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(Matt Wuerker, Politico)
(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)
(Dennis Goris, @dennisgoris)
(Jeff Stahler, gocomic.com)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Steve Breen, Creators.com)
(Arend van Dam, caglecartoons.com, Netherlands)
(Morten Morland, The Times, UK)
(Ann Telnaes, anntelnaes.substack.com)
(Randy Bish, @bishtoon)
(Alex Fraga, The New Yorker)
Once upon a time, the U.S. had diplomats that could deal with Russian thug and war criminal Vladimir Putin in a tough, firm way. Today, we have an amateur diplomat, a real estate developer who profited from infusions of Russian oligarch money to build his real estate business in New York City: Steve Witkoff. Placing him as a negotiator between his friends / benefactors in Moscow, which he has visited multiple times, and Kiev, which he has just visited for the first time, is a sham and disgrace. From HuffPost:
"According to readout shared on the Kremlin website, Putin welcomed the delegation by acknowledging the situation they have to sort out is a 'difficult one'.
He then began flattering the US team, saying: 'And here, of course, the quality of mediation and trust in those who are engaged in it are very important.'
'I’d like to tell you that we find it comfortable to work with you, and, of course, we have a very high level of trust during this work.'
Witkoff replied: 'So, first of all, President Putin, thank you so much for having us.
“We were sitting outside just now, me, Jared and Kirill, and then Yury joined us, and we were all talking about when we retire, we’ll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories, and yours will be right at the top of it all.”
Special envoy Kirill Dmitriev and adviser Yuri Ushakov are two senior figures very close to Putin." (our emphasis)
Dmitriev, it should be noted, is the head of Russia's foreign investment fund, which has provided Witkoff with investment funds for his real estate business for years. The bungling Witkoff's lead role in these "negotiations" is the clearest conflict of interest, and it's not lost on Ukraine that he's sympathetic to the Russian Federation. Russian stooge Witkoff was also caught coaching Putin's staff on how to derail Ukraine's quest for Tomahawk missiles, a despicable betrayal of a democracy fighting against a ruthless invader.
When Dems control the hearing and subpoena process in Congress, Witkoff is one of the first people that should be in the witness chairs for the Foreign Affairs and the Intelligence Committees to answer for his pro-Russian advocacy, his corrupt financial conflicts, and the monetizing of our foreign policy under the treasonous Malignant Fascist. Then do Jared "Mr. Ivanka Trump" Kushner.
(photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
"... We’ve learned from the unsuccessful attempts to hold Trump responsible for January 6 and from the unwillingness of the federal government to prosecute ICE agents that our existing judicial branch simply is not cut out to deal with that level of lawlessness. We need something dedicated explicitly, and only, to these efforts.
"Truth and reconciliation also requires a commitment to institutional reforms and reparations. Whoever is in power on the other side of the Trump era can’t go back to business as usual, can’t leave something like ICE fully intact and hope that moderate reforms do the trick and get rid of the bad apples. The whole structure is rotten to the core.
"Reparations will be necessary as well.
Immigrant communities have been shattered. People have been deported, in
violation of court orders, to countries they never lived in and have no
connection to. The economic impact
on Minneapolis, the epicenter of Metro Surge, ran into the hundreds of
millions of dollars. Communities can’t simply pick themselves up by
their bootstraps and move on. Money has to be redistributed from the
bribe-fueled, corrupt government that Trump built, and given back to its
victims..." -- Lisa Needham, in the "Public Notice" Substack, on "Justice for ICE’s victims requires truth and reconciliation." ICE's deportation depredations have continued at warp speed with a lower profile but with just as much un-American thuggery as when they descended on major cities, Minneapolis being the epicenter early this year with the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. We're long past the "reform" stage and are in the "uproot the rotten organization and hold the guilty accountable" stage.
"What after all, has maintained the human race on this old globe despite all the calamities of nature and all the tragic failings of mankind, if not faith in new possibilities, and courage to advocate them." -- Jane Addams (9/6/1860 - 5/21/1935), co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union, and first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (1931), from Peace and Bread in Time of War (1922), Chapter 7 : Personal Reactions During War. Addams was a social worker, philosopher, author, and an early advocate for women's suffrage. She co-founded Hull House in Chicago, which provided a range of social services to poor and mostly immigrant families.
(photo: Getty Images)
We're 58 days until the mid-term elections (early voting notwithstanding), and things aren't shaping up too well for the cult/ party of the Malignant Fascist (our emphasis):
A growing number of Americans now identify as Democrats, a shift that presents fresh political headwinds for President Donald Trump and the Republican party ahead of the November midterms, according to a new poll.
