(Ann Telnaes, Washington Post)
(Michael de Adder, Washington Post)
(Clay Jones, @claytoonz)
(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(Joel Pett, Lexington Herald Leader)
(David Horsey, Seattle Times Intelligencer)
(Mike Twohy, The New Yorker)
Sunday, April 30, 2023
Tweets Of The Day
The deep sickness at the heart of the Republican / Shooters / Forced Birth party --
The same day a Texas man killed five of his neighbors with an AR-15, @laurenboebert posted this photo of herself. pic.twitter.com/WnNFL1ejP4
— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) April 30, 2023
The gun fetishists’ response to this will be that if the family with the baby all had AR-15s at the ready, they could have defended themselves against the bad guy. https://t.co/ehpXJNhQjw
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) April 29, 2023
This month in the US, people were shot for ringing the wrong doorbell, getting into the wrong car, using a leaf blower, delivering food to the wrong address, driving into the wrong driveway, and for asking a neighbor to stop shooting so a baby could sleep.
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 30, 2023
It’s the fucking guns. pic.twitter.com/ObFKqLp4wd
Negotiating with House Republicans is like negotiating with terrorists --
Let’s be clear what will happen if republicans blow up the economy:
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@BillPascrell) April 30, 2023
Social Security stops
Medicare freezes
Veterans lose their health care
Small businesses die
Bank runs
Homebuyers locked out
Americans lose their life savings
Millions lose their jobs
A second Great Depression
Biden should remind McCarthy and House Republicans that the United States never negotiates with terrorists.
— Rachel Bitecofer 📈🔭🇺🇲🇺🇦 (@RachelBitecofer) April 30, 2023
Tired, charisma-deprived Ron "Bootsie" DeSantis' international trip flopped --
“43 year old man worn out after five day international trip.” https://t.co/gH0VPOHx8S
— Reed Galen (@reedgalen) April 29, 2023
“One U.K. business figure said DeSantis ‘looked bored’ and ‘stared at his feet’as he met with titans of British industry….’He was horrendous.’
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) April 29, 2023
A second business figure who was in the room said… ‘nobody in the room was left thinking, ‘this man’s going places’.’” https://t.co/n04fsdHPVc
Right-wing Christofascist book banners know who they're targeting --
Banned books, by topic (July 2021 to June 2022) pic.twitter.com/9M8BgzI00B
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) April 29, 2023
Alito, saying he knows who leaked the Dobbs decision while looking in a mirror --
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2023
Ukraine's counteroffensive nears. Slava Ukraini! --
“This is preparation for the broad, full-scale offensive that everyone has been expecting," according to the spokesperson of Ukraine's Armed Forces' Southern Command.https://t.co/mleMM6tcGs
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) April 30, 2023
Sometimes guys need a little help --
— Because men are happier than women (@Hppymen) April 29, 2023
The 2023 "Nerd Prom's" Better Jokes
As we noted in yesterday's tweets of the day, the White House Correspondents' Dinner was last night, and despite the traditional, uncomfortable "nerd prom" look of journalists rubbing shoulders with the politicians and celebrities they cover, there were some decent zingers fired off. After beginning by lauding the media for covering the hard stories here and abroad, and pledging to get unlawfully detained journalists Evan Gershkovich and Austin Rice released, President Biden had some self-deprecating jokes about his age and more:
“I believe in the First Amendment, and not just because my good friend Jimmy Madison wrote it.”
“I get that age is a completely reasonable issue. It’s on everyone’s mind, by everyone I mean the New York Times."
"It's great that the cable news networks are here tonight. MSNBC owned by NBC Universal. Fox News owned by Dominion Voting Systems."
"I like Rupert Murdoch. How can I dislike a guy who makes me look look Harry Styles?”
"I had a lot of Ron DeSantis jokes, but Mickey Mouse beat the hell out of me first. You can't blame the guy. He was asked if he had a mandate. He said no, I'm straight."
Roy Wood, Jr., fresh from The Daily Show, was the featured comedian, and he also landed some punches on the media and political figures:
“You all look good though. I’ve been watching and looking around all night. … Looks like everybody got a little piece of that settlement money from Fox News.”
