Open Thread

What’s on your mind?

Comments

[Mr. Bumble]

...and so begins a new day.
The usual suspects will arrive shortly.

[Frank Drackman]

The “Usual Gang of Idiots” is more accurate

[LexAquilia]

Malika is surely gonna awaken soon and start copying and pasting his bluesky feed here.

[AmosArch]

Just a few examples of how Blue state authorities and juries across the country are moving to de facto legalize harassment and violence against politicians and members of the opposing party in their territory. Of course any whiff of similar or even lesser moves by members of heretofore mentioned opposing political groups in the other direction is still met with the retribution of a thousand supernova suns. One of the rare instances of prog law enforcement actually functioning if for nefarious purposes.

Man shining laser pointer at Trump's helicopter found not guilty: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/01/17/jacob-winker-found-not-guilty-pointing-laser-trump-helicopter/88232732007/

Magistrate judge throws out charges for protestors storming church
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/magistrate-judge-rejects-charges-don-lemon-anti-ice-protest-minnesota-church/

Protestor acquitted of striking officers despite witnesses: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trumps-chief-cbp-agent-testifies-184208615.html

Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge
https://www.police1.com/legal/man-who-threw-sandwich-at-federal-agent-in-washington-is-found-not-guilty-of-assault-charge

Chicago PD standdowned from assistant surrounded ICE agents.
https://fop.net/2025/10/national-fop-and-illinois-state-fop-condemn-reports-that-chicago-police-officers-were-barred-from-assisting-ice-agents/

[not guilty]

And what inference do you claim that we should draw from these examples, AmosArch?

Or is everyone out of step but you?

[ducksalad]

Enjoy!

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/trump-administration-chicago-bovino-murder-for-hire

[AmosArch]

LOL threatening to kill federal officials is totes hilarious. I'm sure progs would be thrilled and let everybody off the hook if crazed MAGA people did this with an Administration they liked as long as it was just a joke bro.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I look at it a little bit differently.

If the left is openly saying they intend to kill federal officers, that lowers the bar on what constitutes acceptable use of deadly force. They’re not shooting neutral citizens they’re shooting purpose of threaten to kill them and that makes it inherently self-defense.

It’s not that Rebecca no good made an officer honestly believe she was gonna run over him, and actually hitting him in the process, but she’s member of group who threat to kill him. Under that standard, it would be perfectly legitimate for an officer to shoot her in the back as she was fleeing just like John Kerry did in Vietnam.

If the left wants to encourage the government to kill them, hey, that’s their call — I won’t mind the attrition….

[The Margrave of Azilia]

The magistrate judge approved charges against two of the church-storming protesters for conspiracy to violate civil rights. This was based on a different statute than the FACE Act, which the magistrate refused to invoke. The magistrate also didn't charge Lemon, whose attorney says this is about his rights as a journalist.

[not guilty]

President Bone Spurs Chickenhawk has posted the following message on Truth Social:

Deranged Jack Smith is being DECIMATED before Congress. It was over when they discussed his past failures and unfair prosecutions. He destroyed many lives under the guise of legitimacy. Jack Smith is a deranged animal, who shouldn’t be allowed to practice Law. If he were a Republican, his license would be taken away from him, and far worse! Hopefully the Attorney General is looking at what he’s done, including some of the crooked and corrupt witnesses that he was attempting to use in his case against me. The whole thing was a Democrat SCAM — A big price should be paid by them for what they have put our Country through!

https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115939889414201547

I find it quite curious that the MAGAt in chief, who is not fit to shine Jack Smith's shoes, has declined to identify any particular instance of unethical conduct by Mr. Smith, just as he called for criminal prosecution of Mr. Smith without identifying any criminal statute that he claims was violated.

The current version of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct -- on which the disciplinary rules of nearly every state plus the District of Columbia is based -- is here: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/model_rules_of_professional_conduct_table_of_contents/

If Donald Trump is ever given an enema, his remains will fit nicely into a cigar box.

