In a "mic drop" moment this week, a right-wing justice's comment might have killed President Donald Trump's Supreme Court hopes.
Justice
Neil Gorsuch’s closing remarks and questioning Wednesday in the case
challenging Trump's tariffs "was damaging for the administration's
case," according to a New York Times opinion conversation published
Thursday between writer Emily Bazelon and columnist David French.
Gorsuch’s
comments indicate he suggests the president could be crossing a
boundary if he "can declare an emergency at a whim," Bazelon said.
“It
does seem to me — tell me if I’m wrong — that a really key part of the
context here is the constitutional assignment of the taxing power to
Congress,” Gorsuch said. “The power to reach into the pockets of the
American people is just different, and it has been different since the
founding.”
Supreme
Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett said the refund process that could
follow an overturning of Trump’s tariffs would be ‘a mess.’ If this
happens, the Trump administration will have to pay back billions in tax
refunds.
The last hearing of Trump overstepping
his authority with his massive tariffs concluded on Wednesday. Trump
may not get a ruling in his favor, as the court will decide if the use
of the 1970 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) was
right for the administration.
If the Supreme
Court rules against the administration, the government could have to
repay businesses that already paid under the tariffs. But the issue is
the government may not even be ready to pay it all back.
She's creating nonsense as usual. This was addressed on MEDIASTOUCH NEWS that the IRS should be able to handle it, records were kept and it's not as much money as Chump claims.
Two comments on the article:
joy joyus
20 hours ago
Difficulty
in refunding should not influence a decision whether Trump had the
authority to impose the tariffs without congressional approval.
That sounds like outside Justice Barrett's area of responsibility.
kevin smith
3 hours ago
A mess created by one person, Donald Trump. A mess with refunds is better than a mess with bankruptcies.
They are a Corrupt Court, they are crooks. Instead of protecting the American people, they work to starve them as evidenced by their most recent action.
Friday, November 11, 2025. The first to flee in a time of need will
always be Robert Kennedy Junior as we saw yesterday, all the lies in the
world can't hide Chump's tanking of our economy, having told far too
many lies to various courts this year our own government departments
have a credibility problem, and much more.
Let's start with a basic: What the hell are we doing?
Zohran
Mamdani won the race for Mayor of NYC and we've noted that here. We've
also attempted to let him have his moment. By that I mean, his success
or failure in the job will impact more than just him. If AOC wants to
run in 2028 for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, how he
does as mayor and how he's perceived will impact her chances. Both are
Socialists.
Again, this is his moment so we're not dwelling on the impact that he could have with regards to AOC.
However . . .
Are we stupid? When the GOP is singing from the same hymnal we don't even notice now?
Repeatedly
since the election, Republicans are deliberately lying. That's Chump
and Speaker of the Closet Mike Johnson for starters.
Communist.
That's
what they keep calling Zohran. And I see a lot think pieces and a lot
of fantasy pieces popping up in left media none of which correct this
lie.
Zohran is a Socialist. He is not a Communist. They are different ideologies.
Why, on the left, as Zohran is having his moment are we not at least pushing back on this lie?
We
can't count on the mainstream media. Even if they want to be accurate,
they're largely general studies majors who honestly don't know the
difference between Communism and Socialism. And more and more they're
being taken over by idiots or right wingers or both -- Bari Weis being a
good example.
We need to push back and we need to refute.
Maybe
someone with animation skills could do a little clip of Zohran in
animated form and call it ZOHRAN MAMDAMI: YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD
SOCIALIST? Otherwise, the right-wing's doing all the defining and we're
over here silent.
Moving over to MEIDASTOUCH NEWS where they are covering Chump's latest con job.
The
day after Democratic election victories, Trump assured the public,
“Affordability is our goal.” That was followed by a related online rant:
“2025 Thanksgiving dinner under Trump is 25% lower than 2024
Thanksgiving dinner under Biden, according to Walmart. My cost [sic] are
lower than the Democrats on everything, especially oil and gas! So the
Democrats [sic] ‘affordability’ issue is DEAD! STOP LYING!!!”
Whether the president understands this or not, Walmart lowered the cost
of its Thanksgiving dinner by reducing the number of items included in
the package and replacing brand-name products with value products. It
was not, in other words, the result of the White House’s awesomeness.
The
2024 dinner included two pies -- a pumpkin pie you made from
ingredients and a Marie Callender's Southern Pecan Pie. The 2025
version? No pecan pie and, though you can still make the pumpkin pie,
you'll do so without topping it with whipped cream because whipped
topping is on longer party of the dinner -- they've also switched to
cheaper pie crust. Anyone who cooks or shops for groceries can look at
the two dinners and see how shabby the 2025 list is. They've got both lists posted in JD Wolf's MTN article. Chump keeps lying about the economy and Mike noted last night:
Chump
doesn't know hardship and never has. Every blow cushioned. He's such
an idiot, he was speaking yesterday -- or it was on the news yesterday
-- saying that we had to do away with absentee voting and that every
where you went to you had to show your i.d. even the gas station, even
the grocery store.
Huh?
He's
a damn fool. Or a heavy smoker. If you're burying smokes or booze at
the grocery store or gas station, you have to show i.d. He knows
nothing about the average person's experience. And it shows
He
doesn't know anything about the average person's experience and he
proved that as well when he was bragging on Walmart's 2025 Thanksgiving
dinner which offers so much less.
In 2024, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump made inflation the centerpiece of his campaign.
The
"price of eggs" being too high became a rallying cry against the
incumbent presidential administration as Trump seized on a very real
pain point for many Americans.
