Clay Bennett Sums It Up

 

Yep, this is it. We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: The Day After Donald's Conviction Edition

By Zamboni

It was a very interesting day today.

On the one hand, those of us who celebrate the primacy of the rule of law woke up with anti-hangovers — feeling great! On the other hand, members of what used to be known as the Republican Party — with very few exceptions — rushed to impugn that same rule of law in service of Benedict Donald. We cats are thinking we should spend the weekend researching the breakup of the Whig Party in the 1850s to see if there are any parallels.

Meanwhile, here's a sampling of our reactions, 24 hours post-Official-Felon-Trump.

Donald Trump appeared in front of the Trump Tower elevators today in a diminished fashion — no Melania, no Presidential seal on the lectern, no Republican elected officials in blue suits and red ties clustered around him. Just a defeated 77-year-old convicted felon, spewing word salads and disjointed gag order violations. Turns out that many news outlets cut away from him. This was the right thing to do if he wasn't taking any questions, which he didn't. The media are slowly learning how to handle him — but sadly, at the expense of civil discourse, democracy, the Constitution, and Truth, Justice and the American Way.

In the wake of Trump's convictions, eight sniffy and mock-outraged Republican Senators signed a pledge not to work with Democrats on any legislation that might help President Biden — unless it's a national security or safety concern, they say (gee, thanks guys). It's the same list of ridiculous MAGAts you'd expect: Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Mike Lee, Marsha Blackburn, Tommy Tuberville, Eric Schmitt and Roger Marshall. We'd like to know if the law schools that graduated these august elected officials will renounce their rejection of the rule of law: Dedman School of Law (Scott), University of Miami (Rubio), Yale (Vance), Brigham Young (Lee), and Saint Louis University (Schmitt). The others are either doctors or idiots, especially Tuberville.

President Biden's statements on yesterday's events in Manhattan were spot-on today. As was his reaction to Kelly O'Donnell's silly follow-up question about Benedict Donald as a "political prisoner." He had just spoken about a ceasefire in the Middle East, and this is what she asked him about? Good thing Dark Brandon has a sense of humor.

Speaking of Dark Brandon, with the world's attention now focused on the 2024 Presidential campaign, let's take this opportunity to remind American voters of how great a President Joe Biden has been. We've had the strongest post-pandemic economic recovery in the world, the best job market since the 1960s, and the lowest uninsured rate in American history. Inflation and food prices, crime and murder rates, and the flow to the border are all down. The Biden-Harris Administration's big three investment bills have dramatically improved the economy and accelerated the energy transition we need to combat climate change. Joe Biden has been a successful and consequential President.

P.S. Last but not least, we cats send our condolences to the Obama family on the passing of Michelle Obama's mother, Marian Robinson. Strong Black women make this country great, and Michelle's mom's contribution in the early years of the Obama Presidency were crucial. Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson. We cats PURR.

Doonesbury Redux

 

Lots of folks are popping corks tonight, but we think we'll celebrate today's verdict the Joe Biden way, and go out for ice cream. More thoughts on convicted felon Trump later. Meanwhile, we cats PURR.

AKA B6 (Thanks, Jasmine)

While we wait for the verdict in Benedict Donald's Manhattan criminal trial, here's an excellent take on one of his biggest champions. You have to wonder: Does she watch this? Does she get it? We cats PURR.

This Happened Today, Too

Hey, everybody — it's been a big day in Manhattan, with all the drama and chaos that follows in Benedict Donald's wake. But down in Philadelphia, in the real world, the President and Vice President held a rally with Black voters. Oh, and the Vice President announced that come July 1, medical debt will no longer be allowed to affect Americans' credit scores. Now, that's good governing. We cats PURR.

The "One Nice Thing" That Donald Will Hate

By Baxter

Generally speaking, we cats agree with broadcaster Soledad O'Brien that POLITICO is trash. (As is most political journalism in America these days.) Their story today on a panicked Democratic Party was ridiculous in the extreme. That said, Peder Schaefer's postmortem take on Benedict Donald's disastrous appearance at the Libertarian National Convention this weekend is interesting.

Which 2024 Presidential candidate has to worry more about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? Schaefer doesn't mince words. "It's Donald Trump."