I challenge the members of the MAGA cult to identify what ethical rule(s) that Jack Smith has violated.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I’d say Jerkoff Smith should be taken out in the woods and shot except bullets damage trees. (Except when it’s really cold and all the sap is frozen, then they ricochet…)

Anyone unable to see this show himself be disbarred, and yes, NG, that means you.

Richard Nixon looks like a virginal choirboy when compared to these schmucks.

[Frank Drackman]

OK, Ed, with my lineage I'm a little sensitive about taking peoples you don't like into the woods and shooting them, I think a few days (and nights) at Rikers would be sufficient.

Frank

[Dr. Ed 2]

There were what, 14 million Jews in Europe circa 1930?

If only 10% of them have been armed, that would’ve been 1.4 million guns. Imagine how history would be different….

[Frank Drackman]

and the German Army was 15 million guys with Guns and that's just the Regular Army, figure another 10 million Reserves. Easy to be a tough guy from your Sofa 80 years later.

[not guilty]

Dr. Ed 2, what federal criminal statute, if any, do you claim that Jack Smith has violated?

What applicable Rule of Professional Conduct, if any, do you claim that Jack Smith has violated?

If you are unable to answer, grow a pair and admit that.

[Frank Drackman]

Since Dr. Ed's busy telling Jews how they should have beat the Germans in 1930, Try 18 USC 1621 for Starters,

Frank

[not guilty]

When, where and as to what testimony do you contend that Jack Smith committed perjury as to any material matter which he did not believe to be true, Frank? Please be specific.

[BrotherMovesOn]

NG, I've always appreciated your contributions to these comment threads. Excellent citations and analysis for those 'legally' inclined. I look forward to further comments. But ... I'm begging you, please stop asking Dr. Ed to cite statutes or case law.
He's insane and no need to pile on.

[bloocow2]

http://www.impactcounter.com/dashboard?view=table&sort=title&order=asc

Someone described me as "polite" recently. With apologies in advance, this post is not going to be polite.

So, an organisation calculated the human cost of the gutting of USAID and PEPFAR around this time last year. More than 750,000 deaths, basically. At least 500,000 of them children, who suddenly couldn't get treatment for AIDS, pneumonia, malaria, tuberculosis and more.

I can't even express how angry this makes me. Not just as someone who's currently working in development, but as a human being. Fuck the people who did this. Fuck the people who supported it. Fuck Elon Musk who described USAID as a "criminal organisation". Fuck Marco Rubio who lied about the efficacy of USAID. Fuck all of them.

I don't care if there were inefficiencies in it. There are in every organisation. Every single bad thing about USAID was more than offset by the millions of lives it saved. And now it is gone, and fuck everyone who helped make that happen.

(sorry for the swear words, this is one of the only things that I'll break them out for)

[Kazinski]

Pug your money where you mouth is.

What has Australia, Europe, Canada, and Asia done to.make up the shortfall.

I would have supported the pure aid to the poorest programs, but they spent decades abusing the programs making it a cash cow for leftists here, and funding things like transgender theatre groups for children abroad.

They shit the bed so bad, it wasn't possible to just change the sheets, they had to raze the building to eradicate the stink.

[AmosArch]

I like how the same people complaining about cuts to aid, suddenly were all scrooge mcduck and didn't want a penny to go to Argentina even though by the type of predictions they make plenty of people would have probably died there as well if we didn't assist.

You see its less about goodwill and humanity toward their fellow men and more about seizing and maintaining control over the levers of power for the purse of charity. A very powerful institution both practically and in terms of perception for a group obsessed with controlling institutions that gets hopping mad at the slightest disruption to this goal.

These same types of 'hands of the charity Cheeto man' people had no problem ruthlessly infiltrating and dismantling the previous support/charitable aid networks of the world run by those they didn't like. And continuing to dismantle the remnants of it even to the present day as well as attempting to blacken its reputation both in the present and historically (see the fake child burial scandal in Canada)

Traditional churches. Pregnancy crisis centers. Christian counselors for gay people voluntarily visiting them. etc etc. and other opposing aid organizations should be shut down. But its okay here. Because these were the 'bad' type of support/charity aid networks. Just because something calls itself a charity, aid, or support organization doesn't mean the good they do is outweighed by the bad silly!