U.S. inflation rate by month [2025]
January: 3%
February: 2.8%
March: 2.4%
April: 2.3% (Liberation day April 2)
May: 2.4%
June: 2.7%
July: 2.7%
August: 2.9%
September: 3%
"Starting
on day one, we will end inflation and make America affordable again, to
bring down the prices of all goods," he said at a rally in Bozeman,
Montana on August 9, 2024.
Affordability?
Senator Elizabeth Warren, speaking on behalf of elected Dems in
Congress, wants to deliver on it.
Donald Chump does not have a clue.
And in Chump Land, where we are at the mercy of a dementia plagued
failure, things just get worse. Farrah Tomazin (DAILY BEAST) notes job layoffs:
Layoffs
in the U.S skyrocketed in October to their worst monthly level for 22
years, with Americans now facing the type of job cuts typically seen
during recessions.
Despite President Donald
Trump repeatedly touting that the US economy “has never been hotter,” a
new report has fueled concerns about a labor market slowdown with more
people out of work.
The data, according to
outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, shows that company
layoffs soared last month to more than 153,000, marking the worst
October for job reductions since 2003.
US
employers have also announced 1.1 million layoffs so far this year - the
biggest number of layoffs since the pandemic and on par with job cuts
during the global financial crisis.
Donald
would love for you say, "Thanks, Chump. I have so much free time.
Can't do anything with it because you've destroyed the job market and
our economy, but thanks for the free time."
Steve Kopack (NBC NEWS) adds that "even
firms that are not actively cutting jobs have warned that they do not
plan to add to their headcount in the near-term, with several pointing
directly to AI’s impact on their personnel needs." Paul R. La Monica (BARRON'S) notes, "Economists
for the Indeed Hiring Lab, the research arm for the popular jobs site,
said in another report Thursday that job postings are now at their
lowest level since 2021 and that wage growth is slowing as well." Garrett Owen (SALON) reminds that, " Prior
to the report, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the American
economy was nearing a 'golden age' under the Trump administration, and
said that 2026 'would be a great year'."
Mary Jones (PENNY GEM) adds,
"October 2025. In a span of just several months, 427 Michigan workers
lost their jobs as five automotive suppliers filed WARN notices. The
news ripples through the auto industry, with Dana Thermal Products
shutting its Auburn Hills plant, NPR of America slashing its workforce,
and DP World Logistics losing its only customer. These companies are all
linked to Michigan's crucial automotive sector, and each has cited a
sharp decline in business, sending shockwaves throughout the region.
What led to this series of layoffs? And why now? The unfolding impact is
just beginning."
The
economy is bad and that's Chumps fault. And his attack on SNAP? His
ignoring judges orders on SNAP? That's him again and we need to ask the
question of why the GOP hates our military personnel? They're
continuing Donald's shutdown and they're continuing this as Pretty Boo
Hegseth pretends to be a Secretary of Defense and does so at a time when
US military memebers and their family are being told to start using
food banks. Grasp that. Pretty Boo put his on hair and make up salon
into the Pentagon. He fought for that. But he can't fight to feed the
people serving in the US military? Very revealing. Michael Moran (THE MIRROR) reports:
Amid
what is now the longest government shutdown in US history, the
approximately 37,000 US service personnel stationed in Germany have
reportedly been advised to seek help from food banks if their wages are
not paid in November.
Military personnel
reportedly received their October salaries thanks to emergency funding
drawn from multiple sources: $2.5 billion from summer tax cut
legislation, $1.4 billion from military procurement accounts, and $1.4
billion from research and development.
US Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent told CBS News: "I think we'll be able to pay
them beginning in November, but by 15 November our troops and service
members who are willing to risk their lives aren't going to be able to
get paid." It comes as Trump issued a SNAP benefits ultimatum with a
brutal warning amid the government shutdown.
Last
night, Lawrence O'Donnell covered many topics in his opening
monologue. He covered the economy, he covered how the administration
was filled with people out of touch with the every day life of the
American people, he covered the tariffs and the Supreme Court, he
covered the nonsense of pretending a sandwich was a weapon.
He also covered how unfeeling Chump is.
Novo Nordisk's Gordon Findlay felt
dizzy and ended up on the floor in the Oval Office, legs in the air as
Lawrence pointed out, and Chump's not helping and just staring off into
space.
It's another powerful moment of Lawrence cutting through the crap and connecting the dots.
But
if you stream that video, note one other thing about that incident.
The minute Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Junior
looks over and sees a man is collapsing, Junior panics and runs out of
the room.
I guess that's what you have to do.
I
mean, I guess if you don't believe in vaccines and someone's passing
out, you run like crazy because maybe it's measles, maybe it's polio,
but whatever's going on, you can't rsik being around the person because
you're not vaccianted so you're not protected.
Our
countrys President John F. Kennedy wrote PROFILES IN COURAGE. Junior
practices PROFILES IN SAVE YOUR OWN ASS - EVERYONE IN NEED LEFT BEHIND
and he made that clear yesterday as man feeling faint sent Junior
fleeing from the room.
Now let's
drop back to February 11, 1985, on CBS that night, the 15th episode of
the second season of KATE & ALLIE aired -- "Rear Window" written by
Stu Hample, directed by Bill Persky. Susan Saint James played Kate,
Jane Curtin played Allie and Frederick Koehler played Allies son Chip.
The moment we're focusing on is seventeen minutes into the video below.
Allie: Have you ever heard the story about the little boy who cried wolf?
