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Squishable Open Thread

by Betty Cracker| April 1, 20267:16 am| Leave a Comment

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Stupidity

Artemis II is scheduled to launch at 6:24 PM Eastern time at the Kennedy Space Center.* I plan to be on a riverbank more than 100 miles from the launch site this evening, looking to the east to catch a glimpse of the 322-foot rocket’s rise on its way to a moon flyby.

Commander Reid Wiseman will be at the helm, joined by U.S. astronauts Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. According to Wikipedia, this will be the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Wow. A lot has changed since then, some good, some terrible. Godspeed!

***

About two and a half hours after the scheduled launch, the demented cockwomble currently serving as ceremonial president of the United States is supposed to address the nation about the progress of the pointless, expensive and deadly war he started.

Han Solo, CP30, Chewbacca and Princess Leia looking worried in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon with the caption "I've got a bad feeling about this."

I think War Piggy is tired of the war and desperately wants a face-saving offramp, but only one that allows him to avoid the intolerable narcissistic injury of being perceived as a loser. The thing is, it’s not solely up to him anymore. Other people, some of whom are motivated by more than profitable transactions, get a say in the outcome.

So Trump is no longer in control, but his increasingly hysterical threats and peevish insults may indicate construction of a self-soothing cocoon to which he can retreat. Maybe then he can focus on more interesting things, like the tacky ballroom (currently stopped by the court) or the corrupt monstrosity of a presidential “library” and for-profit hotel his hell-spawn are erecting in Miami, complete with a golden statue of himself.

I’ve never been a fan of Miami (except the Dolphins, and the café con leche is first rate), but even that city doesn’t deserve what’s planned for it. I hope the disaster can be averted, and I’m glad some elected Democrats are firing shots over business titans’ bows by saying publicly that Trump may be immune from prosecution, but YOU aren’t.

***

I really enjoyed the thread under yesterday’s post that featured Martin’s guest commentary. Lots of ideas shared and assumptions challenged! For me, it was a throwback to the pre-social media app internet, when it seemed like being online could be a good thing.

One last thing: It’s April 1, so be careful out there. Open thread!

*I hope Piggy doesn’t spot the opportunity to slap his accursed name on the Kennedy Space Center. I’m sure he doesn’t read Balloon Juice (or anything else), so I feel safe expressing that wish here, but nobody say “Kennedy Space Center” within earshot of a cultist, okay? Thanks.

Squishable Open ThreadPost + Comments

War for Ukraine Day 1,496: The Fourth Anniversary of the Bucha Massacre

by Adam L Silverman| March 31, 202610:33 pm| 9 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Iran, Military, Open Threads, Russia, Silverman on Security, War, War in Ukraine

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

As of 4:50 AM local time/9:50 PM EDT, air raid alerts are up over all of eastern and central Ukraine.

The cost:

💔 In the hospital, 6‑year‑old Yevheniya Serhiyenko has died.

Her older sister shielded her with her own body during a russian shelling. Twenty‑year‑old Dasha was killed instantly at the site of the strike, while little Zhenya was rushed to the hospital… but today she passed.

Russia kills children.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:39 PM

Today is the fourth anniversary of the Bucha massacre.

We owe justice to the victims of the Bucha massacre.

The russian monsters killed more than 1,400 people in the Bucha region over a month of occupation in March 2022. 1,400 in that district alone.

This can neither be forgotten nor forgiven.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:09 AM

At least we know the number of people murdered in the Kyiv region, and they were laid to rest with dignity.

We will likely never find out the whole truth abt russian genocide in Mariupol. The so-called “renovation” of the Drama Theater was aimed at hiding traces of crimes.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:39 AM

Volodymyr and Olena Zelensky honored the memory of the Ukrainians killed by russian forces during the occupation of Bucha.

When Bucha was liberated, the whole world finally saw the true face of russia. Mass graves filled with executed civilians, bodies of people shot on the streets and left

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 8:38 AM

to rot, children and adults alike, destruction, rapes, robbery. This is the reality of russian occupation.

Today, we remember the victims. The world must remember what russian occupation truly brings before pushing Ukraine to surrender any more land.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 8:38 AM

Today marks four years since Ukrainian forces liberated Bucha from russian occupation.

Four years since the world saw what russian soldiers had done there — the killings, the torture, the rapes — against adults, children, babies.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 2:29 AM

The world was horrified then, confronted with something it could no longer deny or look away from

But Bucha was not the end. There were other towns, other villages, other names — and the same things kept happening

Four years later, the violence has not stopped. Only the reaction to it has changed.

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— Iryna Voichuk (@irynavoichuk.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 2:29 AM

A lot of EU ministers, as well as heads of state from EU member states, came to Ukraine for the commemoration and for a meeting of the EU foreign affairs council at the Bucha Summit.

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, has arrived in Kyiv, accompanied by several ministers from EU member states.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:38 AM

President Zelenskyy addressed that council today. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

show full post on front page

Address by the President of Ukraine to the EU Foreign Affairs Council

31 March 2026 – 22:04

Andrii, Dear Minister!

Dear friends, Ministers!

Distinguished guests!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Thank you for coming. Thank you for your support. We are thankful to your people and your governments. Thank you that you stay with us from the very beginning of the full-scale war. Thank you for Europe being here in Ukraine in such a very important time.