“The untouchable Tucker Carlson is out of a job, some people celebrate it but to Tucker’s staff, I want you to know that I know what you’re feeling. I work at ‘The Daily Show’ so I, too, have been blindsided by the sudden departure of a host of a fake news program.”
“[Harlan Crow] bought a Supreme Court justice. Do you understand how rich you have to be to buy a Supreme — a Black one on top of that. There’s only two in stock and Harlan Crow owns half the inventory."
“We can all see Clarence Thomas but he belongs to billionaire Harlan Crow. And that’s what an NFT is."
“The only thing Ron DeSantis has done that I got to give him credit for. This boy got people riled up with stuff they can’t understand. They don’t know what critical race theory is. Got these people riled up about something that they can’t even define, like crypto or NFTs. Ask any Republican that’s anti-CRT … trying to explain CRT, they sound like a Democrat trying to explain the charges against Trump.”
And finally,
“You should be inspired by the events in France. They rioted when the retirement age went up two years to 64. … Meanwhile, in America, we have an 80-year-old man begging us for four more years of work.”
Biden's speech can be seen here; Wood's can be seen here.
Russian Oil Depot Hit By Drones
Yesterday's drone strike on a Russian oil depot in Sevastopol, Crimea set oil tanks ablaze in an early morning attack. According to the Associated Press account:
"Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, a port city in Crimea, posted videos and photos of the blaze on his Telegram channel.
Razvozhayev said the fire at the city’s harbor was assigned the highest ranking in terms of how complicated it will be to extinguish. However, he reported that the open blaze had been contained.
Razvozhayev said the oil depot was attacked by 'two enemy drones,' and four oil tanks burned down. A third drone was shot down from the sky, and one more was deactivated through radio-electronic means, according to Crimea’s Moscow-appointed governor, Sergei Aksyonov." (our emphasis)
Ukraine's long anticipated counteroffensive first will have to take out Russia's assets such as oil and ammunition depots, communications and transportation hubs, and radar and command and control centers to have an effective attack. Drones are an effective and relatively inexpensive means of delivering explosives on those types of targets. Well done.
(photos from top: Gonzalo Lira /Twitter; Reuters)
Saturday, April 29, 2023
Today's Cartoons
(Daryl Cagle, Slate.com)
(John Cole, The Times Tribune, Scranton)
(Donkey Hotey @DonkeyHotey)
(Bruce Plante @ plantink)
(John Darkow, The Columbia Missourian)
(Bill Day, FloridaPolitics.com)
(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)
(Brendan Loper, The New Yorker)
When Loons Embrace
The unhinged Malignant Loser embraced one of his January 6 insurrectionists, a costumed loon by the name of Micki Larson-Olsen, at a New Hampshire campaign stop yesterday. Larson-Olsen was found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of defying police orders during the attempted coup at the Capitol. She continues to want Mike Pence to hang, along with members of Congress, and is full of conspiracy talk. Sadly, the QAnon shaman wasn't there to complete the unhinged picture.
The Malignant Loser has gone from distancing himself from the insurrectionists in the immediate aftermath of January 6, to promising pardons for them if he returns to the Oval Office.
(photo: Jabin Botsford, Washington Post)
Tweets of the Day
Military-hating Cadet Bone Spurs says what? --
A former Commander-in-Chief who shits on the American men and women who have volunteered to serve their nation. Something no one in his family has ever done. Just a scumbag in every way. https://t.co/JqXtpLN2IB
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) April 29, 2023
Ex-Truth Social guy now works at Starbucks and ready to blow whistle --
New: He was a top executive of Trump's media company, owner of Truth Social. Now he's a barista at a grocery-store Starbucks in North Carolina - and a federal whistleblower, with 150,000 internal documents to sharehttps://t.co/OOWNyod3C4
— Drew Harwell (@drewharwell) April 29, 2023
Colorado Gov. Polis (D) signs gun safety legislation --
Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis signs four bills to combat gun violence:
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) April 29, 2023
• Minimum age to purchase any firearm raised from 18 to 21.
