Friday, August 7, 2026

Appeals Court Blocks Trump's Golden Ballroom

 



The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2 -1 today that the demented and narcissistic Malignant Fascist must stop construction on his royal Golden Ballroom, except for the below ground "security" structures. The ruling cited the fact that the autocratic MF didn't seek the required Congressional approval for funding the vanity project.  From The Hill:

"A federal appeals court panel blocked President Trump’s White House ballroom in a 2-1 vote on Friday, saying that work must stop except for below-ground construction, including installations Trump says are needed for security. 

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit panel ruled that Congress retains control over funding for development at the White House and had not authorized Trump’s project

The court paused its order for two weeks to allow the Trump administration to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court.

'We are aware of no instance in American history in which a President unilaterally and using privately collected funds demolished substantial portions of the White House that Congress authorized to be built and American taxpayers paid for. Until now,” the majority wrote."  (our emphasis)

The reason why this is unique in American history is that, while we've had some jerks as President, we've never had a delusional, malignant narcissist, would-be emperor in that position, who is trying to erase the stain of his convictions and multiple offenses against the Constitution (including the January 6 attack on our democracy) by building the Golden Ballroom and other physical structures for his false glory.

It was recently disclosed that the MF, rather than spending his time on helping families struggling with gas, grocery and health care costs, or ending his war on Iran, is spending approximately 70% of his time on these vanity projects.  But, "America First," right?

(photo: the MF is obsessed with his Golden Ballroom and other vanity projects)



Skeets Of The Day

 

The Epstein-Trump files coverup / see you in court, Todd! --

 

BREAKING: Court orders Todd Blanche to appear in court next week to provide missing docs supporting key redactions of alleged victims, to explain why handwritten FBI interview notes of an alleged victim of Donald Trump remain withheld, & to provide a date when he’ll give the missing redaction log.

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— Katie Phang (@katiephang.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 3:02 PM

 

Operation Epic Fail / more "Winning!" --


Iran and Oman have reportedly finalized a deal to control the Strait of Hormuz, charging ships fees for passage and potentially blocking ships from “hostile countries.” Trump is indicating he’s going to accept a deal on Iran’s terms. This would arguably be America’s most blatant loss in war ever.

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— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) August 7, 2026 at 9:12 AM

 

Trump's "Golden Age" economy  --


That's a big kick in the guts. Payrolls is much weaker, and the U.S. lost -23k jobs in March, well below expectations of +80k. Huge downward revisions, too: May now +63k (instead of +129k), June now +20k (down from +53k). Very bad news. Revise down your views substantially.

— Justin Wolfers (@justinwolfers.bsky.social) August 7, 2026 at 8:33 AM

 

Here's why this is so grim. Folks expected jobs growth to slow to +80k, but we got -23k. Also downward revisions to the last two months subtracted a total of -103k. So over the past three months, the US economy created about -200k fewer jobs than we had thought.

— Justin Wolfers (@justinwolfers.bsky.social) August 7, 2026 at 8:36 AM

 

Trump said this week that Americans have “the greatest economy maybe in the history of the world.” The new job numbers show just how bonkers his happy-talk is. www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

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— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) August 7, 2026 at 8:49 AM

 

De facto President has low-energy Grandpa Cankles sign something nasty --


"I also gave grandpa a piece of paper to sign that says I am the best, most handsomest boy, and I am now demanding that everyone refer to me that way. IT IS THE LAW! SAY IM PRETTY!"

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— Oliver Willis (@owillis.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 5:11 PM

 

Trump's ICE thugs --


In a time where so many things are deeply fucked up, it is absolutely impossible to overstate how deeply fucked up this is. The Trump admin is signaling, essentially, that it's okay to commit crimes against immigrants. Instead of being protected so they can testify against you, they'll be deported.

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— Carolyn Fiddler (@cfidd.bsky.social) August 7, 2026 at 8:40 AM

 

Musk / DOGE's dodgy savings numbers --


Receipts! DOGE Fails an Audit emptywheel.net/2026/08/07/r...

