Skeets Of The Day

 

The Epstein-Trump files coverup / scrutiny round-up --

 

www.axios.com/2026/07/21/e...

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— Piyush Mittal (@piyushmittal.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 9:34 AM

 

Operation Epic Fail / mis-counting the dead --

 

The Pentagon removed the names of 4 servicemembers who died in Jordan from their official list of Iran war casualties. They explain that this is because "their deaths occurred after President Trump declared a cease-fire in the war in April." Free gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/u...

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— Aric Toler (@aric.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 6:17 PM

 

📌Deleting the names of 4 US troops from the war dead is one of the most despicable things the draft-dodging, America-attacking Trump has ever done. It also points to sheer panic in his regime as their unpopular war spirals out of control, threatening to bring down the GOP House and Senate in Nov.

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— D. Earl Stephens (@dearlstephens.bsky.social) July 24, 2026 at 8:36 AM

 

Trump's tariffs --

New: As renewed fighting with Iran sends oil and gas prices soaring once again, President Trump has imposed new global tariffs -- a series of shocks that could push up prices further at a moment when Americans are frustrated by the cost of living www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...

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— tony romm (@tonyromm.bsky.social) July 24, 2026 at 7:56 AM

 

Trump's endless health insurance con game --

Ten years later, sweaty and slurring, he's still promising a health care plan he's never delivered on. Instead, Americans got the highest health care costs ever and hospitals laying off staff or shutting down entirely. All thanks to Trump's health care sabotage & Medicaid cuts.

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— Senator Patty Murray (@murray.senate.gov) July 23, 2026 at 8:46 PM

 

New York Effing Times fail:  Trump "grieving"?! 😆😆 --

oh, come on — “Grieving”! As if he felt a thing for the guy except as a tool.

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— Philip Gourevitch (@pgourevitch.bsky.social) July 24, 2026 at 7:29 AM

 

The corrupt Trump Crime Family, Junior edition --

The main investment fund of Donald Trump Jr.'s firm generated returns of roughly 200% as of June 30, a person familiar with its performance tells Maureen Farrell. "People are paying for proximity to power." www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/b...

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— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 5:01 PM

 

Justice for a J6er --

Massachusetts has just permanently revoked January 6 insurrectionist Dr. Jacquelyn Starer's right to renew her medical license after Trump pardoned her. Starer was sentenced to prison for punching a police officer after storming the Capitol. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

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— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) July 24, 2026 at 9:06 AM

 

Republican values, pedophile edition, cont. -- 

It’s always the ones you most expect apple.news/ArxGzYjy2RMG...

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— The Volatile Mermaid (@ohnoshetwitnt.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 5:44 PM

 

Defeat this worse-than-useless career pol --

 

Nobody in the U.S. Senate is more responsible for the overturning of Roe v. Wade than Susan Collins. In November, we will defeat her.

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— Troy Jackson (@troyjackson207.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 5:53 PM

 

It never gets old --

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— D. Earl Stephens (@dearlstephens.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 8:41 PM

 

Can't find the book? (Happy Friday!) --

 

If you can’t find the book you’re looking for, you might be in the…

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— 𝔸𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝔻𝕒𝕨𝕟 (@amberdawn1116.bsky.social) July 24, 2026 at 8:37 AM

 

 

Weekend Music

 

A couple of weeks back, brother Hackwhacker featured a new song by pioneering Southern California band Social Distortion. Well, we liked that so much that we're going with another song from their long-delayed album, "Born to Kill," titled "Tonight."  Hope you enjoy.

Stenographers Dinner To Be Held Tonight

Tonight, the White House Stenographers Association will host the lying and historically corrupt Malignant Fascist for their annual dinner, which is a self-congratulatory event with corporate media bosses, and celebrities from the entertainment world.  In his year-and-a-half back in the White House, the MF has pursued the press through threats by his FCC, extortion of payments for alleged "bias" (ABC, CBS), and lately subpoenaing reporters for their story about the MF's "Bribe Force One" jet's security inadequacies.  From Tom Jones at journalism watchdog Poynter.50:

"Friday’s dinner won’t be the big, swanky affair the traditional dinner usually is, yet it still has a chance to devolve into a big embarrassment because of one man:

President Donald Trump.