• Establish three-day waiting period between purchasing and taking possession of a gun.
• Expand the state’s current red flag law.
•… pic.twitter.com/o0IG27sjgW
Meanwhile in Tex-ass, still a safe place for massacres --
This is the America the NRA-funded MAGA GOP is making. They are a cancer that is claiming innocent lives daily. The world looks at our example, the blood in our streets and our apparent indifference to it, in horror. They should. We are no longer a civilized nation. https://t.co/U0GNSmGYBR
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) April 29, 2023
The growing stain of Republican Supreme Court ethics failures --
Business Insider: Jane Roberts, married to Chief Justice John Roberts, made $10.3 million in commissions from elite law firms, whistleblower documents show. https://t.co/gjqsq1tNRx
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 28, 2023
So… this seems bad https://t.co/FrHjZkVhtd
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 28, 2023
Speaking of ethics failures, the White House Correspondents' Dinner is tonight --
The White House Correspondents' Dinner is one way the DC press pretends everything is normal despite an ongoing fascist coup. The news media is in denial, and that's a major reason our country is in big trouble. https://t.co/zOOfRoOS1C
— Mark Jacob (@MarkJacob16) April 28, 2023
Grifter George "Kitara / Anthony Devolder" Santos won't follow his own advice --
George Santos to DC Young Republicans: “None of us are perfect. We’re all flawed human beings. We all make mistakes. We all have a past. We all make stupid decisions and we move forward. You need to hold yourself accountable for those mistakes .. own up to them and admit them.” pic.twitter.com/3jVIV5iuVc
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) April 29, 2023
The question our Republican-wired media isn't asking --
The media that keeps asking
— John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) April 29, 2023
if Biden could survive in the White House
until age 86
isn't asking if this guy
could survive to age 82. pic.twitter.com/mDpNTMsoBN
Minnesota legislator must have rolled some GIGANTIC joints in his day --
“Just two ounces is equivalent to three joints” — the Republican arguments against legal cannabis are going well. #mnleg pic.twitter.com/PYxftaaMtq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 28, 2023
Parrot see, parrot do --
Smart birds.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/Pl4YfmCY9N
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) April 29, 2023
NC Reinstates Partisan Voting Districts
A previous ruling by the former Dem-majority North Carolina Supreme Court against partisan gerrymandered voting district maps was overturned yesterday by the new Republican-majority Court. Two Republican judges were elected last year, giving them a 5-2 majority. They also reinstated a voter ID law that was held to be racially discriminatory by the earlier Court. From the Associated Press:
"The partisan gerrymandering ruling should make it significantly easier for the Republican-dominated legislature to help the GOP gain seats in the narrowly divided U.S. House when state lawmakers redraw congressional boundaries for the 2024 elections. Under the current map, Democrats won seven of the state’s 14 congressional seats last November.
The court, which became a Republican majority this year following the election of two GOP justices, ruled after taking the unusual step of revisiting redistricting and voter ID opinions made in December by the court’s previous iteration, when Democrats held a 4-3 seat advantage." (our emphasis)
By grouping Democratic voters into a small number of voting districts, the Republicans have been able over the years to skew Congressional district makeup decidedly in their favor, despite the statewide popular votes being closely split. The decision to reinstate voter ID requirements was held earlier to discriminate against disadvantaged people of color, who are less likely to operate motor vehicles but who are more likely to vote Democratic.
The games being played in North Carolina and in many other states where Republicans have the upper hand in the legislature or state courts is a sign that they have to resort to political and electoral subterfuges to maintain their power, rather than take their chances in free and fair elections where the voters choose their representatives, not the other way around.
(photo: North Carolina Supreme Court chamber)
Report: Trump Appointee Hastened SVB Collapse
The saying that "everything Trump touches dies (ETTD)" applies to banks too, apparently. Politico has a story on how directives by a Trump-appointed Federal Reserve official exacerbated problems:
"Federal Reserve regulatory chief Michael Barr on Friday acknowledged that the central bank failed to properly oversee Silicon Valley Bank before its spectacular collapse — but placed some of the blame on his Trump-appointed predecessor.