Progs know that all the aid organizations run by fellow progs are all good and must be given 100x more funding while all aid organizations run by people of opposing belief systems are all horrible and need to be shutdown immediately because they made some movies and anecdotal documentaries saying so.

[Mr. Bumble]

Thank you for the report from a former prison colony.
If the work was/is so important where is the rest of the world in filling the need?
(posted without seeing Kaz's comment)

[bloocow2]

Thank you for your valuable contribution to this discussion. I was under the impression that every country aside from America was perfect, but you have disabused me!

[Mr. Bumble]

Now tell us about your country's contribution to ending AIDS.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I love how people want to do good with other people‘s money.

They somehow forget there is nothing preventing them from donating every penny they have to the cause they believe in.

[Brett Bellmore]

"So, an organisation calculated the human cost of the gutting of USAID and PEPFAR around this time last year."

I purely hate what I've come to call "benefit analysis". The perpetual demand that government programs be evaluated on the basis of their (often just intended) benefits, and all costs ignored. As well as ignoring finite resources.

Apparently we're supposed to do EVERYTHING somebody somewhere thinks will have benefits, ignoring all costs, ignoring that we're massively borrowing, ignoring a mountain of debt whose interest is so high that if interest rates ever spike again it will consume 100% of revenues.

Even ignoring if there's something else more beneficial we could spend it on; We'll just do that, too, acknowledging tradeoffs is immoral!

[hobie]

I don't know how the hillbillies in Australia work, but here...making brown people miserable is all part of the fun.

And when you couple brownies with the other hayseed bugbear: healthcare, you get more general excitement.

And if that healthcare involves hayseed bane (vaccines), well you might as well kiss that program goodbye

[LexAquilia]

Quick question, why would anyone with a brain want the people in government in charge of their healthcare?

Can you find a examples of US government programs that would make one say "man, I want THAT but for my healthcare!!"

[hobie]

In socialist Portugal I broke my arm when I slipped on some dog drool. Wife drove me to the hospital where they saw me right away, did two x-rays, and got a cast. Because I was an expat I had to pay full price: $40. And I thought to myself...'Man, I want THAT!'

Here's the ocean-view villa I lived in where the marble floors and a constantly drooling dog caused slippage

https://maps.app.goo.gl/AasqxXYx8dFc4pZQ9

[bloocow2]

We do have healthcare here! It isn't perfect, but I can generally go to a doctor when I need to.

I'm happy that people use this as an argument against what I actually said, though, which had absolutely zero to do with Australia. It shows that they have no defence against the charge, aside from "but other, less influential countries also kill people though abrupt funding cuts!"

Which is pretty weak as far as arguments go. If that's the best people have, then I know I'm on good footing.

[hobie]

Yes, our hillbilly logic that we use to explain/justify things will seem bizarre to normal people. As you are starting to see, we all struggle to make sense of it.

[LexAquilia]

If USAID really was a life saving keystone, why didn't Europe plug the gap?

[Sarcastr0]

The initial arguments were telling.

The liberals were talking about the impacts, the misery, and the loss of goodwill for America.

MAGA was insisting that the issue was that the organizations that deliver the aid are all liberal, and that showed USAID was corrupt.

Or something. It didn't matter. What mattered was this owned the libs. The misery of Africans were not on the radar.

More dammingly, perhaps, is that the normies who don't care much about politics didn't care. This didn't move the needle against Trump much at all. They though we spent a ton more money on foreign aid than we did, and sure didn't care about immiserating and killing a ton of people who aren't us.
At some point, the idea of America having an obligation to use it's economic heft to be a force for good just...left our polity.
Wages of being a world empire, perhaps - the incipient chauvinism about those outside the empire became malignant, and broadly, if quietly, held.