Trump is expected to talk and, given his history, he’s likely to spend his time mocking and criticizing the press instead of offering a few polite jokes and celebrating the importance of the First Amendment and the role of the press in a free democracy. Care to bet that he’ll use phrases such as “fake news” and “lame-stream media” while whining about how mistreated he is?

Trump is not self-aware. He never shows an ounce of self-deprecation. He rarely even shows that he has a sense of humor. And he certainly seems incapable of playfully jabbing the press with a few harmless jokes. He’s more of a sledgehammer speaker, interested not in laughs but in insults." (our emphasis)

Some journalists are objecting to the spectacle of someone like the MF who despises a free press and engages in vindictiveness toward reporters and organizations critical of him. 

"Even before the first dinner back in April, a group of 500 retired and former journalists sent a letter to the WHCA, asking them to stand up to the Trump administration’s attacks on reporters and press freedoms.

Now, in a new letter, the group is renewing its call.

The updated letter says, 'Since that evening, the administration’s attacks on journalists and press freedom have become even more egregious. The President’s Department of Justice has subpoenaed journalists and their phone records. President Trump has threatened to revoke licenses of broadcasters who refuse to acquiesce to his demands.'”  (our emphasis)

Sadly for the First Amendment, the clown show will go on with the stenographers pretending everything is normal and that they don't fear an unstable, vindictive MF going after them and their employers.  They'll take it in the rear end from him with frozen smiles, because to them access is everything.  Everything.

 

Trump's New Tariffs And Bond Market Red Flags

 

The Very Stable Genius businessman (6 bankruptcies, including casinos, and multiple business failures) Malignant Fascist is seemingly bound and determined to drive the American economy further into the ditch:

New Trump tariffs

Dozens of America’s trading partners, from Europe to China to India, now face new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on goods shipped to the United States, according to the office of the US Trade Representative.

The tariffs, announced Thursday, went into effect Friday morning. Goods from the 60 affected trading partners make up 99.4% of US imports.

The timing coincides with the lapse of a 10% near-blanket duty President Donald Trump imposed earlier this year that was deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court.

“The president is not going to allow his trade policy and overall objectives to be undermined simply because one tool may be limited by a court or something else,” senior White House officials told reporters Thursday on a call previewing the actions.

The latest action follows a monthslong investigation by the US Trade Representative into the alleged use of forced labor to produce goods exported to the US and the failure by various countries to address the practice.

The European Union questioned the new tariff, with its foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas calling it a “negative surprise” and rejecting the forced labor claims as unfounded. Switzerland also opposed the allegations, while Norway said it does not plan to retaliate by imposing tariffs on American goods.

In a statement on Thursday, Brazil rejected the 12.5% ​​tariff on its goods and reiterated its call for reciprocity. And in a video on social media, Mexico’s economy minister said, “We do not see a change in the effective tariff Mexico is paying today.”

Australia, subject to a 12.5% tariff, also voiced opposition to the new tariffs. Trade Minister Don Farrell told reporters Friday that Washington’s move is “completely unjustified,” adding that Canberra would continue to lobby the US to remove all tariffs on Australian goods.

The new rates apply to imports from countries that supply nearly everything the United States buys from abroad. A variety of imports, including oil and gas, as well as products that can’t be sourced domestically, were granted exemptions, administration officials said... 

The ignorant and vengeful MF is bypassing the Republican Supreme Court's decision knocking down the broad tariff powers he claimed, by finding a convenient point of law (Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974) to further alienate our longtime trading partners while undercutting American exports and passing the costs along to consumers.  A trifecta.  Brilliant!

Bond market red flags

Rising oil prices, persistent inflation fears and shifting expectations for rate hikes are rattling the world's largest bond market, sending Treasury yields higher and pushing up borrowing costs for consumers.

The 10-year US Treasury yield on Thursday rose four basis points, to 4.71%, its highest level since January 2025. Prior to the war with Iran, which started in late February, the 10-year yield dipped below 4%.

Renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran have pushed up oil prices once again, with Brent crude surging 7% on Thursday to hit $100 per barrel.

The conflict has rocked the massive US Treasury market — with roughly $30 trillion in value — as investors weigh the impact of surging oil prices and the possibility that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates higher for longer, or even raise them, if inflationary pressures intensify. Bond yields rise when prices fall.

