.
Details here: https://balloon-juice.com/postcard-writing-in-early-2024/
You can write as few as 4 cards, with a 3-business-day window to mail them. Give Debbie Mucarsel-Powell a head start, in honor of our many FL jackals!
twbrandt
@Soprano2: How awful.
Layer8Problem
@NotMax:
Jeez, that’s feckin’ amazing. The one place I saw that was at the front of Whitfield’s The Making of Star Trek. I thought “Roddenberry better not give up his day job.”
cain
@Frankensteinbeck:
It is less about principle and more about keeping the grift going. If they didn’t they’ll get replaced by even more far right people.
a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)
Also, two of Switzerlandâs favorite things are now better together.
OzarkHillbilly
They say “birds of s a feather flock together” but I guess there is an exception to every rule:
Frankensteinbeck
@cain:
I strongly disagree. These people believe. Their voters elect someone like them – an asshole. You see how fractious their party leadership is these days? It’s because the grift is now secondary. They are primarily raging dumbasses. Remember that you can be both a grifter and a believer. It’s astonishingly easy for an asshole to find a way to profit off following their beliefs.
suzcamoo
@Soprano2: Condolences to you for this sudden, scary and overwhelmingly sad loss for your family.
Ohio Mom
As a regular patron of Cincinnati chili parlors, the only possible thing I can imagine is Jason was allowed behind the restaurantâs U-shaped counter where there is a island containing vats of spaghetti, chili, and kidney beans, as well as onions and grated cheese (the five ingredients that in various combinations make up the variations a of the local delicacy. For example, a âfive wayâ has all five ingredients, the âfour wayâ omits the beans, and weâve already heard all the âthree wayâ jokes.)
Anyway, I donât imagine the Board of Health would look kindly on a customer in the food prep area, let alone allowing a ring to fall into a vat and the vatâs contents not being disposed of, which would allow for the ringâs retrieval.
So this story isnât the least bit plausible. And wasnât worth the pixels I just used on it.
Bupalos
@OzarkHillbilly: It’s not really an about-face, and of course the truth-value of any Trump statement is generally a random negative number. But it is an interesting signal that he felt he had to say anything at all. I take it as a kind of tactical retreat. The aid package is going through, and Trump is likely doing the authoritarian dance of stepping out of the way of a perceived loss.
Of note, his horse-faced flying monkey in Georgia is doubling and tripling up on Kremlin-inspired memes even as he sends this signal. This dissonance and incoherence is also consonant with the authoritarian way. The confusion and chaos undermines the idea of truth and provides tactical flexibility. “I support Ukraine, it is important. But Ukraine and it’s grifting Nazi-jews should also be destroyed. And the European moochers should defend the sovereign state of Ukraine. But Putin will nuke us all if we try to pry The Ukraine away from Russia. “
UncleEbeneezer
@TBone: I see one of these around town and all I can think is: who thought this was a cool looking car? Â It literally looks like something an 8 year old boy would “design” with a box of legos. Â Jagged, angular and futuristic can absolutely work when it’s done right. Â The Delorean, Lotus Esprit, and Lamborghini Countach (three exotic cars that all had the extreme, triangular/planar look) all had an aesthetic quality to them that still looked pretty cool. Â These Tesla monstrosities just look so incredibly dumb.
smith
@Dorothy A. Winsor: It started at 9:30. It’s not clear if Sumner will live blog today, but the updates from the AP have been reasonably informative and timely.
Scout211
Good point.
eclare
@OzarkHillbilly:
The video is adorable!
suzcamoo
oops.
Geminid
@Baud: Trump gave qualified approval for Ukraine aid in that statement, but it seemed like something he could easily pivot out of. Some of his supporters are vehemently anti-Ukraine are pushing him to try killing the deal Johnson’s made.*
Trump’s a fickle guy, and he wouldn’t surprise me if he denounced the deal tonight. If nothing else, it would make tomorrow all about him.
