That phrase coming out of his mouth with his asinine grin on his face like he had with the Infant Johnny giving him the first FIFA Peace Prize, should be on a thousand billboards in every Red State (blue, too but 100 would do) continually from now until November. DNC WHERE ARE YOU?
Yesterday on Morning Joe I heard Platner say both, "I will just say that the nature of Amy and I's relationship," and, "I mean, this was a very private thing for my wife and I." Pronouns are tricky.
They're talking about totenkopfs. They've already thrown minorities like trans people under the bus. That's what the Podcasters yearn for: manly manly White men.
He almost certainly genuinely does love inflation. It’s probably worth setting out the reason as it also explains why he constantly demands the Fed cut interest rates no matter what inflation is doing.
The only period in which he really had any success as a property developer was the 1970s when it was virtually impossible for anyone in that business to fail if they started the decade with a property portfolio. The inflation of that decade wiped out the real terms value of his debts. At the same time the value of his properties and the associated rental incomes increased (in both real and notional terms) enabling further borrowing against the them; at negative real terms interest rates as the Fed failed to properly respond to the inflationary crisis; to build more.
Inflation is what made him truly wealthy. For a brief time at least. Once inflation had been tamed in the 1980s his incompetence started to show and his inability to keep costs under control on the prestige developments that his narcissism required him to be involved with, as opposed to the generic houses and apartment buildings that the business had been built on under his father, became a problem.
It was in the ‘80s that, even with his alleged source of cheap funds from people more interested in disguising the source of their income than getting the best returns, his financial distress started. That led to his bankruptcies. The Feds getting serious about going after mob money laundering likely didn’t help.
This is exactly why I think interest rates are going to be cut. It makes no economic sense, but Trump really does love inflation. And the special boy gets what he wants.
Agreed, and this was clear from his meltdown NBC interview. Trump was clear that he wanted lower interest rates, and if that caused inflation then (a) that might be after the next election and (b) he would then try to handwave a story to get out of the problem then, probably by blaming stuff on Biden or a Democrat house.
Yep, nothing more fun for the average citizen than looking at a graph of inflation rates and contemplating the peaks and troughs. It’ll soon be the only form of entertainment many of them can afford.
Nobody gives a rats ass about the DNC. That is why nobody is giving their money to it. The money is going to individual candidates. ( where it should be)
Which is precisely why Bernie and AOC have captured a significant chunk of the base and independent vote. This is not going to be a blue wave. It's going to be a change wave.
This is exactly what Rick Wilson and Joe Trippi were talking about today on The Lincoln Square/Lincoln Project. Did you see it? "This Isn't a Blue Wave, It's Something Bigger." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=921QmNztfrQ
Same here with the Mn. Vikings. Four Super Bowl losses. Then they have had great teams that flopped in the playoffs, especially Randy Moss's rookie year when they lost one game all year. They were the first and only one loss team to not make the Super Bowl.. So my sports attitude is always don't expect much for the team you root for. That way you will never be let down.
And I might remind people, that even though "officially," inflation is at 4.2%, many, many items are much, much more than that. The last I looked, a name brand 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips at my local grocery store was $7.99!!!! That is TWICE as high as it was before Trump started his tariff war. And let's not even talk about beef... I could buy petite sirloin steaks on sale for $3.99 and sometimes as low as $2.99 every few weeks, now it is $6.99 on sale. So, let me tell you, 4.2% is kind of a mirage when other things we like to buy have risen 100% or more since Trump's policies have taken effect. Regular people, who buy regular items, at regular grocery stores can see what is happening and I hope they vote with their wallets when the midterms come around, because Republicans have absolutely ZERO plans to do anything about the cost of living. Come on Dems, there is plenty of ammunition - start USING IT !!!!
"By all rights, it was insane for Blanche—the second-in-command at the Justice Department, the man most responsible for its day-to-day operations—to be attending this meeting at all."
But it would be perfectly rational for Trump's criminal defense attorney to attend the meeting.
Well, this is the most corrupt administration in history. It certainly appears to be the most ethically challenged also. When you fire all the watchdogs, ethics goes right out the door with them.
Now they've got a book to flog, so the Times is publishing tidbits like that story. I agree that they should have published the story as the reporters learned about it. But it's all about making more $$$.
They may deserve a little slack. Writing a book and getting it through the legal "what is classified," "what is defamation" process takes quite a bit of time. Regardless, if The Times knew about this last year, it was their duty to notify to public. That is their only job.
Andrew: "Blanche in fact was the mastermind behind nearly all of the political effort to shield Trump from any political fallout over the Epstein files. When he goes before the Senate for his confirmation to the top job, they should tear him apart for it."
The Senate will do no such thing, or more specifically no GOP senator will do such thing. And let's be clear as to why: none of them care that Donald Trump is a pedophile. The only thing that matters to these people is power.
According to the Associated Press, “Republicans have said they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong during his well-documented friendship with Epstein.” This was in my morning paper. They put Democrats under oath, but not Republicans. Gave Maxwell a pass and a better jail. These Republican fools will do nothing. People need to remember this in November.