The latest Gallup data shows 31 percent of U.S. adults identified as Democrats in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 25 percent who identify as Republicans.
That six-point advantage is the largest Democratic lead in party identification in more than a decade.
The findings add to recent signs of political trouble for Trump, whose approval ratings remain near historic lows. His tariffs, a central pillar of his economic policy, are broadly unpopular and were recently limited by the Supreme Court. The war with Iran, one of the major initiatives of his second term, has continued for months with no clear end in sight; multiple polls show most Americans oppose the conflict.
With polling trends moving against them, some Republican lawmakers and strategists have warned about a potential shellacking in the midterms, which historically see the president’s party lose seats in Congress.
In the Gallup survey, Democrats’ advantage widened further when independents — who accounted for 44 percent of respondents — were asked which major party they leaned toward.
Forty-nine percent of respondents identified as Democrats or leaned Democratic, compared with 39 percent who identified as or leaned Republican, a 10-point gap and the largest since 2008.
A year ago, by comparison, the margin was far narrower: 46 percent identified or leaned Democratic, versus 43 percent for Republicans.
But wait! The Malignant Fascist is coming to the rescue! Please proceed!
With the midterm elections — which will decide control of the House and Senate — now fast approaching, Trump has signaled he will campaign nationwide for Republicans.
He has largely framed the vote as a referendum on himself. “Pretend I’m on the ballot,” he told Fox News in August. This month, he is also set to host the first-ever GOP midterm convention.
Some Republican lawmakers, however, have indicated they do not want the commander in chief campaigning alongside them. “We've told them he cannot come,” a senior Republican working on a competitive House race told Politico this week. "Candidly, he would not be helpful here."
We have more work to do to make sure the polls and predictions underestimate the size of the Democratic victory in November. We don't think this is one election Democrats will, or can afford to, take for granted.
ICYMI, an exemplary and fitting piece of trolling (our emphasis):
A website that tops search results for the Republican Party's first midterm convention sends visitors to the Justice Department's files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The redirect was first reported Friday by journalist Jake Lahut, who wrote in his newsletter, Straight from the Hut, that the top Google result for the Sept. 9-10 gathering in Dallas kept sending users to the Epstein page. [snip]
And although the RNC convention website did not appear on the first page of Google's results, the troll domain was the very first result, presenting itself as the genuine article and carrying the title "RNC Midterm Convention | Dallas, TX Sept 9-10."
Visitors who click through reach a Justice Department page headed "Epstein Library," which asks whether they are 18 or older before showing anything else. The page carries a notice that officials redacted personal information about victims, the Western Journal reported. [snip]
The search-result trouble arrives days before a convention that Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters has branded "Trump-a-palooza," according to the Washington Examiner.
A Politico survey of more than 70 Republican candidates and members found that most either do not plan to attend [Ed.: Ouch!] or remain undecided, with dozens more declining to say. Forty-five cited prior commitments such as fundraisers, weddings and college tours. Reps. Zach Nunn (R-IA), Nick LaLota (R-NY) and Tom Barrett (R-MI) have said they will not attend, Politico reported. [snip]
House members are being asked to pay at least $25,000 to attend [Ed.: Ouch, again!] , an amount that covers two tickets and a single hotel room, according to a registration guide obtained by Politico.
As for those pesky Epstein-Trump files?
About 3.5 million pages of Epstein records released by the Justice Department will be printed and displayed in binders from Sept. 8 to 12 at a Dallas pop-up, The Dallas Morning News reported. Organizers call it The Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial Reading Room.
A taco truck converted into a bookmobile and wrapped in a photograph of Trump and Epstein together will circle the city on Sept. 10, the convention's second day, carrying a micro-printed set of the same documents, according to the newspaper...
Here's that truck:
The Malignant Fascist and his party/cult will never outrun the stench or wash out the stain of their intimate connection with, and coverup of, the largest child sex trafficking ring in history.
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(John Buss, @repeat1968; context here)
(Nick Anderson, Raw Story)
(Mike Smith, Las Vegas Sun)
(Paresh Nath, caglecartoons.com, India)
(Milt Priggee, caglecartoons.com)
(Monte Wolverton, caglecartoons.com)
(Theo Moudakis, Toronto Star, Canada)
(R.J. Matson, CQ/Roll Call)
(David Rowe, Financial Review, Australia)
(Dave Granlund, politicalcartoons.com)
(Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator, Canada)
(Dave Ostow, @airmailweekly)
Operation Epic Quagmire: Iran "more confident" --
“.. In the coming weeks, Iran could take actions akin to what it did in July, according to U.S. officials. At that time, Iran attacked American military bases in the Middle East, killing three Americans in Jordan ..” @nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/u...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 8:13 AM
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The Trump-Epstein files coverup: petition gains support in House --
Epstein Files Discharge Petition Reaches 106 Signatures 27 additional Democrats join effort to hold pedophiles accountable. meidasnews.com/news/epstein...