Markets are pricing in a 36% chance the Fed hikes rates at its policy meeting next week, according to CME FedWatch.

Investors are also demanding a higher yield on Treasuries to compensate for the risk of inflation eating into their return.

The US 10-year yield helps determine borrowing costs across the economy, including the 30-year mortgage rate. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.58% this week, the highest level in almost a year.  [snip]

US stocks closed lower Thursday as rising bond yields and a slide in shares of tech companies weighed on markets. The Dow fell 507 points, or almost 1%. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% and the Nasdaq Composite sank 2.15%... (our emphasis)

The MF, a "billionaire" who continues to claim "affordability" is a "hoax," is doing his best/ worst to spread the misery to both the average consumer / potential home-buyer, and to the big and small investor class.  His incompetence and that of his advisors is one of the greatest weapons we have against him, but unfortunately it comes at a great cost to the majority of Americans.

Today's Cartoons

 

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(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Clay Jones, claytoonz.substack.com; context here)

(Michael de Adder, Globe and Mail, Toronto, Canada)

(Jesse Duquette, @misterjesseduquette)

(Bob Eckstein, @theamericanbystander)

(Joe Heller, hellertoon,substack.com)

(R.J. Matson, CQ/ Roll Call)

(Jimmy Margulies, King Features)

(Chris Britt, Creators.com)

(Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News)

(Scott Stantis, The Chicago Tribune)

(Jeremy Nguyen, @now.voyager.mag)

Trump Losing Support For War Among MAGAts; Dems Surge In Congressional Ballot

 

MAGAts continue to sour on Moron Metternich's Operation Epic Fail:

Half of President Donald Trump's MAGA base thought the Iran war was worth its economic costs in May. Now, just a little more than a third do.

That precipitous, 13-point drop in just two months, according to a new POLITICO Poll, reveals how the president's most die-hard supporters are starting to agree with the majority of Americans who have long opposed the U.S.' involvement in the war.

Additionally, 37 percent of self-identified MAGA Trump voters say the U.S. should continue its involvement only if it doesn't increase costs, up from 29 percent who said the same in May, according to the survey, conducted by independent polling firm Public First. Nearly 1 in 5 MAGA voters believe that the U.S. should end its war in Iran, regardless of the costs.

That flagging support among the president's most loyal supporters is the clearest sign that Americans' patience is wearing thin as the economy continues to dominate as voters' top concern heading into a critical midterm cycle... (our emphasis)

There's also this, from the highly respected Emerson College Poll on the generic Congressional ballot:

 

Eleven points.  Even with the built-in Republican gerrymandering advantage, might be a spread that even Moron Metternich the Malignant Fascist would have a hard time selling this mid-term as a "stolen election," not that he and his cultists won't try his damnedest.

The usual caveats apply, mostly that the only poll that counts is the one on Election Day.

Skeets Of The Day

 

Operation Epic Fail: destroyed redefined,  oil prices up, Houthi hoohah--

“.. the country maintains an ability to inflict damage on precise targets, despite the Trump administration’s repeated claims that Iran’s military capabilities have been diminished or destroyed.” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/w...

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— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 5:49 AM

 

captures the essence. based on the means he's willing to use, Trump lost this conflict in early March. He's just been putting off accepting that. the things he would have to do to change that equation he has shown zero willingness to do.

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— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 9:33 AM

 

BREAKING: NEW YORK (AP) - International benchmark oil prices cross $100 a barrel again as violence escalates in the Middle East.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 9:30 AM

Under Trump/Hegseth, the US already went to war with the Houthis in Yemen. Started Mar 2025 with White House fanfare. Spent valuable munitions, lost a few jets, killed some people, failed to stop Houthi fire at ships in the Red Sea, lied about it, leaked plans on Signal, blustered more, then quit.

— Nicholas Grossman (@nicholasgrossman.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 6:36 AM

 

A second Trump-Epstein files bill introduced in the House as Blanche stonewalls --

 

Khanna: Katie Phang brought a lawsuit under the original Epstein transparency act, and the judge has ruled that Todd Blanche needs to release the remaining files. And he has been in defiance of already a federal judge's order

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— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 9:32 PM

 

Also, to expand the Supreme Court, abolish ICE, etc. -- 

This should be a lightbulb moment for Democrats: You are free to run on this platform because Republicans are going to accuse you of it whether you do or not!

