"It’s impossible to avoid conjuring images of what would have happened if Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, or George Bush—either of them—had built a venue for cage matches on the White House South Lawn."
Unfortunately, not really. Anyone who has seen the movie "Idiocracy" recognizes the similarities. How sadly predictable our fate was all along.
I have always cried during the National Anthem, remembering the first-hand stories I heard from great uncles of WWI, my father’s recollections of battles in WWII, and the friends I lost in Vietnam. Now I cry for the pride I once felt for this great country.
That makes 2 of us who have had the same experience. I had a father that became a paraplegic from WW II and an uncle buried in Arlington Cemetery overlooking the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a gate named for him at Ft Belvoir plus many friends from hif=gh school that died in Vietnam. My son served in the Marines during Black Hawk Down. He has not been the same since. Young men just out of high school are not even close to being prepared for that.
My husband is a Vietnam Vet. On June 12th, we will be married 50 years. Has it been easy? Nope, but both of us continue to work through things. My dad was a Holocaust victim from Poland but joined the US Army. He wanted to give back to the country that accepted him after escaping his. My best to your son.
Oh, but you should be happy that the White House admitted Trump gained 15 pounds, even if the absolute weight is clearly fudged: it's fluid collecting from his failing heart. Weight gain is a sign that the heart is getting much worse.
Today, I saw side-by side, before and after, aerial view photos of the White House and surrounding property. The devastation is shocking! It reminds me of the 1990 movie, “Pacific Heights”, only ten times worse.
As US citizens, we need to force Trump to pay for and restore everything he stole from us and destroyed.
It’s not like he doesn’t have the money - that he also stole. From us.
And apparently many of the Trump watches have an omitted litter -- leaving his name on the watch face as "RUMP" -- not Trump. You really cannot make this stuff up.
I cannot agree more. When people call for all the gaudy trash to be ripped out after he‘s gone, I propose that it is his money that should be used to pay for it!
UFC President Dana White has suggested…that the administration is “hoping the spectacle will inspire patriotism among Americans at a time many are feeling uncertain about the economy, foreign conflicts overseas and other issues.”
In other words, gladiators, blood, circuses and Christian-eating lions to keep the scum of Rome entertained and distracted….
But does he even know how disgusting this is? Or, because he's 13 going on 80, is he mostly indulging in what he likes, and what excites him, on his birthday?
"It's MY PARTY and i'll have fights if i want to..." Behind the mango mask he may be a lowlife rebellious adolescent with terrible taste and an unending fever dream of being a fearsome, testosterone-besotted super male (with bone spurs).
I believe Indivisible is working on organizing No Kings protests for the day. A much more patriotic thing to attend. If not, hold your own Flag Day protest.
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
― Theodore Roosevelt, "Lincoln and Free Speech," Metropolitan Magazine, May 1918
“I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. I don't want just any greatness for it, particularly a greatness born of blood and falsehood. I want to keep it alive by keeping justice alive."
― Albert Camus, Third letter to a friend who had become a Nazi, from "Letters to a German Friend," 1944
I’ve been thinking about the $250 bill that Fraud Trump has ordered be produced to honor himself.
—I’m working on the artwork for a mock up of Fraud Trump’s $250 bill.
—It has $250 in each of the four corners.
—It says in small print at the bottom, “not to be used as legal tender; this bill is as phony as the liar whose face is on it”.
—And emblazoned in large, red upper case letters spread the full width of the bill - so across liar Trump’s face - it says, “AMERICA’s DISGRACE”.
—I think It would be appropriate to put up a printed billboard of the $250 bill in Lafayette Park on Fraud Trump’s birthday.
—It also think it would be appropriate to print and mount large color posters of the $250 bill, these to be carried at rallies protesting against liar, fraud, con, grifter Trump et al.
—I’m going to print one as a giant banner and have it delivered to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Joyce, permit me to provide some global insights to illustrate that Trump is just as bonkers internationally as you so superbly describe domestically.
At 92, and as a former Foreign Service Officer, I am appalled by Trump’s murderous foreign policy. He has:
1) Sought to starve countries into ‘surrender’: Iran (92 million),Cuba (10 million);
2) Murdered ‘fishermen’ in Latin America—without any clear evidence that they are directly related to the American drug problem;
3) Slow walked and blocked military aid to the Ukraine, which is valiantly responding to Putin’s 4+ years invasion;
4) Acts as Netanyahu’s cat’s paw, while Bibi has killed/wounded over 200,000 Gazans, destroyed much of Gaza, seized more and more of the West Bank (3 million Palestinians), and is destroying and occupying much of Lebanon;
5) Eliminated USAID programs that will result in the deaths of countless human beings, especially in Africa; and
6) Sharply reduced food programs to countries in which starvation is rising.
I am unaware of a major strategic crisis that necessitated the Trump (Netanyahu) Iranian devastation. Trump then triggered a hornet’s nest resulting in a global energy crisis and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Trying to force an Iranian ‘surrender’ is a poor response to Trump’s folly.
Cuba, a failed state of 10 million inhabitants, does not rank among America’s top 25 strategic interests. Generations ago it sent troublemakers into various countries. In recent decades it has despatched thousands of medical personnel, who have been gratefully received.