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 5:54 PM
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The mid-terms need to be a massive Dem victory, leaving no doubts --
A dire warning from Ty Cobb: “After the election, Cobb warns Trump will seize voting machines, file countless lawsuits and then order the House GOP to contest the results to not seat Democrats who win.” Via @deanobeidallah.bsky.social deanobeidallah.substack.com/p/trump-lawy...
— Susan McPherson (@susanmcp.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 10:22 AM
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The Malignant Fascist is a moron doing damage to our country, part infinity --
Trump has no idea how trade works. He has made comments like this for years. He thinks the U.S. government loses money when American companies import more goods than they export. In some cases the American companies are importing parts ore raw materials.
— Decoding Fox News (@decodingfoxnews.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 7:38 PM
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President Business Genius
— Kevin M. Kruse (@kevinmkruse.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 3:04 PM
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He's right. We should stop importing $328 million in toilet paper from Canada and just walk around with shit stuck to us.
— Max Kennerly (@maxkennerly.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 3:47 PM
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Whiskey Pete Hegseth, colossal failure and fuck up --
"Iran has imposed a strategic defeat on America without a single Iranian soldier firing a rifle. Hegseth obsessing over soldiers’ physical fitness in 2026 is like a European general fixating on his troops’ horsemanship in 1940."
— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) September 5, 2026 at 8:02 AM
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More shitshow from Bobby Brainworm's HHS --
Moving on from infant mortality to boner meds
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 8:44 AM
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Her constant lying cost Fox dearly, but she'd fit right in as Trump's press secretary --
She was one of the loudest election deniers at Fox News and those lies cost the network nearly a billion dollars in the Dominion case. The Smartmatic lawsuit is still in play and could cost another billion. Imagine being so insane that you cost your employer 2 billion dollars. Splendid work, Maria!🤡
— Sanho Tree (@sanho.bsky.social) September 5, 2026 at 9:15 AM
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Krysten Sinema's affair with married bodyguard about to bite her butt --
A judge has ruled that former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema can be sued under North Carolina's homewrecker law.
— The Associated Press (@apnews.com) September 4, 2026 at 9:30 PM
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See any recent parallels? --
Interesting side of Hitler I was unaware of "Arguably Adolf Hitler’s greatest passion and pastime outside of his quest for world domination was his obsession with architecture and urban design." Here he is with a model of the 330-foot high triumphal arch he wanted. hitler-pics.com/2023/05/06/h...
— Helen Kennedy (@helenkennedy.com) September 4, 2026 at 2:07 PM
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Confused with Confucius --
— John Fugelsang (@johnfugelsang.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 12:47 PM
The Very Stable Genius Unstable Moron Malignant Fascist must be so confident that his Republican Supreme Court, "his generals," paramilitary thugs, and security forces can keep his fascist regime afloat that he's "Hoover-maxxing" the mid-term elections (referring, of course, to the poster boy for political drubbings, Herbert Hoover). That involves maybe giving him a little too much credit for critical thinking. The other school of thought is, well, he's a sociopathic, narcissistic moron.
G. Elliott Morris looks at the disconnect between the MF's priorities and what voters want, and concludes the MF's "doing everything you’d expect from someone who wants to lose an election:"
In the past two weeks, several high-profile events have shown voters that President Donald Trump is not focused on their top issues — inflation, jobs, and elections/democracy. On August 31, 2026, Trump won the Supreme Court’s permission (for now) to keep building his 400-600 million-dollar ballroom. In July, he announced new tariffs on Canada, and, on Aug. 27, ordered Lake Ontario be renamed “Lake America.” And this week he told Americans in communities wary of data centers to “Let Data Reign,” while pushing new development of AI data centers and gas power plants onto federal land.
This is not what voters want the president to be focused on. And this mismatch in priorities has been showing up in the polls for months. [snip]
Where else to begin but by noting the absolutely insane politics of building a giant marble ballroom with money from taxpayers and your billionaire friends while people are struggling to put food on the table. If any other president had tried this — in an election year, no less — he would have been sidelined by his own party’s congressional leaders the next day.