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— Brandon Friedman (@brandonfriedman.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 7:57 PM

Abolish ICE. Dismantle DHS. ICE’s funding needs to be canceled. The employees fired. Investigations conducted. Trials, where appropriate, held. DHS needs to be broken up and the useful functionality moved to other departments. Return it to pre-2001 organizational structure.

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— Jim Teeth (@drjamesjteeth.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 5:42 AM

 

Some ominous polls for the corrupt and demented Malignant Fascist. Sad! --

 

A new Fox News poll has Dems up 53/46 on the generic ballot. Says Fox: “Notably, 53% is the highest percentage either party has received on the generic House ballot in Fox News polling since 1996.” www.foxnews.com/politics/fox...

— Taniel (@taniel.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 6:37 PM

 

Democrats have the enthusiasm advantage. We are sick of the Trump/Republican nightmare. Turns out “I’ll vote for Trump” and “I’ll vote in the midterms” aren’t the same thing. Fox News poll

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— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) July 23, 2026 at 8:54 AM

 

The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, the Malignant Fascist, and Ferris Bueller. Prepare for a Depression -- 

The irony of Trump saying multiple times he doesn't want to be Hoover but then using the Smoot-Hawley Act to enact ridiculous tariffs. 😆😆

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— Lynne (@lynne-sails.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 8:51 AM

It's a cult. A deeply sick, dangerous one --

 

There is "I'm going to pretend an incompetent buffoon is accomplishing imaginary things to help me" kind of being in a stupid cult—and then there is "I don't mind if a notorious pedophile sexually abuses my own children" kind of being in an extremely dangerous cult. Sheesh.

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— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) July 23, 2026 at 11:21 AM

 The MF's continued corrupt, retribution campaign hits Medicaid --

Let me get this straight... Trump is blocking $1B in Medicaid payments to blue states over spurious accusations of mass fraud. Meanwhile, he's literally pardoned over 70 convicted fraudsters — including a nursing home owner who stole over $1.3B from Medicare and Medicaid. Hello?

— Robert Reich (@rbreich.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 5:15 PM

"I'm angling for a larger cubicle....." --

 

Please, step into my office.

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— Cats with Jobs ⚒️ (@catworkers.bsky.social) July 17, 2026 at 10:31 PM

 

Trump's Sketchy Nuke Deal With Corrupt Saudis

 

It appears that the lucrative "business" links between the corrupt and felonious Malignant Fascist and his counterpart Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin "Bone Saw" Salman are coming to fruition. Yesterday, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia announced a deal to permit Saudi Arabia to enrich nuclear fuel by itself, an act that could result in a race in the region to develop enrichment capabilities.  The New Republic reports:

"The Trump administration on Wednesday signed a nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that, per The New York Times, 'could lead to the country enriching its own fuel for nuclear reactors' and is estimated to 'provide billions of dollars for the U.S. nuclear industry.' This news took much of Washington by surprise, given the rift between the two countries over the U.S. war against Iran. Nuclear experts have long been expecting such a deal, but President Trump’s reported concessions to Saudi Arabia raise legitimate concerns and unless addressed could lead to a Middle East filled with nuclear weapons programs. This would undermine decades of U.S. work to prevent the spread of the most destructive weapons humanity has ever created."

The U.S. has agreements with 26 nations including Japan and the European Union for selling nuclear reactors and low enriched uranium that can't be used in weapons, as provided under Article 123 of the Atomic Energy Act.  This deal with the Saudis is different:

"Almost all of the deals omit permission for states to pursue uranium enrichment or plutonium reprocessing—thus reducing global risk, as highly enriched uranium and separated plutonium can both be used to produce nuclear weapons. Japan and the European Union, with their strong legal systems and acceptance of the most stringent inspection obligations conducted by the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, are the only two 123 deals that allow significant enrichment or reprocessing of U.S. materials.

