Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the gop

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

They want us to be overwhelmed and exhausted. Focus. Resist. Oppose.

Everybody saw this coming.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

I would gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger today.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Petty moves from a petty man.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Stand up, dammit!

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

Lick the third rail, it tastes like chocolate!

Keep the Immigrants and deport the fascists!

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread

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Two weeks from today:

It's not going to get better on its own. Support the 911 March for Health and Science.
RFK Jr. Must Go!!
kffhealthnews.org/news/article…

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— Science Accountability Institute (@scienceai.bsky.social) October 17, 2025 at 1:09 AM

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It’s really notable how — in just the past week — business lobbies have begun to push back on White House tariff, immigration and export/trade policy.
@wsj.com @cnbc.com @bloomberg.com @reuters.com

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— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 8:18 AM

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(Bloomberg) – Small businesses are urging the US Supreme Court to affirm lower court rulings that President Donald Trump's global tariffs amount to a massive illegal tax on American companies.
@bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com/news/article…

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— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 8:15 AM

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ACKMAN, on @cnbc.com this am: “Trump is the most pro-business President in history.”
Everyone else:

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— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 10:14 AM

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By 57% to 22%, voters disapprove of Trump's bail out of Argentina, per the new Economist/YouGov poll. Trump voters disapprove by 40% to 35%, even with Trump's name attached to it.

— Geoff Garin (@geoffgarin.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 2:53 PM

Wednesday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (480)

Late Night Open Thread: Defacing the White House

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New 20 just dropped to commemorate the Trump presidency

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— Devin Nunes' Alt-Mom (@nunesalt.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 12:09 AM


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The White House is asking people not to share pictures of the East Wing because it’s even worse today.

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— Angry (@angrystaffer.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 6:54 PM

Mary Geddry, from her SubStack — “The Ballrooms of Babylon”:

The air smelled of diesel and delusion. Excavators gnawed at the East Wing like hungry rats while, twenty feet away, Donald Trump stood at a temporary podium declaring victory over mud. “Hello everyone,” he began, scanning the crowd with mock suspicion. “What a friendly group this is. No Democrats are here, right?”

The laughter was nervous, the kind that dies before it reaches the eyes. Trump smiled, satisfied. “I want to thank everyone. This has been a labor of love. We took over a building that was not properly taken care of. It just wasn’t. A very special building. We’re taking care of it.”

Behind him, a crane swung a wrecking ball into a wall that had survived the War of 1812 but not the Second Term. Dust billowed across the lawn as workers in hardhats yelled over the machinery. The press, officially banned but clustered behind chain-link fencing, filmed from the shadows as history groaned beneath the sound of diesel engines…

He beamed toward the horizon of cranes and scaffolds. “And we’re putting up our own money. The government is paying for nothing. You probably hear that beautiful sound of construction in the back. That’s music. That’s the sound of America coming back. When I hear that sound, I think of money. And also, patriotism.”…

Trump smiled for the cameras that weren’t supposed to be there. “We are a wealthy nation again,” he said, “and we can start paying down our debt.” Dust coated the chicken piccata. “We replaced broken tiles with marble, beautiful marble! Paid for by me! Well, me and a few friends. Maybe from Saudi Arabia, who knows?”

He wrapped up with a flourish. “We passed the greatest bill in history! We don’t need any more bills! Everything’s in the bill!” he proclaimed, as a slab of the East Wing façade finally surrendered to gravity behind him.

John Thune stepped forward, dusted off his suit, and said what every hostage must: “Thank you, Mr. President. Your leadership has been historic.”

The crowd rose in uncertain unison. A waiter wheeled out salmon salad as debris drifted across the linen like confetti from an apocalypse parade. The sun broke through the haze, illuminating the hollowed-out silhouette of the People’s House…

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War for Ukraine Day 1,335: President Zelenskyy’s Statement on Peace for Ukraine

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Ukrainian Independence Day painting by NEIVANMADE. The background is black with grotesque armored faces in dark blood red with Russian Z war symbols on their helmets. In the center is a tree. It's roots are red, it's trunk, which has windows is lighter at the top than the bottom. The crown of the tree is the color of the Ukrainian flag: blue at the top, yellow at the bottom. It is shaped like a heart. The outer leaves are Ukrainain Soldiers holding shields with the Tryzub on them. Spikes are protruding from the Soldiers towars the Russian grotesques. The inside of the heart are Ukrainian civilians being protected by the Ukrainian Soldiers.

