A walking tour of New York City's famed Times Square by architect Michael Wyetzner for Architectural Digest explains how the locale has changed over its history from a gritty red-light district into one of the most iconic public spaces in the world, along with the surprising zoning laws and design decisions that made it what it is today.
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Weekend Song
Grammy Award-winning singer / songwriter Sara Bareilles has a new album, "Good Grief," coming out later this year. Our weekend song is a track from that album, "Home." Enjoy the weekend.
Friday, June 19, 2026
Today's Cartoons
(click on images to enlarge)
(Jeff Stahler, Andrews-McMeek Syndication)
(Bill Bramhall, NY Daily News)
(Nick Anderson, Tribune Content Agency)
(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(Michael deAdder, Caglecartoons.com)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution)
The Malignant Fascist's Sick Envy of Obama
Yesterday, President Obama's Presidential Library opened in Chicago, with a star-packed group of performers and attendees on hand. Music was provided by such stars as Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera, Bono and U2, Stevie Wonder, Marc Anthony and more. The audience included Tom Hanks, Stephen Colbert, David Letterman, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Oprah Winfrey, and all three living predecessors to Obama, excluding the insecure and vindictive Malignant Fascist who was not invited. It's a group that the MF knows he could never assemble to his undying resentment, nor will he ever be as broadly popular. Much has been written about the MF's deep envy and resentment of President Obama, his achievements and his popularity. The always sharp Amanda Marcotte provides her insight into the MF's Obama Derangement Syndrome:
"Years before he ran, the throughline that would define Donald Trump’s presidency was set: his racist, unhinged obsession with Barack Obama. Trump could have gone down in history with a minor but positive reputation, remembered vaguely but fondly by most Americans as the goofy New York character who hosted “The Apprentice.” Instead, he fell into a spiral of outrage that a Black man who was smarter, more handsome and more beloved than he could ever be had been elected president.
Trump famously spent much of 2011 pushing the racist conspiracy theory that Obama could not be a native-born citizen. This resulted in Obama mocking him while Trump seethed at the White House Correspondents Dinner, a narcissistic injury that clearly stings Trump to this day. Trump spent the next decade-plus trying to destroy Obama’s legacy, which he hasn’t been able to do, despite two presidential wins. If anything, Trump’s malevolence and clownishness have only served to heighten the nation’s nostalgia for the Obama years."
Please read her excellent article in its entirety.
In 2010, the year before he started his vile racist attack on Obama's citizenship, he was snubbed by the White House after suggesting that a grand ballroom be built on the White House grounds, apparently with a form letter. That snub led to his vicious attacks in all likelihood. Marcotte links the MF to the Iran War, given the MF's tearing up of the JCPOA which led to the current state of affairs, as well as to the MF's narcissistic urge to plaster his disgraced name on public buildings and memorials, and to erect monuments to himself. His approval ratings are in the toilet and more of his cult is falling away over the economy and his ill-considered war on Iran. He'll never measure up to President Obama -- or any of his predecessors for that matter -- no matter how many monuments to himself he builds.
Skeets of the Day
Operation Epic Surrender: whose surrender?, Lebanon burning --
Trump still trying to sell his bad deal:
— Shipwreck (@shipwreck75.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 8:40 AM
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CAPUTO: At the beginning of the conflict, you talked about how you only wanted unconditional surrender. The MOU doesn't look like unconditional surrender. TRUMP: It really probably is unconditional surrender CAPUTO: It is?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) June 19, 2026 at 1:06 AM
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My God he is so close to getting it
— Seth Abramson (@sethabramson.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 5:02 AM
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Israel’s unhinged national security minister says “all of Lebanon must burn” and “you need to go berserk. To obliterate.” 4 IDF soldiers were just reportedly killed as Israel continues to attack Lebanon— clearly trying to make a peace deal with Iran impossible.
— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 7:16 AM
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Michelle Obama delivers a reminder to the needy Malignant Fascist about the Nobel Prize --
Michelle Obama: You were doing the people's work, rescuing our economy, expanding health care, ending a war, ordering the bin laden raid, saving an auto industry, winning a peace prize.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 1:37 PM
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Regular reminder that South Afrikaner racist drug abuser Musk is a psychopath --
It would be impossible to be a trillionaire without also being a sociopath/psychopath
— Sean (@cackalackdev.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 5:19 PM
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No honor among thieves and toadies --
NEW: The brilliant @hugolowell.bsky.social got his hands on Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan's upcoming Trump book. It includes multiple anecdotes of tech execs, including Zuck and Bezos, seeking to ingratiate themselves with the president...and Trump brutally mocking them in return:
— Katie Drummond (@katie-drummond.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 3:02 PM
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The Malignant Fascist's $14 million Reflecting Pool screw up. Also, check out the contractor --
I was promised a Golden Age. All I got was peeling blue paint.
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 8:10 AM
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It gets better. His company’s name: Greenwater Services. Did he once pay a bribe to Jim Traficant: yes, of course
— Amanda Kolson Hurley (@amandakhurley.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 10:12 PM
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Lying Malignant Fascist causes problem with Italy. He can't help himself, especially with women --
Meloni response to Trump’s lie that she begged him for a photo: “Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly astonished. I don’t know why the president behaves like this towards his allies. This is not the first time this has happened. Italy and I never beg.”
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) June 19, 2026 at 9:23 AM
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The MF's fading fast --
Imagine him trying to tie his shoes.
— The Volatile Mermaid (@ohnoshetwitnt.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 7:55 PM
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QOTD: Marriage of Convenience
Yair Rosenberg, writing in The Atlantic, on the schism between Bibi "Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu and the corrupt Malignant Fascist. Here's a brief excerpt, but read his entire article:
"For years, Netanyahu has built his brand on two promises to the Israeli electorate: that he alone could withstand international pressure to compromise on Israeli security, and that he alone could handle Trump. Now the president is forcing Netanyahu to choose between the two. Either he defies Trump’s diktats about Lebanon and Iran to save his reputation as a stalwart security hawk, or he folds to preserve the perception of his alliance with the president. Whatever path Netanyahu picks, he will imperil Israel’s geopolitical standing and undermine his own case to Israeli voters. [snip]
As the president has demonstrated time and again, the only person whose interests matter to Trump is Trump. Those interests have often aligned with Netanyahu’s, but this was always a marriage of convenience."
(photo: Reuters)
Juneteenth 2026
A brief explanation of why we celebrate Juneteenth from the National Museum of African American History and Culture:
"On “Freedom’s Eve,” or the eve of January 1, 1863, the first Watch Night services took place. On that night, enslaved and free African Americans gathered in churches and private homes all across the country awaiting news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. At the stroke of midnight, prayers were answered as all enslaved people in Confederate States were declared legally free. Union soldiers, many of whom were black, marched onto plantations and across cities in the south reading small copies of the Emancipation Proclamation spreading the news of freedom in Confederate States. Only through the Thirteenth Amendment did emancipation end slavery throughout the United States.
But not everyone in Confederate territory would immediately be free. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation was made effective in 1863, it could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until much later. Freedom finally came on June 19, 1865, when some 2,000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. The army announced that the more than 250,000 enslaved black people in the state, were free by executive decree. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth," by the newly freed people in Texas.
The post-emancipation period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877) marked an era of great hope, uncertainty, and struggle for the nation as a whole. Formerly enslaved people immediately sought to reunify families, establish schools, run for political office, push radical legislation and even sue slaveholders for compensation. Given the 200+ years of enslavement, such changes were nothing short of amazing. Not even a generation out of slavery, African Americans were inspired and empowered to transform their lives and their country.
Juneteenth marks our country’s second independence day. Although it has long celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event remains largely unknown to most Americans..."
Obviously, the white nationalist, racist regime of the disgraced Malignant Fascist will let this day go by without mention. Shame on them.