Today, we remember how, 4 years ago, the Russian army was pushed back from Kyiv. And we freed the Kyiv region, and the whole world saw what the Russian army brought to us, to Ukraine – what and why. And what it could bring to other countries, between us. And in that moment, everything Russia had said about itself fell apart for hundreds of millions of people around the world. People saw that Ukraine was fighting a brutal and irrational, absolutely, aggressor, anti-European force – Russia, which rejects everything Europe learned and changed in the 20th century. And that Russia started this war not only against us, not only against Ukraine, but against the progress in human rights, morality, and peaceful life that came after World War 2. After Bucha, after Yahidne, during the battles for Kharkiv, our Mariupol, and the Black Sea – the world saw what Ukraine is and what Ukrainians are fighting for. Europe saw itself in us – in our people, in our resistance, and in our pain in this war, and in our determination to defend our independence. In Ukraine’s fight for life and for the right to choose our future, the national dreams of many European nations were echoed – nations that once fought for their own freedom. Europe’s own history was reflected here in Ukraine. We remembered the Miracle on the Vistula and the Prague Spring. We spoke about Finland’s fight for independence and the brutal crushing of Hungary’s freedom by Soviet tanks. We recalled the Nazi Blitz against Britain and the bombing of Rotterdam. This was not just history. It reminded us that the European way of life is not a gift. And that weakness and failure to stop enemies in time can lead to terrible consequences. And now we also need to act in time, and act, of course, strongly, and protect people.

Dear friends!

Recently, I visited countries in the Middle East and the Gulf, and everywhere our offer of assistance to protect lives was met with respect and gratitude. We act in time. And we also see that many Iranians around the world respect Ukraine and are grateful that we did not stay silent about their pain and their desire to end dictatorship and live freely. And we all should act to help them, of course. And we feel that, despite all the disinformation, American hearts have not grown cold – they support those who fight for freedom, and they support us in defending ourselves against Russian aggression. It’s very important.

After everything that has happened, Russia is clearly not a friend – even to those it still has relations with. And when some still try to trade with Russia, still want its oil and money, or say it will be very hard to achieve justice after this war – we see this as short-sighted and as a risk of repeating past mistakes. Russia must not win this war – in any way. It must not receive any reward from this war. And it must not get ahead of us – in new technologies shaped by this war. This is critical.

The future of Europe directly depends on how this war ends. And you can see how closely Russia’s war against Ukraine is linked to what is happening in the Middle East and the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz is in a situation much like the Black Sea when Russia blocked our shipping, you remember, in 2022. Yes. Iranian drones and missiles hit neighboring countries just as Russian drones and ballistic missiles hit Ukraine. Modern war is impossible without drones, and most strikes on the front in Ukraine are carried out by drones of many types. We also see signs that the Iranian regime may be preparing for ground operations using FPV drones. It is also important to note that Russia is investing in prolonging conflicts in the Middle East. Wars there make it easier to intensify the war here. And this was the case after the Hamas attack on Israel. It is also true for the war the Iranian regime is waging to preserve itself. After that war, things must not be worse than before – and this is key. And the same applies here in Europe: Russia must not be left in any position that it could see as better than before – not in territory, not in technologies, not in politics. This is essential for peace and Europe. That is why, when talks to end this war are ongoing, we always do everything to ensure Europe is present and that Europe’s interests are taken into account. Ukraine is doing this. Absolutely. And in this way, Ukraine strengthens Europe. And I am grateful to everyone who understands this and supports our diplomacy. And we are doing everything to end this war through diplomacy. Of course. This is necessary. And Russia shows no intention to make a reliable deal, but it’s significantly a matter of pressure. And I hope the United States will remain decisive and help bring Russia to a trilateral meeting – and press it to make peace.

And I said this yesterday, and I repeat it today – we have proposed a ceasefire for the Easter holidays. We hope that the United States will support this proposition. And we are waiting for a response from Russia. Tomorrow, I will speak with the American team, including on this issue. And we hope for results. Results are needed for everyone.

Dear ladies and gentlemen!

It is symbolic that now, as we remember Bucha, we ask: what will war and threats look like tomorrow – for Europe, for all of us? And we must not let Europe’s enemies answer this question for us, or before us. This is very serious.

If we have programs like SAFE, we must make them truly modern and effective. Europe should produce not just what it knows, but what really works in today’s war and what is proven by today’s war. And countries already working with us on joint production understand this. Ukraine has this experience. Now, as our expert teams work in the Middle East and the Gulf, we see that our experience in protecting lives and critical infrastructure is, in many ways, unique. And I say this not just out of pride. This is about security. Ukraine’s experience in defense is a real security guarantee for Europe. So I propose that we work together to modernize our defense. We have started cooperation with Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan. We also have signals from Bahrain. They are interested in our experience in countering drones and building a layered system-wide defense against modern threats. And I am sure Europe needs this too, of course. And we have already started working with some countries in Europe – thanks to our partners. And I thank them for acting in time. But this is needed for all of Europe, I’m sure.

I thank everyone involved in the PURL program and other initiatives that protect our skies. Drones, cruise missiles, ballistic threats – all must get a clear response. In the short term, we need funding for this. But in the long term, Europe must be able to produce all types of missiles and defense systems on its own. Of course. Europe must not depend on others – and must be ready to help those who help us.

Next point.

European decisions must not be questioned or lost in chaos. If Europe makes a decision, it must be implemented. When Europe decided to provide Ukraine with a 90-billion-euro support program based on Russian assets, this must not be blocked. Because this is about Europe’s strength – the strength of its word and its ability to act. If common decisions can be blocked so easily in such critical times, what does that say about the rest? We must strengthen trust in Europe, not weaken it. And beyond trust in Europe, this is a basic security issue, by the way. We must already prepare for the next winter. We have a plan, but because the 90 billion support package is still blocked, we cannot use the 5 billion planned for protection and recovery to get ready – no matter what this winter will be like. This is about people’s lives. By the way, we’ve lost already one month – March. We had to begin to do it in March, but somebody blocked this money. As long as the blockage remains, the threat remains. And this is happening because one person in Europe is standing against all of Europe – simply to please Moscow, and everyone can already see the evidence – that this is nothing more than a deal with Moscow.