"These Republican fools will do nothing. People need to remember this in November." Exactly right and well said. The problem is, as campaign season heats up, the Republicans --with all that money--will be running dishonest and deceptive ads wall to wall everywhere they want to win. The question is, will Democrats be up to the job of effectively countering those dishonest ads and will voters have enough solid information and facts to resist being deceived by the barrage of lies that will descend upon them day and. night as the Republicans try desperately to hold the House and the Senate.
I doubt he's connected enough. I'd guess Michael Cohen, if any Trump lawyer is in there, would be the one. He was the fixer after all. And he knew how to play connections which seemed to be one of Epstein's particular interests.
Max, I notice guys like Trump and Epstein always have a bunch of lawyers around them. Often the don’t get paid, Michael Cohen. Often the are connected into local prosecutors Acosta, Blanche. Sometimes the are prestige type guys like Dershowitz, connected to both. It’s a very dirty world.
Of course he'll be confirmed. The modern GOP is utterly amoral and singularly focused on maintaining power at all cost. Voting to confirm a man who's running cover for a pedophile is just the cost of doing business, and not one of these motherfuckers will lose a moment's sleep.
'The hope of prosperity in this life is both part of the American dream and a quieter theme of Johnson’s preaching, although he has expressly rejected belief in what critics call the “prosperity gospel,” which associates material wealth and success with faithfulness to God. But asked in an email how he reconciles his luxury lifestyle with Christ’s teachings about the spiritual hazards of wealth, he rejected the question as an example of journalists “cosplaying as theologians.”'
I'm going to cosplay as a theologian right now; sounds fun and kinky. How do you tell if your pastor is a grifter and not a Christian? By the toys they buy, the house they own, the cars they drive, the charity they withhold. And if your pastor is a grifter, and you're not looking for another church, then you're not a Christian either.
There seems to be a "do it yourself" form of clergy these days. No formal training just self proclaiming that they are clergy and deriding other people as "cosplaying as theologians" even though that is exactly what Johnson is doing. He has the money and the grifting down pat so I guess that makes him good enough to be a clergyman?
This has been a problem since at least the 1980s; see "Jesus he knows me" by Genesis back in 1991.
I guess the interviewer did not get to ask Johnson about Matthew 19:24: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven"...
They're always charismatic/Pentecostal, cloaked in supernatural imaginations and "chosen" myths. Just what the confused and lost souls need to find meaning in life, as they get fleeced - and sucked into a political cult.
Early on in Trump's first administration, I referred to MAGA's blandishments and attempts to whitewash the President's corruption as "rhetorical self-empretzelment".
Now I can confidently say that any preacher who tries to justify a prosperity gospel - especially by citing the Bible - is plainly guilty of "theological self-empretzelment."
In numerous contexts, it seems that for Trump supporters, the self-empretzelment is a feature, not a bug.
Bill: "Trump is now digging the hole he has gotten us into even deeper. Responsible members of Congress should redouble their efforts to force an end to this unauthorized, unwise, and unsuccessful war."
Does anyone have any confidence that John Thune or Mike Johnson are going to wake up one morning and remember they're constitutional officers with an obligation to prevent what Trump is doing now?
22 medical specialists to examine one person? I am definitely missing something! And there is no more information regarding his health. Felon Trump’s health is taking on the mantle of the new improved cover up. Move over Epstein Files. We now get lied to by this administration over an annual checkup that happens monthly. He didn’t have an interview with NBC he had a childish meltdown. Just rattle him once and see the sparks fly. Don’t forget the popcorn.
It’s particularly galling to know that he will never have to pay a bill for any of this treatment, while many of our veterans get totally inadequate care.
I have seen several of my close elderly relatives through a lot of medical visits. The 3 of them combined were not examined by a total of 22 medical specialists. Of course none of them was a president.
They're at Walter Reed where many of our wounded soldiers are treated. (Although they all will probably brag to their relatives, "I treated presidents."
Meanwhile, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve announced another "lending" of 40 million barrels of oil, an unprecedented scope of "loans" that offers the industry a no-cost solution. Companies borrowing oil are required to return the original volumes, with premiums of up to 24% in the form of extra oil. (Note: previous releases at this scale were "sold," not loaned.)
The total loans so far exceed 133 million barrels, which are again being offered to the industry, which then treats these loaned barrels as market value for sale to consumers while paying nothing back to the US until a future date, when they can just send back the oil with additional barrels.
This is the ultimate Whimpy Special. Oil executives will gladly pay us in the future for a barrel of oil they can sell today for windfall profits, and it gets better: the oil can also be sold to foreign markets for still more profit.
Tens of billions of free profit, what could go wrong?
So - this sounds like a short sale. Oil companies “borrow “ oil owned by the US government, then sell it at the current market price, and later replace it with cheaper oil? They make a profit (and probably pay Trump a premium via a “contribution “ to the ballroom, library, or arch.)
Yup, exactly, they can sell today at a windfall profit and then replace later with lower-cost oil after the crisis passes on the supply side. And it's a loan, so there is no exchange of funds; all profit and expenses are deferred.
It would be nice if we had a strategic refinery capacity, since none of oil companies have increased their refining capacity since they permanently closed 20 during covid. The US currently imports refined gasoline to meet domestic demand.
Correct, PADD 1 - East Coast imports from Canada and Europe, but PADD 5 - West Coast - is the most vulnerable with shuttered refinery capacity and no direct pipeline to our reserves located in the Gulf region; they import from Asia, which leads to very expensive oil across all industries, impacting drivers and aviation.