In addition to massive ongoing sanctions, Trump has now cut off all petroleum needed in Cuba. This has a profound impact on power plants, hospitals, and daily transportsation, as well as food production. For what objective? An observer might conclude than an arrangement to sharply increase economic interchange between Cuba and the US would be a mutually positive accomplishment.
Murdering ‘fishermen’ in Latin America is illegal. Traditionally drug runners would be intercepted by the Coast Guard or the military, arrested, and criminally prosecuted. Instead, these small boats are destroyed with few, if any , survivors. There is absolutely no public evidence that the great number of these small boasts were carrying drugs to the US. Several top military commanders were removed, perhaps because they opposed this murderous policy.
Trump has provided Netanyahu almost a total ‘attaboy,’ as Bibi is conducting massive destruction and killing against Palestinians and Lebanese. The ‘cease fire’ has been massively violated by Netanyahu, with Trump’s acquiescence. Some refer to this as ‘genocide.’
Our USAID provided billions annually in essential food and medical supplies, often through NGOs. When this was summarily eliminated, independent observers predict cumulative deaths of countless thousands/millions humans as well as an upsurge in starvation is such places as South Sudan, Gaza, Haiti, and elsewhere.
My impression. Is that Trump has never given a damn about core US strategic interests. Instead, he has personalized foreign affairs, often with a focus on family self-enrichment or expressing his ‘displeasure.’ His treatment of our traditional allies I find both outrageous and self defeating.
Sadly, I don’t envisage that Trump will experience a sensible and humanitarian ‘turnaround’ in managing American foreign affairs. His principal foci are highly personal and mundane:
1) Billion dollar ballroom;
2) (Trump) Kennedy Center;
3) Trump Arch;
4) Wrestling arena on the South Lawn;
5) ‘Weaponization’ against anyone who ‘displeased’ him on the 2020 presidential elections, January 6th, and a host of other personal targets; and
6) Enrichment for the Trump family and friends.
When might our ‘murderous’ foreign policy become more humane and consonant with core American strategic interests?
A wonderful listing of all the criminal activities of this administration. The disbanding of USAID is particularly hard to digest, given the ultimate damage it has done worldwide.
Phyllis Thanks! As a former Foreign Service Officer as well as a history professor, I try to provide a broad context in which to assess Trump and others.
Mary At 92 I have limited ability to reach a large audience with my commentaries. I post s number of pungent commentaries on the NYT and WSJ web. Otherwise, my broadest reach is on Joyce Vance and Heather Cox Richardson.
The ‘opinion cycle’ is brief, while I endeavor to provide broader historical analysis.
The DOD argument that these boats they are bombing are coming to the U.S. is ludicrous.
Where's that overriding evidence the boat(s) is heading for the U.S.? There is none, because that boat wouldn't make it there. Based on the video of the September boat bombing, as well as subsequent videos, it appears to me that most if not all of these boats are powered with three to four outboards, probably 200 hp each, and are about 30 feet long with a 10-foot beam. With a full fuel tank (200 gallons), cruising at optimal speed 30-40 knots in calm seas, a boat with 3 outboards could travel about 260 nautical miles. The shortest route to the U.S. (Florida) from the Venezuelan coast would be about 1,300 nautical miles, all of it through open ocean. That would mean the boat would have to refuel at least 4 times, or offload to another vessel, or carry four 200-gallon fuel bladders (each measuring about 5 feet x 5 feet x 2 feet); all of these options would seem improbable, particularly the extra fuel bladders if the boat is full of cargo.
So, I don't understand why the press continues to report DOD's assertion that these boats are heading to the U.S. without pressing the Department for an explanation of how these boats could possibly reach the U.S. shore at least 1,300 nautical miles away? (At least, in the reporting I've read, there's no such explanation that's been offered by DOD)
It is also questionable that--even if these boats are carrying drugs--those driving the boats are members of the cartel, as they could just as likely be fisherman with the requisite boat-handling skills and experience in marine waters, who jump at the chance to make much more for themselves and families than they can from the hit-and-miss fishing from impaired fisheries due to over-fishing, climate change, etc.
Finally, as you have stated, if these boats are carrying drugs to offload somewhere in order to make the rest of the journey to the market, it's still murder on the high seas. Trump, Hegseth and the joint chiefs are acting as their own cartel. The U.S.A. has become another rogue nation.
Not only Trump but the military chain of command that has prosecuted these war crimes on Trump's and Hegseth's illegal orders-these generals and admirals have violated their oath and have absolutely no business remaining in command. They are sucking up to Trump and Hegseth to protect their careers at the expense of being the leaders of their troops. Absolutely disgusting. How the fuck do they sleep at night?
I hope they don't sleep at night when they think about war crimes trials. I wish the Dems had the spine to do war crimes trials, but unfortunately, Biden was all in supporting the genocide, and Obama used to hellfire people in Pakistan from his Tuesday death lists. Also war crimes!
JK Spot on. I read a recent report stating that there is no evidence in a drop of drug sales in the US with the price reasonably steady. At times delivery, especially from Mexico, has become more imaginative—not only trucks, but also submarines.
As for Venezuela, no direct evidence that small two-outboard boards would/could travel 1200 miles to US. Venezuela more a jumping off place to Caribbean and Europe for cocaine.
When we lived on the California Central Coast, open-hull boats with outboards transporting drugs from Baja would periodically be abandoned onshore at night to avoid getting busted, That's about the extent of their range.
