Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

They punch you in the face and then start crying because their fist hurts.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

Since we are repeating ourselves, let me just say fuck that.

At some point, the ability to learn is a factor of character, not IQ.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

Is trump is trying to break black America over his knee? signs point to ‘yes’.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Books are my comfort food!

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

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

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

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

We can’t confuse what’s necessary to win elections with the policies that we want to implement when we do.

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

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Republicans do not pay their debts.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Saturday Night Open Thread

Saturday Night Open Thread

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This post is in: 

Spent about eight hours today and no matter how much sunscreen you wear, the sun still beats you up. I have not much to say.

I will note that if the NY Times is to be believed, Donald Trump spent fifteen years banging models and raping teens procured by Jeffrey Epstein. For all the MAGA folks out there, to give you a frame of reference, fifteen years is three times the length of the confederacy. Honestly though, we fucking knew all this in 2016.

In other news, Maxwell fucked around and found out, attacking Steve one too many times today, and he proceeded to brutalize him and then trap him under the dining room table and chairs and kept him there for a solid half hour. He just sauntered around in a circle, always keeping and eye on Maxwell, and giving him the paw of understanding if he tried anything fishy.

That’s it for me.

Reader Interactions

156Comments

  1. 1.

    WTFGhost

    Italian/Mexican fusion should be a thing, and it will be if I have my way. Reggiano on goosed up salsa+tilapia is *amazing*

    Also: plain corn tortillas are a surprisingly good “shovel” for this dish. Not salty or crunchy like Fritos Scoops, but you want the tortilla there. A mouthful with just salsa, and no tortilla is missing something.

    And, yes, I know, “white man figures out Mexican cooks aren’t stupid,” but, this is delighted discovery, not faux anthropology. I swore, when I nibbled the plain tortilla, it needed butter and frying to taste good. Well… .that would make it taste good, but it’s cheating. And, without butter, without salt, god damn, but it stood its ground and made for a better whole.

  2. 2.

    NobodySpecial

    This would have been nice to know any time in the last decade, FTFNYT, you fucking hacks. I hope the owners and top executives all fall in a well.

  4. 4.

    Josie

    Does the FTFNYT now want a cookie for writing the truth about our glorious leader? What a crock.

  5. 5.

    Baud

    Schooley

    The strangest phenomena of the media relitigating Trump’s relationship with Epstein this week is how many of the most damning stories are links to pieces from 2016 that were competing with Hillary’s emails for eyeballs.

  6. 6.

    WaterGirl

    Wondering if someone who subscribes to the fucking NYT might be wiling to copy key elements of the article into a comment?

  7. 7.

    MagdaInBlack

    So, first the WSJ, and now the NYT dips their toe in the water too ?  Interesting,

  10. 10.

    Jackie

    @NobodySpecial: And in that NYT article:

    Donald Trump once hosted a party featuring “young women” where Jeffrey Epstein “was the only other guest,” the New York Times reported over the weekend.

    In an article titled “Inside the Long Friendship Between Trump and Epstein,” Alan Feuer and Matthew Goldstein write that, “For nearly 15 years, the two men socialized together in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., before a falling out that preceded Mr. Epstein’s first arrest.”

    According to the report, “when Mr. Trump hosted a party at Mar-a-Lago for young women in a so-called calendar girl competition, Mr. Epstein was the only other guest.” The report cites George Houraney, a Florida-based businessman who arranged the event.

    “Mr. Houraney recalled being surprised that Mr. Epstein was the only other person on the guest list,” the report states before quoting the man.

    “I said, ‘Donald, this is supposed to be a party with V.I.P.s,” Mr. Houraney told The New York Times in 2019. “You’re telling me it’s you and Epstein?’”

    “Mr. Houraney’s then-girlfriend and business partner, Jill Harth, later accused Mr. Trump of sexual misconduct on the night of the party.In a lawsuit, Ms. Harth said that Mr. Trump took her into a bedroom and forcibly kissed and fondled her, and restrained her from leaving. She also said that a 22-year-old contestant told her that Mr. Trump later that night crawled into her bed uninvited.”

    Read the full NYT article right here.

    After FFOTUS’s fury with the WSJ, the NYT had better have solid gold proof… But, I’m salaciously looking forward to FFOTUS’s response!

  11. 11.

    WTFGhost

    Spent about eight hours today and no matter how much sunscreen you wear, the sun still beats you up. I have not much to say.

    Well, you are fighting physics. If you can rig a blackout curtain shade, that can protect you from the direct sunlight, but the sunlight bouncing off of stuff can still burn you – that’s why the beach is hell on your skin, sunwise, reflections form the water and the sand (and in winter, the snow), and… um… you used to drive a tank… in the desert.

