(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)
(Joel Pett, Tribune Content Agency)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
(Ivan Ehlers, The New Yorker)
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.
— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 1:28 AM
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EXCLUSIVE: Iran warns Gulf states: tell Trump to desist or we hit you hard reut.rs/4yZBGmH
— Reuters (@reuters.com) August 6, 2026 at 8:10 AM
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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🚫
— scarylawyerguy.bsky.social (@scarylawyerguy.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 8:02 AM
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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.
— Jay Nordlinger (@jaynordlinger.bsky.social) August 6, 2026 at 6:18 AM
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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.
— Bruce Little (@brucedlittle.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 7:41 PM
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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
— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 1:59 PM
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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."
— Rachel Bitecofer (@rachelbitecofer.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 3:38 PM
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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.
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 11:30 PM
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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
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 6:22 PM
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Guess who got a new head ferret?
— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@nothoodlum.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 8:36 PM
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Words of wisdom --
Much as conservatism can never fail, only be failed, to these same people, progressivism can never succeed, only barely not fail.
— Matt Ortega (@mattortega.com) August 5, 2026 at 7:19 PM
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A gutting reminder of the horror of Gaza, one year later. War crimes tribunal material. --
A year ago today. As resonant now as then.
— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 6:13 PM
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"... 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?
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)
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.
(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)
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)
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...
— Chris Gough (@toulousain.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 8:45 AM
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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
— Bill Grueskin (@bgrueskin.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 8:19 PM
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Trump's stagflation --
SCHWAB: “.. Stagflationary trend for #ISM Services PMI continues, with prices (blue) remaining in an uptrend and employment (white) in a downtrend.”
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 10:29 AM
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Trump feels badly for ... the guy accused of domestic abuse, and Mike "New Moses" Johnson gets in line --
"I feel badly for him."
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 1:15 AM
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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
— Bill (@stillbill.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 10:06 AM
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That other House Republican scandal (inappropriate conduct toward female staffers) --
Chuck Edwards says he will end reelection bid after censure recommendation
— Politico (@politico.com) August 5, 2026 at 7:17 AM
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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...
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) August 5, 2026 at 8:37 AM
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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.
— NOTUS Metro (@notusmetro.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 1:47 PM
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Sell!! --
The real reason SpaceX shares are tanking after out-of-control rocket smashes into moon
— The Independent (@the-independent.com) August 5, 2026 at 7:30 AM
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A message to MAGAts from your Leader --
Trump Mocks His own supporters for losing the weaponization fund youtu.be/t0buJ1q6XPE
— J-L Cauvin (@jlcauvin.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 1:34 PM
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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.
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)
Both wings of the Democratic Party came out of Tuesday's contests victorious. But establishment Democrats gained a few more wins than the progressive arm of the party.
Progressives largest test — Michigan's Senate race— is yet to be determined. In a close matchup, former county health director Abdul El-Sayed was ahead of Rep. Haley Stevens early Wednesday morning. [Ed.: NBC News called the race for El-Sayed, though other outlets say it's too close to call.]
The heated contest is important for progressive Democrats. If El-Sayed wins, it shows there is an appetite for populist policies, like Medicare for All, even in a swing state. Stevens, who flipped a suburban area in 2018, is backed by establishment Democrats and has taken a more moderate approach.
Either way, the race makes it clear there is a stark divide among Democratic primary voters. Whoever wins the primary will face a tough challenge from Republican nominee former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers.
Progressives did pick up a win in Michigan's one true toss-up district. Progressive William Lawrence beat two other Democrats for the nomination. Lawrence is set to challenge first-term incumbent Rep. Tom Barrett in November.
Establishment Democrats got the candidates they wanted in a few key races. In Missouri's 1st Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Wesley Bell won a rematch against former Rep. Cori Bush. Bell was backed by the national party, while Bush clenched endorsements from Democratic socialists and high-profile progressives, such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Bell will face Republican nominee Paul Berry in November, though Cook Political Report rates the district as solidly Democratic.