Pay close attention to what Joyce Vance said here:
“But far too many of our fellow Americans have resumed being frogs in the boiling pot of water. Trump continues to plunge in the polls, but we need more than that. We need loud and widespread condemnation of him in the court of public opinion, not just because the price of gas is high, but because he would bring our democracy to an all-time low. We must work as hard as we can to ensure as many people as possible understand this before the midterm elections.”
I've been to every No Kings protest in my area (Bangor Maine) and will be visiting in PA on June 14th so have located the one in the city I'm visiting and my poster is already in the trunk of my car! No way I'm missing this one!
Trump sued the federal government for $10 billion to compensate him for his alleged pain and suffering resulting from an IRS contractor’s disclosure of Trump’s tax returns, which revealed how rich he really is and how much in taxes he actually paid. Now that Trump is President, he and his Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, who reports directly to Trump, have agreed between themselves on a resolution of Trump’s law suit.
I should add that Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney in a criminal case in New York in which Trump was ultimately convicted of multiple felonies. I should also add that Blanche, as Deputy Attorney General, was placed in charge of overseeing what should and should not be disclosed from the Epstein files to Congress and the American people. There has been considerable conjecture that Blanche has erred on the side of non-disclosures, especially as they relate to his boss.
It was recently announced that Trump and Blanche decided upon a resolution of Trump’s law suit. Blanche has agreed to Trump’s proposal to divert over $1.7 billion in taxpayer money into a fund, to be overseen by Trump himself, to distribute compensation to alleged victims whom Trump would determine were mistreated by the Biden administration. Trump has made it clear that examples of such compensation from the taxpayers’ money would include those rioters who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6 at Trump’s urging and those who called for Pence’s hanging and who left dead bodies in their wake as they smashed through the Capitol windows and walls. No doubt Trump’s discretionary disbursements may also be viewed as a vehicle to buy the votes of those who claim to have been mistreated by anyone in the Biden administration or even any Democrat at the time, given that Biden was the head of the party. Trump would undoubtedly view the disbursement of such taxpayer money as “good will” gestures to console them for their alleged mistreatment.
Trump also induced his subordinate to legally bind the IRS into agreeing not to review any of Trump’s prior tax filings, which would thereby confer on Trump total immunity for under-reporting income, fraudulent tax filings etc. Why any responsible public servant would agree to such immunity boggles the mind, until one realizes that it is Trump’s lackey who is signing off on Trump’s demand.
COMMON SENSE:
While much of the tidal wave of objections by Americans in all walks of life and across the entire political spectrum has centered upon the huge amount of this “settlement” and the outrageous reasons for which the taxpayers’ money is to be disbursed by Donald Trump at his discretion, less emphasis has been focused on the outrageousness of the blatant conflict of interest in Trump suing himself and deciding himself what he himself should receive from the taxpayers.
What is so amazing here is how brazen Trump and his flunky have been in slapping this preposterous “settlement” together between themselves of $1.7 billion dollars of taxpayer money for Trump to dispose of as he pleases and expects the American people to actually buy this total rip-off.
We can only imagine the amount of time and money that will be expended in legal research, briefs, oral arguments and in collateral litigations consumed by this scam, which Trump may seek to appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court, where he hopes that his loyalist Justices will rubber stamp his plundering of the U.S. Treasury.
If this scam is in any way upheld, it would provide a precedent that would embolden any Governor of any state, any Mayor of any city, and any CEO of any company to conspire with his or her chief legal officer to have the chief executive sue the entity and then unilaterally “settle” his or her own the claim by plundering the treasury or other financial assets of the entity.
This is such a blatant abuse of power by both Trump and Blanche that it qualifies for all time as being a textbook example of a conflict of interest that “shocks the conscience of the court” and is patently against the public interest.
It’s time that the courts unite in wiping that smirk off of Trump’s face that he successfully pulled off this scam on the American people.
As to Trump’s bogus IRS suit and the “settlement”……EVERY person with a working brain (or even half of a working brain) knows that Trump and Blanche colluded and committed FRAUD!
They should both be charged with criminal fraud, be tried, be convicted and be put in PRISON.
5. In April 17, the court granted a 90 day extension and Trump requested and got a status report be filed fourteen (14) days before the extension expires "proposing next steps."
Included is a "Certification Of Good-Faith Conference Under Local Rule 7.1"
Pursuant to Southern District of Florida Local Rule 7.1(a)(3), Daniel Epstein, co-counsel
for Plaintiffs, certifies that he conferred in good faith with counsel for Defendants on April 15, 2026 by telephone regarding the relief sought in this motion. Defendants consent to the requested extension. Judge Williams approved on April 24. "it is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that, by May 20, 2026, the Parties
shall each file a memorandum of law that addresses the issue of whether a case and
controversy exists in this matter so as to establish the Court’s jurisdiction. The Court
SETS a hearing for 10:00 A.M. on May 27...."
6. The NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal With Prejudice was filed May 18 by Brito and Epstein.
7. Judge Williams did not approve the dismissal.
8. Local rules also provide...
Discipline. Discipline for misconduct defined in these Rules may consist of
removal from this Court’s roster of attorneys eligible for practice before this
Court; or (6) referral to the Florida Bar or other bar if the attorney is
admitted pro hac vice, or (7) any other sanction the Court may deem
appropriate.