* The comments coming from anti-Ukraine wingnuts are wild. Some accuse Johnson of treachery. Others say no, Johnson’s a good man but he’s under duress. Some even beg him to send his family to a non-Nato country for safety so he can better resist the coercion.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: That had not occurred to me but you are obviously correct in your reading of him. Which tbh is kinda scary. I’m gonna keep an eye on you.
Old Man Shadow
@OzarkHillbilly: He just says Ukraine’s survival is important. Not it’s freedom. That’s an important distinction.
As is his focus, which is in saying that Europe isn’t spending enough.
Which means, he doesn’t give a fuck who rules Ukraine and he’ll blame Europe for Ukraine’s fall even if it’s Trump and the GOP who precipitate it by cutting off aid at some point.
eclare
@Ohio Mom:
Strange event where he lost the ring
https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/jason-kelce-super-bowl-ring-lost-new-heights-20240417.html
Scout211
Also, good point.
Frankensteinbeck
@UncleEbeneezer:
It looks like a prop in a cheap 70s science fiction movie, where they wrap pieces of cardboard in tin foil and glue them to a toy car.
Which isn’t coincidence, of course, since Musk is trying to create an 80s cyberpunk dream real.
Bupalos
This appears to be a case where Trump and Biden are unfortunately too much on the same page. Or I guess where Trump’s rhetoric matches Biden’s actions, while Biden’s rhetoric matches an actual principled stance.
Bex
@Soprano2: Hope you find out what happened. May his memory be a blessing.
Percysowner
@Eunicecycle:Â â
I’m always cold too. I have a mound of warm fluffy robes that I throw on when I’m in the house and good looking sweaters I wear when I go out. If I were prone to whining about it, I would not do it while on trial. I would wear a nice warm suit jacket and suck it up.
NotMax
@
1980 Citroen Karin.
TBone
@a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio): cool story, tech bro đ I can’t help being cynical after seeing this puff piece blowing smoke up our asses
https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/tesla-texas-austin-employment-report/
RaflW
In some ways, I hope David Brooks’ pig ignorance is the received wisdom of middling conservatives. If they think abortion isn’t a critical issue, they’ll be well and truly blindsided in November, and deserve the gut-punch they’re gonna get.
NotMax
Arrgh. Fix.
@Uncle Ebeneezer
1980 Citroen Karin.
Matt McIrvin
@Layer8Problem: I always had the impression that Roddenberry’s lyrics were a grifty “ashcan” product–not actually intended to be used, but written and published so that Roddenberry could siphon off some of Alexander Courage’s residuals for the Star Trek theme because he had the “lyrics by” credit.
lowtechcyclist
@Betty Cracker:
I’ve got a major crush on Florence Welch, and their song “Ship to Wreck” is one of my favorite songs of the past decade. So I’ll be looking forward to hearing this!
TBone
@UncleEbeneezer: I have a meme I wish I could post of a child’s drawing of a cybertruck. The kindergarten style drawing is signed:
Elon, age 48
In crayon đ
NotMax
Oh crap. Screwed it up again.
@Uncle Ebeneezer
1980 Citroen Karin.
Ken
I have a theory about that. The designers showed Musk an early wire-frame concept model, he said “Great, do exactly that,” and no one wanted to tell him he’d screwed up.
The parallel to the story of Stalin, Shchusev, and the Hotel Moskva is of course deliberate.
lowtechcyclist
@Ksmiami: “It’s just a flesh wound.”
StringOnAStick
I had in jury selection yesterday for most of the day (I escaped being chosen due to strongly held opinions) and I wanted to note that it’s standard procedure apparently to make each potential juror state where they live and what they do it did for a living, if retired, plus if they’ve ever been on a jury before and if it was civil or criminal. I wasn’t in a situation where reporters were going to take that information and publicize it so rabid supporters of the defendant could dox me though.
Mike in NC
Agree that they likely made the courtroom colder to keep Fat Bastard from nodding off again. He should just wear his infamous black overcoat, the one he wore on January 6 and many other times when the temperature was under 75F. He thinks it hides his enormous girth, but it doesnât.
Bupalos
@Geminid: I’m afraid to ask what internet swamps you’re visiting to find these Kremlin-inflected posts.