In an extraordinary and widely anticipated report led by Barr, the Fed also faulted SVB’s leadership for allowing glaring problems to build up before the run on deposits last month that left the once-high-flying bank insolvent and shook the global financial system.
But the 100-page document criticizes an overly cautious approach by examiners at the central bank, a problem that it says was worsened by directives from Randal Quarles, the Trump-appointed official who served as vice chair for supervision until late 2021.
Those directives, combined with the Fed’s implementation of a bipartisan bank deregulation law passed by Congress in 2018, 'impeded effective supervision by reducing standards, increasing complexity, and promoting a less assertive supervisory approach,' according to the report." (our emphasis)
With news that the First Republic Bank lost $102 billion in customer deposits, and with its stock plummeting 75% this week, the financial damage from those directives has yet to be fully tallied, but it will be enormous. The Republican mantra has always been to cut regulations, oversight and red tape, and in the case of this fiasco, they're reaping the whirlwind.
(photo: Randal Quarles. A. Harrer / Bloomberg News)
Friday, April 28, 2023
Today's Cartoons
(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution)
(Pat Bagley, Salt Lake City Tribune)
(Matt Davies, Newsday)
(Tim Campbell, Counterpoint)
(Donkey Hotey twitter)
(Ali Solomon, The New Yorker)
QOTD: DeSantis' Mickey Mouse War
"Whispers are growing louder among Republicans that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has miscalculated in his battle with Disney — a struggle that has already gone on for more than a year and has no end in sight.
There are real dangers, they say, of his fight with the corporation becoming a distraction from his likely presidential campaign — and one that could make him seem petty and vindictive rather than strong or decisive.
Despite the fact many polls suggest GOP voters are sympathetic to DeSantis’s war on “wokeness” in general, there are also concerns among conservatives about a powerful elected official targeting a specific company for political reasons." -- Niall Stanage in The Hill today.
The bobblehead Governor of Florida has picked a losing fight over the First Amendment with one of the nation's most prominent cultural icons with deep pockets. Big Business Republicans aren't happy with DeSantis' war of choice over Disney's expressions of inclusiveness. Disney didn't mince words in their suit against the fascistic Governor, calling him out for his "government retaliation" against them. Our money's on the mouse.
(Image: Kotaku / Disney / Paul Hennessy / SOPA Images / LightRocket /Getty Images)
Tweets of the Day
E. Jean Carroll testimony: time to pin Republicans down on this question --
Do the Republican officials who have endorsed Trump’s candidacy agree with Trump’s argument that if a woman did not scream, she was not raped?
— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) April 28, 2023
Time for everyone to make their views known.
Dems unwilling to fight an asymmetric war with Republicans --
Asymmetric warfare which Dems, especially of the Durbin variety, are totally unprepared for. So frustrating and maddening. https://t.co/LypeZma8ud
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) April 28, 2023
Is gun safety an emerging threat to Republicans? --
support for gun safety steps in new Fox poll:
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) April 27, 2023
background checks for buyers 87%
buying age up to 21 81%
mental health checks to buy 80%
police can take guns from those deemed dangerous 80%
30-day waiting period for purchases 77%
ban assault rifles 61% https://t.co/vr9fvr8uP4
Brilliant marketing strategery: Fox "News" disparaging Gen Z --
Fox News out here telling elderly viewers that their darling grandchildren are shiftless losers, good times. pic.twitter.com/SR2cWYRAY1
— Matthew Gertz (@MattGertz) April 28, 2023
Gun-happy bimbo featured on Fox "News." More brilliant marketing --
On Instagram, Fox News posted a “pro-Trump influencer” shooting up “woke” Bud Light, Tampax Tampons, and Honey Birdette lingerie. pic.twitter.com/sskwmNpvHX
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) April 28, 2023
Ooh, we know the answer ✋! She's a soulless sociopath! --
What the f-ck is wrong with you @NikkiHaley? My dad is 90 & my mom is 86. They are alive & well. You know who isn't? My 14 year old daughter, who was murdered in school, because of terrible people like you. I will stand with @POTUS @JoeBiden until he finishes his 2nd term. https://t.co/vxaI0vSzYt
— Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) April 27, 2023
Never ending Russian war crimes in Ukraine --
The number of civilian casualties rising. A 2-year old among dead.