Next point.

I am grateful to all countries already working against Russian oil. Russian oil is what fuels this war. Without oil revenues, Russia cannot fight. So we must continue to block all Russian and related tankers. European laws must ensure that Europe’s seas do not finance this war. And the same applies to sanctions. They must be strengthened, and we are still expecting a new EU sanctions package.

And one more thing.

In the Middle East and the Gulf, when countries turn to Ukraine for support, they see Ukraine as Europe. They see it as working with Europe. No one there doubts that Ukraine is Europe. Ukraine’s contribution to global stability is seen as Europe’s contribution – by everyone in the world. So why, in some key issues, is Ukraine still limited as a part of Europe? Ukraine’s EU membership is a security guarantee – for us and for Europe. Our potential – human, technological, military – is Europe’s potential. Russia understands this, sometimes better than some in Europe. That is why Russia does everything to stop Ukraine from joining the EU. And that is why we are doing everything to make it happen. And I thank those in Europe who support us. Now, Ukraine is ready for opening clusters and continuing accession negotiations. The key to stopping Russia’s efforts is to set a clear date for Ukraine’s accession. A clear date is a guarantee that Russia will fail, and that we will succeed. Please, let us make this happen. Please, let us not lose time. Please, continue to support Ukraine and the European way of life. Thank you so much that you are here.

Glory to Ukraine!

President Zelenskyy also held a press conference during the Bucha Summit. Here’s the video:

Georgia:

Today’s the day. The 35th anniversary.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 12:12 PM

JUST IN: Opposition Alliance announces a “national mobilization campaign” in Georgia which is to symbolically culminate on May 26, Georgia’s independence day, in Tbilisi.

#GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 3:28 AM

Megi Diasamidze, a student who faces criminal prosecution over writing “Russian Dream” on the Georgian Dream’s campaign banner will now be imprisoned for 2 days for standing on a sidewalk.

1/2

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 5:29 AM

It was precisely in solidarity with Megi that democratic leader Elene Khoshtaria made the same graffiti, for which the mother-of-4 was sentenced to 1.5 years.

The repeated “offense” of standing on a sidewalk is up to 1 year of criminal imprisonment.

#TerrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests

2/2.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 5:29 AM

“If you don’t undress here, you’ll have to go to Gurjaani and undress in front of men there,” unlawfully detained Georgian protester Mariam Melikishvili recalls.

The practice of stripping arbitrarily detained protesters fully naked is very common in Georgia.

#TerrorinGeorgia #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 3:46 AM

Update: Saakashvili’s lawyers and other sources confirm he’s had a health-related accident but the severity of it seems to be managed and Saakashvili is said to be relatively okay now.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:48 AM

After having written the warning-threatening post, the personal Facebook profile of Ali Moujani, the Iranian Ambassador in Georgia, is no longer available.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:40 AM

So, it’s not me who’s blocked.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:41 AM

Oh. My. GOD!

It’s not just Sputnik, it’s RUSSIA’s MFA that posts about Constantinople taking over the Church of Georgia, based on Russia’s FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE.

…

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:29 AM

Four years ago today the Bucha massacre revealed the true face of russia and its aggression to the whole world!

Children, women, elderer – executed, tortured, killed with tied hands.

Sadly, Georgia knew it all, as did russia’s every neighbouring country❤️‍🩹

We remember every single victim!

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— Tata Chemia (@tatach.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 12:12 PM

Poland:

Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, the head of the Ministry of Defense, stated that Poland does not plan to move its Patriot batteries to the Middle East, as its own security remains the priority.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:31 AM

Hungary:

At what point do Orban’s voters finally realise that he’s the Kremlin’s puppet?

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 1:41 PM

Lavrov reminded him that Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov wanted his sister, Gulbahor Ismailova, removed from the EU sanctions list, and Szijjártó promised to help. 🔺Seven months later, she was removed from the EU sanctions list.

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

▪️ In 2025, Szijjártó discussed efforts to derail a new EU sanctions package with Russia’s Deputy Energy Minister Sorokin.

Hungary managed to remove 72 out of 128 proposed items from the sanctions list.

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

▪️In other conversations, Szijjártó reportedly shared details of closed-door EU discussions with Lavrov. One European diplomat stated:
“Hungary is clearly acting on Russia’s political instructions.”

— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

▪️According to Szijjártó, the Slovak government is also assisting in these coordinated Russian-Hungarian efforts.

vsquare.org/kremlin-hotl…

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:13 AM

The US:

TRUMP: “Kamikaze boats don’t exist. They’re fake.”

60 MINUTES: “Meet the Ukrainian sea drone ‘Sea Baby’. It’s small, hard to destroy, and carries 2,000 kilos of explosives. It costs around $300,000, yet Ukrainian sea drones have destroyed warships worth tens of millions of $.”

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:42 AM

U.S. Continues lifting sanctions on Russia 🤨

The U.S. Treasury Department announced the removal of restrictions on several container ships sailing under the Russian flag. Sanctions have been lifted from the vessels Fesco Moneron, Fesco Magadan, and Sv Nikolay.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:53 AM

The russians tell Americans they will capture Donbas within 2 months, Zelenskyi said today.