Raises an idle question. Is the strategic oil reserve actually in the possession of the U.S. government in some fashion, or is it on paper? Do we simply “own” some of the oil in Exxon’s tanks? I can’t imagine that it is actually pumped back and forth.
Emergency crude oil is stored at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in underground salt caverns at four major oil storage facilities in the Gulf Coast region of the United States, two sites in Texas (Bryan Mound and Big Hill), and two sites in Louisiana (West Hackberry and Bayou Choctaw). Created deep within the massive salt deposits that underlie most of the Texas and Louisiana coastline, the caverns offer the best security and are the most affordable means of storage, costing up to 10 times less than above ground tanks and 20 times less than hard rock mines.
Salt caverns along the Gulf Coast have been used for storage for many years by the petrochemical industry. When the U.S. Government decided to create the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the mid-1970s, it acquired previously created salt caverns to store the first 250 million barrels of crude oil.
A single windmill is quaint and charming a windfarm is a threat to wealthy energy monopolists. It’s almost like Trump is Don Quixote thinking they are dragons.
Steve I think I read somewhere that those salt caverns were environmentally unstable. Something about danger to property nearby maybe. It was in the context of Louisiana's issues with environmental deterioration. Do you know anything about this?
The people who are most hurt by pollution, contamination, climate change are in no position to do anything about it. It is almost a new form of human bondage.
Well, they could vote for leaders who believe in science but they seem to be way more concerned about the 6 high school trans swimmers who were allowed to compete in a meet somewhere.
One might want to remind Mr. Johnson of Jesus’ quote about the camel and eye of a needle. The Bulwark should question him about his hump. The bible says nothing about borders, it is literally not a topic, but it says a lot about how to treat people and how to treat the stranger amongst you. Enjoy your life now, Russell Johnson because it won’t be in communion with Christ in the afterlife.
Trump's latest boasts that "we’ll bomb the shit out of them" and that the new strikes are designed to be “vicious” and “violent" are even worse in context, on the heels of the bombing of civilian drinking water facilities in Iran and the attack on the Indian-crewed vessel which killed three Indian civilians.
Add these things to the previous mass killing of Iranian schoolgirls, and to the ongoing bombing of civilian "drug boats" that may not even be carrying drugs or guns, as well as to other atrocities against world order and universal rules of law, and the United States is becoming a criminal nation in the eyes of the world.
I've been banging my drum lately that this Trump regime is about more than just politics... it is EVIL. Imagine taking pleasure in causing death and destruction. Trump, Hegseth, Miller... they are all bloodthirsty animals. Not to disrespect animals, just meaning they have no conscience. At least animals kill to eat, not because they enjoy it. I am so embarrassed to be an American when our Commander in Chief spouts off such rubbish - in character, he is almost exactly like the Evil Emperor on Star Wars, reveling in his own cruelty.
Wow, Pastor Johnson and I definitely haven't read the same book. In Luke 3:11, we're specifically instructed that if we have literally more than one coat to give the extra to the poor. Same thing with food.
In a sense Pastor Johnson is right, Jesus doesn't want performative poverty. Jesus wants us to live as simply as possible, while doing our utmost to help the poor.
The leading ideologues of Christian nationalism seem to have an alternative Bible that's laser-focused on gender purity and reproduction, and perhaps ethnic protectionism, with nothing whatsoever about integrity, decency, compassion, etc.
They have their own weird version of the Jefferson Bible, where they have cut out Jesus completely and are keeping the wrathful God and the condemnations with dire consequences.
Except that they'll say they "believe in Jesus" and therefore their own sins are forgiven - while they scold others for whatever "deviancy" really offends them.
I agree. Despite all the Bible entries that Jesus was made man and acted with and against society, Jesus remains a bland image of a white man that reflects their views. So easy to say "Jesus says" without actually having taken the time to understand what he actually said. Shallow cultural point of reference.
And I'm sure, when challenged to refer to a piece about Jesus, they'll cite something from the Old Testament.
"Bland image of a white man." Scientifically, there is consensus that Jesus was obviously of Middle Eastern decent and a Jew, therefore probably had olive colored skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. These fake Christians don't know anything about what the Bible actually says or means. They seem to have no idea that He called us to be servants to others, putting the needs of others, who may be strangers, first. I don't see how you can be following His directives, and still be rich at the same time. Seems to me, if you are rich, you are not doing every thing you can to help others. I understand that most of us are not doing all we can to help others, but at least we don't go around bragging about our piety like Mike Johnson does. Matthew 20:16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." Trump is going to be mighty disappointed when it's his turn to meet his Maker.
Congress isn't going to do anything. The vast majority (Dems included) are on Israel's payroll. Unless AIPAC is banned and those who took their money charged with treason, this country will continue to dance to the tune Bibi plays.
Mr. Kristol's analysis of the grim status of the war (yes, it is a war) is on the mark and I appreciate his insights. There's one point I disagree with. I hope it becomes a learning point for everyone. Kristol writes, "Our president has demonstrated even worse leadership than one might have expected, with shifting and untenable justifications for the war, threats of war crimes, generally incompetent leadership, and truly unhinged behavior." All true, but "worse" leadership than one might have expected??? No, any hopeful illusions commentators had about the outcome of this war started and led by Trump were foolish and unfounded (and there were a disappointing number of such analyses).