(C) Court’s Retention of Inherent Power. Nothing contained in these Rules shall be construed to deny the Court its inherent power to maintain control over the proceedings conducted before it or to deny the Court those powers derived from statute, rule, or procedure. When alleged attorney misconduct is brought to the attention of the Court, whether by a Judge of the Court, any lawyer admitted to practice before the Court, any officer or employee of the Court, the Supreme Court of Florida, or otherwise, the Court may, in its discretion, dispose of the matter through the use of its inherent, statutory, or other powers; refer the matter to an appropriate state bar agency for investigation and disposition; refer the matter to the Committee; or take any other action the Court deems appropriate. These procedures are not mutually exclusive.
The Romans banned "hand to hand combat without rules" from the Olympics in 378 AD - of course our favorite Queens physical coward/barbarian would love it.
I don't believe that 238 pound figure for a minute. Perhaps Trump was carrying a few helium balloons when he was weighed. On the UFC extravaganza - is there revenue involved? If so, who gets it? Will the fighters be paid? From what funds? And who paid to construct the idiotic venue? Is there any money flowing to Trump personally from this silliness? I hope someone can find the time and energy to follow all the money.
Believing anything that Trump or the WH says about his health is just silly. All your questions you ask are rhetorical. WE the taxpayers are paying for his birthday spectacle and the deals he made with the UFC and other involved contractors will line his pockets. If there's ANY way to make a buck he's there. It's who he is.
For a male 6'3", 238 lbs gives a BMI of 29.7. A BMI of 30.0 is considered "obese". We cannot have an obese Dear Leader!! It is certain that the attending physician was ordered to report 238 lbs.
I am curious as to who is paying for all this trashy crap promoting fighting and other ridiculous things. And of course there is so much uncertainty about the economy, Iran, gas prices, food costs healthcare; all the things that the Republicans and their supporters and these idiots in the White House have manage to mangle so badly; it will take years to repair. I hope they all go down in November, and I will be dancing in the street when they do.
Cats - I'm right there with you in the pissed off department. Felon47 is spending all this money (OUR MONEY - TAX PAYER MONEY - GOVERNMENT MONEY) on wars and gold crap to turn the White House into a cheap bordello, and a ballroom NOBODY ELSE gives a flying fig about, paving over the rose garden, screwing up the reflecting pool, insider stock trading, money gifts and planes from foreign governments for a supposed Peace organization, putting up this hideous pile of garbage on the White House lawn for a cage fight. Just when you think he can't be any slimier or vulgar or common he proves you wrong.
I'm hoping you will write about the law that Hawaii just passed to do an end run around Citizens United, with similar legislation being considered in 14 other states. Do you think it has a chance of surviving legal challenges?
I worry about judge safety too. But I realized midway through my career that the only thing preserving my retirement was me unlike a judge who gets a permanent salary and health care.
Besides the disrespect of constructing those "McDonalds" arches I'm worrying they won't put the lawn back when this debacle is over, he'll just leave that Erector set abomination there & there will no lawn!
I'm still hoping for a terrific freak storm hitting it & with a couple of well placed lightening bolts for good measure!
Nothing says peace like a fight cage on the White House front lawn!
Leave the dome up. Makes for a purdy gallows. We can swing 250 at a time.
"It’s impossible to avoid conjuring images of what would have happened if Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, or George Bush—either of them—had built a venue for cage matches on the White House South Lawn."
Unfortunately, not really. Anyone who has seen the movie "Idiocracy" recognizes the similarities. How sadly predictable our fate was all along.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/
I have always cried during the National Anthem, remembering the first-hand stories I heard from great uncles of WWI, my father’s recollections of battles in WWII, and the friends I lost in Vietnam. Now I cry for the pride I once felt for this great country.
That makes 2 of us who have had the same experience. I had a father that became a paraplegic from WW II and an uncle buried in Arlington Cemetery overlooking the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a gate named for him at Ft Belvoir plus many friends from hif=gh school that died in Vietnam. My son served in the Marines during Black Hawk Down. He has not been the same since. Young men just out of high school are not even close to being prepared for that.
My husband is a Vietnam Vet. On June 12th, we will be married 50 years. Has it been easy? Nope, but both of us continue to work through things. My dad was a Holocaust victim from Poland but joined the US Army. He wanted to give back to the country that accepted him after escaping his. My best to your son.
Here’s to you and your husband getting thru this awful time. Thanks about my son.
I mean, Obama wore a tan suit and used Dijon mustard. That's worse, right?
If DonOld weighs 238 then Cass Elliot weighed 105. Give me a fucking break.
If he weighs less than 290 I'll eat my straw hat.
Oh, but you should be happy that the White House admitted Trump gained 15 pounds, even if the absolute weight is clearly fudged: it's fluid collecting from his failing heart. Weight gain is a sign that the heart is getting much worse.
Fingers crossed!
🤣 My your thoughts and words be prophetic.
Don’t forget her emails!
She wasn't the president.
she was pretty stupid with her emails actually
Really? Everything is relative. Signalgate.
Don't forget the Epstein files.
The theme song is YMCA.... You'd think that the target audience was the gay vote......
They have a bunch of half-naked men wrestling and invited a lot of fit, young men as the audience. Doesn't sound gay at all, does it?
trump IS gay
Or bombing during a cease-fire.
Today, I saw side-by side, before and after, aerial view photos of the White House and surrounding property. The devastation is shocking! It reminds me of the 1990 movie, “Pacific Heights”, only ten times worse.
