Skeets of the Day

 

MAGAt messaging after the correspondents dinner, media complicity --

"We should resist efforts by this administration and its MAGA minions to use Saturday night as an excuse to criminalize political dissent, silence legitimate criticism, and curtail our civil liberties. Such efforts got underway within hours of the shooting." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...

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— Bill Kristol (@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 9:22 AM

Just a reminder: Trump and his supporters are not opposed to political violence. They think it's fine if their side is the perpetrators and the people they hate are the victims. I go into that, and our age of chaos, in my latest for Public Notice: www.publicnotice.co/p/white-hous...

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— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 8:54 AM

 

Trump: I'm going to destroy an entire civilization. We're going to keep killing people in boats. Senator Kelly should be executed. ICE protesters are domestic terrorists. Immigrants are vermin. Raskin: Donald Trump is bad for this country. Bash: Do you regret your heated rhetoric, Rep. Raskin?

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— Radley Balko (@radleybalko.bsky.social) April 26, 2026 at 11:25 AM

 

But he can’t go anywhere so he needs a ballroom bunker fortress. bsky.app/profile/ronf...

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— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) April 26, 2026 at 7:34 PM

 

This is the only type of thing Mike Davis ever says.

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— Hunter Walker (@hunterw.bsky.social) April 26, 2026 at 11:47 PM

 

No modern president has glorified violence as much as this one

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— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 3:07 AM

 

Given this argument, I assume it's too dangerous for the President to go golfing anymore, right?

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— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 9:57 AM

 So many cowards to choose from....  --

Question: who's a bigger coward, RFK Jr, for leaving his wife Cheryl Hines in the dust as he runs from the shooting, or Stephen Miller, for using his pregnant wife as a human shield? #TrumpShooting

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— Paulley Ticks (@tomadelsbach.bsky.social) April 26, 2026 at 6:16 PM

Another push to silence Jimmy Kimmel's satire. Pathetic -- 

fyi this is the kimmel comedy routine MELANIA DOES NOT WANT YOU TO SEE. definitely do not like and share it or else the MOST UNPOPULAR FIRST LADY IN HISTORY will be mad. youtu.be/GRjKhsJc95o

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— Oliver Willis (@owillis.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 11:11 AM

 

Trump embraces censorship, calls for comedian Jimmy Kimmel to be fired

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— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 1:29 PM

 

Didn't Melania's husband mock the Pope, post blasphemous content, threaten genocide, ridicule and threaten the press, and engage in an illegal, unwinnable war with Iran -- all of that in the past month? Very offensive, divisive, and hateful.

— Wajahat Ali (@wajali.bsky.social) April 27, 2026 at 11:49 AM

Whiskey Pete isn't keen on flu shots for troops -- 

U.S. Military To No Longer Require Flu Shots https://theonion.com/u-s-military-to-no-longer-require-flu-shots/

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— The Onion (@theonion.com) April 25, 2026 at 11:30 AM

Today's Tomorrow Cartoon

 

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A cabinet full of sycophantic liars, drunks and morons: only the best and the brightest! And be sure to check the stock market as the criminal Malignant Fascist issues a deceitful, happy talk message about peace negotiations before the market opens for the zillionth time. 

Please consider supporting Tom's work by going here.

In The WHCD Aftermath, Republicans Overreach

 

The MAGAt party never misses an opportunity to use an incident as a lever to get their pet projects through. After the breach of security at the White House Correspondents Dinner, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is demanding that the National Trust for Historical Preservation drop its lawsuit against building of Malignant Fascist's grandiose ballroom for "security reasons," tweeting "It's time to build the ballroom." Concocting a "national security" justification for the MF's ballroom has been part of the attempt to blow through federal and local regulations and objections; it was never part of the MF's selling of it. 

On the matter of funding for DHS, Putin-friendly Sen. Ron "Little" Johnson said on Fox that the Senate should "nuke" the filibuster and pass the funding bill in "a moment of national danger," presumably caused by an unstable shooter angered by the MF"s own rhetoric and rantings on Truth Social. The White House and funkies in the media are also blaming Dem "political rhetoric" for motivating the shooter's attack, as if their cult leader isn't the most inflammatory politician in U.S. history.