TBone
@Mike in NC: I read that he already fell asleep today. Someone should call Rumplethinskin on his cell phone and blast an air horn.
Melancholy Jaques
@Old Man Shadow:
That really needs to be an ad running on social media right now and all summer long.
lowtechcyclist
@geg6:
Oh, that would be sweet. Can’t think of anyone who’d deserve it more!
Geminid
@Frankensteinbeck: Tesla could have cut down a Model 3 and put a bed on the back. It would have been simple and they’d have made money on a nice small electric pickup. Instead they poured resources into a big, crappy pickup truck.
Melancholy Jaques
@Baud:
One of the reasons Trump continues to poll so well is that the political media continue to treat him like the most important person in the world. This sends a very strong message to the disengaged. We who follow things figure the effect will be negative, but not so for those who pay little or no attention.
Ken
He’s already gotten in trouble for using his phone in the courtroom. Well, nearly — his lawyer made him put it away.
I thought the usual thing was that people weren’t even allowed phones in the courtrooms. I remember my one stint on jury duty, we weren’t allowed them.
Another Scott
Meanwhile, ICYMI, … Doktor Zoom at Wonkette.com:
Good, good.
Cheers,
Scott.
Melancholy Jaques
@a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio):
I assumed it was going to be about chocolate clocks.
NotMax
@Mike in NC
Ever been in the Centre Street Courthouse? HVAC not exactly state of the art.
Heck, same could be said for the elevators. Or, for that matter, the staircases.
TBone
@Another Scott: đ
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Baud: I think Trump coverage is good for us because it reminds people how awful he is. OTOH, it was very restful when he went away for a while.
Melancholy Jaques
@oldgold:
We’ve all had the same question for almost nine years now. My guess is that they just love him.
Geminid
@Bupalos: I looked up Randy Mott’s Twitter account. He’s a Republican who’s been pushing Ukraine aid hard over the last year, and a lot of the respondents agree with him. But there are dissenters, and I followed their arguments because I am curious about this split in the Republican party.
I used to think that if and when Ukraine aid passed thls fight would die down, but now I’m beginning to suspect it won’t. Rep. Tony Gonzales has a primary runoff next month in Texas that may give some good data points, assuming he votes for the aid bills.
TBone
Tankie theory on immigration đđ lifted from an actual comment.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@smith: Thanks for the AP link
Manyakitty
@Soprano2: so sorry to hear about this. Sending love and strength.
Ruckus
@Scout211:
It makes zero sense to you because you don’t have your head buried in one of 2 locations, your exit port or the sand. Neither of these locations actually allows one to see the world or that it changes over time. It also allows someone in one of those positions to believe whatever the hell they want and demand that everyone else bury their heads in one of those 2 places because they are the only important humans in the world. And it is very difficult to see the world around you when all one sees is dirt or s_ _ _, which really, really screws up one’s perspective.
Frankensteinbeck
@RaflW:
It absolutely 100% is. They don’t understand why they can’t just lie and it will go away.
@Geminid:
That would not have made Elon feel like a god who can make his favorite science fiction movies real.
ascap_scab
“Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from ‘Star Trek’ boldly goes home after twisting voyage”
O.J. had it!
Soprano2
@TBone: So their theory is that the best president for labor in my lifetime is trying to ruin labor with a “flood of migrants”? These people are unserious and stupid.
wjca
It’s aspirational. They really, really hope it won’t.
Hope is not a strategy, but it’s all they’ve got.
Geminid
@Frankensteinbeck: Yeah, a small pickup truck would have sold but Musk needed a prestige project even though his company did not.
Ruckus
@Melancholy Jaques:
Nope.
He is an important person, just ask him.
Most of us see him as the worst president and one of the worst human beings in our lifetimes. He gets support because he’s one of the millions of humans that are worse than useless but because their head is located in their dark and smelly place they can’t see this and someone whose head is located in the same area speaks their language and smells like them. IOW there is no actual justification.