We always thought so, too, because RFK Jr. is a nutcase. As are so many of Trump's supporters, especially about COVID. "Kennedy is biting into the slice of voters for whom opposition to vaccine mandates and lockdowns is central to their political identities," Schaefer wrote. "It's not enough to lead Kennedy to victory, but it could do damage to Trump's prospects."

This became very clear once Trump started speaking to the convention on Saturday night. "The party faithful heckled the former President over his role in lockdowns, yelling at him that 'You crushed our rights.'" Schaefer reported.

If you're Team Biden, this is quite the gift.

It's the perfect road map for the President if he's asked — either in the debates with Trump (that won't happen) or, for example, in an interview — to say "one nice thing about your opponent." It's such a stupid question. But here's how Biden should respond:

"While my opponent got many things wrong during the pandemic, he did put Operation Warp Speed into motion. That initiative, led by Dr. Anthony Fauci and staffed by our country's best scientists, proved how effective the government can be in responding to a crisis.

"Our government has the ability to marshal both public and private resources to save thousands — no, likely millions — of American lives.

"So while the ultra-right-wing politics of today's Republican Party make it impossible for Donald to claim credit for Operation Warp Speed, the GOP's nihilism can't take away the fact that he did the right thing at the right time — resulting in the miracle that was the COVID vaccine. This is the kind of incredible challenge that America is famous for accepting, and ultimately, triumphing over." We cats PURR.

Poles Apart

By Sniffles

One former President spent a "happy" (his word) Memorial Day posting on his failing social media platform, ranting about the "human scum" who oppose him and then proceeding to once again defame a woman to whom he already owes many millions of dollars. (Side note: E. Jean Carroll's attorneys are now considering a third lawsuit.)

Another former President showed up unexpectedly at Arlington National Cemetery and helped place small American flags on the graves there.

"One of the greatest honors of my life was the privilege of serving as commander-in-chief, and with pride also came sometimes heartbreak and loss," Barack Obama tweeted. "And the sober recognition of the sacrifices that so many Americans and their families have made to preserve our freedom."

Quite a contrast. Will any journalists ask Trump's allies their reaction to this? Lindsey Graham? Elise Stefanik? Tim Scott? Stephen Schwarzman? Kari Lake? Glenn Youngkin? Nikki Haley? Rick Scott? Gym Jordan? James Comer? JD Vance? MTG? Chip Roy? Ronny Jackson? The girl who gives hand jobs at "Beetlejuice" performances? Any of them? We cats HISS.

Speechifying

By Hubie and Bertie

May is commencement season, of course, and bunches of celebrities have been making speeches at colleges and universities across the country: Jerry Seinfeld at Duke, Steve Wozniak at the University of Colorado, and — infamously — a Kansas City Chiefs football player at Benedictine College. (Taylor Swift had some thoughts about that.)

Ken Burns spoke to Brandeis graduates, and gave them a stark warning about November. This got our attention since a startling photo of him, David Koch and Clarence Thomas surfaced back in September. (Burns says he has no relationship with Thomas. Koch helped fund his 2017 Vietnam War documentary.)

Finally, President Biden addressed graduates of West Point, not only giving his speech but staying to shake hands with each of the 1,036 cadets afterward. (Now, that's stamina.)

We don't know if Benedict Donald was invited to speak at any commencements this spring. We did hear that he made an embarrassing appearance at the Libertarian Convention in Washington last night, an event that would have given new meaning to the term "rubber chicken dinner" if it hadn't been for the Secret Service. Anyway, he was lustily booed, which was wonderful. We cats PURR.

Revenge Of The Smurfs

By Miss Kubelik

Congressman Jared Moskowitz, Democrat of Florida, is a funny guy. If you've caught him at the House Oversight Committee, you know what we mean. He mocks the Republicans' hypocrisy (for example, calling their bluff on impeaching Biden), and never fails to get under committee Chairman James Comer's skin.

Comer, in fact, was annoyed enough last fall that he told Moskowitz, "You look like a Smurf." (A comment on Jared's royal-blue suit, it seems.) But Moskowitz doesn't let a silly insult get him down. "I'll miss you during recess, James," he tweeted yesterday.

