[NOTE: I’m reprising this story from yesterday because Fox News has elevated it to the top story on their website this morning] Click here to Tweet this article At the end of every year the media is filled with lists that they compile of significant people and events that made...
Cabinet
I tried sitting through FOX News’ commentary/critique yesterday, following Joe Biden’s report on the status of the nation, and in particular the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. After a few minutes, and when one of the conservative panelists had the temerity and amnesia to call Joe Biden a liar, I...
There is no doubt that the year 2020 has been tumultuous, to say the least. With a global pandemic, nationwide protests against police brutality, and a presidential election to top it all off, the year will definitely go down in history. But the history making did not end with 2020....
Former President Trump ordered the Pentagon to release all of its information on “unidentified aerial phenomena” (UAP) within 18 days in his last coronavirus relief bill in December 2020. More inexplicable sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) will be released for public scrutiny in June — including a UFO that broke...
“As in the Times Op-Ed from which the book originated, the title refers to the results of studies conducted in Germany from the mid-nineteen-eighties onward, which reported, among other intriguing findings, that eighty per cent of East German women always experienced orgasm during sex, compared to sixty-three per cent of...
In just 50 days, President Joe Biden got our vaccine production and distribution system whipped into shape and signed a historic COVID-19 relief package to boost our economy and give a helping hand to millions of struggling Americans, but damn, what a snooze it’s been. No waking up and rushing to your phone...
The once and current Malignant Mangoturd fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper right after the election so he could a more toadying toady, Chris Miller, who wasn’t qualified but who be counted on to do what Trump told him to do without bothering him with silly objections like, “Are you sure...
Elaine Chao holds the (dubious) distinction of being one of the few Trump cabinet picks to hang onto office for his entire term. (OK, she resigned two weeks before the term ended, but still.) One reason for her longevity was undoubtedly her husband, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (a/k/a Moscow...
Received this e-mail from U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen’s (D. MD) re-election campaign: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D. MD) Today the Senate begins confirmation hearings for President Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. I worked closely with Xavier during our time serving...
Remember back in the olden days when Republicans were consistently willing to set aside petty partisanship and perpetual grievance in order to ensure that only the most qualified individuals were given top government posts? Yeah, me neither. Before we get to the current minority party obstruction, let’s all hop in the Wayback...
Let’s hope he does another two-hour snore-fest speech. “Trump to speak at CPAC conference in Florida next week: he plans to directly attack President Biden’s new immigration plan and will talk about the future of the Republican Party, a source familiar with his speech said.” The usual lies and perhaps...
Returning to normal shouldn’t mean returning to gridlock. Guys, I think Joe Manchin just "cancelled" Neera Tanden, and the right-wing is fine with it. Isn't that supporting cancel culture? Someone please let me know. — Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 19, 2021 The West Virginia senator announced on Friday that he...
Here’s some big news on health care: Sen. Michael Bennet is leading the drive for a public health insurance option in the U.S. The Colorado Democrat and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine first introduced their public option bill, Medicare-X, three years ago and reintroduced it on Wednesday. Under the bill, Medicare-X...
I get it. The media have a job to do. And for the first time in four years, the government doesn’t have a cabinet-level Department of Gaslighting. But this is a question this reporter already knows the answer to, right? Right?
These past Dispatches were obviously a Trump-era commentary. Maybe I need to to come up with a new name. But since the Biden presidency is only weeks old, I thought I would continue this for a bit. So, in the spirit of a new beautiful day, below are some interesting rea...
Combined with a Capitol insurrection that would frighten more than 147 legislators to overturn the Electoral College, an acting AG replaced by a Trump crony would have fronted a successful coup d’état. There is a profoundly important issue that is being grotesquely under covered in the media, particularly the business...
Fucking traitor: Democrats can’t have it both ways: an unconstitutional impeachment trial & Senate confirmation of the Biden admin’s national security team. They need to choose between being vindictive or staffing the administration to keep the nation safe. What will it be: revenge or security? — Senator Ron Johnson (@SenRonJohnson)...
From CNN: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the House's article of impeachment will be delivered to the Senate on Monday, triggering the start of the Senate's impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. “I have spoken to Speaker Pelosi who informed me that the articles will be delivered...
From the Human Rights Campaign, “Biden’s Executive Order is the most substantive, wide-ranging executive order concerning sexual orientation and gender identity ever issued by a United States president. Today, millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their President and their government believe discrimination based on sexual...
Elevating (the science adviser) role to member in the President's Cabinet clearly signals the administration's intent to involve scientific expertise in every policy discussion. Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Our next president is a science geek, how cool is that? The dark days of science...
Elevating (the science adviser) role to member in the President’s Cabinet clearly signals the administration’s intent to involve scientific expertise in every policy discussion. Sudip Parikh, CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Our next president is a science geek, how cool is that? The dark days of science...
In all the talk about the Republican Insurrection and Trump’s impeachment, one very large story has not gotten nearly the degree of high attention that it deserves. It appears that we now have a President (or Republican voters generally) that effectively have death squads or, as crucially, the effective threat of...