As US citizens, we need to force Trump to pay for and restore everything he stole from us and destroyed.
It’s not like he doesn’t have the money - that he also stole. From us.
Not to mention monies gained from selling watches, golden tennies, “Made in USA” adjacent watches … and pardons.
All crap, made in China. So much for, “America First”. What a hypocrite!
And apparently many of the Trump watches have an omitted litter -- leaving his name on the watch face as "RUMP" -- not Trump. You really cannot make this stuff up.
:-D
Talia, can you share a link to those photos please? It might wake peopl up if we could share that visual! Thanks!
Steve Schmidt posted them on his Substack “The Warning” a couple days ago, the images were sobering.
They can be found on Instagram, CNN, Newsweek, etc. I think everyone is up in arms about Trump’s destruction of property that he doesn’t even own!
I cannot agree more. When people call for all the gaudy trash to be ripped out after he‘s gone, I propose that it is his money that should be used to pay for it!
UFC President Dana White has suggested…that the administration is “hoping the spectacle will inspire patriotism among Americans at a time many are feeling uncertain about the economy, foreign conflicts overseas and other issues.”
In other words, gladiators, blood, circuses and Christian-eating lions to keep the scum of Rome entertained and distracted….
In this case, probably immigrant-eating lions.
Hmm, prime time wrestling — the “real” sport for “real” patriots.
Marie Antoinette and Caligula set the table
I keep a journal that I call Document 3 of writings that I find brilliant...your comment enters my journal!
You are most kind.
The fights are choreographed, the outcomes predetermined, a corrupt reflection of their corrupt biggest fan.
Aggression and lots of testosterone. Just what the country needs - not food, housing, health care, or education!
What a ridiculous way to celebrate flag day.
Tasteless and Tacky, Dilbert's two favorite things.
A nauseating spectacle of churlish boorishness and phony masculinity as phake as Trump’s mango-tinted formaldehyde mascara.
But does he even know how disgusting this is? Or, because he's 13 going on 80, is he mostly indulging in what he likes, and what excites him, on his birthday?
"It's MY PARTY and i'll have fights if i want to..." Behind the mango mask he may be a lowlife rebellious adolescent with terrible taste and an unending fever dream of being a fearsome, testosterone-besotted super male (with bone spurs).
More like 3 going on 80.
Or 80 going on 3.
I believe Indivisible is working on organizing No Kings protests for the day. A much more patriotic thing to attend. If not, hold your own Flag Day protest.
“Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.”
― Theodore Roosevelt, "Lincoln and Free Speech," Metropolitan Magazine, May 1918
“I should like to be able to love my country and still love justice. I don't want just any greatness for it, particularly a greatness born of blood and falsehood. I want to keep it alive by keeping justice alive."
― Albert Camus, Third letter to a friend who had become a Nazi, from "Letters to a German Friend," 1944
I’ve been thinking about the $250 bill that Fraud Trump has ordered be produced to honor himself.
—I’m working on the artwork for a mock up of Fraud Trump’s $250 bill.
—It has $250 in each of the four corners.
—It says in small print at the bottom, “not to be used as legal tender; this bill is as phony as the liar whose face is on it”.
—And emblazoned in large, red upper case letters spread the full width of the bill - so across liar Trump’s face - it says, “AMERICA’s DISGRACE”.
—I think It would be appropriate to put up a printed billboard of the $250 bill in Lafayette Park on Fraud Trump’s birthday.
—It also think it would be appropriate to print and mount large color posters of the $250 bill, these to be carried at rallies protesting against liar, fraud, con, grifter Trump et al.
—I’m going to print one as a giant banner and have it delivered to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
LOVE YOUR CONCEPT! So very very creative with such revolting subject matter.
I want to buy a few posters from you if you actually print some. Keep me posted.
That's wonderful! I love it!
It's just Monopoly money. So throw in some dice.
Here’s a lovely redesign of the proposed $250 bill from @TheDems:
cid:17E537B2-D2F9-4499-B2D0-34AD2CE0FDCA
TRUMP’S MURDEROUS FOREIGN POLCY
Joyce, permit me to provide some global insights to illustrate that Trump is just as bonkers internationally as you so superbly describe domestically.
At 92, and as a former Foreign Service Officer, I am appalled by Trump’s murderous foreign policy. He has:
1) Sought to starve countries into ‘surrender’: Iran (92 million),Cuba (10 million);
2) Murdered ‘fishermen’ in Latin America—without any clear evidence that they are directly related to the American drug problem;
3) Slow walked and blocked military aid to the Ukraine, which is valiantly responding to Putin’s 4+ years invasion;
4) Acts as Netanyahu’s cat’s paw, while Bibi has killed/wounded over 200,000 Gazans, destroyed much of Gaza, seized more and more of the West Bank (3 million Palestinians), and is destroying and occupying much of Lebanon;
5) Eliminated USAID programs that will result in the deaths of countless human beings, especially in Africa; and
6) Sharply reduced food programs to countries in which starvation is rising.
I am unaware of a major strategic crisis that necessitated the Trump (Netanyahu) Iranian devastation. Trump then triggered a hornet’s nest resulting in a global energy crisis and the closing of the Strait of Hormuz. Trying to force an Iranian ‘surrender’ is a poor response to Trump’s folly.
