Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

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

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Jesus watching the most hateful people claiming to be his followers

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

the 10% who apparently lack object permanence

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

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Reader Interactions

336Comments

  1. 1.

    different-church-lady

    Wait, you’re saying there’s life beyond fretting on the internet?

  4. 4.

    CaseyL

    Because of the heat wave, I put a big dish (actually, a commercial-size lasagne pan) full of water out in the front yard by a tree, for any critter who might need a drink, or even a dip. Put a couple big rocks in it, too, so if anyone falls in they can climb out.

    I’ve seen crows show up with food items that are apparently too hard to eat easily. They dip the food item in the water, sometimes pushing it around with their beaks. Then, when it’s softened up enough, they fly off with it.

    Fascinating to watch.​

  6. 6.

    karen marie

    Open thread:  Fancy up your instant noodles with peanut butter!

    Somebody mentioned doing so on Mastodon, and I tried it last night.  It’s phenomenal.  I use Indomie Mi Goreng, which are pretty spicy.  I mixed about a tablespoon of natural peanut butter into the spices and a bit of hot water from the cooking noodles.  My mind was blown.

  8. 8.

    TBone

    On today’s rerun episode of the Waltons, grandma and grandpa got disrespected by the youngs and that, as well as the adult son’s overconcern about grandpa, caused both old cutie pies to flee their family home for more solitary and serene pastures.  As always, there was a happy ending. Reunification.

  12. 12.

    jackmac

    Today’s NYT editorial calling the Orange Felon unfit for office is clearly way too little, way too late.

    I’ll speculate that it’s a reaction to the tremendous blowback it received after calling on Biden to step aside after a crappy debate performance but failing to call out Trump for his far worse transgressions.

    Moreover, there’s the the bottom effect with anecdotal evidence of numerous subscription cancellations.

    Hit ’em where it hurts.

  14. 14.

    TBone

    @different-church-lady: 😆😆😆 GRANDPA RODE THE BACK OF THE TRUCK SHOTGUN SIDESADDLE WITH ONE LEG SWUNG OUT ON THE WAY HOME!!! 😆😆😆

    Even I was concerned at that behavior !

    ETA I luv me some Will Geer!

  15. 15.

    Jay

    Anton Gerashchenko
    @Gerashchenko_en
    5h
    Reports appeared in Ukrainian media that after the attack on Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, a Russian army pilot of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division (military unit 06987, Engels air base) contacted the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. It is this division that is constantly striking Ukrainian cities with Kh-101 cruise missiles.

    He wrote to the chatbot that he was shocked by the strike of the children’s hospital and did not understand why they were forced to hit the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine.

    Therefore, he decided to hand over to the Ukrainian side documents related to the activities of his military unit, as well as private photos of the commanders of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Federation.

    This information hasn’t been confirmed officially.

    https://nitter.poast.org/Gerashchenko_en/status/1811413742531547155#m

    To paraphrase a comment from last night, by somebody else,

    “You can’t talk the Nancy Kerrigan “Democrats” off the ledge”

    “You can push them though”.

  20. 20.

    tam1MI

    Repeated from downstairs because it bears repeating:

    What’s really hilarious about the bedwetting trolls here is that their, “Forget about the votes that people cast in good faith! Nothing is official until the convention!” argument is the exact same logic the January 7 insurrectionists used to try to keep the House of Representatives from certifying the vote.

  23. 23.

    Jay

    I wonder how much compromat Putin got on Uncle Clarence during his paid for junket to St. Petersburg.

    Did Ginni go along?

    Just asking questions,……….

  24. 24.

    The Thin Black Duke

    Different-church lady posted this below but it bears repeating:

    I don’t doubt they’re getting bad polling numbers. What I can’t figure out is how they’re coming to the conclusion that making it worse is going to make it better.

    If idiotss still believe that dumping Biden is a good idea, there’s a Nigerian prince online right now who has a great deal on Bitcoin.

  27. 27.

    Booger

    Hi guys.

     

    I checked out of here about a year and a half ago, trying to break the cycle of doom scrolling and constantly refreshing that helped me try and maintain a sense of control in a world gone mad. I had been a faithful reader and occasional commenter since the beginning–maybe 2003 or 2004? First thing in the morning, last thing in the evening. I cut way back on any online stuff, and then last winter finally deleted my 13-year-old account on Reddit.

    I had been a regular over there on a couple of hobby related subreddits, and when COVID hit those subs exploded with bored, stuck people looking for stuff to do with what was in the cupboard. So for a while it was great, lots of noobs to help out, lots of good information exchanged, high-level conversations, appreciation expressed, and all that good stuff.

    Then in the last eighteen months, something changed. Anxiety became the flavor of the day, with people doing nothing but fretting over simple things. The same pointless concerns expressed again and again, and nothing anyone said could calm things down. The signal-to-noise ratio became unbearably bad, so I deleted all my content and deleted my account.

    Someone told me that fearfulness is a byproduct of a generation growing up on smartphones. I believe it. But the other current is what someone described as the “enshitification” of everything; if you haven’t gone down that rabbit hole, it’s worth a google. Everything online seems to be nothing but bots and influencers now, and I feel lost. So I thought I’d humbly come back and see if real people are still having real discussions about real issues and pictures of pets, and being cudmudgeonly. Check, check, and check.

    I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see the same cast of characters whose foibles I still recall. I’m dipping my toes in slowly, but I feel like if I’m not coming home, I’m at least walking around an old, familiar neighborhood.

    Ya jackals.

    Booger

  29. 29.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Jay:

    Ya got them mixxered up! In this example Nancy was Joe and Tonya was the weak-kneed Democrat going after her kneecaps.

    You’re right about not wasting time talking them off of a ledge because they’ll just crawl right back up there and beg someone to talk them down again. Don’t waste your breath, just tell them to jump already.

    Hell, push them off the ledge if necessary!

  30. 30.

    different-church-lady

    @Booger:

    But the other current is what someone described as the “enshitification” of everything;

    Corey Doctorow. And boy does he seem right.

  32. 32.

    SomeRandomGuy

    @Splitting Image: Didn’t you hear? Satan took a dive. Residents of South Park were quoted as saying, about the Prince of Darkness, Ruler Over All That Is Evil  “he came here just to take all of our money? What a *mean* thing to do!”

  35. 35.

    geg6

    Well, my professional organization’s (NASFAA- National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators) national virtual conference has ended.  Most of the sessions were typical stuff, but one of yesterday’s was really good and was a bit of a surprise.  The afternoon session was called “Media Perspectives on Financial Aid” and featured two people from professional journals, The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Education, and two education beat reporters from mainstream media, The Washington Post and CNN.  It was good to see reporters who specialize in an area and are well-informed with the subject matter and who understand the challenges and satisfactions of those of us who are in the field.  It was quite affirming to see that.

  37. 37.

    piratedan

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: this is the fire department, we’re not going to get your cat out of the tree… again.  We suggest you open up a can of tuna…… and let them come down on their own.

  38. 38.

    A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)

    @Booger: Welcome back! Lots has changed (John is getting married, Lily died, etc. etc.) and lots hasn’t (the willow is still too close to the house and Baud is still pantless). Albatrossity posts wonderful bird pictures every Monday morning, and On The Road continues to entertain and inspire. And Water Girl organizes political fundraising where our $ really matter (GOTV for Native Americans in targeted states, etc.)

  39. 39.

    SomeRandomGuy

    Per Digby, Newsweek reports: Congressional Democratic and party donors may be pushing for President Joe Biden to leave the 2024 race, but polls and reports from battleground states suggest that American voters aren’t abandoning him amid his post-debate crisis.

    So, let me get this straight: the thing that would have made his post-debate a “crisis” didn’t happen, but, there was still a *crisis*, because Kvack the Duck from Hagar The Horrible still goes “KVACK!” instead of “quack”. Did I get the reasoning close?

  40. 40.

    Another Scott

    @Booger:

    Obligatory HMPG.net.