    Imma stop talking as if I’m informing you now.

    For pure speculation, it’s weird what we know and don’t. We know that Trump almost certainly had sex with sex workers; that’s why he’s just a “baby Christian” to the fundies. The two things we’d need to know, are, did he knowingly have sex with a woman who he knew wasn’t working voluntarily – that’s rape, no matter if you pay or not! – and, did he knowingly have sex with someone who wasn’t 18. I’m not sure if that’s still an absolute age of consent – for some reason, my brain is feeding me “18 but only if partners ages are within n years,” which makes sense, and “21 is the universal AoC”

    I hate my brain, when I’m too tired to talk to it properly.

    Back on track: if you knowingly had sex with a 17.999 year old, people have a right to call you a statutory rapist, if said fact becomes known, and, many people will also use unkind words like “pedophile” and “child rapist”.

    So, I think what we don’t know is, did he rape a sex slave, and did he rape an underage woman, while he was hanging and banging with Epstein? Given that Epstein was said to be involved with “human trafficking,” well, to me, that’s “sex slaves.” I don’t see how you could bang anyone, if you knew some were in bondage; how would you know if it’s a woman who considers money for sex a fair trade… or not? No, that would just be *wrong*, it would be like having sex with Ann Coulter, my willie wilts at the very thought of doing something so toxic with something I love so dearly.

    Damn I’m talkative. Must be the weed and the broken brain.

  12. 12.

    mrmoshpotato

    I will note that if the NY Times is to be believed, Donald Trump spent fifteen years banging models and raping teens procured by Jeffrey Epstein.

    The pile of shit New York Times has turned on the Kremlin-humping, orange, racist, rapist shitstain?

    They couldn’t find more of Hillary’s emails to scream about?

    Did the fuckers tire of screaming about Joe Biden being OOOOOLLLLDDDDD?

  13. 13.

    Josie

    @WaterGirl: ​
     This is what was quoted on Political Wire.

    In the swirl of money and sun-tanned women that was their Palm Beach-and-Manhattan set, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein spent nearly 15 years mingling side-by-side as public friends,” the New York Times reports.

    “There were lavish dinners with boldface names at Mr. Epstein’s mansion on the Upper East Side and raucous parties with cheerleaders and models at Mr. Trump’s private club and residence at Mar-a-Lago. In between, there were trips back and forth from Florida to New York on one of Mr. Epstein’s private jets.”

    “But behind the tabloid glamour, questions have lingered about what Mr. Trump’s long association with Mr. Epstein says about his judgment and character, especially as his allies have stoked sinister claims about Mr. Epstein’s connections to Democrats. After their relationship ruptured, the disgraced financier ended up behind bars not just once, but two times, after being accused of engaging in sex with teenage girls.”

  15. 15.

    WaterGirl

    @Josie:  Thanks for the quote!

    That’s it?  I must be missing something.  We have known every bit of that for years now.  I don’t understand why this article is a bombshell?

  16. 16.

    mayim

    My good food experience of the day:

    It’s a good thing to have a friend who not only grows her own corn, barely in season here in western Maine, but unexpectedly delivers some, dehusked and desilked by her children, maybe a couple hours after it was picked. It cooked up really nicely in the air fryer and went well with a burger slathered in the cranberry honey mustard I discovered yesterday.

  17. 17.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WTFGhost:

    goosed up salsa+tilapia 

    Please explain this, or we will just have to assume you are grabbing fishes’ asses. 😁

  22. 22.

    WaterGirl

    Okay, mayim gets fresh corn delivered to her door, and MagdaInBlack gets homemade pirogies brought to her door by a neighbor.

    I must be doing something wrong because no one is knocking on my door with special, delicious food items.

  23. 23.

    Splitting Image

    There goes the New York Times being all fair and balanced again. Half of their coverage slagging Democrats, half slagging the Republicans. Of course, the half that slags the Democrats is always right before an election and the half that slags the Republicans is always right after it, but that is presumably just bad timing.

  25. 25.

    Josie

    @WaterGirl: ​ What a shame. If you lived close to me, I would have brought you some delicious homemade bone broth today.​
     My kids call me La Bruja.

  27. 27.

    David Collier-Brown

    It’s hard to punish the rich and powerful, but by no means impossible:

    Donald Meredith is a Canadian Pentecostal minister and former politician. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Meredith_(politician))

    He was thrown out of the Senate and the Conservative caucus due to allegations that he had groomed a teenager for two years, starting when the girl was 16. He admitted he had intercourse with the woman after she turned 18. He was charged with sexual assault and criminal harassment, and as of 2022 was granted bail.

  29. 29.

    WTFGhost

    @Josie: It’s weird. For some reason, media outlets seem to think certain questions are off limits for ordinary reporting, because to report on those items accurately would seem biased to people who held an opposing view.