Long before this, we have known more than enough about Trump, his administration, his accomplices, and his party to expect only the worst. Add to that the unfortunate history of our Middle East interventions under far more competent administrations with, perhaps, higher motives and clearer aims. Exactly how things may be the worst or what unexpected turns they may take because of unanticipated consequences are all parlor games we can play. They're useful as we think about policies, alternatives, responses, and the future of our country at home and abroad. But, please, entertain no more illusions. Never expect anything but the "worst" from Trump's leadership, the cravenness of the GOP, or the cynical greed of Trump's multi-billionaire allies.
True. Administration I taught Americans enough to know to expect his stupidity in everything he did. Even if he did something good in his first administration, it wasn’t pure luck. But they voted for the racism, misogyny, and retribution. That’s what MAGA really cares about.
Your last point is what really worries me. We can list all the things crazily wrong about this policy (or many others), but he still retains a core of support (including potentially violent supporters) who enjoy the show, feed on anger and resentment, and are uninterested in complex things like the chain of effects of policies. They'll just find the usual suspects to blame and to inflame their hate.
All they care about is owning the libs. And that's you and me. They want us ruined as publicly as possible. For the lulz. Because they don't know the difference between people and things. Exactly why the Epstein victims are never mentioned in all the articles about them. They're just things, apparently, not really people.
Exactly! Those who didn't have their heads stuck in the GOP propaganda bubble knew that trump would be the most self serving, incompetent, and criminal POTUS in US history. We knew that he would attempt to destroy this country just to squeeze personal gain out of it.
The Knicks win reminds me of that gorgeous (if not particularly profound) feeling one used to get every now and again about why it was good to be an American; that Fourth of July, joyfully mythical, let's-not-talk-about-the-country's-shameful-history-just-this-once, "hooray for the red white and blue!" sense that all is (at least for a lovely flash of time) right with the world. Thank you, New York!
And then there's Iran, and Trump. Quelle nightmare. Madness upon madness, and one more piece of the Trump/Republican/Maga legacy we'll all be paying for--as will the rest of the world---for years, or maybe decades, to come. Not much "hooray for the red white and blue" in Donald's clueless and malevolent determination to win an unwinnable war he started because some fawning courtier called him "Sir" and told him he would be lauded as the greatest man in history for starting it.
If we've destroyed Iran's military and we're sending a bazillion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, why do we even need the Iranians to sign a peace agreement ? There's no need for one.
Yeah. No previous president in history has been able to do that. Truly amazing! But then, a guy who can find a grifting opportunity where no one else ever has should be able to identify a camel.
“I love the inflation.”
That phrase coming out of his mouth with his asinine grin on his face like he had with the Infant Johnny giving him the first FIFA Peace Prize, should be on a thousand billboards in every Red State (blue, too but 100 would do) continually from now until November. DNC WHERE ARE YOU?
The DNC is at a retreat to talk about pronouns.
Right, they certainly need to be "pro" about something.
I'm all for nouns!
Who will speak for the adjectives ?
I thought one just unpacked adjectives from a backpack. Adverbs on the other hand are bought from Lolly's Adverb store. 😀
Yes, they didn't sacrifice their amateur status to go "pro".
Good thing you remembered to keep the "o"...😏🙄
That's a different message board. 😀
I wasn't looking for a confession...
Yesterday on Morning Joe I heard Platner say both, "I will just say that the nature of Amy and I's relationship," and, "I mean, this was a very private thing for my wife and I." Pronouns are tricky.
I guess he wasn't at Hotchkiss long enough to learn the whole I vs. me/mine thing.
Truancy.
They're talking about totenkopfs. They've already thrown minorities like trans people under the bus. That's what the Podcasters yearn for: manly manly White men.
in NY
He almost certainly genuinely does love inflation. It’s probably worth setting out the reason as it also explains why he constantly demands the Fed cut interest rates no matter what inflation is doing.
The only period in which he really had any success as a property developer was the 1970s when it was virtually impossible for anyone in that business to fail if they started the decade with a property portfolio. The inflation of that decade wiped out the real terms value of his debts. At the same time the value of his properties and the associated rental incomes increased (in both real and notional terms) enabling further borrowing against the them; at negative real terms interest rates as the Fed failed to properly respond to the inflationary crisis; to build more.
Inflation is what made him truly wealthy. For a brief time at least. Once inflation had been tamed in the 1980s his incompetence started to show and his inability to keep costs under control on the prestige developments that his narcissism required him to be involved with, as opposed to the generic houses and apartment buildings that the business had been built on under his father, became a problem.
It was in the ‘80s that, even with his alleged source of cheap funds from people more interested in disguising the source of their income than getting the best returns, his financial distress started. That led to his bankruptcies. The Feds getting serious about going after mob money laundering likely didn’t help.
This is exactly why I think interest rates are going to be cut. It makes no economic sense, but Trump really does love inflation. And the special boy gets what he wants.
Agreed, and this was clear from his meltdown NBC interview. Trump was clear that he wanted lower interest rates, and if that caused inflation then (a) that might be after the next election and (b) he would then try to handwave a story to get out of the problem then, probably by blaming stuff on Biden or a Democrat house.