    ;-)

    Like with 999 TV channels, and dozens of streaming services, there’s way, way, way too much stuff on the Internet. We have to pick and choose. And even within a site – or thread – we like, we have to pick and choose. There will never be enough hours in the day. It’s Ok not to read everything.

    Thanks for coming back. Be choosy here too. There’s some character named Baud and another named Omnes and another named Steve in the ATL that are especially devious.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  43. 43.

    Another Scott

    @geg6: That’s not going to turn out to be like the Cubs winning the World Series, is it??!!

    :-)

    Good conferences are good.  Thanks for the report.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  45. 45.

    zhena gogolia

    @Booger: Welcome! But be careful here too, there has been a large escalation of trolls and even anxiety-promoting regulars since about June 27, 2024.

  46. 46.

    Fair Economist

    I recently got a kickstartered boardgame, Pampero, about the Uruguayan transition to carbon-free electricity. Going to learn it in the next day or two and try to get it to the table the next week.

  47. 47.

    Jay

    Pekka Kallioniemi
    @P_Kallioniemi
    15h
    George Santos has dropped his Congress comeback attempt due to not being able to raise ANY money.

    I wonder what will be his next grift.

    https://nitter.poast.org/P_Kallioniemi/status/1811275859161981330#m

    Well, he is doing that “will send a personal message for $$$” thing,

    and their are rumours he’s resurecting his Drag persona,……

    so maybe “Only Fans” or “catfishing/Pig slaughtering?”

  48. 48.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @SomeRandomGuy: Bernie made the excellent point of: since when do we want to let party elites/donors decide the candidate against the will of the voters?

    Mic-fuckin’-DROP

    and thank you Bernie!!  For all his faults, he deserves better Stans.

  49. 49.

    Hildebrand

    Putting together the service and eulogy for a parishioner who was shot and killed after a ‘disagreement’ went horrifically wrong at a birthday party.  He was 44.  Keep his family in your prayers or good thoughts or just in your heart.

    I know we say ‘fuck cancer’, but my refrain today (and everyday) is ‘fuck guns’.

  51. 51.

    UncleEbeneezer

    For anyone who loves tennis, if you can catch a replay of the Vekic vs. Paolini match from Wimbledon earlier today, it was really incredible with several chances for either player to win, excellent play and a ton of drama.  It was one of those cases where it was a real shame either player had to lose.

  53. 53.

    eclare

    @Booger:

    Glad you’re back!  A lot of trolls have popped up since the debate.  The pie filter works great if you don’t want to see those comments.

  55. 55.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Some (ahem) gallows humor:

    BREAKING NEWS: Ashli Babbitt will NOT be supporting former President Trump in November

  62. 62.

    Geminid

    @Jay: Santos has spent a long time under indictment without a trial. The case against him seems like a slam dunk, so I expect he’s got dirt on some fellow New York Republicans he’s trying to trade.

    Santos may have dirt on some Russian mobsters too, but he would be afraid to give that up. Maybe that explains why there’s no deal yet.

  63. 63.

    rikyrah

    Jay Madison (@JayMadIV) posted at 8:13 PM on Wed, Jul 10, 2024:
    Listen.

    If Biden is forced out at this point, the Democrats will lose the Presidency.

    If Biden is forced out at this point, AND Vice President Harris is not the replacement Nominee, the Democrats will lose the Presidency AND Congress.

    Argue the details with your mamas.
    (https://x.com/JayMadIV/status/1811207058055676409?s=03)

  67. 67.

    tam1MI

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    Bernie made the excellent point of: since when do we want to let party elites/donors decide the candidate against the will of the voters?

    Mic-fuckin’-DROP

    and thank you Bernie!!

    This has what has been blowing my mind in this whole disgraceful affair. The left wing of the party, Bernie Sanders, the Squad, etc., have been stalwart and courageous in defending Biden. It’s the so-called” sensible moderates” who have been going into full-blown panic let’s-do-a coup-d’etat mode. I mean, I honestly expected that Rashida Tlaib would be front and center leading the calls to oust Biden, she hasn’t said a word. It’s like the world has turned upside down.

  70. 70.

    Tony Jay

    @rikyrah:

    YET still no in depth analysis of the released Epstein documents

    “We need someone to prepare a rough draft presentation of what’s in the Epstein papers and how we should go about framing the release to the public. Who’s in the hat?”

    A dozen hands shoot up.

    “Few caveats. Can’t be anyone mentioned in them.”

    Half the hands drop.

    “And if you’ve got any major sources who are also named in them, best not to risk access.”

    Five more hands drop.

    “I guess you’ve got the job. Not sure we’ve met, what desk do you work out of?”

    “Uh, UberEats. Who ordered the Not So Humble Pie?”

    A dozen hands shoot up.

  71. 71.

    eclare

    This is rich.  I love Hakeem, but I just saw a quote by him that said “Democrats can win back the House as long as we put people over politics.”

    THEN TELL YOUR FUCKING HOUSE MEMBERS TO LET MY PRIMARY VOTE COUNT.

  72. 72.

    JWR

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Panic now and avoid the rush.

    Just in case no ones mentioned it, I loves me some Negativland! You? Though if memory serves, the “Panic” line is more accurately written: “Panic now…. and avoid the rush.” Though YMMV ;)

  74. 74.

    Haydnseek

    @TBone: That really is an excellent word.  A few days ago I had occasion to use the word “besmirched,” and I was just a bit too pleased with myself, but hey, simple pleasures.  So many good words, so little time…….

  76. 76.

    Redshift

    I would encourage everyone to call your Dem reps and either give then a piece of your mind (if necessary) or express your appreciation for them standing string against this nonsense. Be sure to mention where you live, and if you’ve been a contributor or a volunteer. For the introverts, you don’t even have to talk to anyone, they almost all have a straight to voice mail option!

  80. 80.

    Ishiyama

    @tam1MI: This has what has been blowing my mind in this whole disgraceful affair. The left wing of the party, Bernie Sanders, the Squad, etc., have been stalwart and courageous in defending Biden. It’s the so-called” sensible moderates” who have been going into full-blown panic let’s-do-a coup-d’etat mode. I mean, I honestly expected that Rashida Tlaib would be front and center leading the calls to oust Biden, she hasn’t said a word. It’s like the world has turned upside down.

     

    To quote a line from Antonio das Mortes: “At last I know who the real enemy is.”

  81. 81.

    karen marie

    @M31:   They are!  And with the peanut butter … omg.  My only regret was not having any green onion on hand, or mung bean sprouts.

    Next batch, I’m going to also grate a bit of fresh ginger into the mixture.

  83. 83.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @eclare: I wish he hadn’t planted the seeds for so much of this mess, but really since he (belatedly) accepted the loss to Hillary, he’s been very loyal to the Dem coalition.  I think/hope he learned from some of his mistakes and now he seems to have the right, bigger-picture view.  I wish some of his die-hard supporters would follow his lead.  It’s funny how fast the rabid supporters stopped listening to Bernie/AOC/TheSquad, as soon as they openly supported Biden.

  86. 86.

    hueyplong

    @UncleEbeneezer: Herman Cain sends word that he, too, will not be standing with Trump this time.

    NARRATOR: That makes 2 consecutive elections in which Cain has failed to rally to Trump’s support.

  89. 89.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Ishiyama:

    As discussed on
    @KatyTurNBC
    in many ways, more damage has been done to Biden by the melt down post debate than was done by his performance in the actual debate. We need to spend more of our time attacking the GOP – another week of this circular firing squad & we’re all doomed

    Retweeted by Ilhan Omar. That’s much better than I had hoped.

  90. 90.

    karen marie

    @Geminid:  Relatively speaking, it’s not that long a time.  I transcribe criminal cases out of Massachusetts, and it is very unusual for a case to go to trial less than two years after indictment.  District court – the lowest level – for stupid crimes like DUIs, they do usually only take a year to get in front of a jury, but for superior court, it’s usually two or three years.

  91. 91.

    JoyceH

    Something that occurred to me today. Orban visiting Trump at Mar A Lago. Wait – isn’t it past the time for Mar A Lago to be closed for the season and the Trump Circus to relocate to Bedminster? So – why still in Florida in July?

