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(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(David Horsey, The Seattle Times)
(Michael de Adder, Halifax Herald, Canada)
(Lalo Alcaraz, LA Weekly)
(Chris Britt, Creators.com)
(David Rowe, Financial Review, Sydney)
(Patrick Chappatte, NZZ am Sonntag, Geneva)
(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
(Lisa Benson, Counterpoint)
(Ann Telnaes, Washington Post)
(Brendan Loper, The New Yorker)
On yesterday's historic criminal conviction of the Malignant Loser --
THE VERDICT- it was due to the jury, the prosecution witnesses, and the DA and his staff doing their jobs. Acting out of principle and not partisanship, respecting our rule of law. “I did my job,” said Bragg last night.
— Andrew Weissmann (weissmann11 on Threads)🌻 (@AWeissmann_) May 31, 2024
the people screeching about kangaroo courts after
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) May 31, 2024
Trump's conviction by a jury of his peers today are the same people who were screeching about election fraud after Trump lost the 2020 election
lying, delusion, ignorance,
take your pick
Here's a big reason Trump's conviction is such a powerful moment: It shatters the myth of his invincibility. Dems need to banish the phrase "his negatives are baked in" forever, and use this against him, ruthlessly and effectively. My take:https://t.co/bij8YEBnGl
— Greg Sargent (@GregTSargent) May 31, 2024
Never seen Trump more defeated than he looked today.
— Mike Madrid (@madrid_mike) May 31, 2024
This is the first time Trump has ever won a popular vote.
— Darth Putin (@DarthPutinKGB) May 31, 2024
Hey, convicted felon Donald J. Trump, pic.twitter.com/meeYjzwoU1
— Angry Staffer 🌻 (@Angry_Staffer) May 30, 2024
Denial isn't just a river in Egypt --
Trump: They were able to use people, salacious— by the way, nothing ever happened. There was no anything pic.twitter.com/oDCDNqCrsy
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 31, 2024
Safe prediction: our broken media will claim the conviction "won't matter" --
Pundits to GOP: Your lies are your magic.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) May 31, 2024
Pundits to Dems: Don't you dare tell the truth about the GOP.
The Lincoln Project is out with an ad on the conviction --
Every. Damn. Charge. #TrumpGuilty pic.twitter.com/Dw9BHG0MzQ
— The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) May 31, 2024
Time to pay E. Jean Carroll --
The Trump campaign said it raised $34 million in 24 hours.
— Alex Cole (@acnewsitics) May 31, 2024
And it's all going to E. Jean Carroll 🤣
A stark reminder of Russian war crimes against Ukraine --
⚡️ Seventy-five Ukrainians have been successfully returned from Russian captivity.
— Saint Javelin (@saintjavelin) May 31, 2024
These people spent over two years in russian captivity. Just look at how frail and starved they look. Two years. Let that sink in.
Welcome home, heroes 🫂 pic.twitter.com/PBbhvkDB5I
"Hey, that's my mare" --
Horse got jealous pic.twitter.com/47B2XEYyej
— CCTV IDIOTS (@cctvidiots) May 31, 2024
Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was born 76 years ago, only to die a short 32 years later. Judged by many to be the greatest rock drummer of all time, and certainly one of the most influential, Bonham was known for his rhythmic sophistication, his prowess on the bass drum, and his feel for "groove." Here's one of Zeppelin's best, showcasing Bonham's speed and syncopated technique -- "Good Times Bad Times." Hope you enjoy.
Forbes.com has a quick summary of the remaining 54 criminal charges against the convicted felon Malignant Loser in Washington, D.C., Florida, and Georgia:
Branding / marketing executive Donnie Deutch on MSNBC this morning, discussing the impact of the Malignant Loser's conviction on his "brand" and image:
"When I heard the guilty verdict, it hit me. He simplistically is in a box now. Two things happened to his brand: number one, he is not invincible, the armor got pierced, and that is a big deal. If he had been acquitted, you can't get this guy, he's bigger than everybody, he is bigger than life — he's not. He is invincible."