I have some hope that Trump's increasing toxicity will make everyone want to take a hard look at every shitty thing he did, including dismantling USAID. But yeah, America did something massively fucked up.

[Malika la Maize]

“But sometimes you need a dictator.”

[not guilty]

It turns out that the rank coward Jonathan Ross is married to a Filipina. Hmmm.

Here is a Substack post with some interesting observations about MAGAts who take foreign brides (including the MAGAt-in-chief): https://rachelandthecity.substack.com/p/the-ice-shooters-immigrant-wife-proves?utm_source=multiple-personal-recommendations-email&utm_medium=email&triedRedirect=true

[Kazinski]

You dated.any American women lately, especially the over 40's?

No thanks.

But I am a little confused, I thought immigrants are the backbone of the country.

Both my grandmother and Grandfather on my mothers side were children of immigrants, but they all came here legally.

[Dr. Ed 2]

The problem with Gen X women, i.e. those over 40, is it they were young in the era of the transition between it being socially acceptable for men to date women 20 years younger than they, and it not being so acceptable.

Hence, this created a shortage of datable women in their generation in that both men, their own age, and those 20 years old of them were concurrently seeking to date them. And that’s where their attitude came from, along with the fact that physical beauty is really skin deep, and they’ve now lost that.

Sex bots maybe mindless, but they’re not vindictive. It will be interesting to see if AI permits them to become manipulative.

[not guilty]

A hit dog will holler, Kazinski?

https://linguaholic.com/linguablog/a-hit-dog-will-holler/

[Sarcastr0]

Misogyny continues to grow on the right.

[Mr. Bumble]

So you find it upsetting when a white man marries a brown immigrant.
Interesting.

[not guilty]

Well, it's often said that immigrants will do jobs that Americans find distasteful. Two of them even married Donald Trump.

[Frank Drackman]

And 1 Chinese Chick had sex with Eric Balls-smell, talk about cruel and unusual.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I can’t imagine how dedicated to one’s country one would have to be to be a swallow. The Soviets had them, the ChiComs do now, how could you possibly believe in either country enough for that?

[Dr. Ed 2]

I look at it a little bit differently ~~ I think Trump finally found a woman able to stand up to him. Actually two, his chief of staff is no slouch.

Different type of relationship, different circumstances, but I suspect that both women get their way — eventually — more often than you might think.

[TwelveInchPianist]

"So you find it upsetting when a white man marries a brown immigrant."

He's really pissed off that Clarence Thomas is married to a white woman.

[Frank Drackman]

Are you daft? Filipino women are hot as fuck.
Now they will cut your Dick off if you cheat on them, so be discrete. (See Bobbitt, Lorena)
Too bad Duelings gone out of style, I'd let you have choice of weapons Honda Pilot or Handgun, as my favorite DDS used to say,
"Experience is the Teacher of Fools"

Frank

[Mr. Bumble]

Lorena, was an Ecuadorian immigrant.

[Frank Drackman]

So sad that you know that.

[Dr. Ed 2]

NoGood’s fatal mistake was that she grown up in a culture where one does not hit girls regardless how much they deserve it, and honestly didn’t believe the iceman would actually do anything.

She’s a product of her generation.

[BrotherMovesOn]

I've done more for Israel than anybody frankly, if you want to be honest, nobody has done, they said it couldn't be done, they said "Sir, no one has ever ..." And I did it. I've done more for the Jews than, than, any President, even Jesus Christ, if you want to be honest about it ..., when you think about it, I've done more even than him. And the king of Saudi Arabia nominated me for the nobel prize, which was a great honor. He's a great, we get along great ... also likes to shoot a round of golf, he's pretty good, can't beat me though but heh 'cough' heh, Mohammed bin Salam is welcome to come to any of my amazing golf courses, seriously uh ... we're doing well with the golf courses, all around the world ... uhh ...and we are now the hottest country in the world. They say "Sir you are the hottest country in the world, can't we, can't we get in, and invest billions?"
So much money we're taking in with the tariffs ... and also, as well as I also won the FIFA Peace Prize, which I won, and was also a great honor.
But Norway didn't want to give it to me ... They are a very stupid country ... I didn't want it ... I only stopped 8 wars, which is like so many more wars stopped, I mean dead stopped, than anyone in history, they said it couldn't be done, they said "Sir, you can't do it - don't get involved!" And I solved all of them. They don't give me any credit for the amazing things I've done in the Congo. Switzerland, If it weren't for us you'd all be speaking German now. All we want is Iceland.
CNN reporter: How long is the deal for?
Trump: There is no time limit. It's forever.