— olexander scherba🇺🇦 (@olex_scherba) April 28, 2023
Hey, #russia, you’ll pay for everything! For generations. #RussianWarCrimes pic.twitter.com/bdNmq2w1B0
Bibi Bomb Bomb's extreme right wing son chooses Florida. Perfect --
New Florida Man just dropped pic.twitter.com/DKrhXgTAs2
— Yair Rosenberg (@Yair_Rosenberg) April 28, 2023
Amtrak's next innovation? --
Small truck with handbrake used by quarrie workers to ride in between rails when returning form work in 1935 pic.twitter.com/7x5fi1DPWN
— Specialized Tools (@specializedtooI) April 28, 2023
Weekend Song
The Japanese House, the performing name of British indie musician Amber Mary Bain, will be releasing a new album, "In The End It Always Does," in June. A new track from that album is our song for the weekend: "Sad To Breathe." Enjoy.
Abortion Bans Fail In Two Right Wing States
In a sign that women's reproductive rights are going to be a lasting third rail for the Republican / Forced Birth / Shooters Party, Republican-dominated legislatures in Nebraska and South Carolina rejected attempts to impose a total ban on abortion in their states. Since they hold the majorities, the debate was within the Republican caucuses, with the measures failing by only one vote in each:
"In South Carolina, Republican Sen. Sandy Senn criticized Majority Leader Shane Massey for repeatedly 'taking us off a cliff on abortion.'
'The only thing that we can do when you all, you men in the chamber, metaphorically keep slapping women by raising abortion again and again and again, is for us to slap you back with our words,' she said." (our emphasis)
Nebraska and South Carolina currently allow abortions up to 20 weeks and 22 weeks respectively, a situation that the forced birth zealots would like to change, despite popular support for a woman's right to choose. Republican forced birth measures on the ballot in the 2022 mid-terms were rejected by the voters energized by the right-wing Supreme Court's Dobbs decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.
Sen. Senn's party has chosen to ride their culture wars and Christofascism down the electoral rabbit hole, and the rest of us have to make sure they stay there for the sake of our liberty.
Pence's Day On The Stand
After much maneuvering to avoid testifying, both by him and the Malignant Loser, former Vice President Mike "Fly Guy" Pence testified before a Federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. yesterday to testify regarding the Malignant Loser's attempts to overturn the 2020 election and commit election fraud by submitting fraudulent electoral votes. With Pence's testimony, Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation has reached the core of the Malignant Loser's inner circle, and the individual that the Malignant Loser directly pressured to delay or subvert the ceremonial counting of electoral votes on January 6, 2021 at the Capitol:
"Pence’s appearance before a grand jury in Washington scrutinizing the president he once loyally served is a milestone in the Justice Department’s investigation and likely gives prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. It also carries significant political implications, coming as Pence hints at entering the 2024 presidential race and a potential run against Trump, the Republican front-runner. [snip]
It was not immediately clear what Pence may have told the grand jury, but he is the most high-profile Trump administration official to be summoned before the panel. Inside the federal building where the grand jury has been meeting, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol, security was high because of Trump’s appearance with an unusual amount of activity from U.S. Marshals.
Pence has spoken extensively about Trump’s pressure campaign urging him to reject Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential election victory in the days leading up to Jan. 6, including in his book, “So Help Me God.” Pence, as vice president, had a ceremonial role overseeing Congress’ counting of the Electoral College vote but did not have the power to affect the results, despite Trump’s contention otherwise." (our emphasis)
Even if he claims that he can't remember certain conversations, what testimony he does give will serve to confirm facts already obtained, either through other witnesses or documentation in emails or text messages. It's also satisfying that the Malignant Loser must be nervously awaiting some bits of information about how much Pence opened up to the grand jury. Stay tuned.