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— emptywheel (@emptywheel.bsky.social) August 7, 2026 at 6:46 AM

 

Putin's puppet Trump --

 

Q: Russia seems to have increased their attacks on civilian targets. That must be of concern to you. TRUMP: Look, we're not involved. We're separated by an ocean.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) August 6, 2026 at 4:32 PM

 

the bottom line is that Trump has been on Putin's side since day one, but every now and then he'll do a little head fake ("Maybe I'll allow Ukraine to make patriot missiles!") to throw people off the scent

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) August 6, 2026 at 4:51 PM

 

Trump-endorsed fascist bigot Rep. Andy Ogles loses his primary ... --


“Muslims don’t belong in American society,” Rep. Andy Ogles declared in March. Bigots like Andy Ogles don’t belong in Congress, Tennessee voters declared tonight.

— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 10:11 PM

 

 ... while Trump threatens us with a good time (Happy Friday!) --


Don’t threaten us with a good time!

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— Tea Pain (@teapainusa.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 6:04 PM

 

 

Weekend Music

 

The Mavericks' singer/ songwriter/ guitarist Raul Malo was born on this day in 1965, but sadly passed away last December at the too-young age of 60 after a struggle with cancer.  Malo's rich, emotive baritone provided the foundation for the group's succession of hits, starting with 1993's "What A Crying Shame," one of several songs he wrote with Kostas.  This is a live performance of that song, taped at BBC studios in 1994 for the Jools Holland show, "The Tube." 

Trump's New Attempt To Undermine 14th Amendment

 

Yesterday, with white nationalist aide Stephen "Pee Wee Goebbels" Miller by his side, the racist and delusional Malignant Fascist signed new executive orders (which he sees as royal proclamations) aimed at curtailing birthright citizenship, after the Republican Supreme Court rebuffed his earlier attempts at undermining the Fourteenth Amendment.  From The Guardian:

"Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders that seek to broaden the categories of children ineligible for automatic US citizenship and ban so-called 'birth tourism'. The directives are expected to face legal challenges.

Trump has long sought to dismantle birthright citizenship and has made the effort a centerpiece of his second-term immigration crackdown. He has thus far been unsuccessful.

On Thursday, the president lashed out at the supreme court over what he called “a very unfortunate decision in the supreme court concerning birthright”. [snip]

A first new order seeks to expand the definitions ​of children who would not be able to receive birthright ​citizenship.

Historical exceptions to the citizenship clause of the 14th amendment have included children born in the US to foreign sovereigns and diplomats; children of occupying foreign forces; children born on foreign ships; and children of Indigenous Americans.

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff and chief architect of Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, said the order aims to expand the categories to include children of members of 'foreign terrorist organizations' as well as 'large categories of people who lobby and act on behalf of foreign governments', though it is unclear who would fall into the latter category."  (our emphasis)

The article notes that the second order addresses "birth tourism," which is already illegal visa fraud.  The MF wants broad latitude to determine who fits in these new "categories," so that he can effectively deny citizenship to children of his political enemies abroad.  His latest attempt will be challenged in court with the result likely being the same as the last time:

"The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday said the orders were another unconstitutional attempt to undo birthright citizenship after the administration’s defeat at the supreme court in June.

'The supreme court already decided this issue: birthright citizenship is guaranteed by the constitution. No additional executive order can change the meaning of the constitution,' said Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. 'Any executive order that tries to rewrite birthright citizenship will meet the same fate as the last one.'”

Stay tuned for the next go-around in the bigoted MF's crusade to limit birthrights.

 

Generic Congressional Ballot Poll

 

Less than 90 days to the mid-terms, the generic Congressional ballot continues to look promising for Democrats, who'll need every data point to overcome the Republican gerrymandering ordered by their cult leader, the Malignant Fascist, and a large Epstein-class oligarch-funded campaign war chest:

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Clearly, there's some spread among the polls, but we know Democrats have been outperforming their poll numbers in special election after special election since last year.  But it's always good to be reminded that when we show up, we win.


Thursday, August 6, 2026

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Steve Breen, Creators.com)

(Drew Sheneman, Tribune Content Agency)

(Michael Ramirez, Las Vegas Review-Journal)

(Michael de Adder, caglecartoons.com, Canada)

(Theo Moudakis, Toronto Star, Canada)

(Matt Davies, Newsday)

(Jack Ohman, Tribune Content Agency)

(Bill Day, caglecartoons.com)

(Joel Pett, Tribune Content Agency)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)


(Ruben Bolling, dailykos.com)

(Ivan Ehlers, The New Yorker)


Skeets Of The Day

 

Operation Epic Fail: Hormuz tolls, Iran threats, winning! --


Has Trump actually agreed to a 7% toll for Hormuz traffic in favor of Iran? Enquiring minds want to know.