Cuba, a failed state of 10 million inhabitants, does not rank among America’s top 25 strategic interests. Generations ago it sent troublemakers into various countries. In recent decades it has despatched thousands of medical personnel, who have been gratefully received.
In addition to massive ongoing sanctions, Trump has now cut off all petroleum needed in Cuba. This has a profound impact on power plants, hospitals, and daily transportsation, as well as food production. For what objective? An observer might conclude than an arrangement to sharply increase economic interchange between Cuba and the US would be a mutually positive accomplishment.
Murdering ‘fishermen’ in Latin America is illegal. Traditionally drug runners would be intercepted by the Coast Guard or the military, arrested, and criminally prosecuted. Instead, these small boats are destroyed with few, if any , survivors. There is absolutely no public evidence that the great number of these small boasts were carrying drugs to the US. Several top military commanders were removed, perhaps because they opposed this murderous policy.
Trump has provided Netanyahu almost a total ‘attaboy,’ as Bibi is conducting massive destruction and killing against Palestinians and Lebanese. The ‘cease fire’ has been massively violated by Netanyahu, with Trump’s acquiescence. Some refer to this as ‘genocide.’
Our USAID provided billions annually in essential food and medical supplies, often through NGOs. When this was summarily eliminated, independent observers predict cumulative deaths of countless thousands/millions humans as well as an upsurge in starvation is such places as South Sudan, Gaza, Haiti, and elsewhere.
My impression. Is that Trump has never given a damn about core US strategic interests. Instead, he has personalized foreign affairs, often with a focus on family self-enrichment or expressing his ‘displeasure.’ His treatment of our traditional allies I find both outrageous and self defeating.
Sadly, I don’t envisage that Trump will experience a sensible and humanitarian ‘turnaround’ in managing American foreign affairs. His principal foci are highly personal and mundane:
1) Billion dollar ballroom;
2) (Trump) Kennedy Center;
3) Trump Arch;
4) Wrestling arena on the South Lawn;
5) ‘Weaponization’ against anyone who ‘displeased’ him on the 2020 presidential elections, January 6th, and a host of other personal targets; and
6) Enrichment for the Trump family and friends.
When might our ‘murderous’ foreign policy become more humane and consonant with core American strategic interests?
A wonderful listing of all the criminal activities of this administration. The disbanding of USAID is particularly hard to digest, given the ultimate damage it has done worldwide.
Well said Keith.
Phyllis Thanks! As a former Foreign Service Officer as well as a history professor, I try to provide a broad context in which to assess Trump and others.
I echo the positive responses you have received to your posting. Your analysis should be published somewhere where it will reach a wider audience.
Mary At 92 I have limited ability to reach a large audience with my commentaries. I post s number of pungent commentaries on the NYT and WSJ web. Otherwise, my broadest reach is on Joyce Vance and Heather Cox Richardson.
The ‘opinion cycle’ is brief, while I endeavor to provide broader historical analysis.
I hope your voice continues to be heard. I am 79, pushing 80, and you inspire me.
The DOD argument that these boats they are bombing are coming to the U.S. is ludicrous.
Where's that overriding evidence the boat(s) is heading for the U.S.? There is none, because that boat wouldn't make it there. Based on the video of the September boat bombing, as well as subsequent videos, it appears to me that most if not all of these boats are powered with three to four outboards, probably 200 hp each, and are about 30 feet long with a 10-foot beam. With a full fuel tank (200 gallons), cruising at optimal speed 30-40 knots in calm seas, a boat with 3 outboards could travel about 260 nautical miles. The shortest route to the U.S. (Florida) from the Venezuelan coast would be about 1,300 nautical miles, all of it through open ocean. That would mean the boat would have to refuel at least 4 times, or offload to another vessel, or carry four 200-gallon fuel bladders (each measuring about 5 feet x 5 feet x 2 feet); all of these options would seem improbable, particularly the extra fuel bladders if the boat is full of cargo.
So, I don't understand why the press continues to report DOD's assertion that these boats are heading to the U.S. without pressing the Department for an explanation of how these boats could possibly reach the U.S. shore at least 1,300 nautical miles away? (At least, in the reporting I've read, there's no such explanation that's been offered by DOD)
It is also questionable that--even if these boats are carrying drugs--those driving the boats are members of the cartel, as they could just as likely be fisherman with the requisite boat-handling skills and experience in marine waters, who jump at the chance to make much more for themselves and families than they can from the hit-and-miss fishing from impaired fisheries due to over-fishing, climate change, etc.
Finally, as you have stated, if these boats are carrying drugs to offload somewhere in order to make the rest of the journey to the market, it's still murder on the high seas. Trump, Hegseth and the joint chiefs are acting as their own cartel. The U.S.A. has become another rogue nation.
Let's indite Trump for murder and war crimes, and test the Supreme Court's appalling ruling of immunity for Trump in office.
Not only Trump but the military chain of command that has prosecuted these war crimes on Trump's and Hegseth's illegal orders-these generals and admirals have violated their oath and have absolutely no business remaining in command. They are sucking up to Trump and Hegseth to protect their careers at the expense of being the leaders of their troops. Absolutely disgusting. How the fuck do they sleep at night?
I hope they don't sleep at night when they think about war crimes trials. I wish the Dems had the spine to do war crimes trials, but unfortunately, Biden was all in supporting the genocide, and Obama used to hellfire people in Pakistan from his Tuesday death lists. Also war crimes!