The Comer-Moskowitz imbroglio has even edged its way into the NHL Eastern Conference finals between the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers. "We are coming for ya, baby girl," Jared tweeted a few days ago at New York Congressman and fellow Democrat Dan Goldman.

"Bring it, Smurfette," Goldman answered, pledging to gift Moskowitz's staff with a pastrami and corned beef lunch if the Panthers win. "But I’m much more interested in what I will be winning when the Rangers move on to the Stanley Cup Finals."

Jared's answer? "I am so confident that the Panthers are going to beat the Rangers that I'm willing to give a one-minute speech on the House Floor on what a great American patriot James Comer is."

We hope the Panthers beat the Rangers (old habits from 1996 die hard, and besides, panthers are cats, you know). But if they don't, Moskowitz's speech on Comer will be must-see TV. We cats PURR. 

Kamala, Looking Good

Don't let anyone say that Vice President Harris isn't a hardworking ambassador for the Administration. She's been crisscrossing the country these last few weeks on her Economic Opportunity Tour, has traveled extensively to highlight reproductive rights, and next week will address the SEIU convention in Philadelphia. But tonight, she's an elegant presence at the State Dinner for Kenyan President Ruto. We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Reich And Wrong Edition

By Zamboni

It took a little while, but Benedict Donald finally deleted the video he'd posted on "Truth" Social that promised a "unified reich" if he wins in November. He won't win, but the never-ending Nazism, and the media's and Republicans' failure to call it out, continue to be deeply disturbing. Here are some other news items we're following this morning.

The latest manufactured outrage on the right is that Benedict Donald was in danger of assassination when the FBI raided Mar-a-Lago for stolen classified documents in 2022. First, Trump wasn't even there when it happened. But more important, permission for deadly force if necessary is always included in such orders, because agents never know what they're going to come up against. The fact that Trumpsters have suddenly started screaming about this suggests that they expect a guilty verdict in Manhattan next week and are trying to distract us from it.

(Sadly, the truth is that we won't fully know the extent of the damage Trump has wrought by taking those documents — perhaps for a long time. But when we do find out, it will be shocking and extraordinary.)

Rudy Giuliani is so desperate for cash that he's selling coffee now. And of course, internet wags have leaped to make puns about drips and filters. But the best Rudy story from the last week has got to be that his indictment in the Arizona fraudulent elector case was served at his 80th birthday party. Well done, state Attorney General Kris Mayes!

Wringing your paws over battleground polls? Today a poll in Nevada revealed dead-heat results, completely contradicting a recent New York Times survey that had President Biden way behind. We cats have had enough of this nonsense. Here's the deal: To get re-elected, Biden needs to win Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan — all states he won in 2020. Benedict Donald needs to win Nevada, Georgia and Arizona (all of which he lost four years ago). He also needs to win Wisconsin, Pennsylvania OR Michigan (which, reminder, he lost last time), and keep North Carolina. The Biden-Harris road to victory is much clearer. Expend your campaign energies and dollars appropriately.

It turns out that Howard Dean will not run for Governor of Vermont this year after all. (Miro Weinberger, ex-mayor of Burlington, has also decided against running.) Since popular Republican incumbent Phil Scott has already thrown his hat in the ring for the fifth time, this means that we cats will probably have to spend at least the next two years worrying about Bernie Sanders's health.

Finally, some good news: Two weeks ago, we posted about the arduous process we had to navigate to vote early in our local school board and budget election. It was important to leap the hurdles because two Democrats were running, as well as a MAGA nutjob who we needed to keep off the board by voting for a less-Trumpy incumbent. Well, it worked! The budget and a bus bond passed, the incumbent Republican won, and our two Democrats — one a professor at Empire State and an expert on LGBTQ issues, and the other a development officer for Planned Parenthood — were the biggest vote-getters. Sweet! Every vote in every race counts. We cats PURR.

Okay, This Is Better

 

Today, Benedict Donald reported record losses on his Truth Social venture and his side dramatically tanked in criminal court. But we cats choose to imagine these improvements to King Charles's new portrait instead. Works for us, and we PURR.