  92. 92.

    Eyeroller

    @Jay: ​Decades ago at a national park in Utah I encountered a raven that had apparently taught itself to perform tricks for tourists to ask for treats. It got some from us.

    Also a long time ago, at a lodge in the Grand Tetons I was sitting on a terrace overlooking a pond when a family of ravens arrived. It was a very windy day. They were apparently there just to have fun. They were doing barrel rolls and other aerial acrobatics.

  93. 93.

    BlueDWarrior

    @UncleEbeneezer: this isn’t ideological, it’s a question of strategy. And there are a lot of liberals and leftists with terrible tactical acumen.

    Thankfully, in this case, AOC, Bernie, and Omar have good tactical sense for this. Don’t introduce more chaos to a chaotic situation.

  95. 95.

    Old Man Shadow

    God damn… the Replace Biden chicken is dead… it’s already dead… please… please stop fucking it… it’s just getting embarrassing for all of us.

  96. 96.

    Geminid

    @karen marie: I think there has not been a trial date set. Menendez’s current case went much faster. There were reports last December that Santos’s attorneys were talking to prosecutors, but nothing since.

    Now I need to check on his campaign treasurers case. She pled guilty last year but I don’t know if she has been sentenced. I believe the name is Nancy Marks; she was a veteran Long Island Republican apparatchik.

  100. 100.

    UncleEbeneezer

    World leaders, who have spent the last 3 days working with President Biden:

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz: “He is very focused, very intent on doing what the President of the United States has to do, in leading this alliance.”

    British PM Keir Starmer: “He was really good form…Mentally agile across all the details…He’s shown incredible leadership.”

    Finnish PM Petteri Orpo: “I’ve had the opportunity to speak to President Biden on many occasions during the last 48 hours…I have absolutely no concerns about the capacity of the current president of the United States.”

    Dutch PM Dick Schoof: “I saw yesterday a strong president. He’s the president, he’s the man we do business with.”

    French President Emmanuel Macron: “”I don’t understand your question about President Biden. He is my counterpart. He is the President of the United States & we are happy to have him as the President of the United States.”

  101. 101.

    JaySinWA

    @CaseyL:

    I’ve seen crows show up with food items that are apparently too hard to eat easily. They dip the food item in the water, sometimes pushing it around with their beaks. Then, when it’s softened up enough, they fly off with it.

    Some times they leave the remains behind. Usually bones that have been picked clean.

    @Belafon:

    Crows do that in our plain concrete bird bath in the back in an open area. Smaller birds prefer covered areas  with less access to predators.

  104. 104.

    Jay

    @Eyeroller:

    Below us, is an old stripmall and massive parking lot, mostly populated by crows, seagulls and pigeons. It get’s entertaining at times, just watching the birds. It’s pretty clear that many of the birds fly just for the sheer joy of it, and that there seems to be a “relationship” between species.

    The other day, a Glaucaus Gull, ( we don’t see them often here), went after a young pigeon, forcing it down out of the air, onto the roof, and one of the local Herring gulls came diving down and forced the Glaucus Gull to FO.

    We get Red Tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles from time to time, going after the pigeons or just casing the joint, and man, the Crow Airforce in their mass launch to intercept times put the RAF during The Battle of Britain to shame.

    And then, we get the commute. The pigeons live under the Skytrain pillars, nest in the gap, so they don’t commute, but in the am, the Seagulls come in from the north in flocks, ( from the Inlet), and the crows come in from the south, (they have massive roosts around Burnaby Lake) in flocks. At sunset, the commute is reversed.

    From time to time, we get a drive by Grey Heron.

  107. 107.

    lowtechcyclist

    @piratedan:

    @Odie Hugh Manatee: this is the fire department, we’re not going to get your cat out of the tree… again.  We suggest you open up a can of tuna…… and let them come down on their own.

    Back in the eighth grade, I had a homeroom teacher who asked us if we’d ever seen a skeleton of a cat up in a tree.

    Point being of course that they all manage to find a way down on their own.

  109. 109.

    Leto

    @UncleEbeneezer: listen, I have three unnamed “sources” who saw Biden have to rescoop some walnuts onto his ice cream, so obviously Joe can’t handle the job…

  111. 111.

    Ruckus

    @SomeRandomGuy:

    Joe apparently didn’t do a PERFECT JOB so everything must be thrown in the trash!!!!!!.

    Joe is a damn good president, one of the better one’s in my lifetime, which goes back a ways. But we now have, not the 5 pm news any more, we have 36 hr news 47 days a week (that may be slightly over stating it…But not by much) Now Joe is older than me but really not by much and I remember what TV was like 70+ yrs ago. I’m not sure it’s actually better now. It is in color now so YEA!

    My point is that we see far more of the world and far more commercials trying to sell us crap we don’t need, and we are told that the world is going to shit and watch here to see how not to get buried in the shit. We can travel around the world rather easily now, I’ve been to the very south end of New Zealand and the very north of end of Norway and 46 of the states. There will aways be bad news, I’m the only one left of my immediate family and not the youngest on this site – nor the oldest. But it’s life, all the ups and all the downs. We can make it better and we can make it far worse. And there is almost always some trying to do one or the other. I have really no answers for anyone, other than put one foot in front of the other, at least attempt not to be shit, and help when you can. I could have days or decades left and I’ll never know til the last moment, just like all the rest of us. Live and at least try not to be an asshole, life is better when that is your goal.

  112. 112.

    Jay

    @Leto:

    are you sure that he just didn’t want extra walnuts?

    Now lets all remote diagnosis how walnut icecream or adding walnuts to icecream is an indicator of Parkinsons, or Dementia, or Alzhimers.

  113. 113.

    Leto

    @zhena gogolia: yes, but is Joe personally hosting Victor Fucking Orban at his lice infested motel, glad handing with a dictator who dismantled his country’s democracy? Well… I think the choice is obviously clear…

    I’m beyond irritated at all this and don’t trust myself to not just rage post on it.

  114. 114.

    tam1MI

    Here in Michigan, we have a Congressional primary coming up on August 6.  Hillary Scholten, running for the House of Representatives in the 3rd District, has joined the backstabber caucus trying to oust Joe Biden and disenfranchise the Democrats who voted for him.  She has a challenger by the name of Salim Al-Shatel.  You can donate to his campaign here.  Send a message to the assholes in the only language they understand.

  115. 115.

    pat

    @Booger:

    This is also the place I come to when I can’t stand anything else….  And that is happening more and more.

    If this place ever turns… what’s the word I’m looking for…

    I guess if it ever goes Well, no more pets, no more photos, no more uplifting stories, no more of this back and forth without serious attacks.  Not sure what I mean…

    Oh yes, I know what I mean.  If it ever goes against supporting Biden/Harris until the last breath.

    OK, I need another glass of merlot.  And Suzy is tapping my leg to tell me she needs just a bit more Party Mix.

  116. 116.

    Leto

    @Jay: wait, didn’t the unnamed source tell us that that one doctor, who visits every third blood moon, on days beginning with J, that Biden has obvious signs of Parkimentiahimers? I mean…. /waves hands around

  117. 117.

    Jay

    What the FTF MSM said 2 years ago when 90 year old Senator Grassly ran for re-election,…………

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Yup, that’s all the links to all the Op-Eds.

  119. 119.

    Another Scott

    @JaySinWA: I’ve found barbeque rib bones in roof gutters – I assume that crows have left them there, hoping the water will soften up whatever is left.

    They’re clever beasties.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  120. 120.

    Yutsano

    And here I said I wasn’t going to be good for my last six minutes at work. So I go studying an internal news item then wondered why I did that.

    And for anyone trying to get a hold of someone at the IRS today, it’s very much a good luck. There’s some computer fuckery at one of our computing centres. The funny thing is how inconsistent the errors are. Anyway vaya con Dios and all that!

  121. 121.

