Today's Cartoons

(click on images to enlarge)



(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)


(Jeff Darcy, Cleveland Plain Dealer)


(Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News)


(Steve Sack, Minneapolis Star Tribune)


(Matt Davies, Newsday)

Mittens: The Home Town "Sport" Guy

As we're painfully aware, vulture capitalist and humanoid facsimile Willard "Mittens" Romney is running for the U.S. Senate in his home state of Michigan Massachusetts Colorado California Utah, despite coming in second in delegates at the Utah Rethuglican convention. Wanting to be seen as a "regular guy," Mittens was pretending to be a fan Monday night at a Utah Jazz - Oklahoma City Thunder game in Salt Lake City wearing an oversized Jazz jersey over a blue button down shirt, taunting the Thunder's star Russell Westbrook after he fouled out. Mitten's "sport" loyalties (he always awkwardly refers to "sports" in the singular) change with where ever he parks his shoes at night. With homes in several states, he must have a separate dresser drawer for all of those "home town" jerseys. For the right real estate deal in Oklahoma, Mittens might even put on a Thunder jersey.

(photo: "This doesn't look like a Detroit Pistons jersey...oh wait.")

QOTD - Pay To Play Politics

“We had a hierarchy in my office in Congress,” Mr. Mulvaney, a former Republican lawmaker from South Carolina, told 1,300 bankers and lending industry officials at an American Bankers Association conference in Washington. “If you’re a lobbyist who never gave us money, I didn’t talk to you. If you’re a lobbyist who gave us money, I might talk to you.” -- OMB Director/ CFPB Director/ former ultra- right South Carolina Rep. Mick "Dick" Mulvaney, saying the quiet part loud. Mulvaney got almost $63,000 from payday lenders while in office.  Guess he talked to them a lot.

Happy National Dance Week Songs

April 20 - 28 is National Dance Week, so we're celebrating the week with some songs from different genres, perspectives, and eras of music. Starting off with Chris Montez's infectious "Let's Dance" from 1962, with a video from the old American Bandstand show (where you might see Grandma and Grandpa dancing), then moving to the psychedelic '60s and Cream's "Dance The Night Away," and finishing up with country music's Lee Ann Womack's song from 2000, "I Hope You Dance." Enjoy, and find a song to dance to.

Cruz Warns Of "Disaster Economics" In Puerto Rico

Ever since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico last September, San Juan's heroic Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz has been a fierce fighter for Federal disaster resources to rebuild the island and its infrastructure, frequently facing opposition or simple neglect from the malignant and corrupt administration of bigot and narcissist Donald "Rump" Trump. What makes the situation in Puerto Rico so troubling is the impending start of the hurricane season in just a few weeks.

Now, Cruz is warning of the exploitation of the island by "disaster economics" which threaten to privatize the island's public services, such as education and the electric supply system, and create even greater economic disparities.  Last week's island-wide power outage demonstrated just how precarious the all-important provision of electricity is to the people. Cruz is pointing out how for-profit opportunists are descending on the island in the hopes of switching public services to for-profit businesses. The outflow of Puerto Ricans from the island has resulted in the weakening of the public school system, which is under attack by private "charter school" hucksters wanting to take advantage of the situation.

Cruz has been the strongest voice for the citizens of Puerto Rico (who we shouldn't have to remind anyone are citizens of the U.S.). The island's governor, technocrat Roberto Rosselló, has been mostly ineffective in his job, initially flattering Rump in hopes that his "loyalty" would be rewarded. He was definitely wrong about that.  Cruz is said to be mulling a run for the governorship in 2020, and we hope she does, but we mostly hope that our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters fully recover from this disaster, natural and manmade.

(photo: San Juan Mayor Cruz in October, 2017. Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times)

Rethugs Practice Under Heavy Security

Roughly eleven months after the shooting at an Alexandria, VA baseball field where Rethuglican House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was wounded by a gunman, Rethuglican members of Congress gathered for softball practice this morning, heavily guarded by Capitol and local police. You can be certain that each and every one of these self-important, cynical pols got significant campaign money from the National Rifle Rampage Association. The key point is that they're "heavily guarded," in a security bubble that the vast majority of Americans don't have the luxury of having. They'll continue to ignore public sentiment that background checks need to be strengthened, that sales of guns to kids under 21 needs to end, and that other control measures need to be taken (including banning assault style weapons -- 68%).

Here's hoping that no violence comes to these sheltered SOBs, but that the 2018 ballot will send them back to the minors.

Trump Doppelgänger Located?

OK, the body type checks out, as does the burnt orange face and straw-colored hair.

A closer look:

Newsweek has the story of this unfortunate lady in Spain, Delores Leis Antelo, who bears a resemblance to neo-fascist sexual abuser Donald "Rump" Trump.  Still, despite the resemblance, Señora Leis Antelo can rest in the knowledge that she's a far better person and she'd make a helluva better President than her "twin" in every way.