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

Air raid alerts are up for all of central and eastern Ukraine and warnings have been issued for inbound Russian missiles.

President Zelenskyy issued a statement on peace for Ukraine today. There is no video, here is the transcript:

Statement on Peace for Ukraine

21 October 2025 – 12:46

Statement by President Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Starmer, Chancellor Merz, President Macron, Prime Minister Meloni, Prime Minister Tusk, President von der Leyen, President Costa, Prime Minister Støre, President Stubb, Prime Minister Frederiksen, Prime Minister Sánchez and Prime Minister Kristersson on Peace for Ukraine.

We are all united in our desire for a just and lasting peace, deserved by the people of Ukraine.

We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.

Russia’s stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace. We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction.

Therefore we are clear that Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position – before, during, and after any ceasefire. We must ramp up the pressure on Russia’s economy and its defence industry, until Putin is ready to make peace. We are developing measures to use the full value of Russia’s immobilised sovereign assets so that Ukraine has the resources it needs.

Leaders will meet later this week in the European Council and in the Coalition of the Willing format to discuss how to take this work forward and to further support Ukraine.

Here is his daily address. Video below, English transcript after the jump.

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Open Thread: Russell Vought Is A Very Bad Man (But Not A Cartoon Supervillain)

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Is this…real? It’s not some weird AI video? Who is Trump calling “Darth Vader” as a way to praise them and invite applause from the audience?

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— Alex (@purplechrain.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 4:23 PM

it's real. he's talking about Russ Vought

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) October 21, 2025 at 4:25 PM

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You should also know he's an idiot and mostly failing miserably.

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— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) October 20, 2025 at 11:13 AM

Seems to me like Mr. Vought is (once again?) being set up as first scapegoat to be thrown from the White House troika as everything goes pear-shaped… Per Andy Kroll ProPublica, “What You Should Know About Russ Vought, Trump’s Shadow President”:

On the second day of the federal government shutdown, President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated video set to the classic song “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult. The star of that video, which quickly went viral, was Russell Vought, the president’s top budget adviser. More than that, Vought is the architect of Trump’s broader plan to fire civil servants, freeze government programs and dismantle entire agencies, and he’s a big reason the second Trump administration has been more effective at accomplishing its goals than the first. In the video shared by Trump, Vought appeared as the scythe-wielding Grim Reaper of Washington, D.C.

Vought’s title is director of the Office of Management and Budget. The OMB directorship is one of the most powerful jobs in Washington, and Vought has used his position to wage a quiet war to change the shape of the entire U.S. government. In Vought’s hands, OMB has acted as a choke point for the funding that Congress approves and agencies rely on to run the government. While he tends to operate behind the scenes as much as possible, his influence in Trump’s second administration is so pronounced that people have described him as akin to a shadow president.

Here are some of the key things you should know about Vought. Read ProPublica’s full investigation here. (Vought declined to be interviewed for the article. A spokesperson for him at OMB would not comment on the record in response to a detailed list of questions.)

1. Vought went from the mail room to becoming the chief antagonist of his own party.
A native of Trumbull, Connecticut, and the son of an electrician father and a mother who spent decades in public education before helping to launch a Christian school, Vought got his first job in D.C. politics working in the mail room for Republican Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, a fierce budget hawk known for criticizing members of his own party for breaking what he viewed as core conservative principles…

In 2010, he quit Congress and helped launch an offshoot of the Heritage Foundation think tank called Heritage Action for America, which was tasked with strong-arming congressional Republicans to act more conservatively…

2. OMB’s massive power supercharges Vought’s influence.
While the Office of Management and Budget is part of the White House, Vought is a member of Trump’s cabinet along with the secretary of defense and attorney general. OMB director has little of the cachet of those jobs, but it plays a vital role. Every penny appropriated by Congress first passes through the OMB. It also reviews all significant regulations proposed by federal agencies, vets executive orders before the president signs them and issues workplace policies for more than 2 million federal employees…

3. Vought’s early work at OMB helped lead to Trump’s first impeachment.
… In 2019, after the Trump White House pressured Ukraine’s government to investigate then-candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter, it asked Vought, then acting director, to freeze $214 million in congressionally approved security assistance for Ukraine. He obliged.