Saudi Arabia is not Japan or the EU, and its agreement with the U.S. sounds a lot different from the standard 123 deal. This raises concerns that Saudi Arabia is using its close financial ties to the Trump family to manipulate U.S. cooperation to pursue a nuclear weapon option, especially if Iran continues to be a nuclear threshold state.

Of greatest concern is a provision that could open the door to Saudi Arabia having a uranium enrichment facility." (our emphasis)

The MF's loosened requirements on the Saudis are detailed further in the article, and represent a threat of proliferation.  It's something the MF won't let stand in the way of more payoffs to his interests from the Saudi regime and big profits for the U.S. nuclear industry.

 

Houthis Close Key Strait To Saudis

 

Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen reportedly struck two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea earlier today, as they attempt to close off the Bab el-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea to Saudi shipping.  From the Associated Press:

"The Houthis’ SABA news agency said the rebels had struck two tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea, leading to fires on both. That would be their first reported attack on a vessel since they announced a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this week in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

Bab el-Mandeb, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world’s trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, passes through there, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt’s Suez Canal.

A senior Houthi official said the blockade on Saudi-linked shipping would remain in effect until a years-old Saudi blockade against the Houthis is lifted. The official gave no details of the attack and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media." (our emphasis)

The Houthis have been the target of airstrikes by Israeli and U.S. in the past over their assaults on shipping in the Red Sea near the vital Strait.  This blockade is targeted at the Saudis, who have backed the government in Yemen for years and provided military support to them.  With the closure of the Strait of Hormuz forcing higher oil and gas prices, the Houthi action puts additional pressure on the reckless regime of the Malignant Fascist and his corrupt friend Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin "Bone Saw" Salman, not to mention world oil prices already rising due to the MF's war on Iran.

 

Trump's Lackey Jim Jordan Wants Jack Smith Prosecuted

 

This is the convicted felon Malignant Fascist's world, where "truth," "justice," and "weaponization" have no meaning, except to serve his demented, lawless purposes:

Here's the story:

President Donald Trump exposed his own revenge plot against the man who tried to prosecute him twice.

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, wrote to the Department of Justice on Wednesday night to ask it to consider criminally charging former Special Counsel Jack Smith for allegedly misleading Congress.

Trump, who has called for Smith to be jailed, applauded Jordan’s letter in a 5:31 a.m. Truth Social post on Thursday. “Justice at last???” the president wrote, attaching an article by pro-Trump outlet Just the News headlined, “House panel accuses Jack Smith of lying to Congress, urges DOJ to prosecute.”

Jordan’s letter landed on the desk of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the president’s former personal defense attorney. Blanche stepped up to run the DOJ in April after Trump fired Pam Bondi in a tantrum over her failure to successfully prosecute his political enemies and has now been nominated to replace her.

A DOJ spokesperson told CNN it would “investigate all evidence of criminal conduct.” The network notes that members of Congress quite routinely fire off requests like this, and that the department is ordinarily free to can them if it sees fit. 

Smith led two investigations into Trump under the Joe Biden administration. One probed Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and the other his alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Neither made it to trial. A judge threw out the documents case in July 2024, ruling Smith had never been lawfully appointed in the first place. Smith himself dropped both cases after Trump won that November, citing the department’s own rule against prosecuting a sitting president.

Trump, who was convicted of falsifying business records in a separate case, has long demanded jail time for Smith. Jordan now says in his letter that the former special counsel misled the House Judiciary Committee at a closed-door session in December, before Smith testified in public in January. The department handed the committee a stack of documents on July 14 showing Smith’s team had gotten hold of text messages involving members of Congress.

Jordan’s Wednesday letter doesn’t accuse Smith of saying anything untrue. It accuses him of giving “half truths” by not explaining where those texts came from—a move Republicans have been building toward for months.  [snip]

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the committee’s top Democrat, savaged Jordan for going after Smith over the texts. “The Republicans fault Mr. Smith for not reading the minds of congressional investigators and for not volunteering information they didn’t ask for,” he added. “This is absurd. Mr. Smith may be telegenic but he’s not telepathic.”

An X account for House Judiciary Democrats posted his statement with a rebuke of its own. “Republicans just sent a laughably weak and vindictive criminal referral of Jack Smith, the former Special Counsel who prosecuted Trump’s crimes, to the DOJ,” it wrote.