Not surprising that russia spreads this bs.

What is surprising though is that people in the US Administration seriously believe russia can get in 2 months what it failed to occupy in 12 years. What a joke.

— Olena Halushka (@halushka.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 2:34 PM

Back to Ukraine.

“Ukraine has proposed a ceasefire for the duration of the Easter holidays. We hope that the US will support this proposal. And we await Russia’s response.” – said Zelenskyy.

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 1:39 PM

BBC: Trump says you are the obstacle to peace.

ZELENSKYY: Ukraine is not an obstacle to peace. Russia attacked us. We need clear conditions to end the war and reliable security guarantees so that the war does not start again. We do not want to live through this hell again.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:12 AM

ZELENSKYY to BBC: We are ready to take steps toward compromise, especially if America is engaged. But America is not pushing for major concessions from Russia. It claims Russia is compromising, but in my view, Russia is making none.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:07 AM

Putin has not achieved his main goals. He wanted to capture Donbas and secure recognition of the occupied territories as Russian. That was his core objective: the total occupation of eastern Ukraine.

I am sure Putin does not want to simply stop, but that does not mean he cannot be stopped.

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:07 AM

60 MINUTES: When it comes to drones, how quickly is the technology changing?

🇺🇦 KAMYSHIN: The innovation cycle is roughly one week. From the moment you send drone to frontline, get feedback, make changes, and produce new version, the whole process can be as short as one week.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:36 AM

Here’s the full 60 Minutes segment:

Russian z-bloggers report the loss of a Su-34 fighter jet and the death of its pilot. 👀🍿

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 1:49 PM

The 475th separate assault regiment “CODE 9.2” discovered and struck the launcher of the Russian Buk-M2 air defence system

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 6:41 AM

The 210th Assault Regiment successfully carried out the evacuation of a wounded soldier from the front line using a ground-based robotic system.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:51 PM

Zaporizhzhia Oblast:

Drones from Ukraine’s 225th Separate Assault Regiment rescued two Ukrainian POWs from a Russian occupier.

When the first FPV drone approached, the Russian guard didn’t manage to hide behind the UA PoWs.

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:27 AM

Here’s the full video:

Poltava Oblast:

In Poltava russian night attack killed one, and Injured several others

A multi-story residential building was struck, causing severe damage – the top floor’s structure was destroyed. Four people were injured, including two children. Tragically, one person was killed.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 7:37 AM

The strike on Poltava was captured on surveillance cameras. Residential buildings and private business premises in the city were damaged. There are reports that one person has been killed. The number of injured has risen to four, including an 8-year-old girl.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 9:28 AM

Russian occupied Crimea:

According to the Russian aviation-linked channel Fighterbomber, the An-26 that crashed over Crimea was carrying 30 personnel on board at the time of the incident.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:42 PM

Russian occupied Luhansk Oblast:

FP-2 drone strike on the Russian Buk-M3 air defence system in Luhansk region

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 6:08 AM

The Republic of Tatarstan, Russia:

Wow what a torch! 🔥🔥🔥
Nizhnekamsk oil refinery.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 8:01 AM

It’s one of largest producers of synthetic rubber and plastics, the facility is a key part of Russia’s petrochemical industry. It also supports Russia’s military industry by providing materials used in tires, equipment, and various defense-related products.

— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 6:58 AM

Close-up of the russian Nizhnekamsk oil refinery after the attack 👀

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 10:12 AM

More videos of the epicenter of the explosion were on the territory of Nizhnekamskneftekhim in Nizhnekamsk

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 7:06 AM

Leningrad Oblast:

Port of Ust-Luga this morning, after the 5th night of drone attacks 🔥

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 8:15 AM

🔥Port of Ust-Luga, Leningrad Region, Russia.🔥

🚨Volume of Russian seaborne oil exports sharply dropped from 4.1 million to 2.3 million barrels per day. In Primorsk, only 4 tankers were loaded instead of usual 10, while in Ust-Luga just 2 tankers were loaded instead of 8.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 12:15 PM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today.

Here is some adjacent material.

Stepan the lynx from Kyiv Zoo just reminded me that one more cheesecake won’t hurt 🐆

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— Maria Drutska (@mariadrutska.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 11:39 AM

Video at the lynx.

Wut?

Open thread!

War for Ukraine Day 1,496: The Fourth Anniversary of the Bucha MassacrePost + Comments (9)

Open Thread: ‘An Elaborate Phaoronic Tomb’

by Anne Laurie| March 31, 20265:14 pm| 148 Comments

This post is in: Grifters Gonna Grift, Open Threads, Trumpery

Gooood!….
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202…

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— Anne Laurie (@annelaurie.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:56 PM

(Gift link)

Trump is mad online about the ballroom

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 31, 2026 at 3:30 PM

"Under budget"

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— Albany Cheshire ❌👑 (@albanycheshire.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 3:41 PM

I may be preaching to the choir here but…
Absolutely no one wants a $400,000,000 White House ballroom.
Amen to the judge who paused it.
Now let’s see which private donors will reallocate that money for the public good.

— Larry Hochman (@larryhochman.bsky.social) March 31, 2026 at 4:29 PM

I'm guessing it's really just an elaborate pharaonic tomb.

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— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 1:10 PM

Mr. Pierce, at Esquire — “The White House Ballroom Is Already a Monstrous Disaster”:

… It is now plain that El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago plans to leave his architectural spoor all over the district, a living celebration of his two catastrophic presidencies. I remember when people ridiculed Grover Norquist’s Ronald Reagan Legacy Project, an ambitious plan to raise memorials to Reagan in every county in the country. That was how we got Reagan National Airport and the Reagan Building, the biggest office building in D.C. It also slapped or tried to slap the former president’s name on a highway in Alabama, a mountain in New Hampshire, a missile site in North Dakota, a shipyard in Pago Pago, and dozens of other roadways and elementary schools around the country.