This impoundment, later deemed illegal by the Government Accountability Office, would trigger congressional investigations and, ultimately, Trump’s first impeachment. During that process, Vought refused to cooperate with investigators, calling the probe a “sham process that is designed to relitigate the last election.” …

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No Kings – Compilation 3!

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Finally getting back to the No Kings submitted by email!

HarryBee

Best photos from my daughter up in Ithaca, NY No Kings 2 on 10/18/25.

comrade scott

Another No Kings piece if you’re interested:

There were an estimated 25K downtown, that’s 5K more than the June rally.  It felt like it as I and others around me observed.  I was standing where that red dot is.

According to local reports, there were another 12-15K demonstrators in Colorado Springs, which gives on an idea of how that formerly very wingnutty part of the state has somewhat changed politically and how pissed off people are.

Sure Lurkalot documented one of what turned out to be a ton of small, “pop up” events throughout the metro region plus ones that were on the No Kings map.  One in particular struck me in Littleton along South Santa Fe drive.  Lots of cars but not exactly a convenient spot for a rally.  They estimated around 2K just there.

We went to friends up in what is now a northern exurb, Erie, later in the evening, joined by two other couples, one from a south burb (they wouldn’t attend a protest if their lives depended on it) and one from a burb in between us and Boulder.  At the latter, they had a rally of another 2K or so.  Then they went to one in Erie along with the people hosting last night who live there.  The ones in Erie aren’t politically active but went to their first rally/protest because of this.  That’s saying something.

I’m still kicking myself I didn’t get a photo of the Elvis impersonator (late Elvis of course) carrying a sign “The only king is Elvis” although I’m told a local media outlet got one but hell if I can find it.

ScampDog

Here are a couple of photos that I took yesterday at the No Kings rally near me in Thornton, the northern Denver suburb where I live. The venue was a pedestrian overpass crossing I-25. My not-necessarily accurate estimate that there were about 400-500 people there, with easily over 100 on the pedestrian bridge itself, with even more of us along the highway.

The vibe in the crowd was 100% positive, and the drivers on the highway almost uniformly supportive. I saw one thumbs down gesture and two or three people flipping us off, out of what seemed like 60 cars a minute coming by. A lot of big rig drivers honked in support, and I had half figured most of them to be MAGAts, so I went home feeling a lot better about the situation in the US now.

Oh yeah, and it was my birthday, so it was a great way to celebrate part of my day!

bbleh

RevRick

cckids

These are from Everett, WA-I did not have the time/energy to get into Seattle for the big time rally, but ours was quite good. Uplifting, very crowded and enthusiastic.

We had one Hispanic-looking guy in his battered pickup truck, yelling “I voted for Trump!” to general derision. I couldn’t resist yelling back “You know, they’ll come for you too!” Again “I voted for Trump!” whereupon I yelled “You think they CARE?!” Just a delusional twatwaffle. My spouse was desperately trying to get me to shut up.

Aside from him, though, it was a super day-a bit rainy, but nobody seemed to care. So happy to see everyone’s pics!!

 

No Kings – Compilation 3!Post + Comments (40)

Open Thread: Another GOP Terrorist Arrested, Again

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"A Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by U.S. President Donald Trump has been charged with threatening to kill House of Representatives Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, according to a court document."

— Monique ?? she/her (@badassfeminists.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 2:58 PM

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Hakeem Jeffries: "When it comes to these extremists out there, you better watch how you talk when you talk about me. Next question."

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) October 21, 2025 at 2:35 PM

CBS News, “Pardoned Capitol rioter charged with threatening to kill Hakeem Jeffries at NYC event this week”:

… Court documents obtained by CBS News said Christopher Moynihan was arrested Sunday after saying in text messages that he planned to “eliminate” Jeffries when the top House Democrat spoke at an event in New York City on Monday.

Moynihan was arraigned Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty.

According to a court filing by prosecutors in the New York state criminal case, Moynihan wrote, “Hakeem Jeffries makes a speech in a few days in NYC I cannot allow this terrorist to live.”

Moynihan also allegedly stated: “Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future,” the filing said.

Moynihan faces a felony charge of making a terroristic threat, according to court filings shared by prosecutors….