Jimmy Kimmel's "Odyssey" Moment
Enjoy Jimmy's last live show before going on his usual summer hiatus (with guest hosts like Tiffany Haddish, Rosie O'Donnell, Colman Domingo, and Jelly Roll among others scheduled). He takes on the Knicks victory parade, the dedication of the Obama library and the Malignant Fascist's Iran blunder.
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Today's Cartoons
(click on images to enlarge)
(Michael deAdder, Caglecartoons.com)
(Joe Heller, Creators Syndicate)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Trump Regime Ends 4 Wind Power Projects
In his never-ending quest to undermine renewable energy and boost polluting fossil fuel use, the petty and unstable Malignant Fascist is buying back the leases for four offshore wind power projects, the Associated Press reports:
"The Trump administration said Wednesday it’s buying back another energy company’s U.S. offshore wind leases for four more wind projects, as it seeks to discourage the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuels.
The latest deal brings the total amount spent on these agreements to nearly $2.6 billion.
Chicago-based Invenergy has agreed to end its four offshore wind leases that were very early in development in exchange for reimbursements of lease fees totaling $765 million. The company had already canceled the largest of the four in November, Leading Light Wind off New Jersey’s coast. The others are off the coasts of Maine and California. It will invest that money in natural gas and geothermal ventures that can be built more quickly instead.
By buying back leases, the Republican administration is stopping offshore wind farms that President Donald Trump does not support, and redirecting the money to fossil fuel projects that he does. It adopted this strategy after federal courts thwarted Trump’s efforts to stop offshore wind development through executive action. Trump has frequently talked about his hatred of wind power and calls turbines ugly." (our emphasis)
The MF has been working hard to return the U.S. to the past, whether it's in civil rights, or the use of polluting fossil fuels. The most obnoxious part of his hatred of wind power is that it's personal for him: years ago, he lost a battle with Scottish authorities to remove wind mills from the coast of his golf resort in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and in his perverse pettiness he hasn't forgotten. Now, he's vindictively moving to shut down offshore wind farms in the U.S. which contribute to the nation's energy supply without polluting the environment, all because of his personal experience.
(photo: The MF chasing windmills in Scotland. Getty Images)
Skeets of the Day
Operation Epic Surrender: front loading incentives, Trump's words, etc. --
By front loading incentives to Iran, Trump makes it unlikely that a deal will ever be reached. “All the key elements of limiting Iran’s nuclear capabilities are to be negotiated over the next 60 days. But that period could be extended. It is possible that there will never be a completed agreement.”
— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 9:16 AM
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There is, literally, always a tweet.
— Charlie Sykes (@sykescharlie.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 8:23 PM
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Of course a deal that tilts heavily toward Iran was available beforehand but that's the point - whatever leverage Trump had BEFORE he started the war evaporated once it became clear he LOST the war. As they say, today's price isn't yesterday's price. Iran got a better deal b/c they won.
— scarylawyerguy.bsky.social (@scarylawyerguy.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 8:26 AM
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Just a friendly reminder. If the US had taken only a small fraction of the money and military equipment it has squandered fighting and losing to Iran, and instead helped Ukraine, the Middle East would be more stable and Russia would be facing defeat.
— Phillips OBrien (@phillipspobrien.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 3:49 AM
The 2026 G7 wraps up and the Malignant Fascist is still toxic and alone --
When you’re *still* the least popular person at a party . . .
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 6:48 PM
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Sen. Jon Ossoff shows how its done against his MAGAt mid-term opponent --
THIS is how you step up, Democrats! Clear, concise, and simple to understand.
— Susan McPherson (@susanmcp.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 11:04 PM
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South Afrikaner fascist and head of Fascist Internationale Elon Musk's treasonous China ties --
NEW: We got a private SpaceX investor list, from way before the IPO. It's a rare window into a particularly delicate issue for Musk: which investors in countries like China got stakes in SpaceX, and how. One investor has ties to Chinese military contractors. www.propublica.org/article/spac...