Reagan at least had the good grace to let other people aggrandize him. This president wants to crown himself, over and over again, like Napoleon on an endless loop. I wonder how many sledgehammers you can buy between now and January 2029?

Hell, the next President should set up a booth, rent out those sledgehammers at $5 a swing, and pay off the GOP’s swollen national debt!

Open Thread: ‘An Elaborate Phaoronic Tomb’Post + Comments (148)

The Seat of Left* Power: Feat. Guest Commentary from Martin

by Betty Cracker| March 31, 20262:50 pm| 132 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Open Threads, Politics

In a recent wee hours open thread, commenter Martin flagged an article published in Dissent magazine that had the following title and subtitle:

The Case for a Third Reconstruction

The scale and depth of the attack on our institutions means that there is no simple way for a pro-democracy coalition to flip the lights back on after Trump. We need transformative thinking.

Refreshingly, the topic of that article isn’t about messaging, personalities or policy, i.e., the usual stuff political nerds fight about, but rather structure. In a nutshell, the question is what kind of governing theory should the opposition Democrats adopt as they contemplate how to fix the shit Republicans broke and prevent the rise of another democracy wrecker like Trump?

Martin raised it as a potentially interesting discussion here, and I thought it would be too, so I asked Martin if he’d be interested in writing up guest commentary on the topic as a conversational hare for the baying Balloon Juice hounds. He generously agreed, and his submission follows:

So, I was going to write a whole piece, but Jamelle Bouie found the same blog I’d been reading so read him – he’s smarter and a better writer: What Is the Left’s Theory of Power? (Link goes to Bouie’s 3/21 column at a non-paywalled archive site.)

On this site we talk a lot about candidates and policy and not much about structure. Personally, I don’t see how any potential Democratic president in 2028 armed with any possible policies would reverse the damage done under Trump as all such work will sit on a foundation of sand.

Changes in governmental structure and power seem essential at this point. So some of us are interested in seeing more discussions of how Democrats wield power – the recent shift on redistricting being a good example of Democrats identifying that they need to wield power here – temporarily at least reversing a view that power should reside with the electorate. We’ve talked about Supreme Court reform many times. We don’t talk much about Congressional reform other than expanding the House and the filibuster.

Trump had project 2025, which laid out that structural shift toward a unitary executive at the expense of states rights and the free market, and Democrats will need a comparable effort if only to wind back what Trump implemented, let alone establish our “core claims about who should wield state power and on what terms.”

So the starting questions seem to me to be: What are our core claims? Who should carry those on behalf of the party? The Heritage Foundation did this for the GOP. How would this get implemented in the time frame of probably a single Congress? And how hard should we push for Democrats to support and fight for these claims over typical policy positions, as this is likely to not align with our usual notions of left/right or even insider/outsider?

There’s a lot of reading around this over at the Law and Political Economy (LPE) Project Blog, and I think a good starting point is The Case for a Third Reconstruction.

Emphasis added by me. As context for such a discussion, I second Martin’s recommendation of the Bouie column, linked above to an archive site where, presumably, his employer won’t record a click. Bouie cites a post at the LPE blog by law professor Beau J. Baumann called “What Would a Russell Vought of the Left Look Like?”

Bouie juxtaposes a left theory of power with that adopted by Republicans, which Bouie describes as “neo-Bonapartism, with Trump as the man on horseback.” Here’s a brief excerpt of Bouie’s commentary for folks who won’t leave the boat:

So where does the left find power? And how does it root this authority in the constitutional order? What, again, are the constitutional politics of the left?

Baumann’s answer is Congress, and so is mine. Last year, I wrote briefly of the need for an imperial Congress, by which I meant a legislature that claims the full suite of powers and prerogatives granted to it under the Constitution.

This would be a Congress that could radically reshape the executive branch, seizing power back from the president. A Congress that could curb, curtail and discipline the Supreme Court. It could marshal public support behind a broad-based political and economic agenda and take a leading role in governing the nation.

We all realize this will be a heavy lift, as Bouie (and everyone else linked above) acknowledges. But I think he’s right to note that we need a theory of the case, and Baumann and Bouie make a good case for reinvesting power in Congress, as laid out in the Constitution. What do y’all think?

Open thread.

*Please note that “left” in this context means any political actor who is left of center, from Michigan U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin to Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-FL). So, here, at least, “left” may include but is not defined by your annoying ex-friend who went scorched earth over Bernie in 2016.

The Seat of Left* Power: Feat. Guest Commentary from MartinPost + Comments (132)

Car Musings and More Open Thread

by WaterGirl| March 31, 20262:27 pm| 56 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

Betty Cracker has guest commentary from Martin coming up at 3pm or so, and when a commenter takes the time and effort to put together a post like that, I like the post to be able to sit at the top of the blog for a good while.

So I figure I’ll put up this up this open thread and hopefully nothing will step on the guest post.

Adventures with cars

My best friend had a picture of this kitty on her laptop last week when we spent literally hours updating the software in her car. As a person who is still driving a 2005 Honda CRV, I found the whole process kind of shocking. Is this old hat for all of you with later model vehicles?

