"Some People Happen To Live In Times And At Places Where History Is Made"

Wow, team, this is a truly great speech. Totally worth 30 minutes of your time. It sets the stage for 2026. We cats PURR.

It's -6F Right Now, But Things Are Warm And Friendly For Kathy Hochul

Just a quick follow-up on our Kathy Hochul post: What a difference a year makes. Once, Hochul could do nothing right in the media's eyes. Now she's getting cutesy memes and reposts. We cats PURR.

Example For The World

This message hangs in the Olympic workout space for Team Canada. We cats approve, and we PURR.

We Don't Really Care About The Olympics, But

 

It's totally swell that the US athletes got applause, and that JD Vance was booed. Well done!

Meanwhile, here is Prime Minister Mark Carney's message to Team Canada. We cats aren't really into the Olympics, but we still hope that the games show the world two things: Federal democracies produce great accomplishments and great people. We cats PURR.

Just Posting This For No Reason Whatsoever

Note to the Obamas: Silence is not your best option. We know you usually refrain, but this time, please say something. We cats PURR.

Donny-Brook

By Zamboni

 It's pretty amusing how Republicans who are electorally vulnerable in the fall have raced to condemn Trump's posting last night of the Obamas as apes. And how, after Karoline Leavitt scolded all of us for being upset about nothing earlier today, the White House has not only walked it back but changed its story several times.

Benedict Donald, who has been famously racist for decades, now says he told an anonymous "staffer" to post the offending video, but that he didn't see the whole thing before he gave the order. Hmm. Why would you tell your team to publish something without having viewed it yourself? Never mind — all excuses from Team Trump are total crap.

But let's take this seriously for a moment: Does Donald have control over his social media account, or not? We've all seen how, um, not there Trump is these days. Is there a small group of people (Miller, Cheung, unnamed "staffers") who also have access? If so, who are those people, exactly? And do they have clearance to access and disseminate messages on one of the world's most followed social media accounts? And if they do, will they continue to?

After all, and let's extrapolate here: Couldn't this anonymous "staffer," in the middle of a squiffy night, post something like an image of, say, the Prophet Muhammad fucking a sheep — after which the entire Arab world would declare war on the United States? Which could, seriously, end in some kind of nuclear war? Just spitballing here.

Meanwhile, this is just more pain that Trump is inflicting on Republicans who are already looking at total obliteration in November. And all those endangered Republicans who are grateful that the White House took the image down? They should only be in the clear when Trump apologizes for his racist shit. (Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, we're looking at you.) We cats are disgusted at it all, and we HISS.

P.S. If Senator Tim Scott is truly offended by this Obama post, he could — as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee — refuse to hold hearings on Federal Reserve nominee Kevin Warsh until Donald apologizes. If Scott is your Senator, maybe call or email him.

Hochul Ascendant

By Baxter

We cats are very pleased with our New York Governor, Kathy Hochul.

Of course, we kinda always knew that she would end up in the place she's in now. But her canny sense of all things political received official recognition today by The Grey Lady herself, The New York Times, which has essentially dubbed her The Comeback Kathy.

"With the election nine months away, Ms. Hochul is heading to Syracuse for the State Democratic Party convention on Friday in a somewhat surprising position of strength," the Times reports in its inimitable, New York Times-y way. The paper observes that Hochul's Republican opponents — most prominently, Elise "Elsie" Stefanik — have melted away like the Wicked Witch of the West. Her Democratic primary opponent, Antonio Delgado, is behind by 50 points (yep, 50). And the presumed GOP nominee for Governor, Bruce Blakeman, just committed political suicide by criticizing Renee Good and defending ICE.

Hochul has also handled the emergence of socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani with patience and savvy, partnering with him on issues she cares about, like child care. And it earned her his endorsement for re-election yesterday. If Republicans and the political press were hoping for a Mamdani-Hochul foofaraw, they're out of luck.

But on top of all this good news, we've noticed something else: Thanks to Trumpism, Governor Hochul has been able to embrace a persona she wasn't particularly known for as either a Congresswoman or Lt. Governor — the Feisty Gal From Buffalo. This has manifested itself both IRL and online (see above). Most excellent, Gov! We don't know if you've hired away some of Gavin Newsom's social media team members — but whatever, please keep it up. We cats PURR.

De Adder Du Jour

You may have heard desperate rumors that the Moose & Squirrel movie is pulling in money. Don't believe them. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Postively Nobelicious

By Sniffles

What a great idea: The progressive news site The Nation has nominated the people of Minneapolis for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

And why not? Minneapolis has been under siege from ICE for months now, and has seen two of its citizens murdered, in broad daylight and on video — which means the rest of the country has seen it, too. At one point, it seemed a very dicey possibility that the city would respond the way Trump and his Nazi minions were hoping: with rioting and violence and disorder, so they could invoke the Insurrection Act. Nope!

Instead, Minneapolitans not only protested peacefully, they kicked their George Floyd and COVID networks back into action to support their immigrant communities. They've grocery shopped for people too afraid to go out, shepherded kids to school, patronized local businesses, and most importantly, they have continued to shadow ICE activities in their neighborhoods and record them, for now and for posterity.

How wonderful it would be if Benedict Donald didn't get the Peace Prize, but Minneapolis did. Love it! We've had our differences with The Nation over the years (actually, decades), but in this case we can only say, well done, lads. We cats PURR.

ETTD*

By Hubie and Bertie

In all the coverage of the latest Kennedy Center debacle, has anybody brought up the fact that the National Symphony Orchestra is royally screwed? After multiple artists and productions flaked off, and even when Philip Glass canceled the June premiere of his Lincoln symphony, the music director of the NSO said, "We're staying."

The orchestra's board chair was even more emphatic. "We are going to make this work," she said. "I was born in Washington, grew up with the Kennedy Center, grew up in the NSO, and I can’t let it disappear. We will make it through this." Well, oops.

The Kennedy Center shutdown is nothing to celebrate, for sure. But despite all of Benedict Donald's bravado about "Construction, Revitalization, and Complete Rebuilding" (capitalizations his), we all know the real reason. Everyone walked. "Instead of just commanding performances — which they can't do — the Trump people are closing it down and slinking away," writer Tom Nichols skeeted on Bluesky.

But what about the NSO? Their Kennedy Center funding will continue, but where will they play? We cats have a suggestion: DAR Constitution Hall, their old stomping grounds. Even better, it's a private venue, so the Trumpsters can't touch it.

In the bad old days of segregation, the DAR barred Marian Anderson and Paul Robeson from performing there. (Their insult to Anderson turned out badly for them, though, with a little help from Eleanor Roosevelt.) But that shameful history just makes it totes nifty to have Glass's Lincoln symphony premiere there. We cats like the idea, and we PURR.

*Everything Trump Touches Dies