Hackwhackers

Monday, June 15, 2026

Skeets of the Day

Operation ~~Epic~~ Epstein Fury: upset Israelis, what's the plan Stan?, etc. --

“.. A ‘catastrophe.’ A ‘bad deal.’ An agreement that ‘throws a lifeline to the murderous regime in Tehran.’ “.. Among .. Netanyahu’s supporters and critics alike, in the press and on social media, the mood was clear ..” @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...

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— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 7:49 AM

Here's the exclamation point on this fiasco. Just crushingly embarrassing on every level.

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— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 7:54 PM

So Trump has spent tens of billions of taxpayer dollars, sent gas prices soaring, depleted the U.S. arsenal and further alienated our allies, all to get Iran to restore the status quo that existed before Trump started the war and that’s it? Explain to me what I have wrong?
— Ian Bassin (@ianbassin.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 1:45 AM

“In other words, he attacked, did not achieve his goals, his adversary was strengthened, he sued for peace, and they got what they wanted. In diplomatic or military terms that is what is called surrendering after a loss.”

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— Kat Denise (@katpic57.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 1:15 AM

Trump got rolled and our ass-kissing media are too chickenshit to say it.
— Adam Parkhomenko (@adamparkhomenko.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 7:44 PM

Buffoons, chump Rogan, racist UFC birthday bash for the out of touch Malignant Fascist --

However weird, trashy, racist you think this is, you're underestimating it: this has been part of Hokit's shtick for awhile, he said the same thing after a fight more than a year ago. It's literally his whole personally, he was invited *because* he's a weird trashy racist.

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— Max Kennelly (@maxkennerly.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 11:37 PM

"Michelle Obama is a man, am I right?" That's what UFC fighter Josh Hokit said at Trump's $60 million UFC fight on the White House lawn. After the event, UFC President Da

na White said, "hopefully, we created some unity in the country."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 8:25 AM

Conservatives used to remind us every 20 minutes that Reagan never took off his jacket in the Oval Office because he had so much reverence for the White House.

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— Radley Balko (@radleybalko.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 8:37 PM

my man looking like the baby from the Teletubby sun grew up to be an alcoholic

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— alexis simpson (@amutepiggy.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 8:52 PM

CNN’s Harry Enten: “The big problem with these UFC fights for Trump is that they reinforce the idea that he's out of touch with Americans. Just 16% say these fights are appropriate. Even just 31% of the GOP do. This comes as 60% of voters and 80% of independents say the White House is out of touch.”

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— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 2:12 PM

The Reflecting Pool is a reflection on the Malignant Fascist --

Not believing in science really comes back to bite you, doesn’t it?

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— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) (@repstansbury.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 6:01 PM

Regular reminder of what a vile, murderous p.o.s. fascist trillionaire Elon Musk is --

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— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 2:00 PM

Better late than never: Last night (after a 17-year run), I finally deleted the X/Twitter app, for good This column explains why and questions the sanity of a world where Elon Musk can egg on a race riot on Tuesday, then become a trillionaire on Friday www.inquirer.com/opinion/elon...

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— Will Bunch (@willbunch.bsky.social) June 15, 2026 at 8:04 AM

Birthday wishes granted --

"Greatest. Birthday. EVER." - President Trump #HappyBirthdayMrPedophile

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— Paulley Ticks (@tomadelsbach.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 6:29 PM

If a reckoning is made about the era of the corrupt and lawless Malignant Fascist's rule, the corporate media will have to answer for its normalization and selective news gathering of this fascist era. Their complicity with the MF's horrors is increasing clear, as mega-billionaires buy up media to propagandize for his agenda.

Please consider supporting Tom's work by going here.

Iran's Victory Over Trump

While the narcissistic and mentally unstable Malignant Fascist tried to spin the "deal" he made with Iran's regime, details of the agreement have started to emerge and it's looking like a defeat for the MF. He was desperate to get something in hand to allow the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz (which he and his lackeys claimed we controlled) and the something he got was pretty pathetic. From national security writer Tom Nichols, writing in The Atlantic:

"President Trump has announced that the United States and Iran have reached a deal to end their war. 'Congratulations to all!' he said in a posting on his Truth Social site this evening. He then headed off to oversee the garish public spectacle he’d arranged for his birthday on the South Lawn of the White House. The United States, however, has little to celebrate: Trump and his team, in record time, just lost a war to a militarily mediocre—but nonetheless extremely dangerous—adversary.
The details of the agreement remain unconfirmed, but the president, of course, is eager to spin the outcome as a victory. (Trump was in a hurry to sign the deal on his birthday; the Iranians, who now seem to be in charge of this whole business, instead said they will send someone to a meeting in Switzerland on Friday.) But even before we have the details, it is clear that Trump has failed to achieve every one of the goals he put forward for this war of choice, and now he is determined to sign, seal, and deliver America’s capitulation as quickly as possible. [snip]
The reality is that the war will close with the regime in Tehran intact and in the grip of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Strait of Hormuz will remain under the threat of Iranian attacks; Iran will continue to possess significant drone and missile stocks; the regime will maintain the capability to be a state sponsor of terror; and many sanctions will be lifted and billions of dollars in unfrozen assets will flow to Iran. In other words, the Iranians have achieved their key strategic aims—regime survival above all—while the Americans have achieved none of their own." (our emphasis)