In Virginia, Democratic voters picked establishment-backed candidates for two House seats. The two seats, Virginia's 1st and 2nd congressional districts, are ones Democrats hope to flip in November to inch toward the party's goal of taking control of the chamber. [snip]
It was a tough loss for two Republican-led ballot initiatives in Missouri and Kansas.
No changes to the state supreme court bench are happening in Kansas' future. Voters there rejected a Republican-backed proposal for state supreme court justices to be elected instead of appointed.
Currently, judges for the state's highest court are appointed by the governor based on choices presented by a nominating committee. Most of the court has been appointed by the current and previous governors, both Democrats elected in the mostly Republican state. The court has upheld abortion rights among other stands objected to by Republican leaders.
Voters in Missouri voted against a proposal by the Republican-led legislature to make it harder for the public to pass future amendments to the state constitution... (our emphasis)
However these primaries turn out, the all-important thing is for Democrats to unite in the battle to defeat the Malignant Fascist and his fascist cult/ party in November.
UPDATE: CNN joins NBC News in calling the election for El-Sayed. AP, too.
(click on images to enlarge)
(Nick Anderson, The Contrarian)
(Gary Markstein, Creators.com)
(Pedro Molina, Tribune Content Agency)
(Monte Wolverton, caglecartoons.com)
(Jonathan Brown, caglecartoons.com)
(Dave Whamond, caglecartoons.com, Canada)
(Marty Two Bulls, m2bulls.com)
(Chris Britt, Creators.com)
(Phil Hands, Wisconsin State Journal)
(Matt Wuerker, Politico)
(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)
(Benjamin Slyngstad, @slyngstad_cartoons)
(Banx, @banxcartoons, UK)
More evidence adding to the annals of Everything Trump Touches Dies (or at least loses in court and/or money).
Reflecting pool "vandalism" cases
Federal prosecutors dropped the last of their cases against people charged with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, DC.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in DC had filed charges of vandalism in connection with damage to the iconic DC pond against David Hearn, Justin Carreno, Sophie Dennison-Gibby and Cameron Thiers. President Donald Trump had previously described the supposed pool-damaging culprits as "SICK, DERANGED PEOPLE."
The office for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, however, decided to drop the cases against all four people after concluding that contractors, not vandals, were to blame for the pool’s deteriorated state. Court records obtained by USA TODAY show that prosecutors filed paperwork to drop all of the cases on July 31...
Trumper Ellison's Paramount/Warner Brothers merger
... Time is not Paramount’s ally. Beginning September 30, the company owes Warner shareholders a $650 million ticking fee every quarter thereafter. That comes out of a firm with a free cash flow line of $96 million last quarter and $123 million the quarter before, meaning that since the combination of Paramount of Skydance in August 2025, the merged firm has barely recorded $650 million in free cash flow in total, but now has to pay that every quarter until this trial is resolved.
Facing a restraining order and an injunction fight it could lose, Paramount stipulated in federal court that the merger will not close until five days after a trial ruling or June 1, 2027, whichever comes first, a concession that handed the states the pause they had sought and left only the trial date in dispute.
The April 2027 trial that the attorneys general and the guild seek implies several such quarters before opening statements, and even Paramount’s proposed November date concedes at least one. Walking away is hardly cheaper. Paramount faces a $7 billion breakup fee on top of the $2.8 billion already paid to Netflix—$9.8 billion for the privilege of losing.
Making matters worse, the family balance sheet backstopping the bid looks less imposing than it once did. Oracle’s credit-default swaps have hit their highest levels since 2008, free cash flow is expected to stay negative into 2027 as data-center paybacks arrive slowly, and AI-era fortunes rest on the sort of circular financing many have cautioned about. The Middle Eastern sovereign funds contributing more than half the deal’s equity sit in more precarious positions still, with war on their doorstep.
The trial’s outcome will echo beyond fees and headcounts.What hangs in the balance is an American industry’s shape and a precedent that will be established not just by courts alone but by the influence of presidential power.