Cabinet members are fleeing their responsibilities. [3 so far] The President sulking. The Vice President avoiding reality. The Republicans behaving as if nothing happened. National threats are spiking. Capital police being arrested suspended. How many more police and military are Trump sympathizers. Dangerous times indeed.
History moves forward as the final draft of the Second article of Impeachment has been made available. This article of impeachment against President Trump accuses him of “incitement of insurrection” for his role in fomenting the deadly occupation of the US Capitol on 6 January. x FINAL DRAFT of article of...
The drive to impeach Trump is gaining momentum by the hour, and the House will almost certainly approve an article of impeachment sometime between Monday and Wednesday. Even some Republicans are (belatedly) furious with Trump, if only for his putting their own lives in danger by instigating insurrection. The question...
What is your f’ing problem? Republican senators say they feel a sense of growing regret over not standing up to President Trump sooner — a day after a violent mob ransacked the Capitol building in one of the darkest and most humiliating days in U.S. history. One Republican senator who requested anonymity...
There was an attack on the seat of government complete with feces left by some of the insurrectionists. Because Trump must be declared the winner of something, something. Fortunately there was no explosive discharge of the pipe bombs. ABC News then obtained an exclusive photo of the suspected explosive device found outside the...
Trump is at the end of the path to the bunker. The argument for the resignation of Trump and Pence’s pardon of Trump like Gerald Ford’s of Nixon remains still viable. Invoking the 25th Amendment seems more difficult if only because the GOP still wants to avoid the Watergate comparisons,...
Why do these guys always find their spines when they’re outside Trump’s orbit? (To be frank, everyone is outside Trump’s orbit. His orbit is in a galaxy far, far away. And the satellites surrounding him are a sad collection of artless toadies, cartoon bluebirds, and absinthe fairies.) So ex-Trump chief...
The current bit of pseudo-coup is still about kayfabe and scripting. The first WH staff resignation by Stephanie Grisham has just happened because of this violence. Trump’s resignation could happen simply because this latest attack on Congress facilitates the award of Pence’s pardon of Trump, not due to weaseling but for something,...
With 14 days left for Trump to cause havoc, chaos, and riots, there are thoughts of quick impeachment or removal of Trump by the 25th Amendment. However, both of these will be seen by his followers as coups by the establishment leading to more riots and insurrection. Impeachment is too...
April Ryan is a White House correspondent and CNN political analyst and … holy shit! x Congressional leaders are in the undisclosed location and focusing on the 25th Amendment to get @realDonaldTrump out of office!— AprilDRyan (@AprilDRyan) January 6, 2021 APRIL RYAN: “Congressional leaders are in the undisclosed location and focusing...
This is too, too much. The schadenfreude! The sheer, sheer joy! CNN: President-elect Joe Biden has decided to nominate Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general, people familiar with the matter tell CNN, a long-awaited decision that was moved toward completion Wednesday as it became apparent that Democrats were on the...
Ideally, if Democrats do their job up to and on Jan. 5, we will win both of Georgia’s Senate seats, and secure a bare majority in both chambers of Congress. Coupled with President-elect Joe Biden, this small trifecta means, at the very least, that our government can still function. This is a...
Is the Market for Lemons like the market for lemonade or even Don Lemon. Asymmetric information is everywhere, the example of the used-car salesman synonymous with the reign of Trump, best exemplified by his disinformation complicity shared by hiring as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil from...
Aside from the usual caveats, Trump continues to act seditious. The GOP is plunging into open warfare over President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory — with President Trump taunting Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and threatening primary challenges against other Republicans, House lawmakers egging on senators to contest the counting of...
Unlike one of her predecessors, who had numerous connections to the Trump impeachment and its hinky relations with the Russian oligarchs, Jennifer Granholm will combine clean energy policy and economic recovery. Even without explicit support for the GND, this is a direction 180 degrees from the prior administration's kowtowing to...
We are in that strange place where a respected rival gets to lead infrastructure change in a critical area of the US economy and a nutter in VA wants fascism. Darn Constitutional freedoms juxtaposed on the same day. Perhaps trains will run on time. President-elect Joe Biden has tapped former South Bend, Ind.,...
The Kraken Caucus makes itself known. GOP sedition messaging harkens back to the 19th Century, except Trump's lost cause won't rise again. This time it’s not a Brooks Brothers Riot but pseudo-secessionist displays. “Trump can't handle the concept of the label 'loser'” as he pimps a 'seditious abuse of justice', and Jake Tapper...
All his life, Donald Trump has managed to avoid responsibility for the damage he’s done to others: his racial discrimination in his housing (not to mention his neglect of that same housing), his stiffing of contractors, driving many of them into bankruptcy, his exploitation of undocumented immigrants, his misogynistic treatment...
In 2019 John Kerry was awarded and accepted the Arctic Circle Prize in a speech to an assembly of climate scientists and other Arctic stakeholders in Reykjavik, Iceland. In his dramatic speech, Kerry, who has been nominated by President-Elect Joe Biden, to be the first ‘Climate Tsar’ in a cabinet-level position, declared a world...