TBone
@Soprano2: it’s a tankie/vatnik far left site I check on for giggles and to see what Pooty is up to (what stories the Kremlin is pushing to keep them mesmerized). You should see some of the other stuff. They ALL talk (type) like they are a stupid person’s idea of what a smart person should sound like.
Example
Jay C
@Frankensteinbeck:
Nor given him the opportunity to carp, whine, and insult any critics who bitch about the Cyberhulk’s inane design and abysmal build quality.
Elon is never one to let opportunities for self-aggrandizement and/or petulant self-victimization pass un-exploited.
a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)
@TBone: Truly, association with Tesla & Musk has become the kiss of death for tech credibility at this point! I hope this is as workable on a large scale as they say it is, because battery recycling is a big issue for EVs.
Miss Bianca
@Soprano2: Not only unserious and stupid, but xenophobic and racist to boot.
RedDirtGirl
@Soprano2: How tragic. So sorry to hear that!
TBone
@a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio): đ
Geminid
@Geminid: From Jake Sherman:
TBone
@Miss Bianca: the Kremlin should name their crack for brand power. Pooty Puff Putin Tootin’, the best crack ringer you’ll ever get. You’ll chase that high for life!
Layer8Problem
@lowtechcyclist: I cut out the first thirty seconds of the vocal from “Seven Devils” to use as my partner’s special ringtone on my phone. Partner sometimes has a flair for the dramatic. đ
RaflW
May have been posted, but here’s a free link.
R.F.K. Jr.âs Environmental Colleagues Urge Him to Drop Presidential Bid
(NYT – April 19, 2024) Nearly 50 leaders and activists who worked with Mr. Kennedy at an environmental nonprofit group will run ads calling on him to âHonor our planet, drop out.â
mrmoshpotato
@TBone:
Blast it right in his disgusting, orange, fascist face.
skerry
@Soprano2: Condolences to your family on this tragic, sudden loss.
Miss Bianca
@RaflW: Ha ha. Will he listen? Magic 8-ball says, “Unlikely”.
Frankensteinbeck
@Geminid:
Right. Ukraine aid is extremely popular among elected Republicans! Mike Johnson’s dithering is the only reason it has taken this long.
Ruckus
@Soprano2:
These people are unserious and stupid.
You are too nice…..
UncleEbeneezer
@NotMax:
đ¤Žđ¤Žđ¤Ž
Geminid
@Frankensteinbeck: It will still take another day. I will be more or less anxious until the roll calls tomorrow show a majority in favor.
UncleEbeneezer
@TBone: Yup. Â It’s like Homer Simpson designed it.
Jackie
This is what the GQP really wants?
Itâs an in-depth article worth the time reading. Very heartbreaking and made me boil in rage.
Republicans who think women’s healthcare wonât be a big GOTV maker⌠can just keep fooling themselves.
Fair Economist
That Cybertruck defect might be the scariest recall I have ever heard. EVs have phenomenal power and one that big stuck on max power could cause a tremendous amount of death and destruction.
Ruckus
@Eunicecycle:
Why?
Being awake won’t make him any smarter. And in fact may have the opposite effect.
Sure Lurkalot
@Soprano2: Â Condolences to your and your nephew-in-lawâs family.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
@SFAW: I have so many questions. None of which I think I want the answer to.
TBone
@UncleEbeneezer: or Maggie Simpson
Miss Bianca
@Ruckus:
Fat Bastard could be snoring his head off in the courtroom all day every day for all I care. Except I would hate to be sitting on a red-hot stove till all the think pieces from our Very Serious Media starting coming out opining on whether sleeping through one of his many criminal trials might possibly be one sign that DJT is an unworthy candidate for POTUS.
Geminid
@Geminid: According to Punchbowl’s John Bresnehan, the House will meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow and debate the four bills in the aid package, and consider some amendments. Roll call votes should start around 1 or 1:30 p.m.
Miss Bianca
@Jackie:
No, no, no, you see…Republicans don’t WANT women to bleed out as a result of their anti-abortion laws and policies…it’s just an unfortunate side effect!