"Now, the eight-year streak of losing for Republicans. Donald Trump lost. He is a loser. He is anything but invincible. He is branded permanently a convicted felon, that's a big deal." (our emphasis)
Of course, according to close associates and family members, being known as a "loser" is a deep narcissistic wound to him, striking at his sense of self. Some observers in the courtroom described the Malignant Loser's demeanor after the verdict was read as "deflated." As he showed just minutes after the verdict, he will attack the U.S. judicial system from now until the election, and likely afterward, on his crusade to destroy faith in our democratic institutions while staying out of prison.
(image: We're waiting for the day)
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(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Dave Whamond, caglecartoons.com)
(Monte Wolverton, caglecartoons.com)
(Dave Granlund, politicalcartoons.com)
(Bruce Plante, caglecartoons.com)
(Bill Day, caglecartoons.com)
(Steve Greenberg, steve@greenberg_art.com)
(Clay Jones, claytoonz.com)
(Jimmy Margulies, King Features)
(Nick Anderson, Reform Austin News, TX)
(Dan Misdea, @AltaJournal)
A Manhattan jury has found the Malignant Loser guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money / falsified business records trial. The historic verdict makes the Malignant Loser the first former President in history to be found guilty of felonies. From the New York Effing Times:
"Donald J. Trump has been convicted of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that threatened his ascent to the White House in 2016, part of a scheme that prosecutors described as a fraud on the American people. He is the first American president to be declared a felon, a stain he will carry as he seeks to regain the presidency.
Mr. Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of falsifying business records by a jury of 12 New Yorkers, who deliberated over two days to reach a decision in a case rife with descriptions of secret deals, tabloid scandal and an Oval Office pact with echoes of Watergate. The former president sat largely expressionless, a glum look on his face, after the jury issued its verdict."
The Malignant Loser's lawyers asked that the jury be polled on the verdict, and each responded "guilty" when the verdict was read. He was released by Judge Merchan on his own recognizance.
Sentencing is set for July 11, four days before the start of the Malignant Loser's coronation by his cult in Milwaukee. Any sentences on the charges are expected to run concurrently. His lawyers will appeal the verdict, but the Malignant Loser will ALWAYS be a convicted felon.
(Image: As we would hope to see him after sentencing)
If you thought the forced-birth crazies couldn't get any crazier, welcome to the Texas Republican Party, which has an extreme position stated in its party platform. Jessica Valenti sounds the alarm:
"We need to talk about Plank 35 in the Texas GOP platform. Because while there’s been lots of coverage about how extremist the state’s Republican convention was, people seem to have missed the fact that delegates adopted a platform that calls for abortion patients to be punished as murderers. In Texas, that could mean the death penalty.
I wish I was exaggerating.
The GOP’s platform demands 'equal protection for the preborn,' and for Texas legislation to give fertilized eggs, embryos, and fetuses 'equal protection of the law.'
If you’re a regular reader, you know that 'equal protection' is a call for abortion to be treated as homicide, and for abortion patients to be prosecuted as murders. (Remember South Carolina’s Prenatal Equal Protection Act, and Georgia’s Prenatal Equal Protection Act? Both were bills to make abortion punishable as a homicide.)
That’s because 'equal protection' is the polite-sounding rallying cry of abortion ‘abolitionists’—radical anti-abortion activists who say women aren’t victims in abortion, but killers. The once-fringe group has been gaining more power and influence since Roe was overturned, with some running for and winning state office." (our emphasis)
As Valenti points out, similar moves have been initiated in other red states after the Malignant Loser's Supreme Court appointees gutted Roe v. Wade in 2022, as the reactionary forced-birth movement tries to expand its reach. For a movement that claims to be "pro-life," their view of women only as vessels for reproduction to be potentially executed if they won't reproduce is sick. Their extremism is why we're counting on the "Roevember" election to be the pushback on their dangerous actions.
(photo: Abortion rights supporters at the Texas State Capitol on Sept. 1, 2021. Sergio Flores / The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Random thoughts on the hush money / election interference trial --
THREAD: THE JURY: I’m really optimistic about the election interference case based on the notes from the jury today. First, the four pieces of testimony they asked for were specifically mentioned by the prosecution in closing arguments. 1/
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) May 30, 2024
If I were in the DA’s office I’d be giddily bouncing off the walls right now
— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 29, 2024
Mother Theresa probably wouldn't have had an affair with a porn star and then used hush payments and falsified business records to cover it up but idk pic.twitter.com/PPkpB3iGH2
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 29, 2024
I’ve given it some thought, and I don’t think I can agree with Trump that Mother Teresa would’ve been found guilty of these charges.