Chip: Yeah, it's about a little boy show cried wolf.
Allie:
A shepherd. The little shepherd went into the field one day and he got
bored so he cried "wolf!" and all the villagers came running.
Kate: Right. And when they saw that there was no wolf, they got really mad and went home.
Allie: And the net week, he went into the field and he got bored again and he cried wolf again.
Kate: And all the villagers came and when they saw there was no wolf, there, they really got mad and went home again.
Allie:
But the next time, there really was a wolf and the little boy cried
wolf but nobody came. And the wolf ate the little boy.
And the wolf ate the little boy.
As
we have noted repeatedly this year, over and over, the Justice Dept and
Homeland Security repeatedly lie to US courts. Non-stop lying. And
you lie to the judge? You get a reputation -- a bad one. That
reputation is now starting to stick. AP's Christine Fernando and Sophia Tareen report:
A
federal judge in Chicago on Thursday issued an extensive injunction
restricting federal agents' use of force, saying Thursday that a top
Border Patrol official leading an immigration crackdown repeatedly lied
about threats posed by protesters and reporters.
The
preliminary injunction came in response to a lawsuit filed by news
outlets and protesters who allege federal agents have used excessive
force during the operation that has netted more than 3,000 arrests and
led to heated clashes across the nation’s third-largest city and its
many suburbs.
“I see little reason for the use of force
that the federal agents are currently using,” said U.S. District Judge
Sara Ellis. “I don’t find defendants’ version of events credible."
And they aren't credible.
Again: And, the wolf ate the little boy.
That's
why you don't lie in court. You lie once and the judge has no reason
to believe you again. You were under oath and you lied. That helps a
juge decided that they don't "find defendants' version of events
credible."
They brought it on themselves and for this to happen is shameful and embarrassing.
An
Afghan man who has been detained for nearly four months, despite being
charged with no crime, will remain behind bars indefinitely after his
asylum case was delayed once again last week.
Though
the man has lived in the United States for more than four years and
been repeatedly vetted by federal authorities, a Department of Homeland
Security attorney announced in court that the government has not
finished his background check and could not estimate when it would.
Investigators have now asserted he poses a “potential threat” to
national security.
At the Friday hearing in
Virginia, a frustrated immigration judge acknowledged that, by law, she
doesn’t have the option to grant the father of two asylum without a
finalized check.
“The department’s going on a
fishing expedition trying to dig up whatever they can,” his lawyer, Amin
Ganjalizadeh, argued in court.
“I share counsel’s concern,” the judge told the government’s attorney, Joseph Dernbach. “You can’t give me a timeline.”
In
what world is that appropriate? In what world is the government
allowed to insist that they cannot provide timeline. In other
troubling news, Patrick G. Eddington (MS NOW) reports:
According
to stunning reporting by Joseph Cox at 404 Media, federal agents appear
to be roaming around Chicago using mobile facial recognition
technology, or FRT, on people to determine whether they should be
deported.
And according to internal Immigration
and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, emails viewed by 404 Media, ICE has
been using the Mobile Fortify app, which “can identify someone based on
their fingerprints or face by simply pointing a smartphone camera at
them.” A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection confirmed its
use of Mobile Fortify to 404 Media, saying, “This is one of many tools
we are using as we enforce the laws of our nation.” A DHS spokesperson
told MSNBC, "While the Department does not discuss specific vendors or
operational tools, any technology used by DHS Components must comply
with the requirements and oversight framework."
Let's wind down with this from Senator Adam Schiff's office:
Washington, D.C. — Today, a majority of Senate
Republicans voted to block U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Adam Schiff
(D-Calif.), and Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.)resolution that
would have prevented the administration from using military force
against Venezuela without authorization by Congress. The resolution also
emphasizes the importance of Congress asserting its power to declare
war and the need to avoid getting the United States embroiled in another
war.
The resolution fell just two votes short of passage.
The vote follows at least 16 unauthorized military strikes on
unidentified vessels resulting in 67 deaths and military buildup in the
region and numerous threats by the administration of attacks on
Venezuela. Senators Kaine and Schiff previously forced a vote on their
War Powers Act Resolution, which received bipartisan support, to
prohibit the unauthorized and illegal strikes in the Caribbean and
Eastern Pacific.
Background: Prior to today’s vote, Kaine and Schiff forced a vote on their resolution in
early October to reassert Congress’ sole constitutional authority to
authorize use of military force. Despite garnering bipartisan support,
the vote failed. In light of continued unauthorized boat strikes,
Senator Schiff posted his reaction here.
Read the transcript of his remarks as delivered below:
I am proud to join my colleagues Senator Kaine and Senator Paul
in introducing this War Powers Resolution that provides that we have not
authorized the use of force against Venezuela. We meet at a precarious
moment, when we might be at the precipice of war with that country.
Today, in the Caribbean or on its way to the region are the following military assets:
Three Arleigh Burke class destroyers: the USS Gravely, Jason Dunham, and Sampson.
The USS Lake Erie, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser
The USS Newport News, a nuclear attack submarine with torpedoes and Tomahawks.
The USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship equipped with a flight deck for F-35s, Ospreys, and attack helicopters.
The MV Ocean Trader, a floating base designed for special operations.
The largest aircraft carrier ever built, the USS Gerald R Ford,
is on its way right now from the Mediterranean. This means we will see
upwards of an additional 2 dozen additional Super Hornets, and 2 dozen
additional F-35s. This warship will be accompanied by three additional
destroyers, bringing at least 10 of America’s best naval war ships
within striking distance of Caracas.