Trump is hoping that the public, especially his restive and cracking base, will accept his shallow assurances and move on. The right-wing, expansionist government of Bibi "Bomb Bomb" Netanyahu is very unhappy with the outcome, which nominally ties their hands with Hezbollah, having had to assure the MF that they would hold off on attacking the militant group. The agreement also defers discussions on Iran's nuclear program to a later date. That's some "Art of the Deal" that isn't nearly as strong as the JCPOA that President Obama negotiated. Winning!

BONUS I: Here is the version of the Memorandum of Understanding released by Iran (click to enlarge):

Mehr releases what it says are details of the Iran-US MoU:

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— Shipwreck (@shipwreck75.bsky.social) June 14, 2026 at 7:04 PM

BONUS II: The MF's loyal propagandist Mark Levin is not pleased with what he's heard. Sad!

Sunday, June 14, 2026

Today's Cartoons

(click on images to enlarge)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)

(Chip Bok, Creators.com)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Joel Pete, Tribune Content Agency)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

(Bill Bramhall, Tribune Content Agency)

(Jeff Danziger, The Rutland Herald)

Court Tells Trump Regime to Restore Exhibits

The racist and white nationalist regime of the mentally ill and vindictive Malignant Fascist was ordered by Federal District Judge Angel Kelly to restore the exhibits and information at historic sites that it scrubbed in its attempt to revise American history. From Judge Kelly's ruling:

"Under the guise of promoting American dignity, this Administration seeks to share a limited history by ordering the removal of all signs, displays, and interpretive exhibits at National Parks that do not align with its preferred narrative, thereby telling half-truths. In recent months, the Government has torn down exhibits in Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park memorializing the legacy of people enslaved by the country’s first President;2 removed signage detailing climate threats at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, one of the most environmentally endangered sites in the country; and wiped away descriptions of history and science at countless National Parks across the United States. Not only does this undermine the integrity of the National Parks; it sets a dangerous precedent of censorship and sanitization."

The MF had signed an Executive Order in March of last year that ordered the National Park Service to remove exhibits that supposedly portrayed the U.S. as “inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed.” The order was aimed at displays that highlighted the both the suffering and the accomplishments of minority groups, and the role that fossil fuel-caused climate change has played in the degradation of the environment. For now, his whitewashing of history to please his bigoted cult has been frustrated, but he's certain to keep trying.

(photo: Workers remove exhibit related to slavery at President's House in Philadelphia. Emma Lee/WHYY)

UFC Fighters To Be Paid In Trump's Crypto

Tonight's ugly UFC cage match on the south lawn of the White House marks a degenerate low for the mentally ill and criminal Malignant Fascist. The giant "claw" over the octagonal ring dwarfing the White House, and the audience bleachers have marred the south lawn and the historic and dignified image of the White House. The planned light show has the potential of fatally interfering with flights in and out of Reagan National Airport. Sponsors like Bud Light and Monster Energy Drinks have prominent signs displayed, adding to the toxic bro-centric, carnival atmosphere.

Today, we learn that the fighters with be paid in cryptocurrency issued by the MF's corrupt "World Liberty Financial" scam. From The Guardian:

"The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced on Friday that it will pay bonuses to fighters in a form of cryptocurrency issued by Trump family business World Liberty Financial at the heavily publicized White House mixed martial arts event on Sunday.
The development connects the Trump family’s financial interests to the high-profile UFC competition being promoted on government property. The competition on the south White House lawn is scheduled for 14 June, Donald Trump’s birthday.
The UFC said some fighters will receive bonuses in World Liberty Financial crypto called 'stablecoins', whose value is pegged to the US dollar. World Liberty named the currency 'USD1'.
World Liberty is a venture of the Trump family and the family of Steven Witkoff, Trump’s friend and special envoy to the Middle East. The company is now listed as an 'official sponsor' of UFC Freedom 250, the fight scheduled for Sunday. The use of its stablecoin in the fight would appear to boost efforts to have it used more more broadly." (our emphasis)

The MF has also invested in the parent company of UFC, giving him another reason to promote the for-profit event on public property.

