Sunday Night

Rock on.

America's Worst Journalist

Bari Weiss.

Sunday Afternoon

Doing some weekending.

America's Worst Democrat

Hakeem Jeffries.

Last week, President Trump issued yet another pardon that’s corrosive to the rule of law — this one to Representative Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat who was awaiting trial on federal bribery charges. This pardon was exceptionally brazen. Mr. Trump publicly acknowledged that he had issued it to induce Mr. Cuellar to switch parties, and attacked him for a “lack of LOYALTY” when he declined to do so.

It is notable for another reason. Rather than be critical or perhaps stay silent, the House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, welcomed the pardon and engaged in shameful pandering, apparently to maintain Mr. Cuellar’s party loyalty. Most disturbingly, Mr. Jeffries did so by attacking the legitimacy of the criminal case against Mr. Cuellar, publicly dismissing the indictment against him as “very thin.”

As former federal prosecutors who spent our careers rooting out public corruption, we see this for the wagon-circling that it is. The jury’s detailed, 54-page, multicount indictment against Mr. Cuellar was anything but thin, and he should have had to stand trial before a jury of his peers.

No Way To Prevent This

Not that it matters (or that she'd remember me), but I knew Rachel (barely) and her husband (actually) when I was at Brown.

Rachel Friedberg, a Brown University economics professor, said Saturday’s mass shooting at the school happened at a review session for the final exam of her Principles of Economics course.

Friedberg said she was not present during the shooting. The session was led by her teaching assistants, she said, one of whom alerted her.

Morning

Sunday funday.

Saturday Night

Rock on.

Saturday Evening

talk amongst yourselves

Syria

I know there's no point in faking surprise that we have troops everywhere all the time, but apparently we have troops in Syria.

Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter have been been killed in Syria in an ambush by a lone Islamic State gunman, the US military has said.

This wasn't secret, it's just the kind of thing that doesn't get a lot of play until it does.

Measles

There is a lot to be said about welcoming it back into our lives. One is that babies don't get vaccinated until their 1st birthday, generally.

And Everything Else

I am not optimistic that the brain geniuses in DC will have the stomach for it, but it must be done.

As soon as Republicans leave the White House, the next president should tear it [The "Ballroom"]down.

It should not be torn down quietly. Its destruction should be a public event. It should be pledged on the campaign trail by Democratic candidates. The day after inauguration, there should be a fireworks show over the White House as wrecking balls and backhoes smash the white walls of the fascist hangar. Citizens should gather in Lafayette Square and the National Mall and cheer as the gaudy pillars of the insulting structure are imploded by demolition experts. Let barbecues and block parties spring up around the nation as Americans watch the event on live television. Let there be a celebratory concert in front of the pile of rubble. Let us create a historic moment of national catharsis. Let us nonviolently smash the Trump era into dust.

It is important that the destruction of this monstrosity be guaranteed in advance. It is important to say to Trump himself that no matter how extravagantly he defiles The People’s House, his legacy will be erased. His monument to himself will not stand. All of his childish efforts to glorify his name will be for naught. Have fun, you pathetic little man. The humility which you could never achieve will be enforced upon you by dynamite.

And Make A Really Horny Chatbot IN SPACE

Sure, whatever, man.

SpaceX, the rocket and satellite maker run by Elon Musk, told employees on Friday that it would buy insider shares in a deal that would value it at around $800 billion, and said that it was preparing for a potential initial public offering next year.

“That [suckers giving them money]  enables us to ramp Starship to an insane flight rate, deploy A.I. data centers in space, build Moonbase Alpha and send uncrewed and crewed missions to Mars — ultimately increasing the probability of making life multi-planetary in our lifetimes,” he wrote.

Morning

Slacker Saturday

Happy Hour

Get happy.

Spicy Clippy

It's funny that Pete's new chatbot basically calls him a war criminal, but I have no idea what he thinks it's supposed to do generally?

I think for a certain type of guy it's the same as religion is for some (not all) people.  They're convinced the holy book basically agrees with them about everything, and they're convinced the computergod must agree with them about everything, because of course it does.

Lowest Hanging Fruit

Would've been a boost to Dems at any moment, and they just couldn't.

Under the plan, Trump would reclassify marijuana, which under federal law is banned and faces the same restrictions as heroin, as a less-dangerous drug. That would ease regulations and make it easier for pot-related medicinal research to be done and create tax breaks for cannabis companies.

A Good Republican

Did we find another one? At least for this, anyway.

Minnesota Republican Sen. Jim Abeler was frustrated after hearing President Donald Trump call Somalis “garbage” and say he wants them out of the U.S.

Abeler decided to write Trump a letter, admonishing the president for his comments and inviting him to come to Minnesota, meet with Somali people and see for himself what they’re like.

“The Somalis I know, and I know many, are nothing of the sort,” the Anoka senator wrote Thursday. “They are businesspeople, drivers, hourly workers supporting their families, investors, nurses, students and clerics.

“No man, woman or child is more or less in the eyes of our Lord God most high, and none of them are trash.”

Screaming At Democrats

I know some people get annoyed at my criticisms of The Democrats, but don't worry they can barely hear me over the din of the bullshit they hear all day every day from people with much more influence than me.

The administration is still fucking with him, the judge is still trying to protect him, but as of this moment, Abrego is free.

That's Yglesias, btw. At "Welcomefest."

Yuge

I still have a hard understanding how MAGA became absolutely obsessed with a global rich guy pedophile network run by Jeffrey Epstein (true!) and somehow missed that their hero was his bestie.

One image released Friday shows what appears to be a bowl of novelty condoms with a caricature of Trump’s face; the bowl has a sign saying, “Trump condom $4.50,” and each condom bears an image of Trump’s face with the text, “I’m HUUUUGE!” Another showed Trump with six women with leis whose faces were redacted by the committee.

Reciprocity

I know the the basic (stupid) position of most governments right now is to try to pacify the mad king, but tourist requirements like this won't last too long without reciprocal requirements being implemented by countries. The world will no longer be flat, Tom Friedman!

Tourists from dozens of countries including the UK could be asked to provide a five-year social media history as a condition of entry to the United States, under a new proposal unveiled by American officials.

Don't how the airlines, which are quite good at getting their way, won't flip out, but here we are.