All told, there will be more than 400 missiles and other vertical
launch systems on Nicolás Maduro’s doorstep. One hundred and fifteen
Tomahawks alone, with an additional 70 coming with the Ford. Are we
supposed to believe this is only about striking speed boats? If so, why
will there be ten thousand American servicemembers in the vicinity? Why
fly three B-52s from the United States to the region? Why have B-1
supersonic bombers flown off the coast of Venezuela in just the last few
weeks for so-called “Bomber Attack Demonstrations?” That’s not my
definition of the mission. That’s what the Pentagon called it. Bomber
attack demonstrations – for what, to blow up fishing vessels?
We all need to see that this has quickly become so much bigger,
and so much more dangerous. And maybe that was the point. To focus the
narrative on drug trafficking, so we don’t recoil from what may be right
around the corner with Venezuela, and that is the use of force to
achieve the goal of regime change.
Now, I understand the president this weekend said he was not
inclined along those lines. But I urge my colleagues to look at the
administration’s actions, and not merely its’ words. Because if it walks
like a military buildup and talks like a military buildup – it might
very well be a military buildup.
Two weeks ago, the president said: “We are certainly looking at
land now, because we’ve got the sea very well under control.” And now we
have the buildup I just described. People may be putting a lot of stock
into the President’s most recent words, saying he wouldn’t strike
Venezuela when he was on “60 Minutes” on Sunday.
But when asked if the leader of Venezuela’s days were numbered?
He also answered, “Yeah, I think so.” That’s what our Commander in Chief
said with the largest warship the United States has, sailing close to
Venezuela. If any other world leader moved this kind of firepower to
another country’s doorstep, we know what we would believe was taking
place.
And the bottom line is this: Americans do not want another war.
They do not want American servicemembers put in harm’s way, either
flying missions or with boots on the ground for a war not authorized by
Congress.
Mothers and fathers of American sailors, Marines, soldiers, or
pilots, do not want to lay awake at night wondering if their kids will
be the ones who have to be deployed to yet another armed conflict, this
time in South America.
Last month, we came to this body with a resolution to end the
unlawful strikes that this administration had been taking against boats
in international waters. And we came up a few votes short. But while we
remain concerned about those ongoing strikes, this debate is about a
different resolution.
This resolution is tailor-written to stop one thing: war with the
nation of Venezuela. The administration has not asked Congress to
authorize such a war. But the administration appears to be laying the
groundwork for one anyway. If they believe a war is necessary, let them
come to the Congress to make the case for one. Maduro is a murderous
dictator. He is an illegitimate leader having overturned the last
election by use of military force. He is a bad actor.
But I do not believe the American people want to go to war to
topple his regime, in the hopes that something better might follow. If
the administration feels differently, let them come to the Congress and
make the case. Let them come before the American people and make the
case. Let them seek an authorization to use force to get rid of Maduro.
But let us not abdicate our responsibility. Let us vote to say no to war without our approval.
We do not have to wait, nor should we wait, for that war to begin
before we vote. The War Powers Resolution very clearly and
intentionally gives Congress the ability to prevent a President from
going to war in the first place.
The legislative history of the War Powers Act makes that
abundantly clear. My colleagues might object: well, these aren’t yet
hostilities and yet people are already dying. They might object: well,
this is not yet imminent. And yet, with the kind of military force being
brought to the region with a danger to our sailors, our Marines, our
soldiers, as Senator Kaine outlined, because if Venezuela believes that
we are on the precipice of war, they have the capability and might take
action against our ships. It clearly meets the definition of imminent.
Our predecessors in Congress designed this law precisely to
respond to this very type of military build-up that we see here and act
in advance of the U.S. being dragged into another war without Congress’
authorization.
We in this body serve our constituents, who have told us for
years, now for decades. No more war. No more use of military force for
regime change. We must reassert our Constitutional power. Our duty to
have the sole decision when American lives could be on the line, when
war is on the line.
I share my colleague, Senator Kaine’s concerns, having read the
opinion of the Office of Legal Counsel. But regardless of what people
view of the merits of that opinion, what we’re talking about here is a
wholly another matter. What we’re talking about here is potential war
with Venezuela. What we’re talking about here is a massive military and
naval build up in the region. When hostilities may be imminent under
circumstances clearly contemplated by Congress when it passed the War
Powers Resolution.
I have debated Senator Kaine whether this is our most important
power, that is the power to declare war or to refuse to declare war, or
whether it is the power of the purse. It may indeed be a bit of both, in
the sense that one way of cutting off a military campaign is by cutting
off support for that military campaign, but we have already so
abdicated our power of the purse in this institution. Should we also
abdicate our responsibility to declare war and allow the administration,
or any administration, any president, to usurp that authority? It would
be antithetical to what the Founders intended and what they wrote.
As the founders wrote, “The power was given to the legislative
branch to declare war, because the power to make war was something that
an executive might grow too fond of.” So, the power was given to
Congress, to this legislative body. Let’s use that power. Let’s reassert
authority. Let’s say, through this resolution, if the president or the
administration want to go to war for the purposes of regime change or
any other purpose, that it must come to Congress and make the case to us
and to the American people.
It’s
been a decade since the U.S. and Europe pushed the world to embrace a
historic agreement to stop the planet’s runaway warming.
The
deal among nearly 200 nations offered a potential “turning point for
the world,” then-U.S. President Barack Obama said. Eventually, almost
every country on Earth signed the 2015 Paris Agreement, a pact whose
success would rest on peer pressure, rising ambition and the economics
of a clean energy revolution.
