Where No One Has Gone Before

 

We cats agree. The best thing about Artemis is that it's NASA, not Musk or Bezos, who can go fuck themselves. We cats PURR.

The Grey Lady Goofs

By Baxter

We cats have often noticed that headline writers have their heads up their ass. But it usually applies to local publications like the Albany Times-Union, not the vaunted paper of record, The New York Times. Well, we guess there's a first time for everything. (Unless, OMG, this isn't the first time.)

Readers across our nation are left to wonder if The New York Times really thinks that NATO is the "North American Treaty Organization," or if this error was a case of an intern gone rogue. Or worse, that their editorial staff really doesn't know the real, spelled-out name of NATO. That implies a whole lot of other, more serious stuff, which we cats don't really want to think about.

This year, Democrats need to message voters about the history of NATO and why it is so important. They need to explain that NATO is not an offensive, but a defensive, organization. (If people are reminded that NATO came to our defense after 9/11, that would make it crystal clear.) Voters also need to understand why NATO is crucial as a bulwark against Russian aggression. They can learn why Ukraine's membership is key to the future of the alliance — and why Putin hates NATO (and why Benedict Donald is doing Putin's bidding in trying to weaken it).

The state of journalism today is wildly worrisome. We cats would like to think that smarter heads will prevail, but to be honest, we're not sure. Until then, we worry, and we HISS.

Bondi Gets The Boot

By Sniffles

Rumor has it that a leading candidate to succeed the reviled and now humiliated Pam Bondi is EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin — the dude that we New Yorkers recently escaped having as our Governor.

Oh, lord, Zeldin is simply terrible. Which of course makes him no different from any of the other contenders — like Todd "I Brokered Ghislaine Maxwell's Cushy Relocation" Blanche. Zeldin has spent the last year gleefully gutting the EPA, menacing endangered species and presiding over the destruction of environmental safeguards that have kept us all healthier for decades. And as a Congressman from NY-01, he voted against certifying Joe Biden's 2020 election. So, yes, awful.

Zeldin would also be one of the least-qualified, if not the least-qualified, AG nominees. His only prosecutorial experience was in the military. He has no experience as a government lawyer outside of his stint at the Port Authority. He briefly had his own law firm before running for state office in New York. Will the 53 Republicans in the Senate really go down that road? It's definitely possible.

But whoever Trump picks, we can be sure of one thing: It will be a renewed, all-out war on Tish James, Adam Schiff, Lisa Cook, Jerome Powell and all the other folks Donald wants revenge on. As Al Jolson said, you ain't seen nothin' yet — because Trump is surely auctioning off the appointment to the highest bidder, whoever will promise to be even more slavish than Bondi was.

Hanging over all this is Donald's never-ending Epstein problem. And the Senate hearings are a guaranteed shitshow, especially if interim AG Blanche ends up being the nominee. Dear Judiciary Committee Democrats: Please get organized to attack in unison rather than going off on individual fishing expeditions. We cats HISS.

How Simply Frightful, Humiliating, Delightful

By Hubie and Bertie

How many of us think that Benedict Donald assumed that the Supreme Court allowed TV cameras in their hearings? Bet he did, bet he did!

Trump probably thought that he would be given a special (maybe golden?) seat. And that he would be the center of admiring attention as his Solicitor General brilliantly advocated for restrictions to birthright citizenship. And, most of all, that he'd be able to stare down the justices into complicity. It must have been a fun fantasy. But what he got instead was a simple spectator's bench, a sketch artist, and a hapless legal team that embarrassed itself in front of skeptical (i.e., Trump-appointed) justices. He left after an hour.

So, another silly stunt backfires. We can only imagine what he has in store for us in his speech tonight.

But do we care? If he announces he's going to pull us out of NATO, Congress will have something to say about that. (Yes, even this Congress.) He can't do anything about gas prices, even if the Strait of Hormuz opens tomorrow. His ridiculous Executive Order on mail-in voting is already being legally challenged. (The challengers will win.) The National Trust for Historic Preservation, bolstered by yesterday's decision by Judge Richard J. Leon, is possibly feeling renewed energy to oppose his Third Reich-ish arch and the other crap he has planned for Washington, DC. In short, Donald's on the downswing.