    So: was Hillary Clinton reasonably suspected of criminal activity? NO. So, when people got up in front of microphones and said she had committed crimes, they were lying. But the media won’t report that they’re lying – that’s off limits, that’s a “political” question.

    And, in most cases, it’s a good idea.

    But now, they’re treating Covid-19, vaccinations, etc., as political questions. And it’s like, no, these aren’t political questions, these are questions of Right versus Wrong. Here is where you say “we have to tell people the truth, and reveal lies.” Or, you’re aiding and abetting fascism, simple as that.

  32. 32.

    MagdaInBlack

    @WaterGirl: Weird thing is that after I got inside, I thought “shes gonna tell her mom what I said and I would not be surprised if I got a plate of food.”

    That was not my motivation at all, but I just had a hunch how Polish gramma’s are =-)

  33. 33.

    JoyceH

    A couple years ago, I learned what I consider the best way to deal with corn on the cob. You microwave it! Two or three minutes per ear, and here’s the best part. You don’t have to husk it and deal with all those fiddly silks. You just stick the whole ear in the husk into the microwave so it steams in the husk, and when it’s done, you take it out (with a hot pad) and you cut off the end of the stem, including at least one round of kernels. Then you take the top end, silks and all, and sorta squeeeeze the ear out of the husk through the stem end – and the silks are gone!

  35. 35.

    zhena gogolia

    To be fair, although I don’t want to be, the NYT did a big front-page piece before the 2016 election with interviews of several women who were accusing Trump of sexual misconduct. The voters didn’t care. Granted, it didn’t involve Epstein, but still.

  36. 36.

    schrodingers_cat

    So when is Trump going to try Democratic leaders for sedition? That’s what the British did to Indian nationalist leaders including Tilak and Gandhi. Sedition defined as speech that the Brits didn’t like. And the juries were 2/3 British ad 1/3 Indian.

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @Josie: I get the occasional dessert delivered to my door from the little girl across the street, but pirogies?  super fresh just=picked corn?  I’m not worthy!

  39. 39.

    JoyceH

    BTW, I love just the fact of this NYT story! I guess Trump’s Big Scary lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal didn’t scare news outlets away from covering the Epstein story. Twenty billion dollars, LOL.

  41. 41.

    WTFGhost

    @WaterGirl: I have a dozen ways of being a smart-ass tonight, but: husk and de-silk, throw it in for 5 minutes or so. You get a chewier texture than you get from boiling, and, if you cook it long enough, some of the corn sugars caramelize. I believe it’s similar to roasting, but I’ve never had roasted.

    I imagine you could also de-silk it, and then cook it inside the husk. It would take longer to cook, and I’m not sure it would be a good idea, but, I think that’s how some people roast corn, in the husk, no silk.

  44. 44.

    Archon

    Is there a negative revelation about Trump that would surprise any rational person at this point? What if they found human remains at Mara Lago suggesting Trump might be a serial killer? What if they found a hidden room where Trump literally worshipped the Devil. Would any of that be surprising? Honestly I’d actually be surprised if Trump WASN’T having orgies with Epstein and teenage girls.

    There is no evil that Trump is incapable of doing. None.

  45. 45.

    Nukular Biskits

    Apropos of nothing, one of my guilty pleasures is watching episodes of Mythbusters on Youtube.

    Just watched the one where they explored and confirmed the Monty Hall Paradox. Interesting results.

    Now, back to my grogging ….

  46. 46.

    mayim

    @WaterGirl:

    My air fryer is a bit fancy ~ I got a really good deal on a floor model when Bed, Bath, and Beyond went out of business. It has a grill setting, among many others [most of which I haven’t bothered to try].

    I cover the corn in olive oil, then wrap it in aluminum foil before putting it in the air fryer for about 12 to 14 minutes on the grill setting. The friend who delivered the corn uses the same method in an air fryer without fancy settings.

    Before the air fryer, I would do the same oil and wrap before putting the corn in the oven at 400° for about 35 minutes ~ I have a chicken recipe that corn goes well with that has the same oven instructions, so I can pop them in, not think about them until the timer buzzes, and have supper ready. Perfect solution for my ADHD brain when I’m focused on other things and/or have company.

  47. 47.

    WaterGirl

    @WTFGhost: Interesting.  I don’t think I would like chewier corn on the cob.

    They sell white corn on the cob at the farmer’s market, which is to kill for.  They don’t always have it and you have to get there super early because they have big tricks of yellow corn but only 2 kitchen wastebasket sized containers of the white corn.  So good!

    None yet this year, he said maybe next week or the week after that.

  48. 48.