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— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 1:28 AM

 

EXCLUSIVE: Iran warns Gulf states: tell Trump to desist or we hit you hard reut.rs/4yZBGmH

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— Reuters (@reuters.com) August 6, 2026 at 8:10 AM


Burned through entire supplies of critical munitions✅ Alienated allies throughout the world✅ Handed Iran the keys to a critical waterway for the world economy✅ Need $100 billion to cover the costs of a war✅ Ever being held accountable for losing the war🚫

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— scarylawyerguy.bsky.social (@scarylawyerguy.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 8:02 AM

 

Pillaging and plunder is a war crime, fwiw -- 

 

When Trump threatens Greenland, I think, “America is not meant to be a predator nation.” When he says, “To the victor belong the spoils,” I think, “We are not meant to be a thieving, plundering nation.” I hope that America recovers a right sense of itself.

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— Jay Nordlinger (@jaynordlinger.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 6:18 AM


Bari "Bad News" Weiss' CBS spiked a story about Epstein and banks. No surprise --


A 60 Minutes probe into Epstein's banking, with Wyden already interviewed, vanished right after Sharyn Alfonsi got pushed out under Bari Weiss. Wyden released a sweeping Senate report alleging several of the largest banks of having “been willing to turn a blind eye” to Epstein’s financial activity.

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— Bruce Little (@brucedlittle.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 7:41 PM


More of this, Dems -- 


A new @abdulelsayed.bsky.social ad out from Senate Majority PAC — stark contrast to the Mike Rogers fearmongering that has already started

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— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 1:59 PM

 

Sherrod Brown's U.S. Senate campaign releases a new ad scorching Jon Husted for slashing Medicaid: "You can't hug our daughter, take your picture with her, and then cut the care that she relies on."

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— Rachel Bitecofer (@rachelbitecofer.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 3:38 PM

 

The American Dream has become an American Nightmare. It’s too expensive to buy a home. It’s too expensive to get married and have kids. It’s too expensive to retire comfortably. The top 1% put the American Dream behind a paywall.

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— James Talarico (@jamestalarico.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 11:30 PM


Thom Tillis can't leave soon enough. He never met with Epstein victims, either. Coward -- 


Thom Tillis is on MS NOW praising Todd Blanche and casting Trump as a victim of government mistreatment. He makes me want to puke.

— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 8:12 AM


The Malignant Fascist slipping and ... wtf is that on his head?  --

 

One of those "if Biden did it..." moments

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— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 6:22 PM

 

Guess who got a new head ferret?

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— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@nothoodlum.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 8:36 PM


Words of wisdom --

 

Much as conservatism can never fail, only be failed, to these same people, progressivism can never succeed, only barely not fail.

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— Matt Ortega (@mattortega.com) August 5, 2026 at 7:19 PM


A gutting reminder of the horror of Gaza, one year later. War crimes tribunal material. --


A year ago today. As resonant now as then.

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— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 6:13 PM

 

 

QOTD -- A Shameful Ending

 

"... This is the last of the prosecutions seeking to hold accountable those responsible for the events of January 6. That book is now closed. Today’s epilogue diminishes the gravity of that day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and law enforcement officers who secured these convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy—the peaceful transfer of presidential power—to buckle. The court cannot write a different ending..." -- U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta, concluding his Memorandum Opinion and Order, dismissing with prejudice the case of United States of America v. Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, et al.  Rhodes, of course, is the bastard who runs the un-American fascist militia Oath Keepers that played such a primary and violent role in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol, as detailed in Mehta's memorandum.  The Malignant Fascist's "Justice" Department had moved to dismiss the original indictment against Rhodes and his fellow thug fascists, clearly at the behest of the MF, the then coup leader himself.  Mehta had no authority under law to deny the "Justice" Department's motion to dismiss the case.  But, Rhodes et al. were all just part of what the MF calls "a day of love," right?


Court To Rule on Disclosure In Trump's BBC Suit

 



We noted last month that the judge in the corrupt and reckless Malignant Fascist's lawsuit against the BBC for a documentary on his role in the January 6 violent insurrection ruled that the disclosure of the MF's finances were fair game for the BBC's defense.  The MF's original suit claimed economic and financial damage as a result of the documentary, and the BBC's argument to the court was for the imbecilic MF to prove it.  His lawyers are now furiously backtracking to avoid the discovery process involving the MF's shady business finances.  From Politico:

"President Donald Trump is seeking to stave off a court order that requires him to begin giving the BBC financial details on his business empire by Thursday in connection with a defamation lawsuit he is pressing against the network.

