Glenn Kirschner – Jack Smith continues to investigate Trump on all fronts; puts Republican fake electors in grand jury
PoliticsGirl – Hunter Biden Plea Deal
The Lincoln Project – The Best People
Randy Rainbow – Donald in the John With Boxes
These Senior Cats Fell In Love During Retirement
Beau – Let’s talk about Hunter Biden’s charges….
Glenn Kirschner – Special Counsel Jack Smith gives Trump preview of evidence against him, and Trump blows a gasket!
The Lincoln Project – Lock Him Up
MSNBC – Trump’s prison nightmare: See Jack Smith taking ‘Hague playbook’ to DOJ in Melber Report
Thom Hartmann – Billionaire Submarine Crushed But Media Won’t Tell You About Far Worse Tragedy At Sea
Wild Walrus Takes A Summer Vacation Across Europe
Beau – Let’s talk about Esper talking about Trump….
Glenn Kirschner – DOJ delayed opening a criminal investigation into Trump for Jan 6. insurrection for more than a year [I do think it is unrealistinc to exoect Chris Wray, ot, for Heaven’s sake, Jeff Rosen, to have opened an investigation. I’d go for March 12, 2021, Garland was confirmed MArch 11, 2021]
The Lincoln Project – Pick a Struggle
Thom Hartmann – This Man Wants To Bring Back Lynchings & He Isn’t Alone
Parody Project – A Tale of Indictment
Can You Solve This Cat Murder Mystery?
Beau – Let’s talk about Minneapolis, cops, and decrees….
Yesterday, I learned about the House voting to censure Adam Schiff for telling the truth. It probably came in the previous night, butit would have been after 10 pm my time, in one of the Substack newsletters. Ten pm is when I check for spam and close my email, even if i’m up later than that. I am actually less angry at the Republicans in the House than I am at the morons who sent them there. Adam’s full speech (a tad over 6 minutes is at his own website and also on YouTube, and one of my Substack sources provided a partial (but substantial) transcript:
“To my Republican colleagues who introduced this resolution, I thank you. You honor me with your enmity. You flatter me with this falsehood. You who are the authors of the big lie about the last election condemn the truth tellers and I stand proudly before you. Your words tell me that I have been affective in the defense of our democracy, and I am grateful.
“Speaker McCarthy would spend the nation’s time on petty political payback, thinking the censure or fine will force Trump’s opposition into submission. But I will not yield. Not one inch. The cost of the Speaker’s delinquency is high, but the cost to Congress of this frivolous and yet dangerous resolution may be even higher as it represents another serious abuse of power.
“I say this to Speaker McCarthy and others who wish to gratify Donald Trump with this act of subservience, try as you might to expel me from Congress or silence me with a $16 million fine, you will not succeed you might as well make it $160 million. The Speaker will never deter me from doing my duty no matter how many false justifications or slanders you level against me. You indict yourselves.
“Why were you silent, afraid, and unwilling to do your ethical, constitutional duty? Why did you cower? And why do you still? Will it be said of you that you lacked the courage to stand up to the most immoral, unlawful, and unethical president in history but consoled yourselves by attacking those who did?
“Today I wear this partisan vote as a badge of honor knowing that I have lived my oath, knowing that I have done my duty to hold a dangerous and out-of-control president accountable and knowing that I would do so again in a heartbeat if the circumstances should ever require it. I thank you, and I yield back.”
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
Politico – The sleeper legal strategy that could topple abortion bans
Quote – Revs. Jan Barnes and Krista Taves have logged hundreds of hours standing outside abortion clinics across Missouri and Illinois, going back to the mid-1980s. But unlike other clergy members around the country, they never pleaded with patients to turn back. The sight of the two women in clerical collars holding up messages of love and support for people terminating a pregnancy “so infuriated the anti-abortion protesters that they would heap abuse on us and it drew the abuse away from the women,” recalled Taves, a minister at Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood, Missouri, as she sat on a couch at Barnes’ stately church in this quiet suburb of St. Louis.
Click through for details. It seems to me fairly self-evident. MAGA “Christians” could use a mandatory “refresher” course in what religious freedom actually is.