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 30, 2024
A preview of another Trump term --
Trump Campaign Press Sec. suggests:
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) May 30, 2024
1. Trump will seek revenge over his prosecutions.
2. She also says that Biden targeted innocent Americans “such as the protesters on January 6th who they've thrown in the gulags” who she says Trump will pardon.@Acyn pic.twitter.com/ppmByE4sct
President Biden reminds African-American voters about the election stakes --
President Biden on Donald Trump: “What would’ve happened if Black Americans had stormed the Capitol? I don’t think he’d be talking about pardons. This is the same guy who wanted to tear gas you as you peacefully protested George Floyd’s murder. It’s the same guy who still calls…
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) May 30, 2024
Samuel Alito, brave warrior for wife's flag-flying rights. Reproductive rights, not so much --
It’s very nice of Samuel Alito to let his wife “makes her own decisions, and I have always respected her right to do so.”….he’s just not fond of letting other women make their own decisions when it comes to their own bodies pic.twitter.com/2YyczneQXr
— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) May 30, 2024
Could a "sugar crash" account for Don Snoreleone's falling asleep in court? --
A picture of Trump from the courthouse surrounded by junk food: a bag of lays, a Diet Coke, and boxes of candy including Milk Duds, Whoppers, and others. pic.twitter.com/XN41MaihsP
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) May 29, 2024
Christofascism, Russian style --
Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is so unconscionable that his propagandists—including the Russian Orthodox church that operates in concert with the government—are now claiming that dead soldiers are martyrs and are being resurrected by Christ himself.https://t.co/NFSIgLZEe3
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) May 29, 2024
Sweden takes the Russian threat seriously. Will others follow? --
Sweden is giving Ukraine every PBV 302 armored personnel carrier it has. Potentially 650 of them. https://t.co/wAZCt4fRRN pic.twitter.com/0SQoWgTsiA
— David Axe (@daxe) May 29, 2024
"What can I grilz for you? Sorry, I ran out of tuna" --
— cats with jobs 🛠(@CatWorkers) May 30, 2024
The former producer of the Malignant Loser's "The Apprentice" tv series, Bill Pruitt, now freed from his non-disclosure agreement (NDA), spills the beans on the racist fraudster in a behind- the- scenes look at how the show evolved and was run. This introduction kind of says it all:
... The Apprentice was an instant success in another way too. It elevated Donald J. Trump from sleazy New York tabloid hustler to respectable household name. In the show, he appeared to demonstrate impeccable business instincts and unparalleled wealth, even though his businesses had barely survived multiple bankruptcies and faced yet another when he was cast. By carefully misleading viewers about Trump—his wealth, his stature, his character, and his intent—the competition reality show set about an American fraud that would balloon beyond its creators’ wildest imaginations...
Pruit then takes us through multiple scenes and events demonstrating the Malignant Loser's casual racism (including being taped using the "n- word"), misogyny, deceitfulness, and general lack of character (calling him at one point "an avaricious hustler'). Here's one example
...Over at Trump National Golf Club, where I am stationed, it is sunny and bright, set against luscious fall colors. I am driven up to the golf club from Manhattan to scout. With me are the other producers, all of whom are men. We meet Trump at one of the homes he keeps for himself on the grounds of the club.
“Melania doesn’t even know about this place,” he says out loud to us, snickering, implying that the home’s function is as his personal lair for his sexual exploits, all of which are unknown to his then-fiancée Melania Knauss.
We are taken around the rest of the club’s property and told what to feature on camera and what to stay away from. The clubhouse is a particularly necessary inclusion, and it is inside these luxurious confines where I have the privilege of meeting the architect. Finding myself alone with him, I make a point of commending him for what I feel is a remarkable building. The place is genuinely spectacular. He thanks me.
“It’s bittersweet,” he tells me. “I’m very proud of this place, but …” He hesitates. “I wasn’t paid what was promised,” he says. I just listen. “Trump pays half upfront,” he says, “but he’ll stiff you for the rest once the project is completed.”