Trump’s attorneys filed the emergency stay motion Wednesday with Miami-based U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, urging her to lift the order she issued last month that the British TV broadcaster is entitled to information on the financial performance of hundreds of Trump’s companies because he claimed his “brand, properties and businesses” were damaged by a documentary the BBC aired in the U.K. in 2024.

Trump’s lawyers said in court filings that the demands for information are part of an effort by the BBC 'to wrongly exploit this litigation for its own political benefit.'
The BBC’s attorneys contend that the records are relevant to assessing Trump’s claims of massive damages. His initial lawsuit appeared to seek $10 billion, although a form his attorneys submitted to the court listed $5 billion. Trump is still seeking $10 billion in his proposed revised lawsuit, according to a BBC court filing." (our emphasis)

We hope that the court sees the MF's gambit for what it is -- using the legal system to extract a payment out of court for a bogus claim -- and will reject it and let Judge Lett's order stand.  The corrupt MF likes to play his extortion game, so let him get burned by it.  Stay tuned.

UPDATE: Trump-appointed judge Roy Altman agreed to stay Judge Lett's order to allow for appeals. Shameful.

(photo: the MF urging his cult to "fight like hell" on Jan. 6. Reuters)


It's Trump V. Trump On Munitions

 

As the war of choice with Iran continues, there's a dispute as to whether the U.S. is short on munitions.  Let's see what the two sides are saying:

US President Donald Trump clashed with his defense secretary last week, accusing Pete Hegseth of misleading the White House about the state of American munitions stockpiles amid a potential return to major combat operations in Iran, according to a Wednesday report.

The exchange took place at Camp David, The Washington Post reported, on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting. According to the report, which cited two people familiar with the exchange, Trump told Hegseth he thought the problem – a shortage of long-range and interceptor missiles – “had been fixed.”

CNN reported Wednesday that the US military has used up close to 80 percent of its interceptors for the THAAD anti-ballistic missile defense system and approximately 50% of its Patriot interceptors, leaving the supply of those munitions “dangerously low.”

When confronted about the problem, Hegseth punted the blame to his deputy, Stephen Feinberg, the Post report said...

So, the Malignant Fascist is angry that he wasn't told about munitions being "dangerously low."  But then this fella Donald J. Trump tells a different story in the wee hours this morning:



The Team of Rivals Team of Blame-Shifting Clowns would be our choice as to where to begin the hunt for the "treasonous statements" that were the subject of a Camp David meeting about a "dangerous" shortage of munitions that the Malignant Fascist got BIG MAD about being low and heads will roll!...blah blah.

The point of this is that the Malignant Fascist's on-going bluffing about "massive amounts of 'munitions'" was exposed by the reporting.  He must believe the rest of the world didn't already know about that (most certainly his far more clever foes in Tehran did), and that his bluff and bluster is effective, not the source of grim amusement.  Our emperor has no clothes, or munitions, either.


Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Michael de Adder, The Contrarian, Canada)

(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)

(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Joe Heller, hellertoon.com)

(Christopher Weyant, Boston Globe)

(Steve Sack, stevesack.substack.com)

(Dave Whamond, caglecartoons.com, Canada)

(David Rowe, Financial Review, Australia)

(Ann Telnaes, anntelnaes.substack.com)

(Ingrid Rice, politicalcartoons.com, Canada)

(Jack Ohman, Tribune Content Agency)

(Tommy Siegel, @tommysiegel)


"Trophies For Trump"

 

Because he's a toddler who has a bottomless need for trophies, we give you #trophiesfortrump (click to enlarge) ...



(Maybe) coming to a city near you.

(Photos:  the #trophiesfortrump in Foley Square, NYC, last week / via NBC New York)

 

Skeets Of The Day

 

The Epstein-Trump files coverup / a vote for Blanche reminder --

 

Every vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general is a vote to continue the coverup of the Epstein Files.

— Kevin M. Kruse (@kevinmkruse.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 11:04 AM

 

Operation Epic Fail /  all is explained, and the cost --

 

It's the infantile frustration and rage of a psychopath unable to understand that the world is not behaving in the way that he wishes. Add to that the fact that Trump is uneducated, unintelligent and now in the grips of geriatric dementia, all is explained. Oh, and the fact Iran is way smarter...