Mike Johnson tried to "explain" Trump's statement about loving inflation thus: "What he was saying is: ‘It’s going to be great to have that number and compare it to what comes next, when we get these situations resolved, that’ll be a fun thing to consider'". 🤦♀️ Could he get any more sycophantic if he tried??? Source https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2026/jun/10/graham-platner-maine-democrats-senate-primary-donald-trump-us-politics-latest-news-updates
I hadn’t seen that. Wow. That’s insane.
Yep, nothing more fun for the average citizen than looking at a graph of inflation rates and contemplating the peaks and troughs. It’ll soon be the only form of entertainment many of them can afford.
Thanks for the historical reasons for his being even more out of touch with the MAGAnuts.
Good question. Move On and Inequality in the Media is on it. Where is the DNC?
Nobody gives a rats ass about the DNC. That is why nobody is giving their money to it. The money is going to individual candidates. ( where it should be)
I agree.
Trying to decide if they should actually change their name to Do Not Commit or Do Not Comment.
Seems more like “Do Not Care.” This group is the equivalent of a political Red Sox team.
Which is precisely why Bernie and AOC have captured a significant chunk of the base and independent vote. This is not going to be a blue wave. It's going to be a change wave.
This is exactly what Rick Wilson and Joe Trippi were talking about today on The Lincoln Square/Lincoln Project. Did you see it? "This Isn't a Blue Wave, It's Something Bigger." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=921QmNztfrQ
Latest Generic Poll: Dems+ 10 (Emerson)
That is encouraging for sure. However, there is blue and then there is Bernie Blue.
Bet you are not from Boston!
I am not, and I have been a NY Mets fan forever, despite the fact that they break my heart every year. But hope springs eternal.
Same here with the Mn. Vikings. Four Super Bowl losses. Then they have had great teams that flopped in the playoffs, especially Randy Moss's rookie year when they lost one game all year. They were the first and only one loss team to not make the Super Bowl.. So my sports attitude is always don't expect much for the team you root for. That way you will never be let down.
And I might remind people, that even though "officially," inflation is at 4.2%, many, many items are much, much more than that. The last I looked, a name brand 12 oz. bag of chocolate chips at my local grocery store was $7.99!!!! That is TWICE as high as it was before Trump started his tariff war. And let's not even talk about beef... I could buy petite sirloin steaks on sale for $3.99 and sometimes as low as $2.99 every few weeks, now it is $6.99 on sale. So, let me tell you, 4.2% is kind of a mirage when other things we like to buy have risen 100% or more since Trump's policies have taken effect. Regular people, who buy regular items, at regular grocery stores can see what is happening and I hope they vote with their wallets when the midterms come around, because Republicans have absolutely ZERO plans to do anything about the cost of living. Come on Dems, there is plenty of ammunition - start USING IT !!!!
Suitable for framing!
"By all rights, it was insane for Blanche—the second-in-command at the Justice Department, the man most responsible for its day-to-day operations—to be attending this meeting at all."
But it would be perfectly rational for Trump's criminal defense attorney to attend the meeting.
Well, this is the most corrupt administration in history. It certainly appears to be the most ethically challenged also. When you fire all the watchdogs, ethics goes right out the door with them.
Yet 32-37% still support DJT. Amazing!
It is hard to counter true brain washing.
Washing a smooth brain is exceptionally easy, though.
Up until this point in the comments I was wondering if I had read the same thing as everyone else!
You know what would've been helpful? For the Times to publish this last year, when it was timely. But they wanted Trump to win.
Andrew didn't mention the Epstein victims, but they've been long forgotten, if they're still alive.
Now they've got a book to flog, so the Times is publishing tidbits like that story. I agree that they should have published the story as the reporters learned about it. But it's all about making more $$$.
They may deserve a little slack. Writing a book and getting it through the legal "what is classified," "what is defamation" process takes quite a bit of time. Regardless, if The Times knew about this last year, it was their duty to notify to public. That is their only job.
Andrew: "Blanche in fact was the mastermind behind nearly all of the political effort to shield Trump from any political fallout over the Epstein files. When he goes before the Senate for his confirmation to the top job, they should tear him apart for it."
The Senate will do no such thing, or more specifically no GOP senator will do such thing. And let's be clear as to why: none of them care that Donald Trump is a pedophile. The only thing that matters to these people is power.
According to the Associated Press, “Republicans have said they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong during his well-documented friendship with Epstein.” This was in my morning paper. They put Democrats under oath, but not Republicans. Gave Maxwell a pass and a better jail. These Republican fools will do nothing. People need to remember this in November.
You're preaching to the choir.
"These Republican fools will do nothing. People need to remember this in November." Exactly right and well said. The problem is, as campaign season heats up, the Republicans --with all that money--will be running dishonest and deceptive ads wall to wall everywhere they want to win. The question is, will Democrats be up to the job of effectively countering those dishonest ads and will voters have enough solid information and facts to resist being deceived by the barrage of lies that will descend upon them day and. night as the Republicans try desperately to hold the House and the Senate.
The FBI reports from the 13-year-old who was sexually and physically abused by Trump must have been seen by SOMEBODY.
What are the chances that Blanche himself is or was in the Epstein files?
I doubt he's connected enough. I'd guess Michael Cohen, if any Trump lawyer is in there, would be the one. He was the fixer after all. And he knew how to play connections which seemed to be one of Epstein's particular interests.