    Eyeroller

    @Jay: ​Crows will mob anything bigger than they are. Where I live, American crows are abundant. (Ravens had not quite been in range where I live till recently, but they seem to have moved down from somewhat higher elevations–I can tell by their calls that at least one family lives in my neighborhood.) When I see crows mobbing I usually find a red-shouldered hawk nearby.

  123. 123.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Hildebrand: Fuck guns indeed. And FOAD to already dead Antonin Scalia who authored the Heller decision. Below is an analysis of that decision…maybe you will find its logic as tortured as I do.

    The Heller Decision and Individual Right to Firearms | U.S. Constitution Annotated | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute (cornell.edu)

    Before the decision, there were approximately 4 million guns manufactured in America per year. In 2022, over 13 million. I acknowledge that gun ownership has declined but as a country, we are awash in guns and it’s no surprise that needless deaths occur over personal disputes, road rage and the like.

  124. 124.

    UncleEbeneezer

    FoxNews, so obviously take with a big grain of salt but…if the numbers are right, maybe MSNBC will learn something from it:

    MSNBC averaged only 569,000 total day viewers from July 1-7 for its smallest weekly audience of the year. The progressive network also hit a low for the year among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, as MSNBC averaged only 56,000 viewers from the critical category for its worst week of 2024. 

    MSNBC hemorrhaged viewers as the network has spent much of its time covering concerns about Biden’s mental fitness to serve another term, with several high-profile Democrats and liberal pundits calling for him to step aside and let someone younger face former President Trump in November.

  126. 126.

    Eyeroller

    @Jay: Chuck Grassley was “only” 88 (going on 89) at the time but Iowans seemed to have no problem voting for him for a six-year term.  He was already tweeting out nonsense that sure sounded demented. The conventional wisdom was that it was assumed that if something happened, his grandson would be appointed to take his place. Guess what may be the difference(s) between his potential replacement and Joe’s potential replacement.

  127. 127.

    JWR

    L.A.’s Conan Nolan, who’s NBC’s local op-ed guy, just warned us what Biden’s up against, by telling us, “just now, Biden mixed up the names of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin!”

    OMg hE muST bE DoOmED!!1!

  129. 129.

    Dan B

    @CaseyL: My partner put a big Terra cotte saucer on the front porch railing.  Birds perch on the wires and the shrubs and fly down to the water, nervously – three cats who love to watch but catch rodents.  Most show up in the evening.  Little gray birds, Black CAP Chickadees, red topped little birds Robins, and the occasional Crow that scares the kitties:  Awk, Big Birb!!  It’s been very hot and dry.

  130. 130.

    Rusty

    @Hildebrand: Sending prayers too.  If you can reciprocate,  my son found out yesterday a high school friend who graduated this spring passed away from leukemia.   I can’t imagine what the family is going through.

  132. 132.

    delphinium

    @Jay: ​
    Yeah, I had seen a video about that, but couldn’t find it. Thanks for the article link-great read!

  133. 133.

    CaseyL

    @Jay: ​@Eyeroller: ​<

    On a long-ago hike through a wilderness reserve, our group heard a god-awful cacaphony coming from a way up ahead. A gaggle of other hikers clustered around..whatever it was.

    We reached them, and what it was, was this: Some crows had been harassing a bald eagle, something they do every chance they get.

    The eagle, pissed off beyond reason, had dive-bombed the crows and, amazingly, scored a hit on one of them. The eagle landed (SWIDT), the dead crow clutched in its talons.

    The surviving members of the gang set up a caterwaul.

    Every other crow in the State of Washington swooped in to join them, landed on every nearby tree, and commenced the godawful racket that drew our attention.

    The eagle just stood there on the ground, occasionally pecking at/tearing at the dead crow, but not seeming to really know what to do with it. Maybe the eagle worried that if he/she just started chowing down, the other crows would lose what was left of their shit and tear him/her to bits en masse.

    The noise level was honestly something else.

    We eventually continued our hike when people’s ears began to ring.​

    ETA: Crows are gangsta sticking up for their own. I wish Democrats were.

  134. 134.

    M31

    @JWR: oh noes Joe mispoke then immediately corrected himself, and he and Zelenskii had a big laugh

    yup, time to panic lol

  135. 135.

    JaySinWA

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    BREAKING NEWS: Ashli Babbitt will NOT be supporting former President Trump in November

    I thought Republicans were sure dead people were voting? Maybe they become Democrats when they pass.

  136. 136.

    Another Scott

    Meanwhile, … LiveScience.com:

    A helium reservoir in northern Minnesota is likely to be “expansive both laterally and at depth,” a new survey shows.

    Seismic data from a 0.7-mile-long (1.1 kilometers) sweep just outside of Babbitt suggest the recently discovered reservoir is larger than initial estimates indicated, which has resource exploration company Pulsar Helium and its potential clients jumping for joy.

    Recent tests also revealed helium concentrations underground are even higher than the “mind-boggling” results obtained in March, firmly establishing the project in Minnesota as a major player in the global helium market.

    “We are delighted to receive this 2D seismic data,” Pulsar Helium president and CEO Thomas Abraham-James said in a statement. The results confirm that a previously discovered pocket of helium between 1,750 and 2,200 feet (530 to 670 meters) below the surface “is identifiable and that additional gas-bearing zones are likely at depth,” he said.

    Laboratory tests in June placed helium concentrations in the reservoir between 8.7% and 14.5%, topping previous maximum estimates of 12.4% and 13.8%. The concentrations are the highest the industry has ever seen: To put those figures into context, any helium deposit with a concentration above 0.3% is considered economically significant, Abraham James previously told Live Science.

    […]

    Good, good.

    Helium is really, really important for fundamental studies of all kinds of things at low temperatures. And for things like real quantum computing, and superconducting magnets for fusion experiments, and all sorts of things. Finding more is a good thing.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  137. 137.

    Geminid

    @tam1MI: Can Salim al-Shatel win that district? If not, I think you would do better to curb your vindictiveness towards Rep. Scholten until the next cycle.

  138. 138.

    Cacti

    @tam1MI: You think Salim Al-Shatel is running for Congress because of his rousing support for Joe Biden?

    That’s precious. 😆

  143. 143.

    Jay

    @Eyeroller:

    That’s funny. Here crows don’t mob herons, seagulls, geese, etc,

    just Hawks, Falcons, Eagles and Owls. They ignore the American Kestrels.

    When I worked at the Orange, there were always pigeon bits underneath a light standard in the parking lot, curtesy of a local Red Tailed Hawk, but the parking lot and building had only pigeons, no “local” crows, they were just commuters, and man, were the “murders” huge. They could flyby at dawn and dusk in a constant stream for over an hour.

    Funny, a year and a half of doing nothing much more than sitting on the balcony, watching the parking lot and yelling at the construction workers that “they are doing it wrong*” has lead me to notice some interspecies dynamics.

    *they are ripping up the ring road for the 10th time in 3 years to either fix services, or add new services, for all the new construction.

    When they build the YMCA they did the drywall and the insulation, 3 times, because the roof and envelope wasn’t water tight.

  144. 144.

    Dan B

    @piratedan: The Fire Department came to the house behind ours because I called about the fire in the construction debris behind the house.  It was next to tall dry grass that hadn’t been mowed in months.  That started to burn.  The construction debris was probably full of paint and thinner soaked rags that combusted.  I can’t get the building department or the owners, some realtors flipping the house, to respond.  The contractors speak Chinese but no English.  The pile of construction debris is still there.  Not much peaceful sleep tonight.

  145. 145.

    tam1MI

    @Geminid: Can Salim al-Shatel win that district?

    From some of the polls I have seen, he actually has a pretty good shot, he’s actually leading in some.  So the answer to that question, AFAIK, is “Yes”.

    @Geminid: If not, I think you would do better to curb your vindictiveness towards Rep. Scholten until the next cycle.

    No. We need to set a counter-narrative to what is being pushed by the assholes now if not sooner, and Scholten going down in flames in her primary would be an immensely effective way of saying, “The bedwetters calling for Joe to step aside? They don’t speak for the voters.”.  Even her opponent getting a hefty bump in campaign contributions would send a loud and potent message.  People could use the money they saved from unsubscribing to the New York Times towards the effort.  ;)

  146. 146.