Moynihan was pardoned by President Trump nine months ago, along with more than 1,500 other Capitol riot defendants who were granted clemency hours after Mr. Trump returned to the White House.

Moynihan was found guilty in August 2022 of obstructing an official proceeding, and pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced in February 2023 to 21 months in prison.

Prosecutors described Moynihan as being among the first rioters to breach police barricades and enter the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021.

Moynihan was also among a smaller group of riot defendants who were on the Senate floor during the siege. Prosecutors argued in Moynihan’s sentencing memorandum: “While inside, Moynihan rifled through a notebook on top of a Senator’s desk, saying ‘There’s gotta be something in here we can f*cking use against these scumbags.'”

Prosecutors said Moynihan “occupied the dais of the Senate, joining other rioters in shouts and chanting,” and didn’t leave the chamber until police made him leave.

Moynihan’s arrest for allegedly threatening Jeffries was made by New York State Police, according to a statement by the agency that was confirmed by a state official. The investigation was initiated by the FBI, according to state police…

Moynihan is not the first pardoned Capitol rioter to be arrested on new, separate charges. But he is the first to be charged with making a violent threat against a member of Congress…

Q: "The threat against Hakeem Jeffries…Did President Trump make a mistake by just offering up a blanket pardon for every person that was convicted [for Jan. 6]?"
Johnson: "The assassination culture that's been advanced now, this is the Left…not the Right."

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— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) October 21, 2025 at 11:20 AM

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This isn’t the first instance of an insurrectionist pardoned by Trump going right back to committing alarming crimes—and it likely won’t be the last.
“Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future,” the suspect allegedly wrote. trib.al/BpIceGj

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— The New Republic (@newrepublic.com) October 21, 2025 at 9:32 AM

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After the Protests: What’s Next?

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There’s a massive Zoom call this Tuesday evening “What’s Next”
www.mobilize.us/nokings/even…

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— Yaga ABBA (@729xhappier.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM

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Reminder: We spent YEARS reading thousands and thousands of articles on the Tea Party and how it was a true expression of the American people's will, and it never mounted anything nearly as big as Saturday's No Kings rallies. [1/3]

— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM

The Tea Party's biggest distributed event was on tax day 2009, with 750 modestly attended protests. No Kings had 2,600.
Its biggest single gathering was on 9/12/09 in DC, with somewhere between 75K and a few 100K participants. No Kings had 5-7 million.
So: No Kings dwarfs the Tea Party. [2/3]

— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM

Does that mean it's more *important*? To be determined. The Tea Party mattered mostly because of how it took over the GOP like a toxic virus, driving it to far-right extremism and laying the foundation for Trumpism. We don't yet know what effect No Kings will have on the Democratic Party. [3/3]

— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM

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Paul Krugman, at his SubStack — “Civil Resistance Confronts the Autocracy”:

… I have a theory about the deeper purpose of the MAGA attacks on No Kings Day 2. America, I’d argue, is currently operating in a strange condition — what I would call a “bubble autocracy.” Donald Trump has not yet consolidated anything like absolute political power. But parts of our society — the Republican Party and a number of supposedly independent institutions like, say, CBS — are in effect living inside a bubble in which they operate as if he has. Within that bubble, a cult of personality around Trump has been built, a cult of personality worthy of Kim Jong Un. And to show their fealty to Dear Leader, Republicans must engage in bizarre rhetoric…

I attended Saturday’s No Kings Day march in Manhattan, for several reasons. As a citizen, I felt it was my duty. As a journalist, I wanted to see with my own eyes the mood, and whether there was violence either by or, far more likely, against the protestors. And I was, to be honest, feeling some anxiety about crowd size: a disappointing turnout would have been a significant blow to our chances of saving American democracy. No surprise that Trump attempted to discourage participation by declaring in advance that “I hear that very few people are going to be there,” while his lackeys spouted insane conspiracy theories.

I needn’t have worried. The march I joined was immense. G. Elliott Morris and the independent science newsroom Xylon estimate that 320,000 people protested in New York, and their median estimate is that more than 5 million protested nationwide. As Morris says, Saturday’s events were very likely “the biggest single-day protest since 1970.” Furthermore, the event was completely nonviolent: The New York Police Department reported zero arrests…

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