Max, I notice guys like Trump and Epstein always have a bunch of lawyers around them. Often the don’t get paid, Michael Cohen. Often the are connected into local prosecutors Acosta, Blanche. Sometimes the are prestige type guys like Dershowitz, connected to both. It’s a very dirty world.
Blanche got $9.2m as Felon Trump’s personal lawyer.
I don't want to sound cynical, but I bet he passes. Of course Sue Collins will have "concerns".
Of course he'll be confirmed. The modern GOP is utterly amoral and singularly focused on maintaining power at all cost. Voting to confirm a man who's running cover for a pedophile is just the cost of doing business, and not one of these motherfuckers will lose a moment's sleep.
'The hope of prosperity in this life is both part of the American dream and a quieter theme of Johnson’s preaching, although he has expressly rejected belief in what critics call the “prosperity gospel,” which associates material wealth and success with faithfulness to God. But asked in an email how he reconciles his luxury lifestyle with Christ’s teachings about the spiritual hazards of wealth, he rejected the question as an example of journalists “cosplaying as theologians.”'
I'm going to cosplay as a theologian right now; sounds fun and kinky. How do you tell if your pastor is a grifter and not a Christian? By the toys they buy, the house they own, the cars they drive, the charity they withhold. And if your pastor is a grifter, and you're not looking for another church, then you're not a Christian either.
There seems to be a "do it yourself" form of clergy these days. No formal training just self proclaiming that they are clergy and deriding other people as "cosplaying as theologians" even though that is exactly what Johnson is doing. He has the money and the grifting down pat so I guess that makes him good enough to be a clergyman?
Seminaries generate the religious elite and theological experts, who are to be shunned by MAGA.
This has been a problem since at least the 1980s; see "Jesus he knows me" by Genesis back in 1991.
I guess the interviewer did not get to ask Johnson about Matthew 19:24: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven"...
If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at who he gives it to.
They're always charismatic/Pentecostal, cloaked in supernatural imaginations and "chosen" myths. Just what the confused and lost souls need to find meaning in life, as they get fleeced - and sucked into a political cult.
Does that preacher sound like a posturing performative poseur? (I love alliteration.) Sounds like he's pursuing clicks and likes, not salvation.
See "Kinky Hypocrite" by Drive By Truckers. Lyrics by the inimitable Mike Cooley.
https://open.spotify.com/track/32ua2fIR84BADKkzCW2Xxm?si=961efa92baf84d63
Early on in Trump's first administration, I referred to MAGA's blandishments and attempts to whitewash the President's corruption as "rhetorical self-empretzelment".
Now I can confidently say that any preacher who tries to justify a prosperity gospel - especially by citing the Bible - is plainly guilty of "theological self-empretzelment."
In numerous contexts, it seems that for Trump supporters, the self-empretzelment is a feature, not a bug.
Bill: "Trump is now digging the hole he has gotten us into even deeper. Responsible members of Congress should redouble their efforts to force an end to this unauthorized, unwise, and unsuccessful war."
Does anyone have any confidence that John Thune or Mike Johnson are going to wake up one morning and remember they're constitutional officers with an obligation to prevent what Trump is doing now?
Me, neither.
Nope
22 medical specialists to examine one person? I am definitely missing something! And there is no more information regarding his health. Felon Trump’s health is taking on the mantle of the new improved cover up. Move over Epstein Files. We now get lied to by this administration over an annual checkup that happens monthly. He didn’t have an interview with NBC he had a childish meltdown. Just rattle him once and see the sparks fly. Don’t forget the popcorn.
It’s particularly galling to know that he will never have to pay a bill for any of this treatment, while many of our veterans get totally inadequate care.
The 22 are there not only to applause as Mr. Egger suggests, but to observe and marvel at the medical miracle that is Donald Trump.
More likely at least a dozen were psychiatrists who begged the rest not to inflict a narcissistic injury for the sake of national security.
Paging Ronny Jackson!
I have seen several of my close elderly relatives through a lot of medical visits. The 3 of them combined were not examined by a total of 22 medical specialists. Of course none of them was a president.
A real American seeing 22 specialists would have to wait approximately 44 years and get 22 separate insurance authorizations.
These “doctors “ need to lose their medical licenses (assuming they are even real doctors).
They're at Walter Reed where many of our wounded soldiers are treated. (Although they all will probably brag to their relatives, "I treated presidents."
Ahhh, but he passed the cognitive test again!
God forbid he should confuse a giraffe with a gerbil!
Do we have any comparative data as to how many doctors examined Joe Biden? The elder Bush? That would be helpful.
Read about them today. The difference is that those who treated Bush, Bush, and Biden, their specialties were also in the article.
Meanwhile, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve announced another "lending" of 40 million barrels of oil, an unprecedented scope of "loans" that offers the industry a no-cost solution. Companies borrowing oil are required to return the original volumes, with premiums of up to 24% in the form of extra oil. (Note: previous releases at this scale were "sold," not loaned.)
The total loans so far exceed 133 million barrels, which are again being offered to the industry, which then treats these loaned barrels as market value for sale to consumers while paying nothing back to the US until a future date, when they can just send back the oil with additional barrels.