    Argiope

    @Dan B: Speaking of birbs and porches, I have a conundrum.  There’s a small birb (wren or sparrow) setting up a nest on my back porch.  He’s (?) using a gap between the screen door and the frame to get in, bringing in bits of nesting materials.  It’s a high-traffic area, what with the humans and the large labrador.  Today he nearly avoided the dog, who became intensely interested in him.  Birb people, should I be trying to locate the work in progress and take all his materials outside so he gets the idea to amscray?  I’m just concerned natural selection is going to have its way with him.  What we don’t need are fledglings without room to fledge, assuming he convinces anyone to reproduce with him.

  147. 147.

    lashonharangue

    All I can positively add to this thread is that if you need a respite please visit my OTR post for today.

  150. 150.

    Jay

    @Argiope:

    If you keep removing the nesting materiel, they will relocate

    If it’s a wren or a sparrow, an appropriate bird house can be installed as an alternate site.

    Wren’s often multi brood.

  153. 153.

    Eyeroller

    @Jay: ​Well, our crows wouldn’t take on geese. And they probably know herons aren’t a risk. We have red-shouldered hawks where I am because it’s wooded; the red-tailed are in more open areas. We have red-taileds who eat pigeons who roost on the stadium light supports at my university :-) They try for smaller birds but usually fail. Pigeons are a steady food supply.

  154. 154.

    Argiope

    @Jay: Thanks.  Going out with a stepladder now to see what I can do to encourage a better location for the efforts in progress!

  155. 155.

    Hildebrand

    @Rusty: How heartbreaking – yes, I will keep the whole family in my prayers. I can’t fathom the grief.  It is in these times when it is so good to cling to the communities we have.  We need each other.

  156. 156.

    Eyeroller

    @Argiope: She.  In almost all bird species (there are exceptions) the female builds the nest.  I am not an expert but I’d remove what’s there and try to block the gap with something.

    Edit: like what Jay said. If you can supply an alternative that’s good, but she may not use it. The main thing is to remove the nest and close off the option.

  157. 157.

    TBone

    @Sister Golden Bear: 👍 I’m a big fan of both Ellen Corby and Will Geer in their other roles as character actors over the years too.  I didn’t know they were gay!  I just know great characters when I see ’em.  Good for them, I hope they had happy lives as well as careers!

  159. 159.

    dmsilev

    @Another Scott: Helium shortages are the bane of my existence. Well, one bane anyway. The price for liquid helium has gone up by something like a factor of four in the last ten or so years. The good news is that we’ve gotten a lot better at building truly closed-cycle cryostats and superconducting magnets and so forth. You need to charge the system up with helium gas once, but after that maybe once every few years you top the system off a bit to replace some small amounts of gas that have leaked out. Makes life much easier.

    Of course, replacing old systems with new closed-cycle systems is pretty expensive, but with the price of liquid helium right now the payback time is often only a few years.

  160. 160.

    TBone

    @Geoduck: C-Span said 7pm!

    I watched Zelensky and Stoltenberg give NATO speeches and address the press questions there about a half hour ago.

  161. 161.

    Jay

    @Eyeroller:

    another thing I find “funny” is in the parking lot, no pigeon remains. Ever. It would seem the Crow Airforce is not only highly effective, but has early warning systems.

  162. 162.

    Jay

    @Eyeroller:

    It it’s a wren, it’s the male building the nest. They build more than one nest, and while they have “mating calls” to attract females, it’s the nest, location and services that seals the deal.

    Male wrens are like real estate agents.

    They always show any female they can attract at least three, all in the same price range, the shithole, the Meh, and the classic with good bones but needs some TLC that should be way out of her price range.

  163. 163.

    Argiope

    @Eyeroller: Thanks!  So I went out there and peered into all the nooks and crannies I could see, and no joy.  I can’t find a nest or anything that looks like the start of one.  Yet she seems to be in the area pretty frequently; I’ve startled her more than once and watched her fly in with stuff in her mouth.  Maybe my big clumsy human eyes and brain are just missing the spot.

  165. 165.

    Argiope

    @Jay: That tracks; this looks like a Carolina Wren and Merlin says I’ve had one in the yard lately based on calls.  Merlin reports they nest in “peculiar places” like a drainpipe or grill, so I’d better look a bit further.

  167. 167.

    Argiope

    @Jay: Ohhhhhhh shit.  I just found the nest.  I think there are already babies?  Heard the teeniest, highest-pitched cheeps.  Leave them alone?  Maybe leave the door propped open so they can fledge?  I didn’t want to disturb it so I didn’t look too closely once I found it and heard them.

  168. 168.

    Geminid

    @tam1MI: Bullshit. Al-Shatel could not win that district in a million years. The guy says he “enjoys listening to RFK Jr. Podcasts” and opposes military aid to Ukraine. Al-Satel said Biden lied during the debate, and you encourage donations to him?

    The question of whether Biden will be on the ticket will be resolved before that primary anyway. And have you talked to district Democrats about this? They busted their asses flipping that district. It’s been Republican for decades.

  169. 169.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Jackie:

    If by chance TCFG is given jail time, DeStupid won’t extradite him? 🤷🏼‍♀️

    Good thing Biden now can send in Seal Team 6 to do an extraction, per the SCOTUS’ Sinister Six.

  170. 170.

    Jay

    @Argiope:

    Yup, leave them alone. Maybe even switch to using another entrance. If having the screen door open or open-ish makes access better for the birbs, do so.

    Spent several years using the back door because of hummingbird nests on the front porch

    Now that you know where the nest is, you can put in a birb cam if you want. Then at least, you will know when the nest is empty, and maybe, positively ID the Perp.

  171. 171.

    Argiope

    @Jay: Thanks! I’m going to prop the storm door open and try to use the front a lot more.  Apparently they don’t hang around long after hatching, so within 2 weeks they should move out.  Full service blog!

  172. 172.

    3Sice

    CNN To Reduce Staff By About 100 As CEO Unveils New Details Of “One Newsroom” Strategy

    Death spiral. Consolidating by closing out positions, and floating fairy tales about subscription models.

    Owner Warner is set to announce further companywide cuts.

  174. 174.

    Eyeroller

    @Jay: ​The males build dummy nests, and the females decide and complete one. So you’re correct, it could be a dummy, in which case removing it would have little impact.​
    Edit: sound like the female made her choice, so yeah, gotta wait till the babies fledge.

  175. 175.

    Jay

    @Argiope:

    funny thing was, the hummingbird nests were high up, far from the front door, but we abandoned the front porch because apparently, 30′ is not far enough for Rufus.

    So, opening the front door resulted in an attack.

    Rufus’s are assholes.

    3 years and I couldn’t BBQ until the fall,…….

    I haz a sad still.

    She, ( the male just bails after mating, no child support), would not even let me move my BBQ off the front porch.

    Single Mom’s, am I right! //

  177. 177.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    I’ve never been so on the edge of my seat for a news conference.

  179. 179.

    Elizabelle

    Anthony Blinken just took his seat in the front row. Biden press conference might be just about to get underway.

  180. 180.

    Dan B

    @Argiope: No idea but moving a nest is fraught, especially if there’s any of your scent on it.  Moving it may be better than having the pupper eat it but this birb may not be dissuaded.

  181. 181.

    JWR

    @M31:

    And then I anonymously heard from “3 senior campaign” people who said that they “didn’t see how Biden could possible recover from this“, and that after this they saw “zero percent chance of Joe beating Trump”.

    God damn these people! Do they not recognize this as the media construct that it is? Oy vey!

  183. 183.

    Argiope

    @Jay: Never fuck with a birb named Rufus, is I think the lesson here.  I hope you’ve been able to grill some since, at least!

  184. 184.

    Aussie Sheila

    @3Sice:

    Uh huh. Guess why CNN has been hyping anti Biden/Harris Dem stories for the last ump number of weeks?