The temperatures in Washington, D.C. today are in the low 90s with high humidity. This evening's event will draw an array of flying insects to the lit stage, and there is a good chance of thunderstorms this evening to rain on the MF's vulgar birthday bash. That would be the best birthday present.

(photo: Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Israel Hits Beirut, Imperiling "Peace" Agreement

Earlier today, Israeli forces hit an apartment building in southern Beirut, threatening to derail the talks between Iran and the U.S. who are purportedly nearing an agreement. Iran has made the issue of Israeli attacks on Lebanon one of its conditions for ending hostilities. The Associated Press reports on the latest attack:

"The Israeli military said it launched strikes on Beirut on Sunday targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, despite ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the U.S.-Iran war. Smoke could be seen rising over the Lebanese capital.
The strikes threatened to hamper negotiations over a deal, which in its current form is a deep disappointment to Israel’s government. The last time Israel struck the Beirut suburbs a week ago, it set off the most serious escalation of fighting between Iran and Israel since the tenuous ceasefire took hold April 7.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes were in response to Hezbollah attacks on the north of the country. Israel’s military said earlier in the day that Hezbollah had launched three projectiles into northern Israel, releasing footage where an audible boom was followed by a column of smoke rising above the tree line.
An Associated Press photographer at the scene in Beirut said the building struck was a five-story apartment building with shops on the bottom floor. The two lower floors were the most heavily damaged by the strikes. Residents of the southern suburbs, many of whom had returned to their homes after a period of relative calm in recent weeks, could be seen fleeing the area."

For its part, Iran has promised to retaliate. Israel, which launched the initial attack on Iran with the U.S. in February, has not agreed to a ceasefire with Hezbollah and withdrawal of its forces from southern Lebanon as part of any peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Israel is in the midst of an election campaign, where the extreme right is pushing for more attacks on Lebanon. From Aljazeera:

"Sami Nader from the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs says Israel’s strike on southern Beirut is 'very strategic testing' of the potential deal between the US and Iran.
'Israel is insisting on decoupling the front with Hezbollah from any negotiations between Iran and the US, while Iran is insisting on the opposite. They want this linkage and put it as a condition to go forward with the deal,' said Nader.
'So this event is quite significant and it has the potential to torpedo the deal between the US and Iran.'
He noted the 'domestic dimension' since Israel is in the throes of an election campaign." (our emphasis)

Israel is unhappy with the fact that the Iranian regime was not "decapitated" in the first wave of strikes in February, which was its main goal, despite the messaging about an Iranian nuclear weapon. The ignorant and narcissistic Malignant Fascist, seeing visions of oil profits in a makeover of Iran's government, was played by Netanyahu. Now, whatever agreement is reached is seen as favoring Iran.

BONUS: Iran is confirming that it won't be signing an agreement today, despite the MF's statements, given Israel's attacks on Beirut. The reckless MF is reduced to begging Netanyahu to stop attacking sites in Lebanon.

A Note To Hackwhackers Readers

FYI folks:

For the next week, half of the Hackwhackers staff will be away. Consequently, some regular features (e.g., "The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly," "Across the Universe," multiple daily cartoons) will also be "away," and the volume of posts will be somewhat less than usual. For some that will be more a blessing than a curse, but nonetheless, we hope you can keep it together until we're fully back on June 21.

"Thank you for your attention to this matter."

Saturday, June 13, 2026

Today's Cartoons

(click on images to enlarge)

(Ann Telnaes, anntelnaes.substack.com)

(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)

(Michael de Adder, caglecartoons.com, Canada)

(Rick McKee, caglecartoons.com)

(Bas van der Schot, de Volkskrant, Netherlands)

(Jack Ohman, Tribune Content Agency)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Dave Granlund, politicalcartoons.com)

(Steve Sack, stevesack.substack.com)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

(Paul Noth, @paulnoth)

Skeets Of The Day

Operation ~~Epic~~ Epstein Fury: the secret "deal" & the reason why --

So when will the text be released?

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— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 8:41 AM

"Trump has agreed to the release of $24 billion of Iran’s frozen assets, but is unwilling to announce it publicly," Rezaie, who is a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said, according to YJC. www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/l...

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— Lauren Ashley Davis (@laurenmeidasa.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 12:51 AM

Death-spreading fascist and white nationalist Elon Musk's obscene wealth grows --

Edward Luce in the Financial Times about Musk:

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— Wolfgang Blau (@wblau.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 8:15 AM

The Kennedy Center is cleansed of the Malignant Fascist's disgraced name --

FOOTAGE OF THE LETTERS BEING REMOVED The irony of the Trump admin claiming to be the most transparent in history is never lost on me. Kennedy Center Workers used a tarp so cameras couldn’t see the removal. Give @repbeatty.bsky.social her flowers.This wouldn’t have been possible without her work.