This is the ultimate Whimpy Special. Oil executives will gladly pay us in the future for a barrel of oil they can sell today for windfall profits, and it gets better: the oil can also be sold to foreign markets for still more profit.
Tens of billions of free profit, what could go wrong?
So - this sounds like a short sale. Oil companies “borrow “ oil owned by the US government, then sell it at the current market price, and later replace it with cheaper oil? They make a profit (and probably pay Trump a premium via a “contribution “ to the ballroom, library, or arch.)
Yup, exactly, they can sell today at a windfall profit and then replace later with lower-cost oil after the crisis passes on the supply side. And it's a loan, so there is no exchange of funds; all profit and expenses are deferred.
It would be nice if we had a strategic refinery capacity, since none of oil companies have increased their refining capacity since they permanently closed 20 during covid. The US currently imports refined gasoline to meet domestic demand.
Correct, PADD 1 - East Coast imports from Canada and Europe, but PADD 5 - West Coast - is the most vulnerable with shuttered refinery capacity and no direct pipeline to our reserves located in the Gulf region; they import from Asia, which leads to very expensive oil across all industries, impacting drivers and aviation.
"...the Strategic Petroleum Reserve announced another "lending" of 40 million barrels of oil."
There should be a war profiteer tax.
(or do politicians have oil stocks?)
Raises an idle question. Is the strategic oil reserve actually in the possession of the U.S. government in some fashion, or is it on paper? Do we simply “own” some of the oil in Exxon’s tanks? I can’t imagine that it is actually pumped back and forth.
Emergency crude oil is stored at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in underground salt caverns at four major oil storage facilities in the Gulf Coast region of the United States, two sites in Texas (Bryan Mound and Big Hill), and two sites in Louisiana (West Hackberry and Bayou Choctaw). Created deep within the massive salt deposits that underlie most of the Texas and Louisiana coastline, the caverns offer the best security and are the most affordable means of storage, costing up to 10 times less than above ground tanks and 20 times less than hard rock mines.
Salt caverns along the Gulf Coast have been used for storage for many years by the petrochemical industry. When the U.S. Government decided to create the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the mid-1970s, it acquired previously created salt caverns to store the first 250 million barrels of crude oil.
https://www.energy.gov/hgeo/opr/spr-storage-sites
Thanks for the explanation. And to your other point, windmills are so awfully ugly that people go way out of their way to see them in Holland.
A single windmill is quaint and charming a windfarm is a threat to wealthy energy monopolists. It’s almost like Trump is Don Quixote thinking they are dragons.
Plus they improve the landscape of these flat plain states!
Steve I think I read somewhere that those salt caverns were environmentally unstable. Something about danger to property nearby maybe. It was in the context of Louisiana's issues with environmental deterioration. Do you know anything about this?
I don't know about the stability, but we're now at the lowest level since the early 80s.
When have red states given a crap about their environments?
The people who are most hurt by pollution, contamination, climate change are in no position to do anything about it. It is almost a new form of human bondage.
But windmills are unsightly when viewed from the windows of your seaside mansion or Scottish golf course, so think of the impact on the uber wealthy.
Well, they could vote for leaders who believe in science but they seem to be way more concerned about the 6 high school trans swimmers who were allowed to compete in a meet somewhere.
As George Wallace once said: they have water they can drink and air they can breath.
I learn so much in these comments conversations! Thanks!
One might want to remind Mr. Johnson of Jesus’ quote about the camel and eye of a needle. The Bulwark should question him about his hump. The bible says nothing about borders, it is literally not a topic, but it says a lot about how to treat people and how to treat the stranger amongst you. Enjoy your life now, Russell Johnson because it won’t be in communion with Christ in the afterlife.
You'd think he'd be familiar with Luke 3:11.
Doubtful he’s familiar with any part of the bible.
Highly edited: "Thou shalt...kill"
Trump's latest boasts that "we’ll bomb the shit out of them" and that the new strikes are designed to be “vicious” and “violent" are even worse in context, on the heels of the bombing of civilian drinking water facilities in Iran and the attack on the Indian-crewed vessel which killed three Indian civilians.
Add these things to the previous mass killing of Iranian schoolgirls, and to the ongoing bombing of civilian "drug boats" that may not even be carrying drugs or guns, as well as to other atrocities against world order and universal rules of law, and the United States is becoming a criminal nation in the eyes of the world.
I've been banging my drum lately that this Trump regime is about more than just politics... it is EVIL. Imagine taking pleasure in causing death and destruction. Trump, Hegseth, Miller... they are all bloodthirsty animals. Not to disrespect animals, just meaning they have no conscience. At least animals kill to eat, not because they enjoy it. I am so embarrassed to be an American when our Commander in Chief spouts off such rubbish - in character, he is almost exactly like the Evil Emperor on Star Wars, reveling in his own cruelty.
Has Trump ever done anything that improves the life of somebody who's not cartoonish level evil?
Trick question, Steven?
Wow, Pastor Johnson and I definitely haven't read the same book. In Luke 3:11, we're specifically instructed that if we have literally more than one coat to give the extra to the poor. Same thing with food.
In a sense Pastor Johnson is right, Jesus doesn't want performative poverty. Jesus wants us to live as simply as possible, while doing our utmost to help the poor.
I wonder if he has read the New Testament at all. It seems to me that all these MAGA evangelicals like to refer to the Old Testament.