— Josh Kaplan (@josh-kaplan.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 8:59 AM
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"Goodness gracious", the Malignant Fascist's polls with independents deep underwater --
Enten: "With independents, Trump is 55 points underwater. My goodness gracious! This was a political disaster. No wonder he wants to move on from it. There was no president ever before that had any poll in which he was 50 point underwater inflation. The Iran war absolutely drove Trump to new lows."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) June 18, 2026 at 9:53 AM
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"Pastors for Trump" guy caught in sexting scandal. We're shocked, shocked! --
I really thought being the ‘Pastors for Trump’ founder and everything that he would be an upstanding moral Christian man. What a shocking development.
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) June 17, 2026 at 9:52 PM
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MAGAt Knicks owner wants team to visit White House. Remember the boos; don't go --
Don't go, Jalen, please don't go. Knicks Accept a White House Invitation to Celebrate Title, Owner Says www.nytimes.com/2026/06/17/n...
— Jeff (Gutenberg Parenthesis) Jarvis (@jeffjarvis.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 6:53 AM
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This will feed the failed and corrupt Malignant Fascist's Obama Derangement Syndrome --
Obama Center’s grand opening lineup is a Trump HUMILIATION wrapped in Grammy winners. The contrast could not be more brutal — or more humiliating for Donald Trump.
— thebobbygee (@thebobgoodman.bsky.social) June 16, 2026 at 10:26 PM
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Ukraine Drone Attack on Major Russian Refinery
Earlier today, Ukrainian drones struck a major oil refinery near Moscow and caused three airports in the region to shut down, the Associated Press reports:
"Ukraine struck a major Moscow oil refinery Thursday for a second time in a week, sending huge plumes of black smoke over the capital and disrupting flights at its airports in one of its biggest drone attacks since Russia’s full-scale invasion over four years ago, officials said.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil facilities, aiming to cut Moscow’s revenue for the war and make Russians feel the consequences of the invasion. Some areas have reported fuel shortages. [snip]
The Moscow attack was the latest embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin, after a Ukrainian drone attack on his hometown of St. Petersburg earlier this month as he welcomed foreign VIPs to his showcase economic forum in the city.
Thick, black smoke and occasional flames spewed from the Moscow Oil Refinery amid its red-and-white smokestacks on the southeastern edge of the city, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Kremlin. Sooty, black rain fell on cars, according to local video. [snip]
The refinery is one of Russia’s biggest, according to its official website, and produces more than a third of the Moscow region’s fuel. It was last attacked by Ukrainian drones on Tuesday, catching fire, but officials said the blaze was swiftly put out.
Flights from four Moscow airports were temporarily halted, transport and aviation authorities said." (our emphasis)
Imagine how much more Ukraine could be doing if the groveling Malignant Fascist hadn't tied an arm behind President Zelensky's back out of fealty to the Russian war criminal. Pressure is growing in Congress to pass more sanctions on the Russian regime to force it to negotiate with Ukraine, but a phone call from Putin to the MF could derail tougher sanctions. Nonetheless, Ukraine increasingly has the initiative, and its drone and cruise missile force is tipping the balance in the unconventional war with the Russian imperialists.
BONUS: Check out this vid of a storage tank lid sent flying by the explosions.
The moment a storage tank at the Moscow oil refinery was hit: the blast blew the tank's lid off.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@antongerashchenko.bsky.social) June 18, 2026 at 2:43 AM
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(photo: Exilenova+ / Telegram)
The Malignant Fascist's Stunning Flip Flops
Here are just a few quotes on the "deal" voiced yesterday by the weak and unstable Malignant Fascist in a press conference after the G7 meeting in France. They are the polar opposite of what he claimed our goals in attacking Iran were, standing firmly with Israel, and the impact of a Strait of Hormuz closure would be (emphasis added):
On Iran maintaining ballistic missile capabilities:
“I mean, they have to have some, because other people have some. You got to have some,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.