This is their strategy: take the initiative to push their agenda, no matter how unpopular or corrupt while people are still talking about the attack.

Death Follows Trump and Musk

In the first few months of the cruel and unhinged Malignant Fascist's second term, his main donor, the ketamine addled megalomaniac from South Africa Elon Musk, was given the reins through "DOGE" to cut Government programs to pay for tax cuts for the hyper wealthy like himself. One of the most critical programs saving lives was the global H.I.V. program that has saved millions of lives worldwide, and the MF and Musk decided it deserved deep cuts. The African nation of Zambia had been making progress on fighting H.I.V. up until that decision. Now it's becoming a major problem there, and because the criminally sociopathic MF is behind it, it involves some evil extortion over mineral resources:

"During President Trump’s first month in office, his administration upended much of the flagship global H.I.V. program that had saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Zambia. The Zambian government went into emergency mode, desperate to ensure that people with the virus could continue to receive lifesaving medications.

But other crucial aspects of the program had to be scrapped — interventions that had helped stop the spread of the virus and protected the most vulnerable people, those like Mr. Kasekela.

Today, a pared-down system is operating on reduced U.S. support, and Zambia may lose that help entirely in the next few days. The Trump administration has set an April 30 deadline for the Zambian government to accept a new health funding agreement that is tied to giving the United States expanded access to the country’s mineral resources.

The administration says the deal would offer Zambia five years of funding and help to build a stronger system that gives the country more control. But if Zambia doesn’t sign, officials warn that Washington could cut off all of its H.I.V. aid, a situation health officials here say would be disastrous."  (our emphasis)

The fight against AIDS worldwide was launched by former President George W. Bush, and has saved millions of lives through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). PREFAR's operations have been severely affected by the MF's cuts to USAID, something that he and his fascist white supremacist ally Musk had to have known about.

(photo: The deadly extortionist)

QOTD: Dem Politics Must Embrace Justice

 

Writing in The Guardian, author and founder of Democracy In Color Steve Phillips makes the argument that Dems need to embrace justice and equality in 2028, disputing the conventional wisdom of "centrists" who would prefer to go "Republican lite":

"One of the biggest myths about the 2024 election is the notion that large numbers of people who supported Democrats in 2020 changed their minds and switched their votes and cast ballots for Trump in 2024. You can look just at four key states to show the fallacy in that notion: Harris got more votes in Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada and Wisconsin than Joe Biden had received four years earlier. So if all these people were abandoning the Democrats, how did the Democrats’ numbers go up? What happened is that Trump did a better job of scaring, stirring up and mobilizing his core supporters than the Democrats did.

And yet the power of that myth persists, and it impacts the thinking about 2028 by insidiously encouraging Democrats to try to tone down the “wokeness”, which is really just code for distancing themselves from the movement to eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia and make this country a true multiracial, multicultural democracy where people are all embraced." (our emphasis)

Aggressive voter mobilization around effective messages that speak to justice and a level playing field that MAGAts oppose is a foundation for Dem wins in 2026 and beyond.

Sunday Reflection: The Real Innovators

 

"I never thought innovation as such was very important. Not when you have to think about it... If you're going to come up with a new direction or a really new way to do something, you'll do it by just playing your stuff and letting it ride. The real innovators did their innovating by just being themselves....It's the way you play that makes it . . . Play like you play. Play like you think, and then you got it, if you're going to get it. And whatever you get, that's you, so that's your story." -- Jazz great, pianist, composer and bandleader William "Count" Basie (8/21/1904 - 4/26/1984), from “Good Morning Blues: The Autobiography of Count Basie”, Plume. Basie was the first African American to win a Grammy Award in 1958, the first of nine Grammys. He was a Kennedy Center honoree, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his artistic achievements spanning 6 decades.