They had something go wrong with everything that is screen-based (which I guess probably means everything these days?) while they were on the highway. They called some kind of Ford hotline and Ford was able to beam down some code, but they had to be stopped on the side of the road with their car door open for a certain period of time, and then they had to stand outside the car with the car door open with their key fob for some other number of minutes and then everything was working again. That sounds like some kind of prank to me. Crazy!

All I could think of was “do the hokey-pokey and you turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about!”

So here’s my question. If they could beam down some code over the air somehow when they were on the road, why did we have to go through this tedious hours-long process just to do some upgrade that the dealer said “had to be done right away or something bad will happen and it will cost you a lot of money”. WTF?

Anyway, she had to buy a USB drive, but it couldn’t be bigger than a certain size. Only 16 or 32 GB. And it couldn’t have anything else on the drive. Not one single file. Then you had to navigate to the special website and download the zip file and open it. Okay, that was easy! Except that the car wouldn’t recognize it. So then we had to get yet another USB drive and start the whole process again.

The tech support guy on the phone said that it sometimes takes up to 30 minutes for the car to react after you insert the USB drive – again, WTF? Turns out that was total bullshit, but we had to sit there for 30 minutes for no particular reason – other than, so we speculated, that was a way for the guy to get out of the call and move on to something else. Repeated 3 times as we tried various things.

Anyway, WTF is wrong with Ford that they can’t do an upgrade like that when you have your 30,000 or 70,000 mile checkup? Or at least why can’t they just hand you a USB drive that meets not only the stated specifications, but also the unstated specifications? With the software downloaded and ready to go!

The whole thing was utterly ridiculous. Is this what life with new-fangled vehicles is like? Is all of this normal? Do. not. want.

Afterwards, we made impromptu sour cherry mojitos and ate nachos and guacamole and salsa for dinner, because by the time we had finished the Ford adventure it was way past dinnertime.

Rant over, open thread.

Update: cursing oldgold for this: Kristi Noem’s Husband Accused of Living Double Life as Crossdresser Obsessed With ‘Bimbofication’ Kink. There’s even a photo.

I am hoping it’s like an ear worm that I can pass along to someone else by sharing.

This timeline is absolutely nuts.

Car Musings and More Open ThreadPost + Comments (56)

Open Thread: CPAC, But Seriously

by Anne Laurie| March 31, 202611:09 am| 102 Comments

This post is in: Grifters Gonna Grift, Open Threads, Republican Politics, Republicans in Disarray!

Nothing but what you deserve.
Think about THAT.??
“Everybody’s afraid that the next administration — if we don’t win, we’re all going to be investigated and indicted,” said Deputy AG Todd Blanche at Friday’s CPAC event in Texas. “Think about that.”
www.msn.com/en-us/news/p…

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— Kim-M 26947 (@kimberlymorgan.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 9:50 AM

Desperate criminals are dangerous… “‘We’ll all be investigated and indicted’: Trump official fears the worst”:

Trump officials say they are confident their behavior and deeds will bring down a firestorm of indictments and investigations after Democrats take the House (and possibly the Senate) in November — and later the White House.

“Everybody’s afraid that the next administration — if we don’t win, we’re all going to be investigated and indicted,” said Deputy AG Todd Blanche at Friday’s CPAC event in Texas. “Think about that.”

Republicans in charge of the White House and Congress are desperate to ramp up enthusiasm as MAGA voters splinter off and fall away in the months leading up to the November midterm elections. But in selling fear to juice participation, social media critics say Blanche may have let on to a guilty conscience…

Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee are already calling out Blanche — who was Trump’s personal criminal defense attorney during his hush money conviction — of “stunning interference” in the investigation of convicted sex-trafficker and Trump long-time personal friend Jeffrey Epstein.

“Given Blanche’s close personal ties to Donald Trump, this reeks of a continued coverup to protect key names in the Trump administration,” said U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Critics say other things smell wrong about Blanche’s personal work under Trump. A ProPublica investigation revealed Blanche owned at least $159,000 worth of crypto-related assets when he “shut down‘ an investigation into crypto companies, dealers and exchanges launched during President Joe Biden’s term…

"I'm not happy at all… President Trump ran on 'no new wars.'"
"I think [the Iran war] is necessary…. and he's the only president with the backbone to take it on."
Different takes on the Iran war at this week's CPAC.

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— Donie O’Sullivan (@donie.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 9:20 PM

show full post on front page

‘He’s lied about everything’: Iran war puts Trump on shaky ground with young MAGA men
Their frustrations and anger with the conflict were on full display at CPAC this week.

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— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 6:07 PM

… While Trump’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran has rallied war hawks and his older supporters, it has alienated many of the young men who swung toward the GOP in 2024. That split is resonating among not only the rank and file, but also conservative media influencers and some corners of the White House.

The generational divide was on stark display at CPAC, the annual conservative base-rallying gathering, where some young MAGA loyalists expressed deep frustration and even anger at the Trump administration’s choice to reignite conflict in the Middle East. One month into the war, Trump’s shaky ground with young men threatens to fracture an already-fragile GOP coalition ahead of a hostile midterm in November.

At the conference in north Texas, some attendees carried around Iranian flags, pledging loyalty to the U.S. mission overseas, while others donned America First hats and preached about the need for anti-interventionism.

“Trump and Republicans in general are going to have major issues in the midterms, in 2028, if we can’t wrap this up in a relatively quick amount of time,” said 21-year-old Andrew Belcher, president of the Ohio College Republicans. He added that Trump is doing “relatively poorly” with hyper online young men who are influenced heavily by media figures like Tucker Carlson and other isolationists in the GOP.