Happy Victoria Day

 

This madcap impersonation of King Charles's great-great-great gammy is easier on the eye than his recently unveiled, very strange portrait. In fact, perhaps Canada could redesign their money to look like this instead. Think about it, Ottawa. We cats PURR.

Glitches

By Baxter

We cats keep waiting for the mainstream media to catch up to Benedict Donald's cognitive decline. Praising Hannibal Lecter wasn't enough for them to start raising questions. Neither was confusing Nancy Pelosi with Nikki Haley, or Obama with Biden. Every speech gives journalists more fodder, but they persist in tiptoeing around the subject.

Now comes this weekend's appearance at the NRA convention, where Trump froze mid-speech for 35 weird seconds. His handlers have offered a couple of different excuses: The teleprompter broke. Or he was "pausing for dramatic effect." Both can't be true.

The fact that he now has music playing under his speeches is further evidence that Team Trump has decided that trusting him to handle mishaps on his own is getting riskier and riskier. (He was able to bluff his way through a rickety lectern the other night, but couldn't cope yesterday.) We'd play the Can-You-Imagine-If-Biden-Were-Doing-This game again, but we're tired.

"He doesn't look like he's driving drama, he looks catatonic," declared one of our favorite social media behaviorists. And it's not just that. Nobody in the media will point this out, but more and more, the Trump campaign is allowing Team Biden to set the agenda. Why did Benedict Donald make the recent absurd statement that he'd done more for Black Americans than Abraham Lincoln? Because President Biden was speaking at the Morehouse commencement today, and received a rapturous reception. Trump has become purely reactive. (This will shock his faithful stenographers in the press.)

Trump will continue to make gaffes and glitches. But next time you see him speaking, ask yourself two questions: How much does he project? (For example, accusing Biden of falling apart physically, or being on drugs.) And can he still extemporize? At the NRA, the answers were tons, and no, not by a long shot. We cats HISS.

A Matter Of Control

By Sniffles

So the Preacher of the House felt compelled to tsk-tsk at members over last night's shouting match in the Oversight Committee. Maybe he was just mad that Jasmine Crockett so effectively snatched MTG's wig? Who knows? We hesitate to judge cat fights, but we have to say that Crockett and AOC ended up owning the night. And we'd like to respectfully request that C-SPAN dedicate a Jamie Raskin Reaction Cam any time this committee convenes. Please, and thank you.

it's pathetic, though, that Mike Johnson decided he had to weigh in, because — and correct us if we're wrong — isn't this the job of the Committee Chairman? And isn't James Comer the weakest, limpest, most craven, most ineffectual Chair, ever ever ever? Um, yeah. Speaker Johnson, discipline your chairs, not just your bleach-blond-bad-built-butch-body caucus members.

(P.S. If committee members were drinking last night, as Congressman Raskin averred, what's to stop them from imbibing in the SCIF? Asking because we assume we're talking about Republicans here.)

But Comer's problems pale in comparison to John Roberts's tonight. The Chief Justice of the United States has two rogue dudes on his Court who have no business getting anywhere near J6-related cases — Clarence Thomas, because he's the king of corruption whose wife wanted to hang Mike Pence, and Samuel Alito, because he flew a Stop the Steal flag on his house three days before President Biden's inauguration. Two questions: What will Roberts do to whip his Court into shape? And why are we just finding out about this Alito story now? We cats HISS.

Larry Lurches Left, And Nobody's Fooled

By Hubie and Bertie

Still on the subject of Maryland tonight: Larry Hogan, Republican nominee for Senate, has suddenly come to Jesus on reproductive rights, announcing that he'll support codifying Roe v. Wade into the state's constitution. He also claims he would support a bipartisan bill in the Senate to restore Roe nationwide.

And although Hogan is the media's darling (he's a Republican, but they persist in thinking he's one of the "reasonable" ones), some observers have abruptly realized that maybe, just maybe, he has a tough race ahead of him. Because why else would he be walking the edge of this particular tricky knife?