Interestingly, the more things go south for Trump, the more doubts we're seeing — on social media and in regular media — about the so-called "assassination attempts" on him, and even on the Charlie Kirk murder. (The recent news about ballistics analysis in the Kirk killing has contributed, too.) Donald seems weak, so everything in his orbit seems weak, too — and questionable. Because Trump is in a spiral, this will only continue. We cats are here for it, and we PURR.

Donald Crosses One Line Too Many. Mr. Kristi Noem Just Cross-Dresses.

By Miss Kubelik

There's a perfect headline in The Guardian tonight about Benedict Donald's latest Executive Order: "Trump Signs Order to Restrict Mail-In Ballots in Probably Unconstitutional Move."

Gosh, could American media write headlines like that? After all, as The Guardian correctly points out, "The US constitution gives the President no authority over elections, and expressly authorizes states to set election rules."(Look it up: Article I, Section 4, Clause 1.)

Take it from us, if an Executive Order from the President could magically fix problems with state-run elections, Lyndon Johnson wouldn't have troubled himself to make Congress pass the Voting Rights Act. He could have just wiped out Jim Crow and poll taxes at the ballot box with the stroke of a pen. But it doesn't work that way.

Donald's performative antics have gotten so silly, they deserve nothing more than an exasperated eye roll. Yes, Marc Elias and his valiant team at Democracy Docket will have to contest this latest EO in court. However, judges have become the biggest eye rollers of them all.

Take US District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of the man we used to call The Worst Person Who's Ever Lived. (Trump long ago left George W. Bush in the dust.) Leon put a stop to Donald's $400 million Beyond Bad Ballroom today. It looks like the Congress will have to bless it now, and if folks on Capitol Hill value their jobs, they'll vote it down in a heartbeat. (Hint: It's not popular.)

Also today, US District Judge Randolph Moss permanently blocked a Trump EO that defunded NPR and PBS. "It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch," Moss wrote.

The judicial branch is really the only guardrail left, which seems an odd thing to say in the era of the Roberts Court — but Trump is definitely feeling it. If Donald's in the dumps about all this, he can comfort himself that maybe he's not the most ridiculous person in his orbit these days. There's Kristi Noem, for example. We cats PURR.

Scenes From No Kings 3

If we were Republicans, this would be truly scary. We cats PURR.

De Adder Nails It, Leo Roars

By Zamboni

Not a good weekend for Benedict Donald and his fellow warmongers. Eight million people turned out across the country yesterday for No Kings 3. CPAC was a desultory disaster. Experts are predicting that oil could hit $200 a barrel if the Iran folly stretches into June. And now Pope Leo has smacked Trump upside the head. "Jesus does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them," Leo said in his Palm Sunday address. "Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: Your hands are full of blood." Whoa. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Jane And Joan

 We cats PURR.

No Kings Three Is A Royal Success!

By Baxter

Happy No Kings Day! We cats went up the road to Glens Falls, New York, for their mid-morning protest, which jived better with our Saturday schedule. And we were not disappointed. Another good turnout, similar to October's, and we were amazed at the number of white guys in pickup trucks who drove by and honked at us in support. What's going on? Maybe they buy gas like the rest of us?

Numbers are still rolling in, so we'll post later with some analysis. The interwebs right now are estimating 7 million to 8 million, but that seems low to us. In the meantime, we'd have to say the turnout in specific locations like Minneapolis (200,000-plus) will be key. We also will be interested in numbers from some of the more contested states like Ohio, Georgia, and Iowa. Film at eleven!

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the enthusiasm spectrum, CPAC is wrapping up a desultory, low-energy confab with lackluster speakers and no Trump. But they still bothered to take a poll for 2028, and it looks like Couch Fancier JD Vance, one of the least-liked politicians in the country, won with 53 percent. (Baby Marco trailed with 35 percent.) So what's going on, team? We hear rumors that Benedict Donald is leaning toward Rubio. We love this for them, and we cats PURR.

"They Already Know Who's In Charge"

The Bidens have adopted two rescue black lab rescue pups. Willow Biden has the situation well in hand. We cats PURR.