A POLITICO poll this month found that Trump voters largely continue to back him. But men who self-identified as “MAGA Republicans” and voted for Trump in 2024 are deeply split by generation over their trust in the president and their view of the war, especially if the number of U.S. casualties rises.

The contrast was striking, even with the larger margins of error that come from the smaller sample sizes: More than 70 percent of those over 35 believe Trump has a plan, compared with 49 percent of those under 35. A 66 percent majority of older MAGA men are willing to sacrifice American lives in order for the U.S. to achieve its goals in Iran, compared with less than half of younger MAGA men who say the same. And the younger men are significantly less likely to say the war is aligned with MAGA principles and in the interests of American people…

Part of CPAC’s intent, a hallmark grassroots gathering that has been held for more than 50 years, is to hype up conservatives, a particularly important mission for party leaders in critical election years. If Republicans want to prevent Democrats from flipping the House this midterm cycle, they need to ensure they don’t lose any gains they made with key parts of their coalition in 2024, namely young men…

“Trump is winning,” FCC Chair Brendan Carr said at CPAC “Look at the results. PBS-defunded.NPR- defunded. Joy Reid-gone from MSNBC.Sleepy-eyed Chuck Todd-gone.Jim Acosta-gone.John Dickerson-gone. Colbert is leaving.CBS is under new ownership,&soon enough,CNN is gonna have new ownership as well.”

— [email protected] (@currentideas.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 12:55 PM

This is the FCC Chairman, who is ostensibly a non-partisan industry regulator, openly bragging about conducting a political purge of the media.

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— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 9:51 AM

I don't think most people comprehend how bad this is, from a governance point of view.

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 9:52 AM

Given his role, he shouldn't even be speaking at CPAC, much less saying things like this.

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) March 28, 2026 at 9:54 AM

Once the center of conservative gravity, CPAC can’t get a single Trump family member to show up.

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— Mother Jones (@motherjones.com) March 29, 2026 at 10:53 AM

The older generation of grifters loses its fastball; a new, possibly more dangerous generation arises:

… During the Trump decade, CPAC had been a showcase for the MAGA faithful, and Trump and his family were its biggest stars. Trump himself first appeared at the event in 2011 when he was toying with a presidential run. He hasn’t missed the event in a decade. “Nobody can deny that [CPAC] is the center of political gravity,” CPAC chairman Matt Schlapp told me in 2022.

But the center of gravity has clearly tilted if the modest crowd in the convention hall at the Gaylord Texan resort in Grapevine is any indication. “It’s shitty,” Warner Kimo Sutton told me of the turnout. “Last time this place was packed.” A GOP stalwart who who ran Trump’s 2016 campaign in Hawaii, he was here two years ago, the last time CPAC came to Dallas. He was still hoping more stars would show up. “I’ve heard the widow is coming,” he whispered, saying he had it on good authority that Erika Kirk, the widow of the murdered Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, might be making a surprise appearance…

… And the primacy of CPAC as a testing ground for future presidential candidates seems threatened. As of Thursday, not a single 2028 aspirant was scheduled to speak in Grapevine. No Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, no Vice President JD Vance. And Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio was way too busy plotting to overthrow Cuba. The closest he has come to the event was appearing on the big screen in the exhibit hall Thursday morning during a broadcast of the president’s predictably fawning cabinet meeting…

Perhaps Americans, even the MAGA faithful, are too pinched by gas prices to shell out for a trip to the resort in Grapevine, where, as Sutton complained, parking costs $29 a day. Maybe a lame duck Trump, whose approval rating has never been lower, has hurt attendance. Or maybe even Republicans have grown weary of an event that has strayed far from its roots as a conservative policy confab and increasingly served as a platform for some of the GOP’s most morally compromised representatives. As conservative radio host Erick Erickson lamented in an X post Wednesday, “’C’ in CPAC is now best represented by the word ‘clown’ than as any semblance of a conservative institution.”

It’s also possible, however, that the main problem with CPAC is CPAC itself. The conference has suffered in recent years from competition, most notably from Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk’s conservative youth group. (T-shirts featuring Kirk as martyr are a hot item in the CPAC exhibit hall.) Turning Point’s national convention in December drew a whopping 30,000 people, which seems about 10 times larger than the occupancy of the Gaylord convention hall…

In fairness, not everyone seems disappointed with the event. I found Enrique Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys, hanging out and watching Matt Gaetz record his OAN show in the CPAC exhibit hall. Tarrio seemed glad to be here and not in prison. In January last year, Trump pardoned him, saving him from a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy related to his involvement in the January 6 riot. He told me he comes to every CPAC and that this one was the same as in 2018, another non-presidential election season…

‘I Think That MAGA Is Dying’: Inside the Youth Movement at CPAC www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/s…

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— Shawn Connery (@shawnconnery.bsky.social) March 30, 2026 at 10:14 PM

The NYTimes interviews the GOP’s feral children (gift link):

As the first day of the Conservative Political Action Conference wound to a close, the audience inside the airplane-hangar-size ballroom had dwindled as Nick Shirley, the headline speaker, mumbled his remarks. Mr. Shirley, a 23-year-old content creator and recently minted right-wing celebrity, had been tapped by the conference’s organizers to bring a youthful jolt of energy to the proceedings.

But youths themselves, and their conservative energy, were nowhere to be seen among the rows of empty chairs, as Mr. Shirley made halting reference to Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech.

Just outside the hall, 20-somethings in rumpled suits were gathered in clusters, debating the merits of a ground invasion in Iran, the conservative backlash against those who were “J-pilled” (far-right slang for skepticism of Israeli influence), the backbreaking costs of American life, and what they saw as the slow demise of the Trump era.