The leading ideologues of Christian nationalism seem to have an alternative Bible that's laser-focused on gender purity and reproduction, and perhaps ethnic protectionism, with nothing whatsoever about integrity, decency, compassion, etc.
They have their own weird version of the Jefferson Bible, where they have cut out Jesus completely and are keeping the wrathful God and the condemnations with dire consequences.
Except that they'll say they "believe in Jesus" and therefore their own sins are forgiven - while they scold others for whatever "deviancy" really offends them.
I agree. Despite all the Bible entries that Jesus was made man and acted with and against society, Jesus remains a bland image of a white man that reflects their views. So easy to say "Jesus says" without actually having taken the time to understand what he actually said. Shallow cultural point of reference.
And I'm sure, when challenged to refer to a piece about Jesus, they'll cite something from the Old Testament.
"Bland image of a white man." Scientifically, there is consensus that Jesus was obviously of Middle Eastern decent and a Jew, therefore probably had olive colored skin, dark hair, and brown eyes. These fake Christians don't know anything about what the Bible actually says or means. They seem to have no idea that He called us to be servants to others, putting the needs of others, who may be strangers, first. I don't see how you can be following His directives, and still be rich at the same time. Seems to me, if you are rich, you are not doing every thing you can to help others. I understand that most of us are not doing all we can to help others, but at least we don't go around bragging about our piety like Mike Johnson does. Matthew 20:16 "So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen." Trump is going to be mighty disappointed when it's his turn to meet his Maker.
Thank goodness that they also focus on the End Times in their churches. I'm sure they're on the alert to spot an anti-Christ.
We're due for a religious grifter to get caught in a gay sex scandal. Next man up.
“Responsible members of Congress should redouble their efforts to force an end to this unauthorized, unwise, and unsuccessful war.”
Nearly choked on this one. Please name even a few “responsible” Republicans in Congress.
Congress isn't going to do anything. The vast majority (Dems included) are on Israel's payroll. Unless AIPAC is banned and those who took their money charged with treason, this country will continue to dance to the tune Bibi plays.
Mr. Kristol's analysis of the grim status of the war (yes, it is a war) is on the mark and I appreciate his insights. There's one point I disagree with. I hope it becomes a learning point for everyone. Kristol writes, "Our president has demonstrated even worse leadership than one might have expected, with shifting and untenable justifications for the war, threats of war crimes, generally incompetent leadership, and truly unhinged behavior." All true, but "worse" leadership than one might have expected??? No, any hopeful illusions commentators had about the outcome of this war started and led by Trump were foolish and unfounded (and there were a disappointing number of such analyses).
Long before this, we have known more than enough about Trump, his administration, his accomplices, and his party to expect only the worst. Add to that the unfortunate history of our Middle East interventions under far more competent administrations with, perhaps, higher motives and clearer aims. Exactly how things may be the worst or what unexpected turns they may take because of unanticipated consequences are all parlor games we can play. They're useful as we think about policies, alternatives, responses, and the future of our country at home and abroad. But, please, entertain no more illusions. Never expect anything but the "worst" from Trump's leadership, the cravenness of the GOP, or the cynical greed of Trump's multi-billionaire allies.
True. Administration I taught Americans enough to know to expect his stupidity in everything he did. Even if he did something good in his first administration, it wasn’t pure luck. But they voted for the racism, misogyny, and retribution. That’s what MAGA really cares about.
Your last point is what really worries me. We can list all the things crazily wrong about this policy (or many others), but he still retains a core of support (including potentially violent supporters) who enjoy the show, feed on anger and resentment, and are uninterested in complex things like the chain of effects of policies. They'll just find the usual suspects to blame and to inflame their hate.
Worries me too. Every day.
All they care about is owning the libs. And that's you and me. They want us ruined as publicly as possible. For the lulz. Because they don't know the difference between people and things. Exactly why the Epstein victims are never mentioned in all the articles about them. They're just things, apparently, not really people.
Exactly! Those who didn't have their heads stuck in the GOP propaganda bubble knew that trump would be the most self serving, incompetent, and criminal POTUS in US history. We knew that he would attempt to destroy this country just to squeeze personal gain out of it.
The Knicks win reminds me of that gorgeous (if not particularly profound) feeling one used to get every now and again about why it was good to be an American; that Fourth of July, joyfully mythical, let's-not-talk-about-the-country's-shameful-history-just-this-once, "hooray for the red white and blue!" sense that all is (at least for a lovely flash of time) right with the world. Thank you, New York!
And then there's Iran, and Trump. Quelle nightmare. Madness upon madness, and one more piece of the Trump/Republican/Maga legacy we'll all be paying for--as will the rest of the world---for years, or maybe decades, to come. Not much "hooray for the red white and blue" in Donald's clueless and malevolent determination to win an unwinnable war he started because some fawning courtier called him "Sir" and told him he would be lauded as the greatest man in history for starting it.
LGK
If we've destroyed Iran's military and we're sending a bazillion barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, why do we even need the Iranians to sign a peace agreement ? There's no need for one.
Did all 22 agree that he correctly identified a camel?
They had to turn doctors away from seeing the healthiest man who ever existed! /s
Yeah. No previous president in history has been able to do that. Truly amazing! But then, a guy who can find a grifting opportunity where no one else ever has should be able to identify a camel.