We start today with some good news, for a change. The first is time-sensitive, so check it out now -- a livestream of workers removing Donald Trump's name from the outside wall of what will once again be known as simply The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center For The Performing Arts. As of this writing, the scaffolding has been set up, but nobody's on top of it and Trump's name still appears. By judicial order, Trump's name must be removed today, so take a look, maybe you'll get to see them prying letters off the building! They've already removed the odious new name from their website, but removing it from the building will be more satisfying to see.

The second piece of good news is more momentous. Are you sitting down? For once, Donald Trump apparently was not lying about a deal to end his Iran war of choice being finalized. No, really! CNN recently tallied it up and found that, previous to the last few days, Trump had lied about it a whopping 38 times, so it is definitely shocking that this time around the blind pig actually found an acorn!

We supposed we shouldn't be so snarky about something as serious as the end of a war, but after 38 times, we had to express our amazement (and frustration) somehow.

Read Complete Article »

Donald Trump just can't help himself, it seems. He keeps right on providing prime fodder for Democratic campaign ads in the midterms. Today was no different. After the official inflation rate was revealed today to have shot up to 4.2 percent, Trump was asked about it by a reporter. Here's what he had to say: "No, I love it, the numbers were great. I love the inflation."

Read Complete Article »

There's a political cartoon out there just waiting to be drawn. Picture a coat-check window, with a line of people in front of it. But instead of coats, the sign says "Spinal Check." The person behind the counter is handing the person they're waiting on a full spine, while saying: "Here you go, Senator! Once you get it reinstalled, you'll find it's really liberating to get your spine back!" ...or something along those lines. The people in line would (if the cartoonist was good enough) resemble prominent Republicans who are now increasingly breaking with Donald Trump's agenda, of course.

Read Complete Article »

It's an old joke, but it's still funny: "The Republicans are revolting!"

Amusing wordplay aside, it is rather shocking (and heartening) to see how at least some Republicans in Congress are increasingly in open revolt against Donald Trump's agenda. At first a few cracks appeared in the dam, but it's now looking like that dam could be on the brink of just bursting wide open. One can only hope, at any rate.

Read Complete Article »

The Washington Post ran a rather extraordinary exclusive report today, under the headline: "Netanyahu Backs GOP Effort To End U.S. Military Aid To Israel." On the face of it, this is big news. Israel currently receives something like $3.8 billion in U.S. money each year as military aid -- money that (mostly) turns right around and is spent back here at home on American military weapons and weapons systems (which boosts the American economy while giving Israel a whole bunch of free weapons each and every year). But this aid has become increasingly problematic because Americans' views of Israel have turned startlingly negative, ever since the war with Hamas in Gaza started.

Read Complete Article »

There's been a rather extraordinary shift coming from the White House over the past week or so, as Donald Trump has been repeatedly forced to back down. This isn't normal for him, of course, which is why it is so notable a development. It has happened on big issues and small, and may signal a shift within his own party away from mindlessly following everything Trump does in lockstep. Or it may just be Trump having a bad week -- it's really too soon to tell.

Read Complete Article »

Welcome back, to this weeklong edition of "Deal, Or No Deal?" We're all anxiously awaiting word whether a short-term deal will be agreed to by both Donald Trump and the leaders of Iran, while the world's economy hangs in the balance. Will Trump agree? Will his own hawkish Republicans go ballistic when they find out what's in it? What is in it? Are any of the leaked clues as to what it contains accurate? Or will there be some doozies in there that nobody is expecting?

Read Complete Article »

Does the emerging Senate "YOLO caucus" now have a new member? For those of you too out-of-touch to know, "YOLO" stands for "You Only Live Once." It is a slogan designed to urge people to do things they maybe normally wouldn't (for whatever reason). But now the term has been applied to a certain group of senators, and that group just might have picked up a new member.

Read Complete Article »

Today America memorializes 250 years of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. Since America is currently at war once again, the question on my mind is how many of these brave Americans died in stupid wars? And which one was the stupidest?

Perhaps that's too harsh. Maybe the question should be what was America's most pointless war? That question (phrased politely or not) certainly is relevant now, with the current conflict right up there in the running for that ignominious award.

Read Complete Article »

The most startling development in the political world this week was that Republicans in Congress (some of them, at least) seem to be waking up to the fact that Donald Trump's poll numbers are sinking like a stone and that the only thing he cares about is building his palatial ballroom and wreaking vengeance on anyone who annoys him (including plenty of Republicans).

Is this the beginning of a wider break from Trump for Republicans deeply worried about their prospects in the midterm elections? Only time will tell, but it's rather astonishing how fast things seem to be shifting. And this pushback is happening not just on one issue, but on a whole range of them.

Read Complete Article »