“The majority of us, we don’t necessarily come to these types of events for the speakers because generally they dish out the same slop over and over,” said Jack Moore, 19, a board member of the Georgia Teen Republicans…

One of them was Joseph Bolick, an Army veteran wearing a bright blue “America First” hat, a loud symbol in conservative spaces that one is a supporter of Nick Fuentes, the 27-year-old white nationalist known for making racist and antisemitic remarks.

“It’s very cultish here,” said Mr. Bolick, 30, who was attending CPAC for the first time. “It seems like boomers are just on this Trump train,” he added.

After talking with other young attendees at the conference, Mr. Hoffses said most appeared to be aligned with Mr. Fuentes, who has become a pariah within the conservative movement for, among other reasons, his recent declaration that young conservatives should express their displeasure with Mr. Trump’s military strikes on Iran by voting for Democrats.

“I’d say at least 60 percent of the young people here are fans of Nick,” Mr. Hoffses said…

“Those conversations are just not happening here,” said Samantha Cassell, a 27-year-old Republican strategist. She was wearing a “Fishback for Florida” hat in support of the rage-baiting Florida candidate for governor who has energized a coalition of young voters in that state. “There’s no serious discussion going on. It’s just flat. I’ve gone to a lot of these events, the R.N.C., the D.N.C., and this is probably the worst one I’ve ever been to.”

Some on the far right saw in this generational division an opportunity to claim a young cohort looking for an outlet. Joel Webbon, an online influencer who promotes a brand of nationalism infused with Christianity, wrote that his attendance at CPAC last week revealed one major finding: “The youth are ours,” he wrote in a post on X.

Elijah Schaffer, a far-right commentator, who could be seen roaming the halls at CPAC on Friday in an all-black suit, wrote on X that “CPAC 2026 has given me hope for the American youth. Every young man & woman here are all radicalized / based.”…

Open Thread: CPAC, But SeriouslyPost + Comments (102)

This and That in the News

by WaterGirl| March 31, 20269:40 am| 123 Comments

This post is in: 2026 Elections, Elections, Open Threads, Politics

Weaker and Weaker Every Day

With that title, you might think I’m talking about the orange guy. Right?

Sadly, the lower his ratings get, the higher the chance that he will do something even more awful. So while I continue to believe that his terrible ratings are making Republicans weaker every day, T gets more dangerous.

But you know who is getting weaker and weaker every day? Pastor Johnson. Yet another ~~floor vote~~ discharge petition for for the bill to protect TPS status for Haitians passes with 218 votes. Four Republican votes and all the rest were Democrats. Republican votes: Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Lawler and Don Bacon.

I am pretty sure the only reason Pastor Johnson still holds his position as Speaker is that there is no one else on the Republican side willing to debase themselves quite so publicly day after day after day.

I love this so much – no one deserves this virtual beatdown more than Lindsey Graham

“Lindsey Graham spent the weekend at the most magical place on Earth: Disney World. The South Carolina Republican was dining at the park and wandering around with a bubble wand, according to photos published Monday by TMZ. While Graham lived out his fairy-tale fantasies in the Magic Kingdom, thousands of travelers across the country were subjected to nightmarishly long lines at major airports, and the government still remains in partial shutdown.” (Rolling Stone)

Look who’s back from hiking in the Appalachians

“The one and only Mark Sanford said Monday that he would seek the Republican nomination to once again represent South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, a surprise announcement he made just hours before candidate filing closed.

But while Sanford, whose 2009 sex scandal briefly made him the world’s most famous hiker, once again attracted intense attention on Monday, it was not for his positions on fiscal policy.

South Carolinians remember exactly who he is, said state Rep. Mark Smith, one of 10 other Republicans running in the June 9 primary. “A governor who went missing. A politician who turned his back on President Trump. A person who espouses term limits and runs again and again.” (The Downballot)

A perfect storm in Texas

“Three political winds are a-blowin’ in the Lone Star State. Any one of them alone might knock the election needle to the Democrats’ side. But all three together? It’s now quite a bit more likely that 2026 will be the year a Democrat finally wins state-wide in Texas.

So what is it about this year that gives me hope that this time around will be different? A series of self-owns by the GOP and Trump has created quite the potent brew and a unique opportunity for an economic populist like Talarico.

Today, let’s track these three political storms and how they might come together in November.” (The Status Kuo)

What are the three? 1) John Cornyn is trailing Ken Paxton, and the runoff isn’t until the end of May, giving plenty of time for them to attack one another while James Talarico the chance to make some headway. 2) TACO – fucking coward that he is – hasn’t endorsed either one. At some point, which we may have already reached, even if he does endorse it will likely be too little, too late. 3) Support for the GOP by Latinos is collapsing.

Trump has lost the men. Wait, what???

The orange guy is 7 points down with men and sinking like a stone.

“It’s finally happened: Trump has lost the men. And it’s by a lot.

An aggregate of Marist and Quinnipiac polling by CNN’s Harry Enten shows male voters abandoning Trump in droves. This is terrible news for Trump because he owes his election to those male voters. They picked him over Kamala Harris by 13 points in 2024.” (The Status Kuo)

Open thread.

This and That in the NewsPost + Comments (123)

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

We are learning that “working class” means “white” for way too many people.

“Facilitate” is an active verb, not a weasel word.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

It’s a good piece. click on over. but then come back!!

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

Let there be snark.

Republicans: “Abortion is murder but you can take a bus to get one.” Easy peasy.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

In my day, never was longer.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

Tick tock motherfuckers!

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.