JK Spot on. I read a recent report stating that there is no evidence in a drop of drug sales in the US with the price reasonably steady. At times delivery, especially from Mexico, has become more imaginative—not only trucks, but also submarines.
As for Venezuela, no direct evidence that small two-outboard boards would/could travel 1200 miles to US. Venezuela more a jumping off place to Caribbean and Europe for cocaine.
When we lived on the California Central Coast, open-hull boats with outboards transporting drugs from Baja would periodically be abandoned onshore at night to avoid getting busted, That's about the extent of their range.
Pay close attention to what Joyce Vance said here:
“But far too many of our fellow Americans have resumed being frogs in the boiling pot of water. Trump continues to plunge in the polls, but we need more than that. We need loud and widespread condemnation of him in the court of public opinion, not just because the price of gas is high, but because he would bring our democracy to an all-time low. We must work as hard as we can to ensure as many people as possible understand this before the midterm elections.”
THIS MUST BE DONE BY EVERYONE!
I've been to every No Kings protest in my area (Bangor Maine) and will be visiting in PA on June 14th so have located the one in the city I'm visiting and my poster is already in the trunk of my car! No way I'm missing this one!
The Biggest Swindle in American History
Background:
Trump sued the federal government for $10 billion to compensate him for his alleged pain and suffering resulting from an IRS contractor’s disclosure of Trump’s tax returns, which revealed how rich he really is and how much in taxes he actually paid. Now that Trump is President, he and his Acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, who reports directly to Trump, have agreed between themselves on a resolution of Trump’s law suit.
I should add that Blanche previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorney in a criminal case in New York in which Trump was ultimately convicted of multiple felonies. I should also add that Blanche, as Deputy Attorney General, was placed in charge of overseeing what should and should not be disclosed from the Epstein files to Congress and the American people. There has been considerable conjecture that Blanche has erred on the side of non-disclosures, especially as they relate to his boss.
It was recently announced that Trump and Blanche decided upon a resolution of Trump’s law suit. Blanche has agreed to Trump’s proposal to divert over $1.7 billion in taxpayer money into a fund, to be overseen by Trump himself, to distribute compensation to alleged victims whom Trump would determine were mistreated by the Biden administration. Trump has made it clear that examples of such compensation from the taxpayers’ money would include those rioters who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6 at Trump’s urging and those who called for Pence’s hanging and who left dead bodies in their wake as they smashed through the Capitol windows and walls. No doubt Trump’s discretionary disbursements may also be viewed as a vehicle to buy the votes of those who claim to have been mistreated by anyone in the Biden administration or even any Democrat at the time, given that Biden was the head of the party. Trump would undoubtedly view the disbursement of such taxpayer money as “good will” gestures to console them for their alleged mistreatment.
Trump also induced his subordinate to legally bind the IRS into agreeing not to review any of Trump’s prior tax filings, which would thereby confer on Trump total immunity for under-reporting income, fraudulent tax filings etc. Why any responsible public servant would agree to such immunity boggles the mind, until one realizes that it is Trump’s lackey who is signing off on Trump’s demand.
COMMON SENSE:
While much of the tidal wave of objections by Americans in all walks of life and across the entire political spectrum has centered upon the huge amount of this “settlement” and the outrageous reasons for which the taxpayers’ money is to be disbursed by Donald Trump at his discretion, less emphasis has been focused on the outrageousness of the blatant conflict of interest in Trump suing himself and deciding himself what he himself should receive from the taxpayers.
What is so amazing here is how brazen Trump and his flunky have been in slapping this preposterous “settlement” together between themselves of $1.7 billion dollars of taxpayer money for Trump to dispose of as he pleases and expects the American people to actually buy this total rip-off.
We can only imagine the amount of time and money that will be expended in legal research, briefs, oral arguments and in collateral litigations consumed by this scam, which Trump may seek to appeal all the way up to the Supreme Court, where he hopes that his loyalist Justices will rubber stamp his plundering of the U.S. Treasury.
If this scam is in any way upheld, it would provide a precedent that would embolden any Governor of any state, any Mayor of any city, and any CEO of any company to conspire with his or her chief legal officer to have the chief executive sue the entity and then unilaterally “settle” his or her own the claim by plundering the treasury or other financial assets of the entity.
This is such a blatant abuse of power by both Trump and Blanche that it qualifies for all time as being a textbook example of a conflict of interest that “shocks the conscience of the court” and is patently against the public interest.
It’s time that the courts unite in wiping that smirk off of Trump’s face that he successfully pulled off this scam on the American people.
As to Trump’s bogus IRS suit and the “settlement”……EVERY person with a working brain (or even half of a working brain) knows that Trump and Blanche colluded and committed FRAUD!
They should both be charged with criminal fraud, be tried, be convicted and be put in PRISON.
Trump sued in his personal capacity, not as president.... did he waive immunity?
If the judge sets a hearing, witnesses like Trump can be called.
1. Here is the order closing the case.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172.62.0_6.pdf
2. The rules re dismissal require judicial approval if it is adversarial and both of the parties have entered an appearance. https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcp/rule_41
3. Most federal judges remain in senior status rather than retire. One of the 35 retired judges is Ursula Ungaro, who was CJ, SDFL.