A combined Paramount-Warner would unite two of America’s most consequential newsrooms, CBS News and CNN, under a single politically entangled owner. And Paramount’s early stewardship of the first has provided little comfort to the public about the future of the second. The company paid to settle President Trump’s complaint over an innocuous 60 Minutes interview, a payment critics called extortion by another name, and then watched the president of CBS News and the longtime executive producer of 60 Minutes resign in protest. Stephen Colbert’s award-winning Late Show was canceled in a move that many have labeled political appeasement, and the flagship evening newscast baselessly recast the January 6 insurrection as a partisan squabble.
UFC owners lost $30m (£22m) staging the Freedom 250 event, which was attended by US President Donald Trump, at the White House in June.
Despite the one-off event's losses, which UFC expected, the organisation still saw an increase of revenue for the second quarter of 2026, parent company TKO Group Holdings said on Monday.
An estimated 4,300 people including president Trump and Vice-President JD Vance were present for the invite-only event on the South Lawn of the presidential compound, which formed part of celebrations to mark 250 years of American independence.
Tickets were not sold to the general public for the event, and initial costs were predicted to be more than $60m (£44m).
However, UFC was able to recoup some money through sponsorships, media exposure and other partnerships.
The schadenfreude, it is sweet.
Operation Epic Fail: double dealing, Hormuz nuz, no talks --
Let’s Fake a Deal
— Missing The Point (@missingthept.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 7:53 AM
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NYT: “.. Iran and Oman are closing in on an agreement to reopen shipping traffic .. but .. it could come at a high price — ratifying Tehran’s control over what, before the war, was an open, international waterway.” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/08/03/u...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 8:27 AM
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Qatar: Nothing in books when it comes to US-Iran direct talks
— FinTwitter (@fintwitter.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 6:52 AM
Well, at least it was for a completely lawless and pointless cause.
— Brian Finucane (@bcfinucane.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 6:52 AM
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The Malignant Fascist's criminal defense attorney hands his client a fortune --
What this means is that Trump has stolen an estimated $100mm from US taxpayers by avoiding the pending audit of his filed returns. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
— Steve Rattner (@steverattner.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 2:45 PM
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It's box wine time for "Judge" Jeanine --
It's a Franzia Blush night.
— Helen Kennedy (@helenkennedy.com) August 3, 2026 at 7:28 PM
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MAGAts furious to be told that immigrants do important work --
Mullin's being as brutal as possible in implementing Trump's mass deportation agenda. But his admission that some immigrants play a productive role in society has provoked an outcry in MAGA ranks, where portraying immigrants as anything other than a noxious drain on the society is impermissible.
— davidrlurie (@davidrlurie.com) August 4, 2026 at 8:16 AM
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Meanwhile, MAGAts will vote for any p.o.s as long as they're MAGA --
From last week. www.politico.com/news/2026/07...
— emptywheel (@emptywheel.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 5:35 AM
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Gag reflex --
Not having a gag reflex is sort of a requirement for a Trump cabinet post, in multiple senses.
— Julian Sanchez (@normative.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 9:43 PM
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Our broken corporate media, part infinity --
Mainstream reporters can see MAGA is building a dictatorship. They don't tell the public because their newsroom leaders: A) hope irrationally that everything will fix itself B) fear being punished by fascists and/or C) are in league with fascists. That’s why they pretend this is normal “politics.”
— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) August 4, 2026 at 7:26 AM
The MF's golf skilz. No wonder he's won so many championships at his properties --
43-time Club Champion.
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 9:15 PM
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Three Presidents --
LEFT TO RIGHT: Defeated the British, freed the slaves, raped the children.
— Middle Age Riot (@middleageriot.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 12:28 PM
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You sleep wherever if you're a cat .... --
Architect's assistant.
— Cats with Jobs ⚒️ (@catworkers.bsky.social) August 3, 2026 at 4:09 PM
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