Wonkette – Sam Alito Is Just Humble Fisherman Drinking $1,000 Bottles Of Wine Served By Billionaires
Quote – [Alito:] I stayed for three nights in a modest one-room unit at the King Salmon Lodge, which was a comfortable but rustic facility. As I recall, the meals were homestyle fare. I cannot recall whether the group at the lodge, about 20 people, was served wine, but if there was wine it was certainly not wine that costs $1,000. [Wonkette:] Okay, a) how would Alito know what the wine cost if he wasn’t, as reported by ProPublica, paying for his stay, and b) Sam Alito knows what a $1,000 bottle of wine tastes like, and it does not taste like whatever swill he does not recall drinking in Alaska.
Click through. I figured if anyone could manage to put a more colorful spin on this story, it would be Womkette. They did not let me down.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Trump gets a VERY speedy trial date; Hunter Biden pleads guilty to misdemeanor tax crimes
The Lincoln Project – Rick Reacts: We Made Trump Mad
Farron Balanced – Judge Slaps Down Conspiracy Spewing Capitol Rioter During Hearing
Liberal Redneck – Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty
After his family abandoned him, he didn’t want to live anymore.
Beau – Let’s talk about orcas and needing a bigger boat….
Yesterday, I learned that the SPLC’s latest report on hate groups took the time and space to recognize Faithful America as one of the antidotes to hate. Coming after decades of Christofascists associating the word “Christian” with hatred, this is a refreshing developmen – which would not have been possible without the actions of authentic Chriatians. Thanks, SPLC, andthanks to all who have signed/written/donated to make it kappen.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
Washington Post (no paywall) – FBI resisted opening probe into Trump’s role in Jan. 6 for more than a year
Quote – In the two months since the siege, federal agents had conducted 709 searches, charged 278 rioters and identified 885 likely suspects, said Michael R. Sherwin, then-acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, ticking through a slide presentation…. But according to a copy of the briefing document, absent from Sherwin’s 11-page presentation to Garland on March 11, 2021, was any reference to Trump or his advisers — those who did not go to the Capitol riot but orchestrated events that led to it.
Click through for full article. I suppose we could argue forever about whether the “bottom-up” method was the best way to go in this case. It is having results now, but it did take a long time. Too long? Certainly too long for the gut feelings of Democrats and others who value democracy. But we are not out of time yet.
PolitiZoom – Surprise! Judge Cannon Isn’t Running The Trump Documents Trial. Jack Smith Is
Quote – Look, Smith isn’t just running circles around Trump’s defense team, he’s running them around Judge Cannon too. Trump’s defense team wants endless delays and hearings. Smith just deprived them of that oxygen by not giving them any reasons to ask foe hearings on Trump’s bail conditions. And now, Judge Cannon hasn’t even set the preliminary hearing date to open discovery, and Smith is already handing over all of his non classified material for the Trump team to go through. Which makes it harder for the Trump team, 6-8 weeks from now at the preliminary hearing, to ask for 4-6 months for discovery when they’ve already 90% of the stuff for 6-8 weeks.
Click through for article. Murfster does tend to see things others do not, and while no one s perfect, he does have a track record. He sees this trial as a three-way battle of wits in which two of the parties are unarmed. And he does make a case. I hope he’s right -and I think there’s a good chance he is.
Food For Thought
Glenn skipped a day and threw me off balance so I’m using this to gain it back
Talking Feds – BREAKING Hunter Biden News EXPLAINED
The Lincoln Project – When Dems Fight
PBS News – New report looks at the changing face of extremist groups in America
Puppet Regime – More unmanned attacks on the Kremlin?
Mama Cat Does The Cutest Thing While She’s In Labor
Beau – Let’s talk about the Dems ending the influence of MAGA Republicans….
Glenn Kirschner – Republican witnesses like Barr, Esper, Bolton & others will SINK Donald Trump at trial
MSNBC – Atlanta area law enforcement preparing for possible Trump indictment in Georgia
The Lincoln Project – The Breakdown – No Labels Elects Trump**
Armageddon Update – Top Secret Moron
Cop Spends 8 MONTHS Trying To Catch An Escaped Beefalo
Beau – Let’s talk about questions on Trump’s other cases….