Another Scott
@Geminid:Â @Frankensteinbeck:
RollCall.com has more:
Given the way it’s structured, it will be hard to kill. So I expect it won’t be. I expect, but do not know, for Biden to get the final legislation for his signature next week (after Paul and a few others cause a delay of a day or few).
We’ll see.
Cheers,
Scott.
smith
@Jackie: Really glad to see a major corporate media outlet highlighting these stories. It will make it harder for people who don’t want to know to continue not knowing.
eclare
@Geminid:
Thanks!
Josie
@Soprano2:Â â
My oldest son was barely 40 when he died in his sleep due to a heart malfunction. A few years later, my middle son had a stent placed in “the widowmaker.” It seems that they inherited the genetics of my late husband instead of mine. So far my youngest is healthy. I’m really sorry your family is going through this. It is hard when you lose someone so young so suddenly.
The Thin Black Duke
@Jackie: Because Americans are stupid, I was afraid that Trump was going to get reelected–until Dobbs happened. These horror stories aren’t going to stop and women are going to remember who did this to them.
Ksmiami
@JWR: youâve got no arms!
cain
@Geminid: how come Dems are saying no? Anybody know why?
Sure Lurkalot
@Jackie:
From American Progress, next week, our Supreme god whisperers will hear arguments about (basically) carving out pregnant women in crisis from emergency room care obligations:
Alliance Defending Freedom is the plaintiff, same as the case regarding access to medication abortion.
ETA link: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/in-idaho-v-united-states-the-supreme-court-must-reckon-with-the-post-dobbs-reality-it-created/#
trollhattan
Always thought the Enterprise hanging in the Air & Space Museum was the original; did not know it had a dinky older brother.
Very cool.
raven
No Love for Dickie Betts?
cain
@Another Scott:
That’s what happens when you put a native American in charge. Sustainable land management – honor the land. đđžđđžđđž
Harrison Wesley
@TBone: Lefties quoting Jonathan Turley? I thought he was a wingnut posing as a law-school professor. Well, slap me with a Trump diaper!
cain
@Sure Lurkalot: That should be fun since it is basically business vs religionists. Which one will they pick – I wonder! It’s definitely not gonna be about women’s health.
Geminid
@cain: Could be a nimber of reasons. Some may not like the Israel aid or the border security component, some may say there isn’t enough aid for Ukraine. Jared Golden has given that reason before.
It being a procedural vote, the members might not say. Most will likely explain their vote tomorrow.
eclare
@raven:
One of my favorite songs. RIP.
Old School
@Jackie:
Maddening.
DougJ is already on it.
UncleEbeneezer
@raven: Love Dickey and TABB but that has always been one of my least favorite of their tunes. Â I prefer the darker, moodier stuff like In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Dreams, Whipping Post etc.
Soprano2
@Jackie: Kay will be happy, someone big is actually covering these travesties. I think many women still have no idea how this could affect them.
lowtechcyclist
@Geminid:Â â
“Help, help, I’m being repressed! Come see the violence inherent in the system!”
cain
@Frankensteinbeck: Right. Those people who they elected enjoy the grift. The grifting is on the politician side so they do everything to keep themselves there and that means being more and more extreme.
Soprano2
@Josie: I’m sorry for your loss. My first thought was heart attack; my second was that it had something to do with what caused him to have that seizure. I wonder if there was an underlying problem of some kind that they didn’t find. So many people don’t realize medical care is as much an art as it is a science. Sometimes something gets found just because of the specific doctor you see.
MISTERPUFF
@TBone: When does he have time to sniff glue when he’s huffing his own farts continuously?
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Frankensteinbeck:
Motor Trend recently tested the Cylon Transport Vehicle side-by-side with a Rivian and Lightning:
Test Article
It’s actually worth watching the video for some of the quotes. But one mirrors yours:
“The [interior] looks more like a movie prop than a finished truck”.
Matt McIrvin
@trollhattan: There were several shooting models, of which those were two. And I think they got redressed over time. Sometimes you can spot differences in the stock shots they perennially used (if you watch the original versions of the episodes that haven’t had the effects re-done with CGI).
frosty
@raven: Oh yeah, lots of love here for Dickie Betts. Duane was the guy who got me playing slide guitar but Dickie made things better by doubling the leads. And all his other work. Second lead/rhythm players donât get enough credit. Except for Keef.