“I like some of these guys, but I … don’t think they’re smart. ‘Sir, you shouldn’t let them have any missile,’” the president said of unnamed advisers. “I said, ‘well, what am I going to do? Am I going to let Saudi Arabia have missiles, but they can’t have them?’ ‘Yes, sir.’”
“Doesn’t work that way, you know, it doesn’t work that way, and missiles aren’t the problem,” Trump said, adding that missiles “hurt a little location, but they don’t blow up the planet.”
On Israel and Lebanon:
“We have a little dispute over Lebanon,” Trump said, referring to Netanyahu.“I say you can do a little softer touch, Bibi. You don’t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah,” the president continued.“I’m not saying they shouldn’t protect themselves. I’m saying when two drones are shot into the desert and drop harmlessly, you don’t have to knock down buildings in Beirut.”
On whether the U.S. is impacted by Persian Gulf oil:
“We run out of reserves at about four weeks,” Trump said. “You know, there are reserves all over the world, and we would really run out, and there’ll be a time when you wouldn’t be able to get it.”He said it would be “bedlam” if the oil ran out.“What this does is it allows the ships to go,” he said of the Iran deal. “If we keep bombing, those ships won’t be going.”
For someone who creates his own "reality" and has no fixed principles or values beyond asking what's good for me, this comes as no surprise that his interest is in protecting his hide for the mid-terms and trying to sell a "deal" that three months ago he would have angrily derided. For those having to negotiate with this dangerous ignoramus, never assume he's dealing with you from any principled position.
The Lost War
Outside of the delusional and mentally unfit Malignant Loser's most devoted circle of sycophants in his regime and in Congress, the 14 point "memorandum of understanding" with Iran represented a defeat for him and a diminishing of the U.S.'s standing in the world. Jonathan Lemire writes in The Atlantic:
"President Trump lost. The war he waged against Iran promises to conclude in a humbling whimper with the signing of a cease-fire agreement later this week. The United States is left weaker—diminished militarily, strategically, economically, and perhaps morally.
The war, which the United States fought alongside Israel, accomplished none of the goals that Trump named at the outset. Instead, it only empowered the hard-liners in Tehran and arguably emboldened them to someday seek a nuclear weapon. Despite that, the president was so desperate for the war to end that he repeatedly backed off his threats—allowing Iran to call his bluff—and upbraided his close ally Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for responding to attacks in the region in a manner that jeopardized the negotiations.
Trump won’t admit to any of this. He has spent recent days furiously spinning the tentative deal as a clear win, and has seethed at unflattering comparisons with the deal that President Obama struck with Iran more than a decade ago, aides and outside advisers told me. Trump, they said, has privately denounced Iran hawks, some of whom are among his closest allies in the Republican Party, for questioning the strength of the agreement. Within the administration, there is a divide on the deal, but Trump sided with those advocating for the war to wind down, no matter the terms, as fears mount about the economic toll on Americans and the political costs for Republicans in the midterms." (our emphasis)
The MF was virtually isolated at this week's G7 conference, with attendees coordinating their efforts to keep him from tantrums and to focus on issues like Russia's war on Ukraine, which is going increasingly badly for his guru Vladimir Putin. They praised his "deal" with Iran, knowing it was a capitulation but one that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow Iranian and other Persian Gulf states' oil and petrochemical products to flow again.
It's doubtful that the "deal", once absorbed by the public, will help him, given the anger among hawks aligned with right-wing Prime Minister Netanyahu's policies. In fact, the "deal" is widely seen as a big blow to Netanyahu's chances in the next election, which he's rightfully fearful of losing now that his "friend" the MF has undercut him with Israel's mortal enemy. Netanyahu cast his fate with the MF, and now he's finding what so many others have: the MF only cares about himself and has no moral core.
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Today's Cartoons
(click on images to enlarge)
(Steve Breen, Creators.com)
(Robert Ariail, gocomics.com)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution)
(Matt Wuerker, Politico.com)
(Joel Pett, Tribune Content Agency)
(Clay Jones, claytoons.substack.com)
(Harley Schwadron, Cagle Cartoons)
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