    WTFGhost

    @mrmoshpotato: Chop up a lot of onion and garlic throw in a bunch of jalapenos, put it all in a casserole, throw in glugs of EV olive oil, and bake at 325F for about 2.5 hours. Then, ladle off enough goosed up salsa (no geese were harmed during this event) to cook a couple of tilapia filets, broken up so they poached quickly in the hot salsa, and eaten off of corn tortillas and chips.

  52. 52.

    Geminid

    @Andrya: I wonder if you’ve been following the Turkish/PKK peace process that PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan initiated with his letter last December. It’s been progessing fairly well, although there’s a lot work yet to.be accomplished. Among others, Ragip Soylu has provided good coverage for Middle East Eye. So has Iraqi Kurdistan-based Rudaw English

  54. 54.

    Archon

    @schrodingers_cat: Tulsi Gabbard, obviously on Trumps orders put that trial balloon out there yesterday suggesting Obama and members of his administration are guilty of seditious conspiracy.

    Arresting Obama would definitely take the Epstein story off the front page, would also cause nationwide revolts but who knows what Trump is capable of when he’s politically cornered like he is right now.

  55. 55.

    Jay

    @WTFGhost:

    Peel back the husk, strip off the silk, soak it in water, pull the husk over, toss it on the bbq.

    Add mayo and spice if you want Mexican Street corn, other wise, butter and salt.

  58. 58.

    hueyplong

    @Archon: There are some acts of evil that might require some physical courage. We can assume Trump would not be suspected of committing any of those. Those aside, yes, I’d believe Trump capable of anything.

  64. 64.

    mrmoshpotato

    @WaterGirl:

    Next to “food of the gods” in the dictionary is a picture of homemade potato and onion pirogi. 

    Needs some bacon. :)

  65. 65.

    Jackie

    This is funny in lieu of the NYT’s story. Gotta wonder if the times heard Stelter, and said “hold my beer!”

    Brian Stelter: “President Trump’s libel lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal reads like a message to other news outlets: Don’t follow the Journal‘s lead.”

    “Journalists in other newsrooms have been pursuing further reporting about Trump’s long-ago friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. His lawsuit is a warning to those news outlets; his $20 billion damages claim is a notice that ‘I will try to ruin you.’”

  66. 66.

    Gin & Tonic

    @WaterGirl: ​You clearly have never had homemade varenyky (what you heathens call pierogies) filled with sour cherries, served with a healthy (unhealthy?) scoop of sour cream.

  67. 67.

    Andrya

    @Geminid:   I have, and this is very close to my heart, as my extended family includes  a number of Kurdish refugees from Türkiye.  I know you are very knowledgeable about this, so any information you post about this process would be very much appreciated.

  69. 69.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Jay: Which reminds me: this week my estimator treated me to elote from a local place. OMG good.

  70. 70.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Archon:

    Tulsi Gabbard, obviously on Trumps orders put that trial balloon out there yesterday suggesting Obama and members of his administration are guilty of seditious conspiracy. 

    I think Tulsi sucks Putin’s ass all on her own and is directly compromised.

  73. 73.

    mayim

    @WaterGirl:

    She is a very good friend ~ we’re knitting buddies, which is often a good start when meeting people.

    I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to help her over the years, when she’s needed to deal with parental health crises ~ her kids love cats but her husband is allergic, so her kids love coming to see me. In fact, I’m guessing the attraction today was my wee beasties. Between the cats plus me having a fair bit of experience being the “cool aunt” [as a then 30-something cousin’s son* introduced me to his hip/edgy Brooklyn friends], the kids are ok with being dropped with me when she needs to head to the hospital to do what I call childing [if raising children is parenting, then it makes sense to call what middle-aged adults do for aging parents childing, right?]. So puzzles, making cookies, painting ~ all good ways to distract kids from worrying about a grandparent.

    *When he was a pre-teen, I took him on a train ride he wanted, bought him chocolate covered coffee beans, and handed him back to my cousin ~ and, yes, she still talks to me. Another time, I took him to a movie he wanted to see because all his friends had but his mother didn’t want to see it ~ so I sat through Wayne’s World. While I would have loved to have my own children, I’m also certain kids need the cool aunts and uncles in their lives, so I have fun with it.

    Blethering on ~ tired, plus there was part of a bottle of wine from last weekend’s company supper taking up space in the fridge…

  75. 75.

    Jackie

    @catclub:

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Cripes. Maybe Trump will stroke out.

    JD Vance is probably on his knees praying that as we speak.

    Can you even imagine what ‘poor’ Mike Pence would be going through right now if he was still FFOTUS’s VP?! LOLOL!

  76. 76.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Gin & Tonic: I have not but I am more than willing to give that a try, should I have the chance.