4. The original complaint was signed by Alejandro Brito and Daniel Z. Epstein. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172/gov.uscourts.flsd.706172.1.0_4.pdf.
5. In April 17, the court granted a 90 day extension and Trump requested and got a status report be filed fourteen (14) days before the extension expires "proposing next steps."
Included is a "Certification Of Good-Faith Conference Under Local Rule 7.1"
Pursuant to Southern District of Florida Local Rule 7.1(a)(3), Daniel Epstein, co-counsel
for Plaintiffs, certifies that he conferred in good faith with counsel for Defendants on April 15, 2026 by telephone regarding the relief sought in this motion. Defendants consent to the requested extension. Judge Williams approved on April 24. "it is ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that, by May 20, 2026, the Parties
shall each file a memorandum of law that addresses the issue of whether a case and
controversy exists in this matter so as to establish the Court’s jurisdiction. The Court
SETS a hearing for 10:00 A.M. on May 27...."
6. The NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal With Prejudice was filed May 18 by Brito and Epstein.
7. Judge Williams did not approve the dismissal.
8. Local rules also provide...
Discipline. Discipline for misconduct defined in these Rules may consist of
(1) disbarment; (2) suspension; (3) reprimand; (4) monetary sanctions; (5)
removal from this Court’s roster of attorneys eligible for practice before this
Court; or (6) referral to the Florida Bar or other bar if the attorney is
admitted pro hac vice, or (7) any other sanction the Court may deem
appropriate.
(C) Court’s Retention of Inherent Power. Nothing contained in these Rules shall be construed to deny the Court its inherent power to maintain control over the proceedings conducted before it or to deny the Court those powers derived from statute, rule, or procedure. When alleged attorney misconduct is brought to the attention of the Court, whether by a Judge of the Court, any lawyer admitted to practice before the Court, any officer or employee of the Court, the Supreme Court of Florida, or otherwise, the Court may, in its discretion, dispose of the matter through the use of its inherent, statutory, or other powers; refer the matter to an appropriate state bar agency for investigation and disposition; refer the matter to the Committee; or take any other action the Court deems appropriate. These procedures are not mutually exclusive.
https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov/sites/flsd/files/25-09-22%202025%20Local%20Rules%20effective%20120125%20-%20FINAL.pdf
The Romans banned "hand to hand combat without rules" from the Olympics in 378 AD - of course our favorite Queens physical coward/barbarian would love it.
Please do not drag the great borough of Queens down with an association with the great windbag.
I don't believe that 238 pound figure for a minute. Perhaps Trump was carrying a few helium balloons when he was weighed. On the UFC extravaganza - is there revenue involved? If so, who gets it? Will the fighters be paid? From what funds? And who paid to construct the idiotic venue? Is there any money flowing to Trump personally from this silliness? I hope someone can find the time and energy to follow all the money.
Believing anything that Trump or the WH says about his health is just silly. All your questions you ask are rhetorical. WE the taxpayers are paying for his birthday spectacle and the deals he made with the UFC and other involved contractors will line his pockets. If there's ANY way to make a buck he's there. It's who he is.
His usual m.o. is to stiff construction workers...
For a male 6'3", 238 lbs gives a BMI of 29.7. A BMI of 30.0 is considered "obese". We cannot have an obese Dear Leader!! It is certain that the attending physician was ordered to report 238 lbs.
he weighs a LOT more than that ! he is tall
I am curious as to who is paying for all this trashy crap promoting fighting and other ridiculous things. And of course there is so much uncertainty about the economy, Iran, gas prices, food costs healthcare; all the things that the Republicans and their supporters and these idiots in the White House have manage to mangle so badly; it will take years to repair. I hope they all go down in November, and I will be dancing in the street when they do.
Damm right I am pissed off. 😡
Cats - I'm right there with you in the pissed off department. Felon47 is spending all this money (OUR MONEY - TAX PAYER MONEY - GOVERNMENT MONEY) on wars and gold crap to turn the White House into a cheap bordello, and a ballroom NOBODY ELSE gives a flying fig about, paving over the rose garden, screwing up the reflecting pool, insider stock trading, money gifts and planes from foreign governments for a supposed Peace organization, putting up this hideous pile of garbage on the White House lawn for a cage fight. Just when you think he can't be any slimier or vulgar or common he proves you wrong.
It's impossible to underestimate him.
But he was awarded the prestigious FIFA peace medal!
I gotta get me one of those FIFA peace prizes!
A knockout award if ever there was one.
Knockout for a punch drunk
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It reminds me of the people thrown to the lions in the Roman arenas.
Now the Evangelicals ARE the lions.
I'm hoping you will write about the law that Hawaii just passed to do an end run around Citizens United, with similar legislation being considered in 14 other states. Do you think it has a chance of surviving legal challenges?
I worry about the judges safety….
I worry about judge safety too. But I realized midway through my career that the only thing preserving my retirement was me unlike a judge who gets a permanent salary and health care.
Very true. But being threatened in the public arena is next level.
Besides the disrespect of constructing those "McDonalds" arches I'm worrying they won't put the lawn back when this debacle is over, he'll just leave that Erector set abomination there & there will no lawn!
I'm still hoping for a terrific freak storm hitting it & with a couple of well placed lightening bolts for good measure!
I've been hoping for a few well placed stray meteors breaking through the earth's atmosphere, but the freak storm sounds like a good possibility.