    This is all you need to know. That and the NYT editorial today, obviously crapping themselves about all the cancelled subscriptions.
    Good. That should be a good lesson for them both.

    Anything other than full throated support for the democratically selected Dem ticket for Presidency is political malpractice at best. At worst it smacks of fascist adjacent pandering.

  185. 185.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    We’re supposed to leave momentarily to watch some Polynesian dancers (?). So I’ll probably miss the president’s press conference. Maybe that’s better

  187. 187.

    Eyeroller

    @JWR: ​They have their narrative and they will not give it up.

    He is tied in polling despite the worst two weeks some political professionals have ever seen. How can they say he can’t recover? Who the fuck are these anonymous sources?

  189. 189.

    Another Scott

    @Argiope: I see you have more information, but I feel compelled to throw my $0.02 in.

    During Covid I saw a bluebird in our neighborhood park, the first one I’ve actually seen around here in NoVA, trying to build a nest on a small branch sticking out of a tree, right at the trunk.  :-(  It was a sad sight to see, and it was gone the next time I checked a few days later.  There was another time when a mourning dove was trying to put sticks for a nest on top of the rounded roof of our maibox.

    Birbs have weird urges.  :-/

    Even when they find a decent spot, and find a mate, and have eggs hatch, they still quite often don’t succeed.  Nature isn’t kind.

    Good luck with your little dinosaurs!  Fingers crossed.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  190. 190.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @JWR: I hear Biden sent an email with “their” instead of “they’re” one time.  Fetch me my feinting couch!!

  191. 191.

    Argiope

    @Eyeroller: So that is FASCINATING because someone is definitely popping in with little bitty twigs, etc, occasionally.  But obvs someone else must be stealth-feeding the bitty ones.  And maybe I’ve been seeing a couple of parents, not just the male, because according to da google, males and female Carolina wrens look much alike

  192. 192.

    Eyeroller

    @Another Scott: ​Bluebirds are cavity nesters. They wouldn’t try to build a nest on a branch. Not sure what you saw? Do you have a mailbox with a newspaper slot? They like those.

  195. 195.

    M31

    had some mourning doves just bring off a clutch of two in the gutter outside my kitchen window, both parents take turns on the nest, then saw the little ones practicing on a branch, then they were all gone, so good luck to you, little friends!

    same nest as a few years ago but the parents were smaller than the ones I remember so maybe it was their kids?

  198. 198.

    M31

    couple of years ago a couple of doves tried to nest in a stupidly open space, and I just happened to see a huge crow swoop in, eat the eggs, and take off, took like 10 seconds

    the new spot is better concealed, so maybe their little bird brains learned something

  199. 199.

    Fair Economist

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    MSNBC averaged only 569,000 total day viewers from July 1-7 for its smallest weekly audience of the year. The progressive network also hit a low for the year among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults aged 25-54, as MSNBC averaged only 56,000 viewers from the critical category for its worst week of 2024.

    I don’t watch much cable news other than when I’m visiting my mother, who has the TV every second she’s awake and often to news. But the past two weeks I haven’t been able to stand any of it. Even she is watching more dramas and less news.

  201. 201.

    Eyeroller

    @Argiope: ​Male and female Carolina wrens look alike but have different calls. The males find a perch and make a very loud noise for such a little bird. The female responds with a buzz.​
    The male’s call sounds something like “jokely jokely joke” and the female responds with “bzzzt bzzzt bzzzt”

  202. 202.

    Argiope

    @Dan B: Yep!  I’ve just informed my family that the back porch is off limits until further notice.  Here’s hoping the little things make it.  I can evict the nest once I’m sure they’re gone.  He set up shop on some shelving in a bin mostly full of grill cover….but found some space to protect a brood of babies.  I mean, the spot is basically predator-free if you don’t count the dog going in and out.  But I’m going to try to walk the pooch around front for a few weeks.

  206. 206.

    tam1MI

    @M31: lead the world, or sniff Putin’s panties, your choice, America

    But my lord and master the NYT told me Biden is old!

  209. 209.

    NotMax

    Today in peak stupid.

    Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-CO, suggested that President Joe Biden’s alleged mental decline was caused by his COVID-19 vaccination.

    Weighing into speculation about the president’s mental acuity, the Republican firebrand alluded to Biden receiving the COVID-19 vaccine and booster shots as an explanation. Source

  213. 213.

    Eyeroller

    @M31: ​I know this is a useless question, but what the fuck does that have to do with the NATO meeting?

    Our press is deplorable.

  218. 218.

    Another Scott

    @Eyeroller: I know, right?  it made no sense at all. But it was a little blue bird that looked exactly like an eastern bluebird.

    The mailbox is in a little alcove out of the weather, so I can see the appeal, but it’s right next to the front door and right next to a side-lite, so it’s kind of a high traffic area with lots of visibility. Plus, it’s um, rounded on top. The mourning dove seemed very, very confused about where a good nesting place should be. ;-)

    Thanks.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  219. 219.

    M31

    3rd, another question about ‘presidents facing challenges’ from the inside

    shut up loser

  225. 225.

    Eyeroller

    @Jackie: And apparently they had nothing to do with NATO or Russian or Ukraine but where all about “are you going to leave the race? Are you demented?”  Gaaa.

  228. 228.

    moonbat

    @Elizabelle: Could you tell me whether you can see the whole thread or just the first spout? I wasn’t sure how much like X links to Spoutible were. I have Spoutible on my home computer so it looks normal to me, but I didn’t know how it might look to people who don’t use the app.

  230. 230.

    wjca

    @Sister Golden Bear: Good thing Biden now can send in Seal Team 6 to do an extraction, per the SCOTUS’ Sinister Six.

    No need.  Just order his Secret Service detail to pack him up and move him.  Who’s going to stop them?

  231. 231.

    Chris Johnson

    @JWR: That hit twitter while I was looking, and it’s gonna be the next emailz. I’m given to understand he introduced Zelenskyy saying ‘President… Putin!’

    I mean given that THAT GUY is who’s orchestrating all this and sending intermediaries to either give Trump instructions or fuckin’ bully him into sitting down and staying quiet while the Russians try to kill his rival for him, given that THAT GUY is who’s responsible for all the media burning their credibility in one fell swoop in desperate attempts to protect Putin’s candidate…

    Fucking Putin is very much on MY MIND too, thank you.

    I’m pissed, but I’m pleased that Joe clearly knows who is behind all this crap. I would be freudian slipping that name too. I’m about prepared to see him and his bombed if that’s what it will take. FUCK Putin.

  232. 232.

    piratedan

    didn’t watch it.  Joe talked about what he’s been doing while Presidenting and the Press likely didn’t even bother taking notes other than counting gaffes and clinging to their narratives.

     

    Anyone want to wrap up what Biden actually shared?

  235. 235.

    BlueDWarrior

    On the substance, I think he’s answering the questions as well as is expected.

    Usual suspects will still get on him about sounding hoarse and stilted but I’m at the point where I ignore that criticism out of hand.

  236. 236.

    Xantar

    There’s a WaPo reporter live blogging the presser who said, “This performance is not going to reassure nervous Democrats.” Apparently the reporter is a telepath who already knows what Dems are thinking without having to ask them.

  238. 238.

    Chris Johnson

    @Soprano2: He sure did.

    Seems like that name is on his mind and his lips a lot as he talks with his actual allies and with real Democrats about what the hell is going on.

    Obvious enough to me, and I’m not even the one whose Justice Department found endless examples of collusion, or who walked into a Presidency where some of the secrets had been literally walked down to Florida to be given to Putin. Damn right that name’s turning up. It’s not because Joe has been spending time wanting to give ol’ Vlad a medal.

  239. 239.

    Eyeroller

    @Xantar: Maybe those nervous Democrats should sack up and defend the President. The other world leaders said he was just fine.

    Time to cancel my WaPo subscription (already did FTFNYT).

  241. 241.

    BlueDWarrior

    @Xantar: nothing he is going to say from here on in will. And that’s the sad thing. They’ve latched on to their narrative and they aren’t deviating from it.

  242. 242.