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— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) June 13, 2026 at 9:37 AM

Epstein survivors on White House meeting to cover up the MF's involvement --

“We are deeply disturbed to learn so many senior members of the Trump administration gathered in the Situation Room to discuss the release of the Epstein Files as a reputational problem… we are separately concerned Todd Blanche was at that table.”

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— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) June 12, 2026 at 10:54 PM

The MF's UFC fight light show a danger to flights in and out of Reagan National --

MacFarlane: A commercial airline pilot near Reagan National Airport earlier this week reported a safety concern—or safety incident—from a lighting display potentially connected to the UFC construction site on the White House South Lawn.

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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) June 12, 2026 at 7:58 PM

Rep. Cohen (D-TN) introduces impeachment articles against Chief Justice Roberts --

🚨 BREAKING ACTION: Congress just formally leveled six Articles of Impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. From rewriting the Constitution to shield the executive branch to massive conflicts of interest, the high court has gone rogue. Tell your reps to back impeachment NOW: 👇

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— Scott Dworkin (@dworkin.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 8:14 AM

Good advice: focus on the MAGA party's perfidy to their disillusioned members --

Many different kinds of Trump voters are beginning to suspect that they got fooled. Now isn’t the time to make them like Democrats - it’s the time to make them hate Republicans. paulwaldman.substack.com/p/they-think...

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— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman.bsky.social) June 12, 2026 at 8:34 AM

An anniversary to be remembered as justice was denied --

It’s National Secrets In The Mar-a-Lago Bathroom Day!

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— Virginia Scharff (@vscharff.bsky.social) June 13, 2026 at 9:16 AM

QOTD: Trump's Lifelong Egomaxxing

The opening paragraphs to an excellent article in Salon.com by Kirk Swearingen:

"As anyone paying even the slightest attention well knows, not one iota of evidence exists that the 2020 presidential election was 'rigged,' as Donald Trump endlessly insists.
"Trump’s lifelong egomaxxing — to make up for whatever he never received in childhood, beyond millions of dollars and a father’s admonishments to 'be a killer' — means he will never accept the possibility of losing any contest of any kind.
Art Davie, a roommate of Trump’s in military school and founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, recently told the Daily Beast that Donald imagined himself the best at everything even at the age of 16, and felt aggrieved if he thought he was being slighted in any way.
Things never change for those who never grow up.
Trump remains that overprivileged bully who embraces (and embodies, it seems) his grievances. He surrounds himself with lackeys who will only praise him, rather than offer actual advice, and is led only by those voices in the media who are 'nice' to him. (His media enemies list names only organizations that employ actual journalists.)
He even cheats at golf, determined to 'win' the game that most depends on personal integrity.
So, how could this man with one of the most fragile egos in history ever accept that, as an incumbent, he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden by more than 7 million votes? Rather than concede, he was prepared to burn down our democracy. It would mean no more to him than having his caddy toss one of his poorly struck balls onto the green." (our emphasis)

QOTD: Musk Becomes A Trillionaire At Your Expense

"IF YOU’RE READING THIS, you might be about to help make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

"If so, you’ll also be risking your retirement savings while simultaneously bailing out X and Cybertrucks.

"And to top it off: You have pretty much no say in the matter.

"That’s because Musk’s SpaceX is IPOing next week, and it’s getting special treatment that allows it to enter many of the major stock indices without meeting the usual requirements to do so. What that means is that if you hold an index fund—which you probably do, if you have a 401(k)—you may be forced to transfer some of your wealth to this money-losing rocket company and, by extension, its megalomaniacal CEO. And you won’t really be able to complain if he screws up...." -- Catherine Rampell, in "The Bulwark," starting off "Congrats. You’re About to Unwittingly Make Elon Musk a Trillionaire." She concludes:

"So to recap: You and I are going to be forced to buy SpaceX at what appears to be an inflated price; we have no recourse if Musk fail-whales; and our federal overseers are asleep at the switch."

Everything in between is more than a little horrifying and disgusting, and well worth the read.

Scotland's Skye Trail

Kraig Adams takes us on a 4-day silent hike along the stunning Skye trail in Scotland. Unusually bright weather and endless vistas seem like a good way to start any day, but especially today.

Friday, June 12, 2026

Pic Of The Day: The Cleansing

Today, workers erected scaffolding in front of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in order to remove the disgraced name of the Malignant Fascist from the exterior. This is to comply with Federal District Judge Christopher Cooper's order that all references to the MF be removed from the Kennedy Center, including letterhead, posters, tickets, etc., be removed today. Earlier today, he denied a last-minute motion by the MF-appointed Kennedy Center board to stay the ruling to remove the MF's name from the building.

Washington's NBC4 has a video of the work.