Xochitl Hinojosa, a Democratic strategist and former Justice Department spokesperson now at CNN, said Jordan was doing the president’s bidding. “Trump called for Jack Smith’s prosecution, so DOJ spent 20 months trying to find ANYTHING on Jack and failed,” she wrote. “Now we’re seeing a desperate attempt to try to prosecute this longtime career prosecutor for following the facts and the law.”

Trump has gone after other officials who investigated him, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both were charged—and both cases collapsed. 

Attorneys for Smith have hit back in a letter to Jordan and Blanche, calling his answers “unimpeachably truthful” and the referral “spurious.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House, the DOJ, and Smith’s lawyers for comment on this story.  (our emphasis)

What a disgraceful, but completely in character, display of subservience by Jim "Gym" Jordan, whose own moral failures should have made him ineligible for office.  So far, the mentally and morally hollow Malignant Fascist has had little success in his revenge and retribution harassment tour, but the damage to the innocent individuals involved, who were just doing their jobs, is what should anger any person who loves what this country should stand for.

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)

(Rick McKee, caglecartoons.com)

(Chris Britt, Creators.com)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Christopher Weyant, Boston Globe)

(Gary Markstein, Creators.com)

(Kevin Kallaugher, kaltoons.substack.com)

(Paul Duginski, caglecartoons.com)

(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)

(Dave Whamond, caglecartoons.com, Canada)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Brendan Loper, The New Yorker)

QOTD -- Defining How The Government Should Spend Tax Dollars

 

"... The second Trump administration is forcing the American people to define how they think the United States government should spend their tax dollars.

"Today Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced a proposal to expand Medicaid to all American children from birth to age 26. Kim noted that about 4.4 million children in the U.S. don’t have health insurance and 23 million are underinsured. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will make things worse.

"Joseph Choi of The Hill reported that Democratic senators Alex Padilla of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Tammy Duckworth of Illinois are co-sponsoring the bill. The legislation proposing 'MediKids' has been endorsed by a range of organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“'Every child should have health care,' Kim said in a video. ''very child should have the ability to go to a doctor when they’re sick. Every child deserves to be healthy.' MediKids 'would automatically enroll every child in health care coverage at birth. Because the system we have right now isn’t working. Because healthy kids make healthy adults, and that makes for a healthier, stronger future for our country. Because, as a parent, you deserve to be able to provide care for your kids without worrying about going into debt, emptying your savings, or straining the family budget. And because…we all have a responsibility to care for each other.'”  -- Heather Cox Richardson, in her "Letters from an American" Substack, as part of her contrasting the Malignant Fascist's policies of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program cuts, withholding billions of Medicaid dollars from California and Minnesota, degradation and dismantling of our National Park System, and requesting $67 billion in addition to the low-balled $37.5 billion already spent on Operation Epic Fail.  This is the choice, as John Pavlovitz put it, between a party that defaults to cruelty versus one that defaults to compassion. 

 

Skeets Of The Day

 

The Epstein-Trump files coverup / Susan "Concerned" Collins' checks --

 

Financial disclosures show that Susan Collins was taking checks from some of the men named in Epstein Files.

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— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) July 21, 2026 at 5:04 PM

 

Operation Epic Fail /  Law of Armed Combat violations / but things are going great! --

Some LOAC issues raised by Trump’s latest version of this threat: —threat of indiscriminate attacks (not against specific military objectives) —threat of attacks against civilian objects (not all those targets will be military obj) —threat of violence intended to terrorize civilian population

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— Brian Finucane (@bcfinucane.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 9:05 AM

Things are going great!

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— Aaron Reichlin-Melnick (@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 9:49 AM

 

Can't get numb to this: The United States is stuck in a war it started, cannot end, and may further escalate to no avail, having dismantled its diplomatic apparatus, depleted its military stockpile, and destroyed its credibility. A historic strategic mistake harming millions in many different ways.

— Elizabeth N. Saunders (@profsaunders.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 9:57 AM

 

Bone Saw gets his nuclear deal; "nukes for you, and you, and you..." --

lol hi Bibi

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— Helen Kennedy (@helenkennedy.com) July 21, 2026 at 9:51 PM

 

Remember this from Trump’s first campaign? “Saudi Arabia, I get along with all of them. They buy apartments from me. They spend $40 million, $50 million. Am I supposed to dislike them? I like them very much.” Wonder how much they spent for this?