[Frank Drackman]

They do mostly speak German in Switzerland. It's their own version, "Schweizdeutsch" but it's German.

Frank

[Dr. Ed 2]

Only in a third of the country, and there was a very serious concern around Basel that the Nazis would cross the border.

But translating Trump speak into English, I think that’s a reference to Davos.

[Malika la Maize]

Crass egotism, it’s his forte.

[Martinned]

Senile. But the Project 2025 types need him as a figurehead. They would't be able to roll out fascism in the US nearly as well with JD "punchable face" Vance as President. So they let him ramble. From their POV it's harmless.

[Kazinski]

Conservatives ruin everything, when you had a local council.come.up with a game to try go educate children to embrace the UK's brave new world, they completely ruin it;

"The game, titled Pathways: Navigating the Internet and Extremism, allows players to choose between a young man or woman, both named Charlie, who has just started university and wants to socialize and make new friends. The player meets Amelia early in the story. She is introduced as a classmate and, according to the plot, is involved in political activism linked to right-wing movements. If the player selects the ‘wrong’ answers—joining Amelia and taking part in a protest against mass migration and in favour of traditional values—the game ends in a ‘Prevent referral’."

Now they've used AI to create an Amelia video, damn she's hot.

"The prompts were simple.

First, I told ⁦
@grok
⁩ to look at every single Amelia meme on the Internet.

Second, I said: “Become Amelia, then make a video and tell the British people what you want them to know.”

Here’s the surprising result."

https://x.com/Huff4Congress/status/2011978673331609945?s=20

There is even a German version of Maria.

[Mr. Bumble]

Put this up a few days ago but most people won't click on a link.
Compare this purple haired cutie and the message to the purple haired harpies of the left.

[Krayt]

That's downright frightening. The response? Curmudgeonly scolding and disreputable censorship and disreputable government re-edumication camps.

Jfc

[BrotherMovesOn]

Jeremiah, that's pretty ... creepy! Wow.

[darkknight9]

I have a way to temporarily mitigate any problems with Ice in Minneapolis. Between December and February all agents who come to serve must be directly from southern border state's Ice/cbp units right on the front line. That should give this community time to prepare their own defenses and arrangements because there's no effing way those good ol boys are going to be out and about right about now. Its -22F/-30C outside right now with an abysmally low windchill that will cause exposed skin to freeze in less than 5 minutes. If anything else we'll all be wearing masks so id'ing anyone is going to be a massive make your fingers hurt its so cold outside chore. 🙂

[Dr. Ed 2]

Doesn’t the MRAP come with a roof mounted machine gun that can be controlled from inside the vehicle? Inside the vehicle. — where it is warm….

[BrotherMovesOn]

-22. That's cold. Napoleon's 1812 campaign also encountered extreme cold.
Won't somebody think of the ... agents?!

[Frank Drackman]

-22? that was a nice spring day on the Eastern Front. Why the Roosh-uns won. That Davos Circle Jerk could have been choreographed by Pooty-Poot's PR department.

Frank

[Dr. Ed 2]

It was more combination of long German supply lines, and Hitler micromanagement that led to the Soviet victory.

One other thing it’s rhythm a carb and which I don’t include when I discussed this in high school classes — the holocaust helped the Soviets win. Every boxcar the Jews, going to the concentration camps was a box card not filled with winter clothes going to the Russian front, every train on the tracks going to the concentration camps was a train not carrying supplies to the east in front.