    @mrmoshpotato: I had to make do with creme fraiche, gosh darn it. I got it for the latkes I have in the freezer.

  79. 79.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Jackie:

    Brian Stelter: “President Trump’s libel lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal reads like a message to other news outlets: Don’t follow the Journal‘s lead.” 

    Everyone! The orange, fascist POS who wants to bang his own daughter wants us to stop looking into allegations that he’s also raped children.  So let’s drop it all.

  80. 80.

    NotMax

    @mrmoshpotato

    Two thirds sour cream,. one third lemon yogurt (the premixed kind, not the kind with fruit on the bottom).

    Why not? Works well with blintzes.

  81. 81.

    Jay

    @Archon:

    Emptywheel covered it. What the ruZZian asset said in her “press conference” was 180 degrees from what she “released” in support, which was a slightly redacted version of the classified report to the US Senate, not the fully classified report to the Senate Intel Committee.

    So, the one that says 100% confidence by the Intel Agencies that ruZZia interfered, tried to hack voting machines, ran a Cambridge Analectic op and coordinated with the DJTdiot Admin. So basically the appeal to MAGgot’s knowing they won’t read past the headline and the quality one expects from the DJTdiot’s minons.

  82. 82.

    Gwangung

    @WTFGhost: This is not new. See evolution vs. creationism. See climate change.

    But now, they’re treating Covid-19, vaccinations, etc., as political questions. And it’s like, no, these aren’t political questions, these are questions of Right versus Wrong. 

  83. 83.

    WTFGhost

    @hueyplong: Agreed, and, in fact, I would add that I’m sure he’d pay for someone else to do what he can’t, if he was sure he’d get away with it.

    @Jay: Thanks!

     

    @catclub: I think it’s more likely he’ll pick up the picture painted of himself, that looked like it could handle every bit of sin and greed and sloth you could throw at it, and somehow, Trump always thought he looked like that picture, but one day, he saw his true reflection and now, he shatters the picture, and dies instantly.

    They’ll probably *report* it as a stroke, but I think a reverse Dorian Grey is infinitely more likely.

    My inner censer [sic] is blowing smoke (see?) about my inhibitions being down, and being purposely weird. I’m recognizing I’m still on topic and reveling in a relaxed weirdness at the moment. (Yes, I am on a new THC dosing formulation, and I do think it needs a tiny bit of dialing back….)

    @hueyplong: That’s a disgusting rumor! (Actually I don’t think it’s a rumor, yet, but if we yell enough about it being a “disgusting rumor” it just might become one.)

  85. 85.

    Jay

    @Jackie:

    Filed “Pro se”, aka DJTdiot is acting in the first filing, as his own lawyer, later apparently hired a podunk Copyright Law Firm,…………

  90. 90.

    WTFGhost

    @Gwangung: I could see creationism vs evolution as a “difference in philosophy or religion,” as much as “Right vs Wrong” but, I don’t disagree, pretending there was controversy over climate change was certainly wrong, as well. It’s just, now, what they’re lying about is so much more immediately dangerous, to everyone, and, our metaphorical frogs still haven’t noticed the label “Boiled Frogs Legs” on the outside of that wet sauna they’re in, that’s been heating up *ever* so slowly?

  91. 91.

    Mai Naem mobile

    In other news, Maxwell fucked around

    When I first read that I thought you were talking about Ghilslaine Maxwell. And that got me thinking you might have to change poor Maxwell’s name.

  92. 92.

    p.a.

    If you live near salt water, try and get corn from farms that get direct sea breezes.  I don’t know why it’s so good, but it is.  Strawberries too.

  93. 93.

    Nelle

    @WaterGirl: My neighbor brought over fresh banana bread with chocolate chips in it.  What one needs is a neighbor who loves to bake, but is watching calories.  I watch calories as they go in my mouth.  I’m a welcoming person, with regard to calories.

  94. 94.

    Jay

    @p.a.:

    It’s the “terroir”. The salt air and moisture breaks down minerals in the soil, making them more available for the plant’s uptake. When we lived in the place, the foundation of our soil was 30,000 year old volcanic mud. Everything we grew tasted better.

  97. 97.

    Jay

    @mrmoshpotato:

    T can’t do dairy, it’s a cancer thing, so I have to make perogy’s rather than buying them from the Ukrainian ladies, half fake cheese, half real cheese and segregated.

    I am also one who doesn’t like sour cream, except on stewed plum piroshky’s.

  100. 100.

    Jackie

    @Eolirin:

    @WTFGhost: Age of consent varies by state. In NY it’s 17. No idea what it is in Florida.

    You reminded me that a state rep or senator in either KY or TN tried to change the age of marriage to 13 or 14… when girls “are at their peak of fertility.” Thankfully it was shot down.