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— Chris Gough (@toulousain.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 8:45 AM

 

Brown University has a widget that tracks the cost of the Iran war to American consumers (as contrasted to whatever the Pentagon is spending). Per-household cost now exceeds $600. iranwarcost.watson.brown.edu

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— Bill Grueskin (@bgrueskin.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 8:19 PM

 

Trump's stagflation --


SCHWAB: “.. Stagflationary trend for #ISM Services PMI continues, with prices (blue) remaining in an uptrend and employment (white) in a downtrend.”

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— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 10:29 AM

 

Trump feels badly for ... the guy accused of domestic abuse, and Mike "New Moses" Johnson gets in line  --


"I feel badly for him."

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— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 1:15 AM

 

Donald Trump told reporters he feels "badly" for Max Miller, a Republican congressman accused of abusing his wife, and hopes Miller can "work it out." The only thing less surprising than a Republican politician abusing his wife is Donald Trump empathizing with the abuser.

— Middle Age Riot (@middleageriot.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 10:22 AM

 

Churchy Lil Guy might be my least favorite subgenre of Republican. Just plainly dishonest and so goddamn smug about it

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— Bill (@stillbill.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 10:06 AM
 

 That other House Republican scandal (inappropriate conduct toward female staffers) -- 


Chuck Edwards says he will end reelection bid after censure recommendation

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— Politico (@politico.com) August 5, 2026 at 7:17 AM

 

The Reflecting Pool fiasco still living in Trump's empty, sociopathic head --

 

It's funny that Jeanine Pirro brought a box of evidence to WH to persuade Trump. He wants her to consciously *throw out* exculpatory facts and *knowingly* prosecute innocent people. So facts can't persuade him by definition. Me and @barbmcquade.bsky.social on this: newrepublic.com/article/2139...

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— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 8:37 AM

 

That fat, ugly, fuck wasted $15 million on a botched pool liner but he went all the way to the Supreme Court to make sure hungry kids couldn’t eat.

— JoJoFromJerz (@jojofromjerz.bsky.social) August 1, 2026 at 8:55 PM

 

Trump wants them around for his next coup --


Trump’s decision to keep National Guard troops deployed to Washington, D.C., through the end of his term will cost an additional $1.4 billion in tax dollars, according to budget estimates provided to Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office and shared with NOTUS.

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— NOTUS Metro (@notusmetro.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 1:47 PM

 

Sell!! --

 

The real reason SpaceX shares are tanking after out-of-control rocket smashes into moon

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— The Independent (@the-independent.com) August 5, 2026 at 7:30 AM

 

A message to MAGAts from your Leader --

 

Trump Mocks His own supporters for losing the weaponization fund youtu.be/t0buJ1q6XPE

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— J-L Cauvin (@jlcauvin.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 1:34 PM

 

 

Mid-Week Song

 

Australian electronic trio The Avalanche was formed in Melbourne in the late 90s, and have won several Australian music awards, the latest being the Australian Music Prize in 2020 for album of the year for "We Will Always Love You." They've been teasing a new studio album by releasing some singles lately, and one of them "Blue Shadows," featuring the vocals of Karen O of the indie group Yeah Yeah Yeahs, is our song today.

Today In MAGA Ghoulishness

 


Sociopathic Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins was at the Minnesota Farm Fest yesterday, sadistically bragging about cutting millions of Americans off of food stamps:

"Speaking at the Minnesota Farmfest, the three-day agricultural trade show and exhibition, Rollins boasted about booting 5 million Americans – including children – off of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

'I know the Democrats don’t love (this), but for those of us that love work and celebrate work and want people to work and not be on food stamps, it’s a pretty big win when we move 5 million people off of food stamps, ya’ll,' Rollins said. 'I think that’s a huge accomplishment!'

Around 45 million Americans received food assistance through SNAP last year, but after federal policy changes enacted by the Trump administration last year, that number had plummeted by 13 percent over a period of 12 months. Americans enrolled in SNAP received around $190 in food assistance a month."

Cutting families off of SNAP benefits in order to help pay for tax cuts for the top 1% and for weapons used in the reckless Malignant Fascist's war on Iran and Netanyahu's continued bombing of Gaza are all part of the fascist and deliberately cruel policies of the MF and his Project 2025 agenda. Vile ghouls. 

(photo: Rollins and the MF using the wrong finger to send their message. Rollins' X account)