Like, as great as Cippolina was, Gary Duncan was the heart of Quicksilver.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Soprano2:
Like everybody else, my condolences.
A friend’s daughter died 5 years ago this past week at the age of 40. They never found the cause. If it brings your family some peace or closure, great. But talking with her, over time she says it wouldn’t have mattered, knowing what caused her death wouldn’t bring her back.
coin operated
@Soprano2: You have my condolences. I lost my son about a decade ago to a seizure. He’d had petit mal seizures on and off thru his teenage years…his first grand mal took him out at the age of 24.
eclare
@UncleEbeneezer:
And I’m the opposite, another fave is “Blue Sky,” while I don’t care for “Whipping Post.”
StringOnAStick
@Another Scott: That is such excellent news!
StringOnAStick
@NotMax: Courthouses are cold because most are old buildings without optimal air flow design, but also for the same reason operating rooms are cold: The star of the show, lawyer or surgeon, is working hard and would be sweating buckets in a hotter setting, plus it keeps the jury awake too.
piratedan
@Scout211: will try and keep this from getting into tl;dr territory, to set up some background here. The AZ State Senate and House are held by the GOP by a two seat margin in each chamber. A “pragmatic” GOP member brought up the repeal bill because of the implications of political suicide if they did not do so.
In return, the remainder of the GOP State Senate declared him to be a RINO and scolded him for not embracing the appropriate tenets of GOP principles. So, there was a 30-30 vote where the lone GOP sponsor and all the Dems couldn’t get a majority to repeal the bill and as such it stays on the books.
Az has a healthy number of Independent voters and a serious block of the GOP are Mormons, who are not as rabid about abortion as their Catholic and Protestant brethren (as a rule, you can find true believers everywhere). This will seriously hurt GOP chances in the Phoenix metro specifically, as well as statewide.
Dems may be looking at a statehouse flip with Abortion both on the ballot (likely) and in play as an issue for each state and federal seat.
Jackie
@Sure Lurkalot: I live in eastern WA, about 100 miles from the Idaho border, so Iâve been following this fairly closely. If the SCOTUS votes against Alliance Defending Freedom, itâs gonna get uglier for the GQP.
SFAW
@Dorothy A. Winsor:
Confession: I have not read the article(s)*, but my impression was he actually lost it. I also have questions, as do you and others, but not interested enough to seek the answers.
*I mean, come ON! Waste a valuable three minutes on that?
rikyrah
@Soprano2:
So sorry for your lossđđ˝đ˘
JWR
@Ksmiami:
;) The dry retorts always crack me up. I’ve got Monty Python’s two volume Just The Words, and they’re just as hilarious to read.
geg6
@eclare:Â â
LOL! And “Whipping Post” is the only Allman Brothers song I think is truly great. A masterpiece, in fact. Especially Greg’s singing. The rest of their catalog…meh. But then I’m not much of a fan of white southern music, whether country or “country rock.” In fact, I blame the Allmans for Lynyrd Skynyrd, the third worst band ever, after the Dead and Phish.
eclare
@geg6:
Ugh. Don’t put Lynyrd Skynyrd on them, The Allman Brothers were everything that Lynyrd Skynyrd was not, especially when it came to race.
Gvg
@SFAW: there was a charity event where people could try to find his ring hidden in a kiddie pool of chili. I would guess someone stole it, pretended not to find it and kept it. Thatâs just a guess.
Ken
@Geminid:
Oh look, another piece of important legislation that passes the “Republican-controlled” House with more Democrats voting for it than Republicans.
More Democrats voting in total, for that matter; 204 D and 201 R. Did some of the loons boycott?
Ken
Oh come now, you must have seen the videos of the Cybertruck in “action”. You just have to step up on a curb, or stand on the other side of a patch sandy ground, and it will be unable to get past the obstacle.