    For now.

  101. 101.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @Gin & Tonic:  Varenyky sounds absolutely delicious.

    I think it’s fascinating when there are food methods found cross culturally. Filled dough: ravioli, varenyky, pierogi, kreplach, Asian dumplings. Filled pastry: empanadas, spanakopita, pasties….

    Such interesting variety on a theme.

  104. 104.

    different-church-lady

    @WTFGhost: I’m so old I can remember when just being pals with a guy who trafficked underage girls meant you weren’t fit to be president.

  106. 106.

    RevRick

    @WaterGirl: It’s like when a woman makes a creative suggestion at a business meeting and she gets no support, but twenty minutes later a guy suggests the exact same thing and everybody is saying how great “his” idea is.

  108. 108.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Archon: What if they found a hidden room where Trump literally worshipped the Devil.

    It would be the best thing about him. But that isn’t happening; Trump puts no one man or god above himself.

  109. 109.

    RevRick

    @Gwangung: @WTFGhost:

    There is no such thing as the verb “believe” in science. The aim of science is to describe the material world. It either does or it doesn’t.
    Creationism isn’t an alternative explanation. It is a rigid* belief system about the Bible, that it is inerrant and infallible, masquerading as science. As such, it is garbage.

  111. 111.

    Jay

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Yeah, there has been some adjustment required. Luckily I make two “deep dish” lasagna’s at one time in bread loaf pans, one “real cheese, the other “fake cheese”. Blendered soft tofu instead of ricotta.

    Cooking has become more complex and baking is the worst.

  113. 113.

    RevRick

    Today, I led our Climate Hope Affiliates (PA-7) chapter meeting and we shared our frustration dealing with Rep. MacKenzie and Sen. McCormick, and our need to make connections with likeminded organizations and take advantage of public gatherings to get the word out. We then shared in a national webinar featuring Zealan Hoover, who served asSenior Advisor to the head of the EPA during the Biden administration.
    After that, I got in my 7,000 steps for the day. And then MrsRev and I watched another episode of The Gilded Age, and boy does Christine Baranski get all the good dialogue as old New York money. This evening we started watching the History of Eastern Europe, and the PostImpressionists on our Great Courses streaming service. (They each have 24 episodes). So, that’ll keep me off the streets and out of mischief for a while.

  114. 114.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @WaterGirl: Me too!

    I just criticized the FTFNYT this morning for their headlines implying that Trump’s request to release grand jury testimony was somehow a reasonable response.

    My theory on this new story with already known details about Trump’s sordid past? There are people to protect other than Trump. More powerful and more competent people setting the rapidly sundowning Trump up to take the fall.

  115. 115.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Jay: yeah, vegan baking is playing the game on a very high difficulty level indeed. I have been collecting cookbooks and recipes for decades now.  Things have improved greatly in terms of finding substitutions (it helped when everyone got over the low-fat movement and started using coconut-based ingredients)

    Nora Cooks has some good vegan recipes (I use her pumpkin pie recipe with a few additional spices at Thanksgiving and my godson loves it noracooks.com/vegan-pumpkin-pie/)

  116. 116.

    The Audacity of Krope

    @Doug R: Are you going to believe the obvious terrible things happening out in the open unaddressed or the brave revealers of conspiracy letting us know what they(™️) won’t tell us?

  117. 117.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @RevRick: I’m sitting here watching the Tour de France and knitting (watching sports on TV requires very simple knitting so I’m back to a standard triangle shawl). I had no motivation to do anything today and I have a lot of things on my to-do list.

  119. 119.

    NotMax

    @RevRick

    we started watching the History of Eastern Europe

    If the years between 1945 and 1989 are not in grainy black and white and gray, they missed a bet.
    ;)

  120. 120.

    Bill Arnold

    @Jay:
    Was poking at that today. Some notes:
    TULSI GABBARD ACCUSES KASH PATEL OF COVERING UP FOR THE OBAMA DEEP STATE (July 18, 2025, emptywheel)

    Suspected Russian asset Tulsi Gabbard has released a report of screen caps out of context and one 114-page collection of documents purportedly showing what she claims is a conspiracy against Donald Trump.
    …
    In general, Tulsi accomplishes the circus trick of getting stupid people to buy her narrative by conflating whether spooks thought Russia hacked the US voting tabulation infrastructure with Intelligence Community confidence that Russia was involved in the hack of the DNC and DCCC and then involved in the dissemination of files stolen from it.
    …
    As one example of how transparently shoddy Tulsi’s “work” is, note how she misquotes a story (which she attributes to spooks but which might come from Congress) talking about the larger Russian intelligence operation in 2016, claiming it pertains exclusively to the “U.S. Election Hack.”