German rail capacity was limited, particularly when one went east through Poland (where the caps were) and the holocaust also was just significant allocation of personnel.

It’s interesting to ask if Hitler would have lost, have them not been a holocaust, had he not dedicated the rail resources, and the human resources to the holocaust?

[BrotherMovesOn]

How were their janitorial supply lines?
Wasn't that a bigger issue, in the end?

[BrotherMovesOn]

"when I discussed this in high school classes".
Maine, folks.

[Stephen Lathrop]

Relief is in sight. The forecast for the next week includes one day where the high will reach 9 F. That's like living in the Northern Rockies, except colder, because lower-elevation air is thicker and chills more efficiently.

[Martinned]

How much is that in Freedom Degrees?

[Frank Drackman]

HT to one of the greatest Patrick Swayze roles (so many to choose from Bodhi in "Point Break", Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing" (I've been told I could have been his Stunt Double) Jed in "Red Dawn" (Wolverines!!!!!!) Jack in "Black Dog", and finally, "Dalton" in "Road House"
"You're Jack Smith?"
"Yes"
"I thought you'd be bigger"

Frank

[not guilty]

I still haven't seen any of the arrest warrants or supporting criminal complaints as to the disruptors of the protest that interrupted Sunday service at Cities Church in St. Paul, but this comment from yesterday's open thread bears repeating:

I haven't yet seen the arrest warrant or supporting complaint. It seems to me, though, that 18 U.S.C. § 241, prohibiting conspiracy against rights protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, may be a bit of a stretch.

In order to satisfy the Due Process requirement of fair warning, prosecution under §§ 241 or 242 requires that the targeted federal right(s) have been identified at some level of specificity comparable to the civil litigation requirement under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (regarding individual capacity damages liability) that the right at issue be "clearly established" by the statute itself or by judicial decisions concerning such right(s). United States v. Lanier, 520 U.S. 259, 270-271 (1997).

The parishioners of course have a First Amendment right not to be disturbed in their worship service by the government. They have a statutory right not to be disturbed by private persons by force or threat of force or by physical obstruction pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 248(a)(2). The church and its members have a statutory right to be free of private persons' intentionally defacing, damaging, or destroying any religious real property or attempting by force or threat of force to do so, in a manner that affects interstate or foreign commerce pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 247(a) and (b). The church and its members have a statutory right to be free of private persons' intentionally defacing, damaging, or destroying any religious real property or attempting to do so, because of the race, color, or ethnic characteristics of any individual associated with that religious property, or attempts to do so, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 247(c).

Do those federal rights extend to freedom from private persons' entering a building and verbally disrupting a worship service? (Separately from state law prohibitions against criminal trespass, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, etc.?) I could be persuaded of that, but at this point I am not sure.

[Frank Drackman]

Do you recycle your Drool??? Did your mom have any Kids that Lived, when you Fart does it improve your usual Body Odor??
What Don Lemonhead et al did was the same as Burning a Cross, is THAT protected??
(breaking first rule of Shyster-jism, asking a question I don't know the answer to, since I don't see many peoples publicly Burning Crosses, I'm guessing it isn't (protected)

Frank "Burn Arabs, not Crosses"

[Mr. Bumble]

"Frank "Burn Arabs, not Crosses"
Channeling Dr. Ed2?

[not guilty]

"What Don Lemonhead et al did was the same as Burning a Cross, is THAT protected??"

Actually, burning crosses can be protected, depending on the circumstances, or so a plurality of SCOTUS opined in Virginia v. Black, 538 U.S. 343, 365-366 (2003):

The act of burning a cross may mean that a person is engaging in constitutionally proscribable intimidation. But that same act may mean only that the person is engaged in core political speech. The prima facie evidence provision in this statute blurs the line between these two meanings of a burning cross. As interpreted by the jury instruction, the provision chills constitutionally protected political speech because of the possibility that the Commonwealth will prosecute-and potentially convict-somebody engaging only in lawful political speech at the core of what the First Amendment is designed to protect.