He once recounted that he was given his nickname "Count" by an announcer who said there already was a Duke (Ellington) and an Earl (Hines), so he should be called "Count." In jazz music, Basie was certainly royalty.

WHCD Halted by Lone Gunman

 

The annual gathering of media elites and their wannabes, politicians they cover and random celebrities known as the White House Correspondents Dinner was abruptly halted last night as a man armed with guns and knives breached the security perimeter outside of the ballroom where the attendees gathered. From the Associated Press:

"A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner attended by President Donald Trump on Saturday night, charging toward the ballroom in a chaotic encounter with Secret Service agents as guests dived under tables at the sound of shots being fired.

The president was uninjured and was rushed off the stage. The armed man, who officials said was a guest at the Washington Hilton where the dinner was being held, was taken into custody and was expected in court Monday. Police believe he opened fire and acted alone but did not say who was his intended target or describe a motive. [snip]

The shooting unfolded just outside the vast subterranean ballroom holding thousands of dinner guests, disrupting minutes after it began an annual event meant to honor journalism and the First Amendment that was being especially scrutinized this year because it was the first time since Trump became president that he had attended."

The man was identified as Cole Tomas Allen of Torrence, CA, a tutor and computer programmer who graduated in 2017 from CalTech with a mechanical engineering degree.

Oddly enough, in a press conference at the White House after the incident, the mentally disturbed Malignant Fascist used the incident to push for his enormous ballroom adjacent to the White House, which he's obsessed with. He also claimed that he wanted to continue the dinner, because he wanted to stick it to the compliant media in attendance, because it's always about him:

"The president said he wanted to continue the event, but understood that security protocol prevented it.

'I am ready, willing and able, and I was all set to really rip it,' Trump said of his planned speech. 'I said to my people, ‘This would be the most inappropriate speech ever made.’ But I don’t know if I could ever be as rough as I was going to be tonight. I think I’m going to be probably very nice.'”

Unfortunately, the correspondents association plans to reschedule the unethical, conflict of interest dinner soon. 

Today's Cartoons

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(David Horsey, Tribune Content Agency)

(Rob Rogers, Tiinyview.com)

(Steve Sack. stevesack.substack.com)

(Michael de Adder, de Adder Substack)

(Nick Anderson, Nickanderson Substack.com)

(Jeff Danziger, The Rutland Herald)

(Brian McFadden, brianmcfadden.org)

King Charles About to be Ambushed by Trump

 

When King Charles III arrives in Washington, D.C. on Monday to begin his U.S. tour to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence, it will be in the shadow of a report that the mentally ill and vindictive Malignant Fascist will bring up a threat to support Argentina's claim to the British-claimed Falkland Islands. It's in retaliation for the peevish MF's absurd indignation that the U.K. didn't join the U.S. and Netanyahu in the attack on Iran several weeks ago. From the Daily Beast:

"President Donald Trump is reportedly plotting a stunning insult to King Charles III on the eve of his visit to the U.S.

The British monarch will land in Washington, D.C. on Monday alongside his wife, Queen Camilla, in a visit that is being framed as a potential Band-Aid for ailing relations. Even Trump himself has suggested as much. [snip]

Trump, 79, is a vocal fan of King Charles, 77. That makes it all the more surprising that he is reportedly weighing up reconsidering America’s position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands—a move that would go down like a lead balloon in Britain.

Reuters has reported on a leaked Pentagon memo that suggests Trump’s administration could re-evaluate whether it believes Britain should retain the Falkland Islands, a self-governing British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic, where King Charles is head of state."  (our emphasis)

The MF also happens to be allied with Argentina's far-right leader Javier Milei, who has often been compared to the narcissistic MF.  Although he won't, the King would be justified in telling the MF off about the Falklands jab. 

The British monarch follows the advice and direction of the government of the UK and its Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Starmer has refused to join the MF and his ally Israel's Netanyahu on their war on Iran, and emphasized that NATO is not an aggressive pact, but one for mutual defense, a concept apparently lost on the profoundly ignorant MF. Sadly, Starmer is seemingly so desperate to curry favor with the MF that he would send Charles to the U.S. to receive insults from the sick MF. 