But 10 years later, the actions needed to fulfill those hopes are falling short.
The
United States has quit the deal — twice. President Donald Trump is
throttling green energy projects at home and finding allies to help him
undermine climate initiatives abroad, while inking trade deals that
commit countries to buying more U.S. fossil fuels.
Europe
remains on track to meet its climate commitments, but its resolve is
wavering, as price-weary voters and the rise of far-right parties raise
doubts about how quickly the bloc can deliver its pledge to turn away
from fossil fuels.
Paris has helped ingrain
climate change awareness in popular culture and policy, led countries
and companies to pledge to cut their carbon pollution to zero and helped
steer a wave of investments into clean energy. Scientists say it
appears to have lessened the odds of the most catastrophic levels of
warming.
He destroys everything he
touches. I would compare him to a MARVEL movie villain but they can
often be entertaining. Outside of the minions of hell, no one is
cheering Chump on.
A
report revealed that Earth has already passed one of the first
catastrophic environmental tipping points: the large-scale decline of
warm-water coral reefs. It says the planet is dangerously close to
several other tipping points involving ice sheets, ocean currents, and
the Amazon rainforest.
The
Global Tipping Points report — led by the University of Exeter with
contributions from 160 scientists across 23 countries — warns that coral
reefs began their decline once global temperatures rose 1-1.5 degrees
Celsius above preindustrial levels. Today, the planet has already warmed
by about 1.4 C, putting reefs in the danger zone.
Since
January 2023, reefs have experienced the worst global bleaching event
on record, with more than 80% of coral systems across 80 countries
affected by extreme ocean temperatures. Now, scientists say we're in
"uncharted territory," according to The Guardian.
Still,
some experts say we shouldn't lose hope, noting that some reefs may
adapt. Professor Peter Mumby of the University of Queensland explained
that evidence shows some reefs could be viable at 2 C of warming. Mumby
worries that people may "give up on coral reefs."
Coral
reefs support a quarter of all marine species and sustain the
livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people. If they disappear, it
would have ripple effects on food chains, economies, and biodiversity —
especially in tropical nations already vulnerable to rising sea levels
and extreme weather.
The report also warns that
other critical systems — including the Greenland and West Antarctic ice
sheets, Atlantic Ocean circulation, and Amazon rainforest — are
"perilously close" to similar tipping points. These shifts could speed
up the planet's heating and reshape weather patterns for centuries.
Not good news at all. Which brings up a science topic. A number of e-mails asked me about Bill Gates.
I
don't really turn to Bill Gates for truth or for science. In fairness
to him, he's one of the few who did not kiss Chump's ring. But he's
never been a hero of mine or anyone I followed.
As
for what he says regarding climate change possibly being oversold or
alarmist? I don't believe him. I think he's lying. I don't think he's
lying to be mean. I think he's lying because he knows certain
necessary dates have passed -- dates that we needed to have made real
change by. I think we've past the point and we'll see efforts to manage
public perception. They'll encourage us to avoid reality until we
can't anymore.
I
think the riveting mini-series YEARS AND YEARS is what's going to
happen. That was a great mini-series -- Russell Tovey, Emma Thompson,
T'Nia Miller, Dino Fetscher, Lydia West, Sharon Duncan-Brewster and
Jessica Hynes. The luckiest one in the mini-series may be Lydia West's
character. She goes into digital form so she'll be alive as long as we
have digital. The rest? Many are dying around them due to climate
change and many more will die.
It's a six part mini-series. I watched it on HBO either right before the pandemic or at the start of the pandemic.
The
future of coffee, chocolate and wine is at risk from climate change
even with dramatic interventions to block sunlight from the Earth’s
surface, a study warns.
Scientists have been
exploring geoengineering as a way to cool the planet, including a
hypothetical process to inject highly reflective particles into the
stratosphere to cool the Earth’s surface.
The
process – known as stratospheric sulphate aerosol injection (SAI) –
could help to reflect some sunlight away from Earth, which is warming
rapidly as carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere because of human
activities.
But climate scientists warned that
even this strategy, which mimics the natural cooling effects of volcanic
eruptions, may not be enough to save economically important crops such
as wine grapes, coffee and the cacao beans that are used to make
chocolate.
These crops require specific conditions and
are increasingly vulnerable to the rising temperatures and worsening
weather extremes of climate change, putting supplies of coffee,
chocolate and wine at risk – and threatening the livelihoods of
producers who depend on them for an income.
Wednesday, November 5, 2025. The morning after big elections with
results that should be a wakeup call to Republicans in Congress, Kash
Patel sold Chump out to the grand jury (Rachel Maddown pointed that out
Monday but no one seems to have paid attention), Bari Weiss requires
three million dollars plus in security to do her 'job' at CBS NEWS,
Chump's going after American's right to bear sandwiches, and much
more.
MEIDASTOUCH NEWS this morning has Ben focusing on yesterday's election.
He
makes many strong points. I'm not repeating them. If I don't have
something to offer, I'd just post the video. Democrats won and
democracy won and that's great. Ben notes that and he notes the sour
defeat for Chump.
So let's talk instead about Republicans in Congress.
Chump couldn't have picked a worse night to take his crazy out for a walk on social media.
Imagine
you're a Republican in the House -- all up for re-election in November
2026 unless they're retiring -- or a Republican in the Senate up for
re-election in November 2026.