Back in May, our Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll found that 68% of voters opposed spending taxpayer money to build Trump’s ballroom. This included a plurality of Republicans, at 44% opposed to 42% in support of funding construction.
And our August poll shows the cost that focusing on projects like this has had for Americans’ evaluation of the president. Nearly 60% of adults now name prices/inflation as one of their top-three issues facing the country today, 20 points higher than the second issue “jobs and the economy.” And the president’s net approval on prices is at an all-time low, and approaching a net rating of -50.
Generally, the more important voters say an issue is right now, the more voters dislike how the president is handling it. The issues Trump and Republicans are strongest on, border security and crime, are rated as the most important problem by the fewest voters. [snip]
... [Y]ou do not need a political science research paper to understand that a president spending all his time on things voters don’t care about — indeed, spending a lot of time and energy on policies that exacerbate their top problems — would be bad. If you're hungry, and your parents don’t feed you, you understandably get upset at your parents.
It is thus not surprising (but still worth emphasizing) that Trump has lost support not only with the average American, but also his own voters, because he has been focused on the wrong issues. An August Navigator Research poll found 20% of 2024 Trump voters now regret their vote, with the war with Iran (45%) and prices (43%) at the top of the list of reasons and healthcare cuts close behind (38%). More than a third of Trump vote regretters said they changed their mind on him because the president was “focusing on the wrong priorities like the White House ballroom.”...
The MF has said he wants his voters to "pretend I'm on the ballot." We only wish he was literally on the ballot, but Democrats should be happy to tie their Republican opponents to the MF as tightly as possible anyway, regardless of how much they try to weasel away from their cult leader. So, as has been said before, "Please proceed."
Our belief is that the bigger the blue wave this November in every State, the harder it will be for the MF and his rotted out party/ cult to cry "rigged election!", not that they won't anyway. But, going against the electoral mandate of tens of millions of Americans across blue states, red states, and purple states will trigger an existential crisis that will make January 6 pale in comparison. Except this time, it won't be MAGAts storming the Capitol.
(Image: Trump and Hoover ("Hmm, that loser looks familiar") / via WSJ)
ProPublica is reporting that corrupt MAGAt Republican candidate for the Senate in Texas Ken Paxton seems to have violated Federal Ethics Law in his financial disclosures:
"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears to have violated federal ethics law in significant ways when filing recent disclosures of his assets and liabilities, creating confusion about his net worth and holdings, a review by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found.
Among them: Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, reported owning seven homes but said he earned no income from any. Yet all but one was listed for rent during the reporting periods, and some current residents and neighbors at those addresses confirmed that the properties were rented, the news organizations found. Receiving income and not reporting it is a violation of federal disclosure law, three ethics experts said.
Additionally, Paxton did not disclose mortgages for three condos at a Utah golf resort that federal law requires him to list as liabilities if they are not personal residences.
He also valued his stake in a vacant plot of Texas land at up to $50,000 on last year’s filing, but his business partner told the newsrooms Paxton’s share for years has been worth about $1 million. Federal financial disclosure law requires property to be listed at fair market value." (our emphasis)
Add this to the list of illegal and unethical things Paxton has done, for which he was indicted (state securities fraud) and impeached by his fellow Republican state lawmakers. He even stole a $1,000 pen from a security checkpoint.
Neo-Nazi loon Elon Musk is pouring money into Paxton's campaign against Dem star James Talarico. Help level the playing field by supporting the Talarico campaign.
(photo: AP Photo/Nick Wagner)
Harmen Hoek takes us on a silent hike through jungles and up the tallest volcanoes in Ecuador. He previews:
In November 2025, I traveled to Ecuador to climb the three tallest volcanoes in the country together with Mountain Beat Adventures - Cayambe, Cotopaxi, and Chimborazo. Cayambe is the highest point on the equator, while Chimborazo is the point on Earth furthest from the planet’s center. After the climbs, I continued exploring Ecuador to experience more of the country’s incredible variety. From the crater lake of Laguna Quilotoa and the waterfalls of Baños, to climbing Tungurahua by myself and visiting the Amazon jungle near Tena and the Rio Napo. This film combines all of those experiences into one journey through some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes Ecuador has to offer.
Stunning scenery as usual, with the great variety of Ecuador's landscapes on display (paid promotions included).
“A lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict
because it’s small potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing. We did Venezuela and we did this. In Venezuela we lost nobody. In this
we lost 18 people and in Vietnam we lost 100,000 [Ed. - no, 58,148, Cadet Bone Spurs] people and in other
conflicts you lost tens of thousands of people.” -- the Malignant Fascist, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office today. Tell that to the families of the 18 servicemembers killed, and the approximately 794 wounded in the "small potatoes" war with Iran to date, you narcissisic sociopath.