(photos: Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty; Andrew Harnik/Getty)

The Trump - IRS Grift in Court

 

Yesterday, Federal District Judge Kathleen Williams expressed skepticism over the grifting and corrupt Malignant Fascist's $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that reports to him. The MF brought the extortion-in-the-form-of-a-lawsuit against the IRS / Treasury Department for allegedly failing to protect his family organization's tax returns from public scrutiny. From CNN:

"A federal judge on Friday questioned the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department over the leak of his tax returns, ordering a hearing to determine whether the president can sue federal agencies that he oversees.

Florida District Judge Kathleen M. Williams said it is unclear whether Trump and the agencies are 'sufficiently adverse to each other' and ordered both sides to provide more information on the relationship.

'Although President Trump avers that he is bringing this lawsuit in his personal capacity, he is the sitting president and his named adversaries are entities whose decisions are subject to his direction,' Williams, an Obama appointee, said in the order. [snip]

Williams’ questions come as Trump’s lawyers are engaged in talks with the IRS and Treasury to resolve the lawsuit, with the president’s attorneys requesting a 90-day extension while those discussions continue. If those talks resolve with any monetary settlement, it would be Trump’s own administration paying him and his family." (our emphasis)

The MF would like a quick, out of court settlement with his own Treasury Department, and his weird and faithful Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would be happy to oblige his cult leader. If he can squeeze a billion or two out of the taxpayer quickly, he'd much prefer that in lieu of a public trial that is likely to go against him and further expose his greed at the taxpayer's expense. It's yet another example of using his position to enrich himself and his corrupt family.

 (photo composite by Alice Morgan / Getty Images)

A Master Craftsman in Wood

 

Take a tour of the late, renowned furniture designer George Nakashima's workshop and home in New Hope, Pennsylvania, courtesy of Architectural Digest. Nakashima's innovative design included the Conoid chair and bench, and handcrafted live-edge tables, bringing together American modernism with Japanese techniques. His daughter Mira narrates a loving history of her father's life and work. A true artist and visionary.

Today's Cartoons

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(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution)

(Joey Weattherford, Tribune Content Agency)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

(Matt Wuerker, Politico.com)

(Jeff Dangizer, The Rutland Herald)

(Clay Jones, claytoonz.substack.com)

Hoping For Discovery Process In Patel Suit

 

Paranoid and allegedly pickled Director of the FBI Kashyap "Kash" Patel may have picked a fight that will hasten his ejection from the deranged Malignant Fascist's regime. Suing The Atlantic for a well-sourced story about his erratic behavior, drinking to excess and use of FBI resources for personal activities, may prove even more problematic for him if the trial reaches discovery stage and even more revelations on Kashyap are revealed. From the excellent Amanda Marcotte at Salon.com on his "futile quest for validation":

"On Monday he filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the magazine, which is not exactly shrugging it off. If the goal was to quiet the rampant media and online discussion about his behavior, the move backfired. Instead of quieting the rumors, it lengthened the story’s time in the news cycle. Plus, Patel had to list the allegations in the court filing, pulling them out from behind the Atlantic’s paywall and into the public domain, making it easier for people to read and other journalists to quote.

Patel’s best hope is that the lawsuit is dismissed early, because it’s highly unlikely that the Atlantic green-lit a story they knew, as his lawsuit claims, to be full of 'false and obviously fabricated allegations.' A similar lawsuit against MS NOW got thrown out two days after Patel sued the Atlantic. Because he seems so hypersensitive about how people see him, I doubt his ego can survive the process of having Sarah Fitzpatrick, the story’s author, and editors from the Atlantic provide evidence for their claims in court. Then again, Patel’s entire stint at the FBI suggests he doesn’t understand that all his efforts to manifest an image of a smart, cool guy that everyone likes are so ham-fisted that they inevitably backfire."  (our emphasis)

We're looking forward to juicy affidavits listing the many examples of Kashyap's dereliction and drunkenness. As Marcotte has noted in her article, Patel "is plagued with a sweaty desire for approval and a constant fear of rejection." His foolish lawsuit certainly won't help matters.