Tweets Of The Day -- Wife #4

Wife #3 loathes him:

Trump trying to hold Melania’s hand reminds me of Pepé le Pew chasing a bewildered Le Cat. pic.twitter.com/ZlhbtAJDuH

— laney (@misslaneym) April 24, 2018

Wife #4 loves him:

Trump and Macron share a wild handshake pic.twitter.com/LbNylGG2bq

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 24, 2018

BONUS:  Steven Colbert --

Today's Cartoons

(click on images to enlarge)



(Mike Smith, Las Vegas Sun)


(Tom Toles, Washington Post)


(Jim Morin, Miami Herald)


(Kevin Siers, Charlotte Observer)

Raising Arizona?

For those of you reading this who are residents of Arizona's 8th Congressional District, if you haven't yet voted, why are you reading this?!

There's a special election today in a very red district pitting underdog Democrat Dr. Hiral Tipirneni against generic nasty Republican Debbie Lesko. The seat was vacated by Rep. Trent "Beans 'n'" Franks (R-Crackpot) when he resigned after it became known that he'd offered $5 million to office aides to be surrogate mothers for his baby -- but not using artificial insemination, if you know what we mean and we think you do.

It's shaped up as a tight race for Lesko, even though it's in a district carried by un- indicted co- conspirator Donald "Rump" Trump by 21 points.  Democrats have been outperforming polls in recent special and off- year elections, carried by enthusiasm -- which translates to rising turnout.  Let's hope the momentum continues today.

Polls close at 8 pm local time.

(Photo: Dr. Tipirneni)

A Troubled Diagnosis For Dr. Jackson [UPDATED]

When he stepped to the White (Supremacist) House podium earlier this year to absurdly proclaim demagogue and shady con man Donald "Rump" Trump the picture of excellent health, physician Rear Adm. Ronny "Fears Donny" Jackson looked nervous, unsteady and scripted. Under questioning by the press, he defended Rump's unhealthy lifestyle that mixes cheeseburgers, fried chicken and golf carts, explaining that some people "have great genes." When he announced that Rump's weight was 239 pounds, chuckling was heard in the audience (239 pounds is coincidentally one pound under the definition of "obese" for someone of Rump's height). He apparently did so well in dissembling about Rump's health problems that his loyalty was rewarded with a nomination to be the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Lacking any management experience that would be needed in managing the nation's second largest Federal department, Dr. Jackson's nomination was already on thin ice before yesterday's late breaking news of allegations regarding his conduct as White House physician. While details have yet to emerge, initial reports indicate that Jackson created a "hostile work environment," and improperly dispensed medications. That forced the Senate to indefinitely postpone his nomination hearing.

Don't expect Rump to go to bat for his hapless nominee, who may withdraw before he's rejected by the Senate. He did Rump's bidding, Rump returned the favor, but there are limits to Rump's "loyalty" as we know so well.

UPDATE: The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round...look out Ronny! Rump's throwing you:

“I told Admiral Jackson just a little while ago, I said, ‘What do you need this for? This is a vicious group of people that malign. [snip] If I were him, actually in many ways I’d love to be him, but the fact is I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t do it. What does he need it for?”

(photo:  "You know you're giving me an excellent health report, right Dr. Jackson?" Carolyn Kaster/AP)

A Regime And Party Of Cornered Rats

Seth Meyers discusses the Republican wealthfare tax cuts for billionaires, Scott Pruitt's corruption, Republicans distancing themselves from themselves, and Trump's fixer Michael Cohen. Best line about Trump: "If the feds put pressure on him, there's a good chance he'll flip on himself."  This is a regime and party of increasingly cornered rats.

Nashville Killer A "Sovereign Citizen"

The unhinged sociopath that shot and killed four people at a restaurant near Nashville called himself a "sovereign citizen," a subset of far-right wingnuts who are anti-Government and believe that they can decide what laws to obey, if any. Travis Reinking, 29, was captured today after a 36-hour manhunt. He had come to law enforcement's attention last summer when he was arrested after trying to enter White House grounds to meet with demagogue and bigot Donald "Rump" Trump.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) tracks the sovereign citizen movement, which included Oklahoma City bomber accomplice Terry Nichols. Many members of militia groups (of the kind that occupied Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Preserve in 2016) are self-described sovereign citizens.They were also a key component of the mob that occupied the Bundy Ranch over the deadbeat owner's failure to pay grazing fees to the Government. Their confrontations with law enforcement have often ended in violence.

But don't let StormTrumpers, right-wing media or politicians hear you call them "domestic terrorists."