(photo: "Please sir, Mother would not approve." Getty Images)
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Tweets Of The Day
Republicans using debt limit to hold us hostage to their nuttery --
McCarthy’s shameful Default on America Act would destroy the full faith and credit of the nation, crash the economy, and turn the social safety net into a GOP tightrope—all to save tax breaks for the rich. Their vision for America is clearer—darker—than ever.
— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) April 27, 2023
Just now 98% of republicans in Congress voted to screw veterans, steal health care from 600,000 Americans, and kill up to a million jobs while threatening a second Great Depression. Remember it. pic.twitter.com/XBEg0KlICo
— Bill Pascrell, Jr. 🇺🇸🇺🇦 (@BillPascrell) April 26, 2023
GOP debt ceiling plan would boost joblessness.
— Angry Staffer 🌻 (@Angry_Staffer) April 26, 2023
Go figure.
https://t.co/wUo0tHfTAR
Sen. Feinstein, please do the right thing and resign --
So awesome that the two Dakotas (with fewer than 1.7 million residents) have four Senators while California (39.2 million) has one. https://t.co/BEEh7Xajep
— Michael Jacobs (@AbogadoMike) April 26, 2023
Sen. Feinstein is doing a pretty wonderful job of tanking her legacy in real-time by refusing to resign. If she can't do her job, she should step aside so someone who's able can take over. Are we here to coddle Dianne Feinstein or are we here to move our agenda foward? https://t.co/KNXANuqt10
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) April 27, 2023
Because Senator Feinstein was absent, the Senate overturned a Biden rule that would cut pollution from heavy duty trucks and causes harm to people’s lungs. We are putting decorum over democracy and our values. It’s time for Senator Feinstein to step down gracefully. https://t.co/qmNsJO671a
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 27, 2023
The toxic gift that keeps on giving (to Dems) --
I bet @SpeakerMcCarthy is thrilled he decided to put her back on committees. Just an endless gift to Democrats. https://t.co/9aqoybWxEe
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) April 27, 2023
Greene: People are not affecting climate change. You’re going to tell me that back in The Ice Age, how much taxes did people pay and how many changes did governments make to melt the ice? pic.twitter.com/KmTZV5PZ9q
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 27, 2023
Security clearances and the disturbing case of Jack Teixeira, continued --
Jack Teixiera couldn’t get a gun license from his state in 2018 bc he’d been suspended as a violent, racist threat in high school, but—after a background check—the United States gave him a Top Secret/SCI clearance a couple years later. https://t.co/PPpuYqAuwn pic.twitter.com/wQeC1Fy8KK
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) April 27, 2023
Kremlin media gives some love to Tovarich Tucker Carlson --
In the days since he was fired from Fox News, Tucker Carlson has been hailed as a hero and a truth-teller in Russian state media—a testament to his utility in Putin’s wartime campaign.@juliaioffe reports. https://t.co/93un7RE7qv
— Puck (@PuckNews) April 27, 2023
TUCKER FOR PRESIDENT!
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) April 26, 2023
Russian state TV propagandists mourn the firing of their "beloved" Tucker Carlson and plot how they could continue to capitalize on his useful rhetoric.
My latest for @CEPA:https://t.co/SXOuB3BbDF
BTS, sign your President up --
South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol grabbed a mic and sang the Don Mclean classic “American Pie” to an astonished audience at the White House state dinner.
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 27, 2023
“I had no damn idea you could sing,” Biden told his counterpart. https://t.co/MIYlQuZvwk pic.twitter.com/uFhJBymKEP
The "awwww" moment --
The Shima Enaga, a Japanese bird who looks like a ball of cotton. pic.twitter.com/2pEAsypfpr
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) April 26, 2023
QOTD
“Donald Trump raped me.” -- E. Jean Carroll testifying yesterday at her civil suit trial against the Malignant Loser. She's seeking unspecified monetary damages from the Malignant Loser, but no monetary compensation can make her whole again. If only he could suffer commensurate pain and suffering.