    THE SECRETS ABOUT RUSSIA’S INFLUENCE OPERATION THAT TULSI GABBARD IS STILL KEEPING FROM US (July 19, 2025, emptywheel)

    Quoted from legacy.www.documentcloud.org/documents/26002914-250717-dig-declassified-evidence-obama-subvert-presi…
    Guccifer 2.0, who claimed to be an independent Romanian hacker, made multiple contradictory statements and false claims about his identity throughout the election; [redacted] intelligence indicated the persona was controlled from Russia, and press reporting suggests more than one person claiming to be Guccifer 2.0 interacted with journalists, based on [redacted] and interactions with the press.
    …
    Of particular interest, to me especially: the IC was pretty sure that Russia was using Guccifer 2.0 to disseminate the stolen files, but was less sure what the relationship between the persona and the spooks running it was. The passage includes the allegedly accidental log-ins via a Russian provider, which was reported years ago. But in early 2017, anyway, all this was ambiguous.

    Mr Trump’s Truth Social account. (Mr. Trump did not write this, IMO):

    Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump
    Great job by young and talented Harrison Fields on FoxNews. The Panel was fantastic on prosecuting Obama and the “thugs” who have just been unequivocally exposed on highest level Election Fraud. Congratulations to Tulsi Gabbard. Keep it coming!!!
    Jul 19, 2025, 7:15 PM

    They are playing a dangerous game. Both the Russians and others are holding information that could sink the Trump administration. (Waterboard Roger Stone for some leads!! :-) )

  122. 122.

    Jackie

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    My theory on this new story with already known details about Trump’s sordid past? There are people to protect other than Trump. More powerful and more competent people setting the rapidly sundowning Trump up to take the fall.

    ALL INVOLVED need to be exposed and held accountable. Child rape and trafficking is equally punishable to all. Any Dems involved need rooting out just as much as Reps. Let the chips fall where they may.

  124. 124.

    Lyrebird

    @Jay: ​
    I’m bummed that Trader Joe’s may have discontinued their fake feta cheese, which was my fave fake cheese from a store.
    If you have time to bother, cashew cheese is very yummy. I haven’t used that exact recipe, but if you have kimchi, kraut, or even sourdough “hooch” you can get things fermenting. Ground cashews or also ground raw almonds. (ETA: I almost never exactly follow a recipe. FWIW the recipes I have made from Viva Vegan have been truly tasty as well, though I haven’t tried her cashew crema.)
    On a recent trip to Whole Paycheck I was able to find some oat-based condensed milk that was awesome. Very useful for times when coconut milk won’t do.
    Best wishes to you and T!​

  125. 125.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Lyrebird:

     

    @Jay: Follow Your Heart makes some good vegan feta, Parmesan, and blue cheese crumbles. Daiya is my go-to for slices, shredded, and blocks of vegan cheese as they add calcium to their products.

    Violife also makes tasty vegan cheese which has vitamin B12 but no calcium.

    Miyoko’s is another tasty option but no calcium from what I remember (it’s more expensive than the Daiya and Violife so it’s a rare treat, generally I get it on sale and in flavor/type that Daiya and Follow Your Heart don’t have)

    Babybel also makes a vegan version of their minis which has calcium. Laughing Cow makes a vegan version of their spreadable wedges.

    yes, I miss real cheese and real eggs…

    ETA I have seen condensed coconut milk and evaporated coconut milk for sale and used them, I don’t think I have seen the condensed oat milk yet.

  128. 128.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @NotMax: thanks, I’ll have to watch that later (I have food allergies so that’s why no eggs or dairy; I still eat meat and fish)

  130. 130.

    WTFGhost

    @JWR: I don’t get bothered by graphic – I kind-of burned out my WTF circuits on sex in my late teens/early 20s.

    Thanks to you, and others, who’ve helped inform me.

  131. 131.

    Melancholy Jaques

    @NotMax:

    No love for pierogies stuffed with kraut and some caraway seeds?

    I go for pierogies stuffed with potato & cheese, then I slather the sauerkraut with caraway seeds across the top.

  132. 132.

    Martin

    I guess the NYT smell blood in the water. That’s how these things tend to go – everyone’s quiet until there’s a sense that there’s enough momentum that it becomes safe to talk. That’s what happened during #metoo. I’ve seen it around scandals at work.

  133. 133.

    Marc

    @Bill Arnold: Both the Russians and others are holding information that could sink the Trump administration.

    Given all the shit that has happened so far, I’m having a hard time imagining what would actually be bad enough to sink the Trump administration.  Maybe I’m just not imaginative enough.