Poll: Public Supports Higher Teacher Pay

It's been one of the insidious missions of the Rethuglican / New Confederate / Stupid / Shooters Party to eviscerate public teachers unions, not only to curtail public education which is supported by taxes, but to undermine their political clout as part of the Democratic coalition. We've seen recently where Rethuglican-controlled state legislatures in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Arizona have stonewalled public school teachers on pay raises, which in many cases would simply catch teachers up to the cost-of-living over the past decade. There are stories of countless teachers who have reached into their own pockets to pay for school supplies that their schools should have been buying, but can't due to local right-wing pressure on taxes.

In a poll released today by the Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, fully 78% think that the average school salary is too low, with only 6% (ed.: Sixth grade dropouts?) thinking that public school teachers are paid too much. Fifty percent of Americans would be willing to pay more in taxes to provide a pay increase to teachers, and 52% approve of teachers leaving the classroom to strike.

This poll presents a serious problem for Rethuglican politicians, who have been trying mightily to destroy public teachers unions, as well as all public sector unions. They're on the wrong side of public opinion, and as they fight to deny fair pay to teachers, that public should punish them from the school board level to the legislatures and governorships at the ballot box.

(photo: Teachers march in Phoenix. Ross Franklin/AP)

Monday Reading

As always, please follow the link to the full article/ op ed.

Sean Hannity is a hypocritical weasel?  The f*ck you say!

The records link Hannity to a group of shell companies that spent at least $90m on more than 870 homes in seven states over the past decade. The properties range from luxurious mansions to rentals for low-income families. Hannity is the hidden owner behind some of the shell companies and his attorney did not dispute that he owns all of them. 

Dozens of the properties were bought at a discount in 2013, after banks foreclosed on their previous owners for defaulting on mortgages. Before and after then, Hannity sharply criticised Barack Obama for the US foreclosure rate. In January 2016, Hannity said there were “millions more Americans suffering under this president” partly because of foreclosures. 

Hannity, 56, also amassed part of his property collection with support from the US Department for Housing and Urban Development (Hud), a fact he did not disclose when praising Ben Carson, the Hud secretary, on his television show last year. [snip]

The shell companies used to buy the properties are registered to the offices of Henssler Financial, a wealth management firm outside Atlanta. Bill Lako, a principal at the firm, has appeared on Hannity’s radio show as an expert on money issues. 

Lako recently wrote an article for the show’s website berating Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating ties between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia, without noting his ties to Hannity. He did not respond to an email. 

We wonder what else HUD welfare queen Hannity is hiding behind that smug face.

Trump biographer and investigative reporter David Cay Johnston on Trump's DNA and what he is:

Here are the key things people should know about Donald Trump. He comes from a family of criminals: His grandfather made his fortune running whorehouses in Seattle and in the Yukon Territory. His father, Fred, had a business partner named Willie Tomasello, who was an associate of the Gambino crime family. Trump's father was also investigated by the U.S. Senate for ripping off the government for what would be the equivalent of $36 million in today's money. Donald got his showmanship from his dad as well as his comfort with organized criminals. [snip] 

Let me be very clear and quotable about this. At an absolute minimum, Donald Trump has divided loyalties, and the evidence we already have suggests that Donald Trump is a traitor. In fact, I would say that the evidence we already have, the public materials such as emails for example, strongly indicate that Donald Trump is a traitor. However, I don't even think he understands what he's done.

An antidote to this must be provided on November 6.

Greg Sargent notes that more and more Republicans are running for office as unabashed authoritarian Stormtrumpers:

Around the country, Republicans embroiled in tough primaries are increasingly emulating President Trump — by echoing his xenophobia, his veiled racist appeals, his attacks on the news media, and even occasionally his calls for imprisoning his political opponents.  [snip] 

So how long until multiple GOP primary candidates begin seriously running on the message that the Mueller probe is part of an illegitimate Deep State coup that justifies Trump shutting it down by any means necessary — that is, on a message of unabashed authoritarianism?

There are already ample signs they're using their usual toxic appeals to their racist base;  this would just add to the case for their defenestration from civil society.

As we noted on Earth Day, the focus this year is on ending plastics polluting our environment, most notably our oceans.  Looks like something's being done about it:

Scientists are preparing to launch the world's first machine to clean up the planet's largest mass of ocean plastic. 

The system, originally dreamed up by a teenager, will be shipped out this summer to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, between Hawaii and California, and which contains an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic. 

It will be the first ever attempt to tackle the patch since it was discovered in 1997. The experts believe the machine should be able to collect half of the detritus in the patch – about 40,000 metric tons – within five years.  [snip] 

The system to tackle the largest swirling mass of rubbish in the Pacific has been designed by a non-profit technology firm called The Ocean Cleanup, set up by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat when he was an 18-year-old aerospace engineering student.

Now if we could just shut off the inflow spigot =cough= China =cough= Indonesia =cough=.

Also, please check out the link roundup over at Infidel 753's place for a great collection of the fun, the infuriating, and the informative on offer from the Internet recently.