Every day you endure
Chump's crazy and sometime his direct threats against you and you stay
small and compliant because you think Chump's popular. You lie to
yourself that the polling must be wrong -- no one could be hated that
much.
But yesterday's election results make clear that he is hated. Loathed.
And
you've allowed yourself to be intimidated by him and by a tiny MAGA
crew that astroturfs your offices and that do not really have the
numbers.
Certainly not the numbers needed to save you.
You've deluded yourself. But the results of yesterday's elections are reality.
Markwayne
Markwayne is probably too much of an idiot to grasp reality, but a lot
of Republicans in Congress do get the message. No daylight between
themselves and Chump means a difficult re-election effort.
As we
noted months ago, Chump's already in his lame duck period. He can't
help the Republican Party and, honestly, when has he ever? It's about
building himself, not the party.
Republicans have played the fool
and they continue to do so at their own risk. He is sending people out
of the party. He's not building, he can't. He only 'became' a
Republican when he focused grouped and found out that they were the
easiest group of voters to fool. He's not a lifelong Republican. He
has no real connections -- even now -- to the actual party.
He's a con man.
Were
I a Republican, I would be celebrating last night's results because
these results provide an opportunity for actual Republicans to take back
their party.
Were I a Republican in Congress? I'd be
moving to restore the ACA subsidies immediately. I'd grasp that Chump
has no future so it doesn't matter what he does but that I want to be
re-elected and attacking healthcare and depriving Americans of
healthcare is not the way to win next year's mid-terms.
In fact, they should be reading this press release from Senator Patty Murray's office:
REUTERS: Obamacare premiums double, adding post Halloween fright for US health insurance shoppers
ABC: Trump hosted ‘Great Gatsby’ Halloween party hours before SNAP funding lapsed
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray
(D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered
the following remarks on government funding at this afternoon’s Senate
Democratic leadership press conference on the thirty-fifth day of
President Trump and Republicans’ shutdown.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as delivered, are below:
“As we all know, right now, open enrollment is underway, and
Americans are now seeing the true cost of the MAGA health care hike.
“And look, it’s not just the ‘MAGA health care hike’ because
Republican leaders are refusing to do anything. Four out of five people
who rely on the ACA enhanced premium health care tax credits live in
states that Trump won. That is why it’s a MAGA health care hike.
“And over 80 percent of the people who will end up uninsured if these
expire are in Trump states. That is why this is a MAGA health care
hike.
“The five states with the largest percentage increases, where
premiums are quadrupling? All Trump states. The next five, where
premiums are tripling? All Trump states. The next five after that? You
guessed it, all Trump states. That is why this is a MAGA health care
hike. But Republicans won’t lift a finger.
“I have heard one painful story after the next. Dianne in
Wenatchee said she is going to see her premium increase by fourteen
hundred dollars a month. Damian told me his family faces a $2,000
monthly increase.
“And that’s just my state. A senior in Idaho told me his premium
is increasing nearly eightfold. There’s a woman in Tennessee whose
premium will jump from $10 a month to well over a thousand.
“Every day, the MAGA health care hike gets harder to fix. But
the House is on vacation—seven weeks and counting! Republican leaders
are openly saying, ‘Don’t look to us, we never wanted to lower health
care costs in the first place.’
“As for President Trump, he’s throwing a blow-out Gatsby
party down in Mar-a-Lago. He is pardoning people who helped terrorists
launder money—all while he refuses to work on reopening the government,
and actively chooses to break the law and ignore the courts to force 42
million Americans to go hungry.
“Remember, USDA had a plan to keep SNAP running longer, even before
this shutdown started. Then Trump scrapped it, pulled it off their
website. And now he’s proudly posting about blocking SNAP. I mean, he’s
basically taking credit, promising it won’t go out.
“And as Speaker Johnson put it—they don’t want to release the ‘pressure.’ They are using the American people as leverage.
“Trump still has the funds to keep benefits going out in full
and on time right now. He is choosing not to use them—all while he
chooses to build himself a new ballroom.
“Do Republicans not realize that all those families who cannot afford
to put food on the table, all those families facing the MAGA health
care hike—they are watching as Trump guilds his office in gold and
bulldozes the East Wing to build a fancy new ballroom. As he jacks up
costs for working families with tariffs and shovels billions at
Argentina. And as he showers goodies, pardons, and party favors on his
friends, and Republicans shower tax breaks on billionaires.
“These families that are getting hurt are watching us. Their
grocery bills rise, their premiums double, and the Republican lawmakers
are doing nothing.
“Republicans need to get it into their head: families will not forget
this, because they are going to be paying the cost of the MAGA health
care hike. Every. Single. Month.
“So they need to get serious. They need to come to the table. And
they need to work with us to stop the MAGA health care hike and reopen
the government.”
###
Donald lied on social media pretending
that the election results were not a reflection on him. Of course they
were a reflection on him. And don't forget that he endorsed Cuomo and
Andrew lost.
Grasp that even if Andrew had also gotten Sliwa's votes, Andrew still would have lost. NTY:
Zohran
got 50.4% of the vote. Cuomo and Silwa together got 48.7% of the
vote. This was a slaughter house election for Chump -- he's beaten and
bloodied, exposed as the nothing he truly is.
I hope you already caught Mike's "Look out, America, Chump's coming for our sandwiches!"
where he's raging against the stupidity of prosecuting someone for the
'crime' of throwing a sandwich. Mike is rightly mocking it. But grasp
that this is what the useless and corrupt con man Donald Chump pursues
these days: Federal charges against a person for the 'crime' of throwing
a sandwich. That's just how pathetic and corrupt and wasteful Chump
is. Mike's exactly right, at this point, Chump's coming for our
sandwiches.