Today's Cartoons
(click on images to enlarge)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Dave Whamond, caglecartoons.com)
(Pat Byrnes, caglecartoons.com)
(Ann Telnaes, Washington Post)
(Drew Sheneman, The Star-Ledger, Newark, NJ)
(Bruce Plante, caglecartoons.com)
(Jack Ohman, Sacramento Bee)
(Joel Pett, Lexington Herald-Leader, KY)
(Kevin Siers, Charlotte Observer)
(Asher Perlman, @asherperlman)
NATO Allies Supply Combat Vehicles To Ukraine
After months of delay and discussion, NATO allies have sent roughly 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine, hopefully in time for a Ukrainian counter-offensive to push the Russian invaders out of as much of Ukraine as possible:
"Along with more than 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks and other equipment, member nations have sent Ukraine 'vast amounts of ammunition' and also trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian brigades, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.
More than 30,000 troops are estimated to make up the new brigades.
'This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory,' Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels."
This comes as word that advanced Russian T-14 Armata tanks are now in Ukraine, firing on Ukrainian positions but not involved in ground attacks. We wonder if the Kremlin has worked out the bugs in the tank, which caused it to stall and be towed in a parade rehearsal several years ago.
Ukraine is still awaiting a positive decision on supplying longer range rocket artillery and advanced F-16 fighters, something that the Biden Administration has said is not essential to Ukraine's strategic force.
Was Leaker Of Military Secrets A Potential Mass Killer?
The 21- year- old Air National Guard member with Top Secret clearance who leaked sensitive national security information had a disturbing profile that's become all too familiar in recent years:
New evidence filed in Massachusetts District Court suggests Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member suspected of leaking a trove of classified military intelligence, had a history of making violent comments, sought information about how to commit a shooting and had what prosecutors called a “virtual arsenal of weapons” stored at his places of residence, including an AK-style weapon. [snip]
The former IT specialist, who is accused of sharing the documents on a Discord server named “Thug Shaker Central,” has been described as a “charismatic gun enthusiast” who wanted to educate and inform his friends. But the new court filings reveal a fascination with mass killings and a concentrated effort to acquire military-grade weaponry while entertaining troubling ideas about how to use it.
In the court documents, prosecutors reveal that Teixeira was suspended from high school in 2018 after a classmate overheard him talking about “Molotov cocktails, guns at the school, and racial threats.” On social media in recent years, he has continued such rhetoric, prosecutors say, writing in a November message that he wanted to kill a “ton of people” because it would be “culling the weak minded.” In February, he asked a user for advice about what kind of rifle would fire best from an SUV, saying he wanted to commit a shooting in a “crowded urban or suburban environment.”
Teixeira is also said to have used his military-issued device to search for “Las Vegas shooting,” “Buffalo tops shooting,” “Uvalde” and other shooting-related terms irrelevant to his job at the base.
A search of Teixeira’s bedroom found that he kept a gun locker two feet from his bed containing handguns, bolt-action rifles, shotguns, an AK-style weapon and a gas mask, among other weapons, prosecutors say in the new filing. Investigators also found ammunition and tactical pouches on his dresser and what appeared to be a silencer accessory in his desk drawer, while photos of Teixeira’s bedroom, submitted as evidence, show a hand-drawn design for a gun truck, a pile of rifle magazine pouches and other military paraphernalia. (our emphasis)
He seems nice. You can almost hear the "tick, tick, tick..."
Teixeira has become a hero to the deranged Putin caucus on the treasonous right, including the frothing loon Marjorie Taylor Traitor Greene. That he was a fellow ammosexual, as well as (as MTG put it) "white, male, Christian," makes the latest revelations fall in the category of "neither shocked nor surprised."
(Image: the ominous Jack Teixeira/ Daniel Schemer, via USA Today)
Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Today's Cartoons
(click on images to enlarge)
(Kevin Siers, Charlotte Observer)
(Kevin Kallaugher, @kaltoons)
(Gary Markstein, Creators.com)
(Andy Marlette, Creators.com)
(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)
(Lalo Alcaraz, LA Weekly)
(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)
(Nick Anderson, Reform Austin News, TX)
(Darrin Bell, Counterpoint)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Banx, Financial Times, London)
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