  134. 134.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @Kayla Rudbek: I’ll need to check out the vegan baby bel and laughing cow cheezes. I prefer daiya, because the other brands have corn starch in them, and it’s better if I avoid corn.
    I just bought a can of sweetened condensed coconut milk. I’m not sure how to use it, yet. I’m sure one could put it in a pressure cooker and cook  it into Dulce de Lethe, but I’m not going to do that.
    as a topping on a cake/ muffin? In coffee? Oh dear.

    miyokos makes a delicious fake butter.

    i e been warned off oar milk, as too high in carbs, phooey. It’s what they serve at the cafe I frequent, if I want creamer, but it’s just an occasional treat.  When I count my carbs and try and to stay under 100 per day that 100 gems comes up quickly.

    i wonder if you or Jay and T have tried the line of fake yogurts? Kite hill has an almond based yogurt, also a cream cheese. The coconut milk yogurts are dreamy, but no protein to speak of.

    may it be delicious somehow..

  135. 135.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Gloria DryGarden: vegan yogurt is generally good, although I have had bad luck with Kite Hill having mold in unopened containers on several occasions.

    There’s at least one brand of skyr-style vegan yogurt that I like, and the Greek-style vegan yogurt is also good and higher in protein than some other styles. I typically try to go with lower sugar and higher calcium options (although I find it difficult to force myself to eat plain or vanilla vegan yogurt)

    ETA: I think that I used the condensed coconut milk in the pumpkin pie

  136. 136.

    hotshoe

    @NotMax: ​
     
    Okay, my experience with microwave-corn-on-the-cob in-the-husk is that it gives the corn a bit of “green” flavor, grassy, which I assumed comes from contact with the chlorophyll etc of the husks.
    I will happily de-silk corn (and while eating I will happily deal with an occasional silk I missed in shucking) so I can have pure traditional corn flavor.

    Traditional sweet corn was cooked by roasting or boiling, and apparently dates back to the Maya.

    Now I’m curious if they roasted in in the husk? However, looking at the internet only returns things like corn-husk tamales. Not the same thing as corn on the cob!

  140. 140.

    Gloria DryGarden

    @Kayla Rudbek: oh, that sounds good, pumpkin pie. I’ve had all good kite hill experiences, I’m so sorry. I need to read for calcium, in these products. Some of the nut milks have a good amount of calcium, I just need to check the yogurts and daiya.
    my latest pudding adventure is chia pudding. I think it’s 1:3, I start with an equal amount of water, let that soak before adding the higher fat nut milks to it. In the morning I add some fruit jam, or pomegranate syrup, to sweeten it.

    i might just mix a can of “pumpkin” with the condensed coco milk, add spices. Maybe add that to a chia pudding. I’m without ac, so any uncooking cheats I can are better for the house temperature. Plus, I can’t have pie crust anyway. So.

  141. 141.

    Marc

    Remember, it was Elon who played this latest dirty trick on Trump. I suspect PPOS hasn’t forgotten. There will be a price paid and I have plenty of popcorn.

  142. 142.

    NotMax

    @hotshoe

    Adding milk* with the water when boiling ears shucked ears of corn makes the corn sweeter, also too. Old trick used by institutional kitchens cooking batches for cafeterias and suchlike.

    *Can’t recall recommended measurement off the top of the head. Maybe like a half cup milk per gallon of water.

  145. 145.

    Bruce K in ATH-GR

    @mrmoshpotato: Adam Savage had a great quote about science: “The closer you look, the fuzzier it gets.” He was referring to questions about what constitutes death (in relation to pondering whether he was willing to get zapped with a stun-gun to test a myth), but he specifically made it a more general statement. It applies perfectly to questions of gender ideology, which only appears to be crystal-clear if you’re not looking too closely, but gets awfully murky when you look at the details up close.

  147. 147.

    Marc

    @NotMax: Interesting, I’ll have to try that.  My family was from New England, so we normally boiled shucked corn in water (sometimes seawater or just salted), but culturally, being a generation or two removed from Bajan sugar and central Virginia tobacco plantations, they still preferred roasting corn in the husk over fire.

  151. 151.

    Princess

    @Sure Lurkalot: I think something like this is plausible. Either Murdoch wants Trump to take the fall, or Murdoch is using it to blackmail Trump into doing his bidding (keeping Powell? Taking the trade war? Some other business thing of favour? I don’t know but I think the money people think they’ve found the thing that can put the leash back on Trump.

  155. 155.

    tsquared2001

    @JoyceH: Everything you are doing with corn on the cob is wrong. So wrong that there should be a special prosecutor appointed to judge your many, many crimes.

  156. 156.

    Citizen Alan

    @Archon:

    There’s a reason why I suggest to fundie MAGAs i encounter on the internet that he is the literal Antichrist. Because to paraphrase what people say about trump being a russian asset, “if he actually was, what would he be doing differently?”

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