Is it also "small potatoes" that you've driven the price of oil to record levels, spiked inflation, allowed our country to suffer humiliation at the hands of Iran, alienated our allies and altered the balance of power in the Middle East, degraded our weapons stockpile, and caused servicemenbers to endure dangerously long tours of duty -- all to pursue your insane war of choice with no strategy or exit plan?
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(Jack Ohman, Tribune Content Agency)
(Joey Weatherford, Tribune Content Agency)
(Michael Ramirez, Las Vegas Review-Journal)
(Mike Konopacki, The Capital Times, Madison, WI)
(Paresh Nath, caglecartoons.com, India)
(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Ruben Bolling, gocomics.com)
(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette; context here)
(Tom Toro, @yaleclimateconnections)
Using AI to mock the megalomaniac Malignant Fascist's puerile renaming mania and monuments to himself while the country implodes is one of its few redeeming aspects. It also seems to be a burgeoning industry. Enjoy.
Operation Epic Quagmire / evergreen --
The Strait of Hormuz is still closed.
— Steve Rattner (@steverattner.bsky.social) August 28, 2026 at 1:44 PM
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Has anyone checked Trump's pockets? --
GOP Rep James Comer just admitted on Fox that small donors are giving to Trump's super PAC rather than to GOP candidates. Trump keeps telling his supporters that GOP let him down. This is the result! GOP lickspittles really getting their comeuppance now. New from me: newrepublic.com/article/2151...
— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 7:41 AM
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Oh, honey . . . That money isn’t there anymore. Bless your hearts for thinking it was.
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) September 3, 2026 at 5:38 PM
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The Republican healthcare disaster --
🚨 In case you missed it: By my count, over TEN MILLION Americans have ALREADY lost healthcare coverage under Trump 2.0: charlesgaba.substack.com/p/the-republ...
— Charles Gaba ✡️ (@charlesgaba.com) September 4, 2026 at 8:12 AM
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What about Musk money, MAGAts? --
If the media is going to insist that politicians denounce their supporters who make extremist statements, I have a suggestion for someone a bit more important than a Twitch streamer.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@kevinmkruse.bsky.social) September 3, 2026 at 12:31 PM
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a nazi pedophile that loves data centers is fully funding the republican partys midterm efforts
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Has Mike Rogers disavowed Elon Musk yet? Has Ken Paxton disavowed Elon Musk yet? Has Mike Collins disavowed Elon Musk yet? Has Jon Husted disavowed Elon Musk yet? Has Susan Collins disavowed Elon Musk yet? Has Ashley Moody disavowed Elon Musk yet? Has Ashley Hinson disavowed Elon Musk yet?
— Kevin M. Kruse (@kevinmkruse.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Tear them all down! --
NEW via @washingtonpost.com: "Trump officials say work will start on triumphal #arch within two weeks The planned 250-foot-tall structure near Arlington National Cemetery is one of the president’s top construction priorities." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
— Devon Heinen (@devonheinen.bsky.social) September 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
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Write it on the blackboard a thousand times: they will have to demolish the ballroom, the arch and so forth. They will have to make a show of it. You will get the usual sons of bitches saying we don’t do that in this country. We do now. That is not emotion, it’s politics. To do less is dereliction.
— Richard M. Nixon (@dicknixon.bsky.social) September 3, 2026 at 9:13 PM
The Fetterman Follies, cont. --
Fetterman text to aide: “Why do I have to keep having to meet with [Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia]?” Aide: “Because they are worried about vaccines and Medicaid cuts.” Fetterman: “Well I’m not.” @wsj.com #PAsen www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 6:51 AM
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Dear Lord, this man is a first class piece of garbage
— MuMuMelon (@bentosnbuttons.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 6:32 AM
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"The truth will set you free" --
Buy a Bible, don't read it, and you'll be a Catholic. Buy a Bible, read only what suits you and you will be an Evangelical. Buy a Bible, read it fully, analyze it, reason it, and you will be an Atheist.
— eddietg51-42.bsky.social (@eddietg51-42.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 5:40 AM
A day to remember, Yankee fan or not (Happy Friday!) --
Today In 1993: New York #Yankees pitcher Jim Abbott, born without a right hand, throws a no-hitter vs. the Cleveland Indians at Yankee Stadium! #Inspiration #MLB #Legend #Baseball #History #NYY #RepBX
— Baseball by BSmile (@bsmile.bsky.social) September 4, 2026 at 8:24 AM
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