This while the government shutdown
continues and Speaker of the Closet Mike Johnson refuses to swear
in Adelita Grijalva.-- 42 days after she was elected to Congress and he
refuses to swear her in. This is the disaster, corrupt government of
Chump.
And America rejected it last night.
In California, we won big.
At
stake was redistricting. With Chump ordering Governor Greg Asshole to
redistrict Texas to find him five more seats in the 2026 mid-terms, my
state put it to the actual people. We don't have a little coward as
governor who fears the people. So we put it on the ballot: Do we want
to redistrict our state and stand up to Chump's attempts to rig the
election?
That's what Proposition 50 was about and we had record turnout.
It won by a landslide. Not by a 'slim majority,' it won by a landslide.
63.8% of those who voted? They voted for Proposition 50. And those who voted against it? They made up a tiny 36.2%
Can someone explain that to Idiot Chump?
He and his stooges have lied that he got a mandate in the 2024 election and some insisting the results were a landslide.
No, he squeaked by.
And
if DEMOCRACY NOW! and others working with Norman Solomon hadn't worked
so hard to trash Kamala Harris in August, September and October, the
results would probably be much different.
But it came
down to Chump winning 49.8% of the popular vote and Kamala Harris
winning 48.3% of the popular vote. That's not a mandate, that's not a
majority -- that's not even a slim majority. He squeaked by.
And he's only grown more unpopular since.
Last night was a landslide. Someone might try educating Chump on what that term actually looks like.
Moving to a different topic. It's always interesting to see what the media is going to
glom on and what they are going to ignore. Monday night, when I caught
the THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW (MN NOW), I thought Ka$h
Patel would be the topic on everyone's list come Tuesday.
But no. Not in terms of what Rachel addressed.
Alright.
So does that not matter. Or is Laura Loomer the only one who pays
attention to those who back stab the orange menace?
Because what I hear
is Patel went around on one media program after anothe defending Chump
and insisting he had declassified a lot of stuff. But, in fact, when
the cameras weren't watching and Chump couldn't see him in front of the
grand jury, Patel said something completely different. Patel stabbed
Chump in the back.
Around
the 26 minute mark, Rachel quotes from INJUSTICE: HOW POLITICS AND FEAR
VANQUISHED AMERICA'S JUSTICE DEPARTMENT by Carol Leonnig and Aaron C.
Davis:
On November 3, the tam stress-tested a
possible Trump defense that had been tossed out by one of Trump's loyal
foot soldiers. They interviewed Kash Patel, a former Trump White House
aide and Pentagon official., before a grand jury that day. When the
documents investigation first became public, Patel had claimed in media
interviews that the probe was fatally flawed because he knew Trump had
declassified broad sets of sensitive records. After hours of testimony,
prosecutors would later tell others in an update, Patel pulled back
somewhat from his on-air statements, saying he only knew about Trump's
efforts to declassify a specific set of documents, and didn't know about
the larger expanse of records found at Mar-a-Lago.
Rachel
then points out, "So Kash Patel made great hay saying on TV there was
no case -- no case here because he personally knew that Trump had
totally declassified everything. Kash Patel knew it first hand. He
knew all those documents were no longer classified. Then when he got
behind closed doors, before a grand jury, under oath, maybe he was not
so sure about that after all."
And then the interview
with Carol starts. Maybe if MS NOW had clipped that segment and put it
on YOUTUBE people would have caught it.
It's not minor. To this days, Chump whines about that raid. He's done so at least twice in the last four weeks.
And
it turns out that his defender Patel told the public a lie -- no
surprise there -- but wasn't willing to lie for Chump to the grand
jury.
Is Chump not aware of that? Is Laura Loomer to
busy on the Pentagon bet to tell the Mr. Drysdale to her Jane Hathaway
that it's being reported that awful raid might not have happened if
Patel hadn't told the truth to the grand jury?
In other news, the deranged idiot who is taking over PARAMOUNT+ already has a problem to explain to stock holders. Bari Weiss.
Weiss, a former opinion writer who founded the center-right “anti-woke” digital outlet, The Free Press, has eight bodyguards assigned to her at all times, Page Six reported Monday.
The former New York Times
columnist is driven around in a caravan of SUVs, similar to the
president or vice president, with the cars and security detail costing
the company an eye-watering $10,000 a day, according to the report.
News of the pricey security arrangement comes as the struggling network laid off 100 staffers last Wednesday,
leading to the cancellation of two digital shows, the gutting of CBS
News’ Saturday morning offering, and the disbanding of its race and
culture unit.
At ten thousand dollars a day,
that's $3,650,000 a year. They have that kind of money to waste while
they're doing all these cut offs? That kind of money to waste on
someone who is not a reporter and has never been a reporter. She writes
opinion pieces. S**ty opinion pieces. Basically they read, "Sure I
eat out my wife but don't worry, I attack trans people so let me in on a
pass right-wingers."
She is not journalistically
qualified to hold the post she's been given but when you also factor in
that she needs three million dollars a year in personal security costs?
David Rhodes didn't get that when he was president of CBS NEWS. The
fact that this glorified public editor requires it goes to just how
unqualified she truly is. Stockholders better monitor the new owner's
actions very carefully.
Let's note some coverage of the elections.
And let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:
Warren: "Half a million people are starving in Gaza right now, and we need to do everything we can to help."