Ruckus
@TBone:
They’ve sold thousands of those things?
There are that many idiots with that much money to throw away?
Ruckus
@RevRick:
Gee, Joe Biden is an actual reasonable American president.
So much different than the last one, the one that is barely human. At least that’s what he wants us to think. (I could be mistaken about that human part – it’s possible he is some lab experiment gone seriously wrong)
The "I Want" Song
@Matt McIrvin: Yep, this. Roddenberry was able to claim 50% of the songwriter royalties for the Star Trek Main Title just by adding lyrics. I’m not aware of any recording that includes them.
Uncle Cosmo
Um, best not enumerate the putative roasters ere they emerge from their shells. MD is not a deep blue state; it bleeds out into purple and then deep red the farther one travels from the line between Baltimore and DC. And the Democrats’ edge in registration incorporates more DINOs than Jurassisgrassic Park ever dreamt of – many of whom would crawl over their dying grannies to vote against an African-American woman for any office.
My concern is that we’ll see a reprise of what I call the Free State Syndrome: thanks to closed primaries, African-American voters can generally determine the Democratic nominee for any statewide office, but until 2022 victory no AA candidate had ever won statewide except as second banana on a gubernatorial ticket, and 2 of those 3 were Republicans.**
Hogan himself won two terms as Governor by soundly defeating two AA Democratic nominees – and was furious when a wingnut defeated his handpicked successor in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary. (He accused the MD Democratic Party of scheming to help the wingnut win. IIRC the Party merely ran a few ads noting that said wingnut was in fact wingnutty, which brought the MAGA faithful out in support.)
To be sure, I’m no especial fan of Congressman David Trone, the other major Democrat running for Ben Cardin’s Senate seat. Trone, who currently represents MD-06 (western MD), is a white male multimillionaire who self-funds his campaigns. I’ve heard nothing particularly offputting about him, but a woman POC representing MD in the U.S. Senate seems long overdue, and Ms Alsobrooks has a solid resume. The problem is, we need to keep this seat to keep the GOP from flipping the Senate – and I would infinitely prefer a Senator Trone on our side of the aisle to a Senator Hogan on theirs.
I note that Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and a number of other House colleagues have endorsed Trone. Part of the reason may be simple collegiality – but part may be prompted by polling that suggests Free State Syndrome is in the air. (Not that we peons will see the numbers til long after the fact, if then.)
** Michael Steele, Anthony Brown, and Boyd Rutherford, who ran for Lieutenant-Governor on tickets headed by Bob Ehrlich, Martin O’Malley and Hogan, respectively.â
Gretchen
@sixthdoctor: Larry Hogan lobbied to let bigger container ships use the Port of Baltimore despite warnings by safety experts and engineers that it would be dangerous. He ignored the warnings. That should be disqualifying by itself.
evodevo
@Bupalos: HBO’s recent airing of Regime was rather tepid, but one thing they did get was the constant gaslighting of assistants/supporters by the nutjob female dictator. I watched it and imagine that being in Trumpy’s orbit would probably be a lot like this miniseries LOL. What a horrible, backbiting, whiplash-inducing policy hypocrisy in a single package…and yet he does not lack for sycophants and ass-kissers.
catclub
In the other case, the Pontiac Aztek springs to mind.
CaseyL
@Gretchen: In 2007, a bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, due to flaws in the original design which were known, had been known for years, but nothing was done until it actually collapsed (with a much higher casualty rate than the Baltimore bridge collapse).
At the time, Tim Pawlenty (Republican) was the Governor of Minnesota. Despite the fact that it was his Administration which neglected to – or outright refused to – fund repairs/upgrades to the bridge before it collapsed, he never suffered the slightest political blowback. In fact, he ran for President in 2012 and no one brought up the subject at all.
evodevo
@Melancholy Jaques:Â or brown paper packages tied up with string…
evodevo
@Gvg: I’d say that is probably a good guess…if it turns up for sale on Ebay in a couple years, we’ll know you were right.
Scout211
@piratedan: Thank you for all the details. Â It still doesnât make sense to me, but at least I understand it better now.