    Another Scott

    @piratedan: I’m sure the transcript will be on https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/ tomorrow.

    Lots of things coming up:

    RNC July 15-18 in Milwaukee.
    Bibi’s speech to Congress on July 24.
    Olympics in Paris – July 26 – August 11.
    DNC August 19-22 in Chicago.

    There are going to be more shiny objects for the political press to chase soon. Pace yourselves.

    Hang in there, everyone. Eyes on the prizes.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  243. 243.

    Xantar

    @Eyeroller: I would be very curious to know who those nervous Democrats are that the WaPo reporter knows. I’m betting one of them is Anne Ominous.

  245. 245.

    Chris Johnson

    @Jackie: I’ve been very cheered to know that he absolutely is doing that. FFS the White House used to talk to FOX, they’d just tease them relentlessly.

    This is apparently worse than being Fox News. I’d ask why but apparently Biden made a gaffe that hints at why!

  246. 246.

    Richard Fox

    He’s doing fine in the presser. His answers are quite well considered and thoughtful. So he’s old. I don’t really care personally. I trust the guy.

  247. 247.

    Xantar

    @BlueDWarrior: speaking as someone who actually was a nervous Dem for a week, this press conference actually is very reassuring to me. Yeah, Biden makes gaffes, but he’s otherwise solid. I wish a WaPo reporter would interview me about what I think.

  248. 248.

    piratedan

    @Another Scott: ty

    I kind of expected the Press Corpse to do their thing, feed their narratives, but wondered if there was something new out of the NATO mtgs other than a renewed purpose to support Ukraine better and in a more timely fashion.

  249. 249.

    3Sice

    He’s always occasionally stumbled over his stutter.

    He’s fine and the press is ageist and ableist.

  250. 250.

    M31

    nice reminder that one of the outcomes of the Russian invasion of Ukraine is that Finland and Sweden joined NATO, that’s a big deal

  252. 252.

    Chris Johnson

    @BlueDWarrior: Everything Trump touches dies… and, lately, looks like everything Putin tries to control with conspiracy-brainedness, fails.

    I do not believe Putin is interested in letting the MSM off the hook. It doesn’t matter if they’re discrediting themselves and acting the fool. They’re expendable, and they are being expended whilst Orban meets privately to bully Trump into SHUTTING THE HELL UP and dropping out of sight while the media beclown themselves to help his sorry ass.

  253. 253.

    Eyeroller

    @Xantar: ​Biden has been known as a gaffe machine for his entire career. Part of it is due to his fluency disorder (stuttering/cluttering) for which the goddamned press will not give him a fucking break. Some of it may just be to him being not a great public speaker.

  254. 254.

    Lynn Dee

    He stumbles more than he used to, which under current circumstances is a bit nerve-wracking, but I hear no cognitive decline behind it. I think he’s doing fine. He’s giving us a lot of visibility into how he manages the U.S. role on the international stage and I’m finding it fascinating and also deeply comforting. All the tools are there.

  255. 255.

    TBone

    President Biden is AMAZING! YES! He’s explaining, in detail and patiently, in response to a good question! 💙💪🇺🇸

    He’s still going STRONG.

  256. 256.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    I’m so tired of the media asking the same damn question over and over and over again. At least, they are asking some additional questions. If the entire DC press core were replaced with ChatGPT questions, the quality would be better.

  258. 258.

    Another Scott

    Nitter, Twitter version:

    Frank Thorp V
    @frankthorp
    2h

    Outside Sen Brown’s office this morning, his GOP opponent, Bernie Moreno, gaggles with reporters, saying, “I can tell you this, if I’m here, I will talk to you at any point in time, even take tough questions. Sherrod Brown won’t do that.”

    He then immediately got a Q from @AndrewDesiderio about if his stance on abortion conflicts with the party platform.

    Moreno: “We’re not here to talk about abortion.”

    Video: […]

    🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡

    (via Fritschner)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  259. 259.

    Jackie

    @Eyeroller: He also has chronic post nasal drip which causes him to cough and clear his throat. I have post nasal drip and have yet to find a medication that completely clears it up.

  260. 260.

    SiubhanDuinne

    You know what? I think he’s doing JUST FINE. The MSM can go fuck themselves with extreme prejudice.

    Hang in there, Joe. You’re doing fine.

  261. 261.

    Eyeroller

    @Lynn Dee: I am not a speech pathologist but I wonder whether it may become harder to control/manage a fluency disorder as you age. I know I have greater difficulty with word retrieval and I do not have any issues with stuttering.

  263. 263.

    prostratedragon

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:  Fortunately, there are a few reasonable and intelligent questions, which Biden is handling very well off the cuff. When he pivots, it’s to germane, related subjects and not his adventures in battery-infested waters.

  264. 264.

    chemiclord

    Newsflash: Joe Biden sounds like a typical 81-year-old man.  The degree that bothers you says more about you than it does Joe Biden.

  265. 265.

    Aussie Sheila

    @Jackie:

    I had post nasal drip as a child. I had my adenoids removed and it cleared up. His doctors need to do something about it. It’s more nerve wracking than the occasional verbal gaffe.

  266. 266.

    Archon

    If Biden can survive until the convention, I think he actually has a pretty strong anti-elitist argument to make to the electorate. “They all think Trump is inevitable so they are bending the knee while I’m fighting for the average Joe”, or something like that.

  268. 268.

    M31

    lol Joe telling the MSM that Russia’s big advantage within itself is the control of information and internal media

  270. 270.

    BlueDWarrior

    @prostratedragon: literally the only thing wrong, if you can call it wrong, is he’s an 81 year old man.

    Like people don’t like sounding ageist like  that, but this is 90% “old man sounds like old man and that bothers me”.

  271. 271.

    Captain C

    @Eyeroller: I would like to see a European journalist ask his respective head of state.  “Two questions, 1) What are you going to do about Putin and 2) Why are the American journalists so obsessed and stupid?”

  272. 272.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    This was the Biden I was expecting to see at the debate. He does need more time to answer questions, but he answers them well.

  274. 274.

    zhena gogolia

    @Archon: I think there is such huge classist disdain for him (not to mention ageist and ableist) among those “elite” reporters.

  276. 276.

    Chris Johnson

    @M31: Really? I mean really? Oh man!

    I love it. That’s really twisting the knife.

    It’s been horrible knowing that the MSM has gotten totally compromised by Putin and is now just obeying him. I am HERE for Joe reminding him what they used to be, once upon a time. Maybe it’s a little hint that he knows what they are. He already will not speak to the NYT, and they’re Ground Zero.

    Tell them more about how American media doesn’t have to lick the boots of tyrants, Joe. Ask to see if there’s any boot polish on their traitorous tongues :)

  277. 277.

    M31

    ‘two state solution’

    does anyone see that as a possibility any more?

    I did admire that Joe went to Israel and told them not to be stupid like the US’s middle east policy after 9/11

    too bad they didn’t listen

  279. 279.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @Eyeroller: apparently frail means you can do standing leg stretches before you go bicycling. Regular bicycling not soulcycle bicycling.

  281. 281.

    bbleh

    Looked in on the WaPo realtime blogging.  They’re actually saying things like “he gave an incredibly nuanced and knowledgeable explanation about China, but nobody’s gonna hear about that, only about him saying Putin instead of Zelenski.”  The REPORTERS ASSIGNED TO COVER THIS EVENT are saying this.

    Anybody who utters the phrase “journalistic standards” or anything like it should immediately burst into flame.

  282. 282.

    M31

    dumb question implying Joe should have been a 1term President

    good pivot to the amount he’s accomplished

  284. 284.

    Mai Naem mobile

    Who was the second reporter? He had an English accent. He was very arrogant and rude to Biden.

  286. 286.

    Chris Johnson

    @M31: I’ve been hearing how Joe got ruthless with Netanyahu over Iran. Like ‘don’t you strike at them. You do that, you are ON YOUR OWN.’ And Netanyahu backed down.