Washington, D.C. – At a hearing of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed
Austin Dahmer, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities, on her concerns about the ongoing
humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need to ensure Palestinians get
desperately needed aid without interference.
Following the declared ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli
government, the Trump administration’s plan called for “full aid” to be
sent to Gaza “without interference.” Senator Warren raised concerns
about the U.S. government’s partnership with the Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation, an inexperienced and militarized organization that lacks
experience in food distribution.
Mr. Dahmer was questioned about his support for the ceasefire, as he previously tweeted
that providing aid to Palestinians makes “U.S. support for Israel look
performative." He affirmed his support to Senator Warren for the current
peace efforts in Gaza. When pressed about his stance on the Gaza
Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) inexperience and limited aid
distribution, which led to over 1,000 deaths near aid sites, Mr. Dahmer
refused to directly answer the question but acknowledged the need for
experienced aid organizations to ensure successful aid delivery in Gaza.
Senator Warren concluded the hearing by calling for more effective
aid efforts: “Half a million people are starving in Gaza right now, and
we need to do everything we can to help.”
Senator Warren has been a strong advocate of requiring any recipient of U.S. military aid to follow U.S. laws prohibiting the restriction of humanitarian aid, as well as calling for more desperately needed suppliesto be delivered to Gaza. She was the first Senator to open up an investigation into the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and has also been a vocal advocate against sending more weapons to the Netanyahu government.
Transcript: Hearings to examine the
nominations of Austin Dahmer, of Arizona, and Robert Kadlec, of New
York, both to be an Assistant Secretary, and Michael Borders, of
Florida, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, all of the
Department of Defense. Senate Armed Services Committee November 4, 2025
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
So, right now we have a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, and we need to make
it last. Following the October 7 terrorist attack, Prime Minister
Netanyahu initiated a war that has cost nearly 70,000 Palestinians their
lives. About a third of them were women and children. We need the
ceasefire to put us on a path to peace. Now, one of the tenets of the
ceasefire is that all parties must provide "full aid into Gaza" "without
interference." This is powerfully important. For months, the Israeli
government had a mere total blockade of food, medicine, and other
critical humanitarian supplies, leading to half a million Palestinians
in Gaza suffering from the first declared famine in the Middle East.
Now, Mr. Dahmer, you've been nominated to be the Assistant Secretary
of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities. If confirmed, you will
advise the Secretary on how to align DoD resources to our national
security strategy, including enforcing the conditions of this ceasefire.
Mr. Dahmer, do you support President Trump's ceasefire, including ensuring full aid goes into Gaza without interference?
Mr. Dahmer: Yes, Senator, I absolutely support the President's agenda, including his efforts at peace in Gaza.
Senator Warren: Okay, I'm glad to hear you believe
that now in the past, you have tweeted that providing aid to
Palestinians makes the U.S. "support for Israel look performative." But
on top of continuing to limit aid, the U.S. government chose to work
with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an inexperienced organization
with no history in food distribution. It was created by management
consultants and run by armed contractors. Previous ceasefires saw more
than 400 aid distribution sites, but GHF limited distribution instead of
400 to 4 and on GHF’s watch, over a thousand starving Palestinians
desperately seeking food near GHF sites were killed amid multiple
reports that the IDF has been opening fire on them.
Mr. Dahmer, do you think the GHF has a record of success in delivering aid to Palestinians?
Mr. Dahmer: Well, Senator, I think President Trump
has been clear not only that he's focused on peace, but that he expects
both Israel and Hamas to abide by the ceasefire.
Senator Warren: Okay, I appreciate that, but I asked
a very specific question. Do you think the GHF has a record of success
in delivering aid to Palestinians? It's a yes or no question.
Mr. Dahmer: Senator, I don't have enough information about the specific organization.
Senator Warren: Don’t have enough information?
Expertise is critical here, and I'm worried DoD's complete indifference
to the experience in delivering aid will only cost more Palestinians
their lives.
Now, on October 21 U.S. Central Command announced they had opened a
civil-military coordination center where U.S. military personnel will
help facilitate assistance from international counterparts into Gaza.
The Netanyahu government promptly selected one of the architects of the
GHF to be their representative at this U.S.-led center. Press reporting
indicates DoD is considering replicating the GHF model, including
limiting aid distribution to a handful of sites.
Mr. Dahmer, this is one of the most complex areas to deliver aid.
Would DoD be more successful by partnering with experienced aid
organizations that have had some real success in delivering that aid?
Mr. Dahmer: Senator, thank you for the important
question. I would also note that U.S. Central Command released just a
few days ago a video of Hamas actually looting an aid truck as it was
being delivered—
Senator Warren: So, I appreciate that but that is
not the question I asked. I have very limited time here. The chairman is
very strict about our time. I'm asking you—this is a complex part of
the world to deliver aid in. Would DoD be more successful if they
partnered with somebody who actually had had some success in delivering
aid in this region?
Mr. Dahmer: Senator, if confirmed, I would commit to
always working, not only across the department, on our security
cooperation efforts and humanitarian aid—
Senator Warren: Could I just have a yes or no on my question?
Mr. Dahmer: Senator, what? I'm sorry, what is this? What is the question?
Senator Warren: The question is, it's a complex area
to deliver aid. Would DoD be more successful if it partnered with
experienced aid organizations that have had success in delivering aid in
this region?
Mr. Dahmer: Senator, I would agree that a demonstrated record of success would be a positive indicator of future success.
Senator
Warren: Well, I appreciate that. Half a million people are starving in
Gaza right now, and we need to do everything we can to help.