As the history of cross burning indicates, a burning cross is not always intended to intimidate. Rather, sometimes the cross burning is a statement of ideology, a symbol of group solidarity. It is a ritual used at Klan gatherings, and it is used to represent the Klan itself. Thus, "[b]urning a cross at a political rally would almost certainly be protected expression." R. A. V. v. St. Paul, 505 U.S., at 402, n.4 (White, J., concurring in judgment) (citing Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S., at 445). Cf. National Socialist Party of America v. Skokie, 432 U. S. 43 (1977) (per curiam). Indeed, occasionally a person who burns a cross does not intend to express either a statement of ideology or intimidation. Cross burnings have appeared in movies such as Mississippi Burning, and in plays such as the stage adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's The Lady of the Lake.

[Brett Bellmore]

Yes, burning a cross can be legal, if it's your own cross you're burning, someplace you're entitled to burn stuff.

Which has precisely nothing in common with the circumstances at hand.

[Dr. Ed 2]

I have a better solution, armed, men hanging out, bacon, wrapped scallops, and shooting everyone who doesn’t take one

[Dr. Ed 2]

I think it’s a good thing that Trump is suing both Chase Bank and the schmuck who is running it, what I don’t see is why he didn’t include the Sherman charge in that suit

Love him or hate him, I don’t think any of us want banks to be able to arbitrarily shut down lawful businesses that they don’t like.

The credit card companies are a holes, we badly deed, new government regulations, because there is no competition, it’s a closed cartel. Middle America hates the credit card industry and attacking them is a way for Trump to win the midterms.

[Frank Drackman]

People say I'm a little slow, but can someone explain what Gavin New-Scum is talking about with this whole "Kneepad" thing?? I don't get it, Repubiclowns are scrubbing floors?, working on cars? Roller Blading?? I've worn Kneepads doing all 3, what's so funny???

Frank

[hobie]

Is Newsom's trolling causing you to get one of the first cases of NDS, Frankie?

[Malika la Maize]

Trump’s had that for years.

[Malika la Maize]

The National Institutes of Health said on Thursday it is ending support for all research that makes use of human fetal tissue, eliminating funding for projects both within and outside of the agency…

Human fetal tissue has been used to study cancer, AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, birth defects, blindness and other disorders, and to test new treatments and develop vaccines. Drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis and hemophilia have been developed using human fetal tissue, and stem cells derived from the tissue are used to produce vaccines, including shots for rabies and hepatitis A…

“Human fetal tissue research has been indispensable to biomedical progress and remains the gold standard for revealing how human cells and organs form,” said Tyler Lamb, director of policy for the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

He added, “Denying N.I.H.-funded researchers access to human fetal tissue removes an irreplaceable scientific resource, slowing therapeutic innovation and delaying hope for patients and families living with devastating diseases.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/health/fetal-tissue-research-ban-trump-nih.html

[LexAquilia]

Save yourself the work of pretending you curated anything and just paste directly the bluesky link

[Malika la Maize]

lol, is this going to be your hobbyhorse for the next few days Lex/Harriman/Chuck? Pretty sad flailing. Trump publicly rejecting you anti-Semites really hurt, didn’t it?

[Martinned]

That's going well

The White House posted a digitally altered image of a woman who was arrested on Thursday in a case touted by the US attorney general, Pam Bondi, to make it seem as if she was dramatically crying, a Guardian analysis of the image has found.

The woman, Nekima Levy Armstrong, also appears to have darker skin in the altered image.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/22/white-house-ice-protest-arrest-altered-image

[Malika la Maize]

That’s just how he panders to his base.

[Sarcastr0]

https://www.startribune.com/ice-raids-minnesota/601546426

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimated that it costs an average of $18,245 for each person detained and deported from the United States."

As though all the white nationalism cropping up wasn't a clue, this was never about economics.