    I think we’re getting glimpses into what’s really on Joe’s mind. It’s the same stuff that’s on mine. That is strangely comforting. It has really sucked, being certain all this bad shit was happening, and normies aren’t ready to hear it, and trolls are always popping up crying ‘Russiagate! your argument is invalid!’.

  288. 288.

    M31

    I noticed that a couple of times Joe started on a path to a story, then he just cut it off to give something more pithy and emotional. Interesting — I wonder if he’s conscious that the detail/wonky stuff tends to wander.

     

    our old guy is learning lol

  290. 290.

    Elizabelle

    @Archon:  Absolutely.

    And it’s pathetic that our “elites” are such cowardly pack animals.  With apparently no sense of history.

    Fuck the MSM shark pack, and the craven cowards who bought into their narrative.

  294. 294.

    Sally

    I say to my my “concerned” friends: There’s not a Democrat alive who doesn’t wish Pres. Biden were fifteen years younger. In this maelstrom of international crises we are currently swimming in, which fifteen years of his life experiences would you scrub? His direct knowledge of people, of events, of access to top secret information and of world leaders is unsurpassed by anyone. Just how valuable do you think that is to his decision making and positions, both nationally and on the world stage?

  295. 295.

    MagdaInBlack

    OMFG..will you take another physical and a cognitive test.

    FUCK THESE PEOPLE.

    …and M31 is right there with me.

  297. 297.

    sixthdoctor

    My Twitter feed went from gaffe snickers to “holy shit this guy knows his shit” in about ten minutes.

    Donated again. LET’S FUCKING GO and curbstomp that melted Circus Peanut.

  299. 299.

    M31

    Joe reminds us he’s made public all his health records, and that Trump has done no such thing

  303. 303.

    Geminid

    @M31: All of the EU and many other nations back a Two-State Solution. That includes regional powers Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The latter three have lived with this conflict for decades. They know it far better than people living 5,000 miles away, they want it resolved, and two states are the only viable option.

    This will not come out of the ceasefire the US, Qatar and Egypt are pressing, but if they get one it will lay the groundwork for a Palestinian state. The Saudis have a 5 year timeline that I believe is practical.

  304. 304.

    Odie Hugh Manatee

    @Booger:

    Yo back atcha! Great to ‘see’ ya again and welcome back! :)

    Shit sucks and I agree that the doomsayers are tiresome. There’s no talking them off their ledges for long before they’re right back up there. There’s a level of selfishness out there that is unhealthy and I see it reflected at the local level with belligerent people out shopping and driving with a chip on their shoulder.

    Get a club, sharpen your fangs and settle in for some fun here…lol! ;)

  306. 306.

    Elizabelle

    Anne Laurie has put up a Biden press conference thread.  We can take our discussion over there.

  307. 307.

    Chris Johnson

    @Richard Fox: I just want to know what proportion of them are getting coordinated by Putin directly, how many are just following what they see as the herd, how many are regular people.

    One of the gotchas of conspiracy brain (Putin has it and tries to infect us all with it as a sort of gift) is that it’s terribly hard to not generalize and start to see EVERYONE as fitting in with the pattern. And the control is never that good, and the effectiveness is always more feeble than conspirators would like everyone to believe. It doesn’t take all the media to be in the tank for Putin. It’s enough for some of them to be, some following orders, some just assholes or trying to be clever. We see the result but it doesn’t mean everyone acting like assholes are really agents.

    Biden wouldn’t be cutting the NYT absolutely dead if he didn’t have proof some important people there are agents of Putin. If they were just assholes, he’d be still talking with them. We know journalists are assholes :) Biden knows more than that. It’s a lot of balls to keep in the air. Delicate times, hence the turbo-gaffeage.

    I have to go to bed, every time this shit boils over I’m stuck trying to work out what the best counter-narrative must be. I’m just some other asshole, a lefty one trying to make sense of all this. At least I know who to blame.

  310. 310.

    No One You Know

    I’m so frustrated with the press conference…I don’t remember him abandoning so many sentences with  a hand wave and traiing off.

    I’ll reluctantly concede his inability to stick to the question and actually answer it without interrupting himself with “by the way” and meandering off to spout details and start another story.

    I trust him as President. I wish he’d use more surrogates. I wish whatever juju was working at SOTU was still present.

    Putting this here in hopes I can be talked off the ledge. I’m not panicking. I’m depressed.

  311. 311.

    bbleh

    @sixthdoctor: argh! and the media are BOUND AND DETERMINED not to let people see how he knows his shit OR how the Felon is an increasingly demented (yes) ignoramus.

  315. 315.

    Another Scott

    @No One You Know: “Don’t compare me to the almighty, compare me to the other guy.” – President Biden.

    I mentioned upstairs – I just sent another $81 to JoeBiden.com

    Hang in there.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  316. 316.

    zhena gogolia

    @No One You Know: At the SOTU he was speaking from a prepared script to a basically friendly audience. These assholes have been braying at him for two weeks now, highly disrespectfully, and it’s a much more difficult situation. It sounds to me as if he’s doing fine.

  317. 317.

    BruceFromOhio

    @M31: I popped in just before that, listened to the “democracy is in peril” and why, and that was the next fuxking question. These two-bit ratfuxking click-bait junkies do not give one. Tin. Shit. About democracy in peril.

    Back under the rock.

  320. 320.

    eclare

    I just sent an email to his campaign website telling him to stay tough, don’t let the backstabbers take our vote away, this confrontation is idiotic, we have your back, etc.  And I made a small donation.

  322. 322.

    Richard Fox

    @Chris Johnson: Those are very good points, I must say. So much disinformation from Russia has infected our political life. I honestly have faith in people- I’m just an optimist. At the end of the day a good man is on the ballot as opposed to a complete nonentity who inherited everything and has not worked once in his miserable existence. I really believe that will be more in focus as the orange fool reveals himself over and over. Cheers.

  324. 324.

    eclare

    @Sally:

    Which fifteen years.  That puts it all in perspective.  Joe can call any leader on earth, and they’ll pick up.

  327. 327.

    Richard Fox

    @zhena gogolia: Character is fate is one of my mantras. That really is how I see it. His character shines through. I felt my faith renewed watching him answer everything. Not style but substance. It comes in clear relief.

  328. 328.

    MagdaInBlack

    My concerns are over. There’s nothing wrong with that man’s brain.  Some journalist, tho, should consider taking that cognitive test they’re all so hot for.

  329. 329.

    Aussie Sheila

    @Jackie:

    Yes, allergies do play a role. In which case his Doctors need to do something to help him.

    TBC, I’m a complete supporter of Biden and the whole ticket, and I think the US Press Corpse is becoming an international disgrace and  laughing stock. I just wish US democrats and Democrats paid less attention to them, just as we have to here.

    Because the elite Press of all the English speaking democracies just hate, hate, hate any political party that attempts any amelioration.

  331. 331.

    No One You Know

    @Another Scott: Thank you.  I’m twitching a bit because I have am Interview and I’m afraid this is also how I sink myself in front of a panel.

  333. 333.

    No One You Know

    @zhena gogolia: Thank you!

    I’m very aware of how unfair the ageism, ableism, and bias by so many news owners is.  I’m trying to scrape up some resilience for this, and I do appreciate that you and Another About chimed in. I do feel better!

  334. 334.

    geg6

    @Aussie Sheila:

    I, too, have had it all my life.  Having my adenoids out did nothing to stop it.  Only allergy meds keep it from being horrible but I still often have to clear my throat.

  336. 336.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Aussie Sheila:

    How long has the press in Australia been known to be bad/biased? I wonder if the difference is that in the US, for those of us of a certain age, we grew up believing in the NYT and WaPo as journalistic heroes (Watergate, Pentagon Papers, etc.).

    I didn’t realize how badly they had their thumbs on the scale until 2016, with their “clouds and shadows” campaign against Hillary. (I wasn’t living in the States in the Shrub era, so wasn’t clued into US media complicity with drumming up the Iraq invasion.) Many otherwise astute people I know still believe in the NYT as a principled source of journalism, although the current anti-Biden frenzy is beginning to disabuse at least some of them of that notion.

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