(photo: Kashyap's official photo. DOJ)

Skeets of the Day

 

Operation Epic Epstein Fury: shades of Vietnam,  munitions madness --

“Not as long as Vietnam” is some truly top tier marketing for this war.

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— Brian Finucane (@bcfinucane.bsky.social) April 23, 2026 at 7:54 PM

 

So Trump went from calling this a two-week war to something resembling Vietnam? The U.S. was in combat in Vietnam for eight years. And let’s remember, automatic draft registration was authorized in December 2025. But nothing to worry about.

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— Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline.com) April 23, 2026 at 9:42 PM

WSJ: The U.S. has burned through so many munitions in Iran that some administration officials increasingly assess that America couldn’t fully execute contingency plans to defend Taiwan from a Chinese invasion if it occurred in the near term, U.S. officials said. www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

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— Austin Ramzy (@austinramzy.bsky.social) April 23, 2026 at 10:21 PM

 

The Malignant Fascist's regime threatens NATO, boosts Russia. Treasonous. --

Trump is threatening Spain over its refusal to allow air bases be used for the Iran war. Meanwhile, Russia provides Iran with targeting info and intelligence to kill Americans. Trump just invited Putin to the G20. www.reuters.com/world/pentag...

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— Alex Finley (@alexzfinley.bsky.social) April 24, 2026 at 5:09 AM

The MF will have another meltdown over this poll from Fox. Hide the ketchup -- 

New Fox poll is absolutely crushing for Trump: *Approval on economy: 34-66 *Approval on inflation: 28-72 (!) *Dems now lead GOP on economy *55% say Trump mentally unfit for office On the pod, @gelliottmorris.com is so illuminating on all these numbers and much more: newrepublic.com/article/2094...

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— Greg Sargent (@gregsargent.bsky.social) April 24, 2026 at 7:36 AM

The awful damage done by South Afrikaner fascist Musk and his "DOGE" incels -- 

It's not hyperbole in the least to say Musk purchased a six-month shadow presidency for $280 million and used the power of that shadow presidency to 1. Steal the government’s data, 2. Permanently damage the state’s ability to regulate his businesses, and 3, kill non-white people.

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— Jeff Lazarus (@jlazarus.bsky.social) April 23, 2026 at 10:09 PM

 

When DOGE arrived at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the operatives had no real background in nuclear issues. They boxed out experienced hands, forcing resignations and massive exodus of talent. Over 400 people have since left or been forced out. Our full story: https://propub.li/3OBQMwk

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— ProPublica (@propublica.org) April 23, 2026 at 7:47 PM

White House Correspondents Dinner: a gathering of "piggies"? -- 

If you know a journalist who plans to attend White House Correspondents' Dinner with anti-free-speech fascists Trump, Miller, Hegseth and Carr, please ask them if they’re developing flu symptoms and should stay home. After all, it would be a shame to give fascists the flu. Stay home.

— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) April 24, 2026 at 8:03 AM

The MF is clearly losing the war on woke, but he'll be rage posting late tonight -- 

This photo should be on the front page of every single newspaper in America today.

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— Jon Cooper (@joncooper-us.bsky.social) April 24, 2026 at 9:31 AM

 

Trump is about to hit REM on camera during an Oval Office event. It's just incredible.

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) April 23, 2026 at 3:42 PM

Weekend Song

 

Dave Mason, who passed away Sunday, was a singer, composer and fixture in rock music for decades. As a founding member of Traffic, along with Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood, Mason was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His later work included recording with the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Wings, Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson to name a few artists. Here is his song "Feelin' Alright?" from Traffic's 1968 hit album "Mr. Fantasy," where he sings lead vocal and plays guitar. (It was later a big hit for Joe Cocker). RIP.