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— Robert Maguire (@robertmaguire.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 10:58 PM

 

... and oil states' ownership of proposed Paramount/ Warner merged company --

An under-the-radar part of the Paramount/Warner Bros merger is that the merged company would be 49.5% owned by the sovereign wealth funds of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Qatar. Somehow this hasn't raised the ire of those who most fear Sharia law. prospect.org/2026/07/21/a...

— David Dayen (@ddayen.bsky.social) July 21, 2026 at 6:00 PM

 

Has anyone checked Trump's pockets? --

“Where is the money? There is no transparency and the US government does not inform us.” From @financialtimes.com, on Venezuela giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

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— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu) July 22, 2026 at 9:50 AM

 

Election-denying MAGAt Republicans win Arizona primary, boosting Dems chances --

Oh brother .. The candidates who won the Arizona GOP primaries yesterday are a MAGA election denying nightmare 👇 www.politico.com/news/2026/07...

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— Mona Burns (@monaburns.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 7:03 AM

 

Trump's economy --

 

This morning Brent crude oil prices surge above $95/barrel

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— Scott Horton (@robertscotthorton.bsky.social) July 22, 2026 at 9:31 AM

 

Trump claimed his tariffs would bring about a golden age of American manufacturing. Yet since his re-election, we've lost 75,000 manufacturing jobs. Over the same time period, Biden had created 625,000.

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— Steve Rattner (@steverattner.bsky.social) July 20, 2026 at 10:18 AM

 

Trump's "Freedom Fuel" grifters --

The Freedom Fuel stations were put together by a pair of serial grifters who stole $667,000 worth of gas from a distributor five years ago, a private credit sponsor, and an energy trader tied up in multiple Trump schemes and profiting heavily off the war in Iran. prospect.org/2026/07/20/k...

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— David Dayen (@ddayen.bsky.social) July 20, 2026 at 9:43 AM

 

Your tech overlords deliver, again -- 

Quick thinking having a tablecloth handy. I didn’t even notice the twitching from that dead robot.

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— Rav (@rvbdrm.com) July 21, 2026 at 11:38 PM

 

 

Mid-Week Song

 

Indie rock group Death Cab for Cutie has produced several platinum-selling albums over a 30 year span.  Their Grammy-nominated album "Plans" from 2005 cemented their status.  Their new album, "I Built You A Tower," was released last month, and a track from that album "Trap Door," featuring lead singer Ben Gibbard, is our song today.

Judge: BBC Can See Trump Financials In Lawsuit

 

Earlier this year, the lawsuit-happy con man and convicted felon the Malignant Loser sued the venerable British Broadcasting Corporation, falsely claiming that in a broadcast the network edited his infamous speech to his violent mob on January 6, 2021, to suggest that he called for violence ("if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore").  Yesterday a Federal judge in Florida ruled that, because the lying MF claimed the BBC broadcast injured his reputation, his financial and business records must be provided to the BBC in the discovery process.  From Politico:

"U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett concluded that Trump’s sweeping complaint put injury to his businesses at the forefront and made their vitality a fair subject for the BBC to demand information about.

'All of President Trump’s brand, properties and businesses are impugned or said to have been impugned. Reputational, economic damages, all of that is now at issue in this case,' Lett said at the conclusion of a three-hour hearing.

Her decision opened the door for the BBC to explore the finances of more than 400 companies owned by a Trump family trust, but Trump can appeal the ruling to U.S. District Court Judge Roy Altman, a Trump appointee."  (our emphasis)

You can bet that the moronic MF will do everything he can to avoid releasing any of his financial and business records, just about as fiercely as he's blocked the release of the remaining Trump-Epstein files to shield his perverse relationship with the pedophile.

As in many of his frivolous lawsuits intended to intimidate, misdirect and gaslight, the MF has shot himself in the foot with his false claims.  This legal boomerang, if it gets past an MF-appointed judge, is a classic: handing financial information on himself to one of the world's greatest media companies.  

(photo: Trump bellowing on January 6, inciting riot. Evan Vucci / AP File)