“He stiffed you?”
“If I tried to sue, the legal bills would be more than what I was owed. He knew that. He basically said Take what I’m offering,” and I see how heavy this is for the man, all these years later. “So, we sent the invoice. He didn’t even pay that,” he says. None of this will be in the show. Not Trump’s suggested infidelities, nor his aversion toward paying those who work for him... (our emphasis)
Pruitt's experience in deceiving viewers into seeing the Malignant Loser as a successful, take charge businessman has understandably left him feeling haunted, though he says neither he nor the crew thought they were "involved in a con with malicious intent," but were merely putting on an entertainment where it was okay to play fast and loose with the facts. (Of course, playing fast and loose with the facts comes naturally to the pathologically lying Malignant Loser.) Seeing how this tv series set the stage for his rise in politics, while hiding the true facts of his character and competence, is worth the read if only to remind us of the truth of the Walter Scott adage: "O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive!"
(Photo: part of the Trump Crime Family on "The Apprentice" faux set / Douglas Gorenstein, NBC)
Kerry Eleveld has some suggestions about how you can influence uncertain or disengaged voters within your sphere of influence and outside the realm of the Republican- wired media. Here's a long excerpt:
So what messages should anti-Trump, pro-democracy voters transmit in their spheres of influence? It depends on who you're talking to.
If you're talking to Trump voters who condemn the Jan. 6 insurrection but don't really want to vote for Biden, The Bulwark crew took a shot at how to engage these voters in a recent episode of Crooked Media’s “The Wilderness.”
Former Republican strategist Tim Miller suggested playing on the fear that Trump will never leave office, which many swing voters are already expressing.
"What do you think the chances are that Trump doesn't leave office after four years?" Then wait for the answer, Miller advised, as a way to start the conversation. If they say 5%, well, that 5% is too much of a risk. After all, Trump already orchestrated a coup to stay in office the last time he lost an election.
Generally speaking, Republicans who are open to voting for Biden don't believe he stole the 2020 election and were horrified by the violent insurrection attempt, so revisiting that concern is a worthwhile endeavor.
However, if you're talking to voters who are primarily worried about the economy and inflation, it might be better to phrase the question as “who do you think will fight for you?” Democrats are the ones cracking down on price-gouging corporations by capping bank fees and insulin prices, while Trump is promising corporations another $2 trillion tax cut.
Younger voters might be the most difficult to reach of all the potential swing voters. As Dan Pfeiffer, former Obama senior adviser on strategy and communications, wrote on Substack Tuesday, TikTok is hurting Biden, especially among young people who are the platform’s primary users. Trump’s right-wing influencers are outgunning progressive firebrands such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on a platform that is featuring political news even as other social media platforms de-emphasize it.
Polling suggests that Trump might be making gains with younger voters, but loss of freedoms and abortion access remain a top priority for young Democrats. Linking Biden to Democratic priorities like expanding protections of abortion, the LGBTQ+ community, and voting rights as well as cracking down on gun violence could give him a boost among young voters...
Each of us has a duty as citizens to encourage these potential voters to vote for democracy, freedom, and the rule of law, lest we lose it all in one last, free election. Politics is not a spectator sport and, unfortunately, democracy is fragile both here and elsewhere around the world and must be fought for. We nearly lost it all in 2020/ 21. If we are resolute and persistent, we have a better chance of it not happening in 2024.
BONUS: Good read about what we're up against.
Jimmy Kimmel covers the Trump 34- felony- count trial going to the jury, members of the Trump Crime Family standing up for Don Snoreleone, Trump's reception at the Libertarian Party convention, and the "Wheel of Fortune" answer that rocked the internet.
(click on images to enlarge)
(R.I.P. Ed Hall, Artizans.com)
(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)
(Michael de Adder, The Hill Times, Canada)
(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
(Peter Steiner, @plsteiner)
(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)
(Joe Heller, hellertoon.com)
(Jen Sorensen, gocomics.com)
(Alan Moir, Sydney Morning Herald)
(Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune)
(Andy Marlette, Creators.com)
(Will McPhail, @WillMcPhail)