Well, it won't be that easy. Unlike Democratic Senate nominee Angela Alsobrooks — or, for that matter, any Democrat in 2024 — Hogan will have to explain himself on the question of women's bodily autonomy. If any journalists are interested, the following questions come to mind:

Just a couple of months ago, when Hogan was directly asked about codifying Roe, he wouldn't answer. What are things so suddenly crystal clear? (We know the answer, but reporters should ask him anyway.)

How many times did the Maryland legislature have to override his vetoes of pro-choice bills when he was Governor? (His most recent veto on expanding abortion access was just two years ago. He needs to spell out why, especially in light of his recent "conversion.")

How much money has Hogan, as the official Republican nominee, already received from GOP Senate PACs and from anti-choice organizations — and will he now give it back?

He says he'll caucus with Mitch McConnell and the Republicans if he wins. Will he vote for anti-choice judges?

You get the idea. So come on, journalists, do your jobs. Angela Alsobrooks is already doing hers — calling out Hogan's cravenness and hypocrisy. We cats PURR and HISS at the same time.

Over And Under

By Miss Kubelik

Yesterday's Maryland primary gave us more proof of Democratic strength and Republican weakness.

Less than a week ago, the Democratic race to replace retiring Senator Ben Cardin was a "dead heat" between Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Congressman David Trone (according to a poll by Emerson College/The Hill/DC News Now). One poll in April, as well as others, had Trone ahead, but some weird and edgy behavior on his part last week had the potential to turn a lot of voters off. Still, everyone in Pundit and Pollster World expected the final margin to be tight.

Alsobrooks won by 12 points. Seriously, pundits and pollsters, something's very wrong with you guys.

Meanwhile, over in the other party, the media-styled great Republican savior Larry Hogan won the Senate nomination, but only with 60 percent of the vote. Eighty thousand Republicans chose to vote for someone else. Kind of reminds us of Benedict Donald's struggles in the Presidential race, because — guess what? — Maryland was no exception yesterday. Nikki Haley snagged 20 percent, even though she bowed out of the race more than two months ago.

It's dawned on some of us that the country's biggest protest movement is not college kids marching against the war in Gaza. It's folks in the GOP primaries who are voting against Donald Trump. We cats PURR.

A "Dear Life" Comes To Its End

Lots of our favorite nonagenarians have been checking out lately. Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, and Dianne Feinstein last year, and now Canadian Nobel laureate and short story genius Alice Munro. We don't want to borrow trouble, but on the heels of Rosalynn Carter's passing in November, Jason Carter is cautioning that his grandfather Jimmy is in his final days. We'll keep tabs. In the meantime, we cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Random Monday Observations Edition

By Zamboni

It was a busy Monday, wasn't it? Here is our rather mixed bag of reactions from the news we encountered.

No, Benedict Donald  did not have 100,000 people at the Saturday rally in New Jersey. You know they're desperately lying because their fans and minions (some of whom should be hauled off to the hoosegow, like Roger Stone) have been posting photos of a 1994 Rod Stewart concert in Rio and claiming it's the Jersey shore. Pathetic and transparent — but they hope that if they repeat it often enough, folks will believe it. (They also hope that they won't get challenged on it by reporters, which they probably won't.)

The only other thing we can think of from Saturday's event is that Hannibal Lecter is apparently on Trump's veep shortlist.

Michael Cohen testified in the Manhattan criminal trial today. From what we can tell — and we really wish this trial was on TV — he was calm, cool and collected. (This after all the stupid cable news talking heads were predicting that as a witness, he'd be volcanic and dicey.) Bad news for the defendant. It was also touching how Trump brought two new emotional support Senators with him. JD Vance in particular must be worried that Lecter is edging him out in the Veep Sweep.

It was good to see that very few tweeps were hand-wringing over the latest battleground-state poll from The New York Times. Gosh, we're tired of news organizations platforming polls with misleading headlines just to get freakouts going so they get the clicks. For example, the registered voters environment favors Benedict Donald, while likely voters are more favorable to Biden. "That the Times centered their headline and graphics around the results with registered voters was an editorial choice," Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg dryly observed. He added: "Many in the business right now are, in my mind, overselling polling's accuracy, predictive value and relevance."

(The many failures of the Times are for another post. Stay tuned.)

Finally, kudos to George Conway for coming around to our view that the current Trump criminal trial is, of the four cases hanging over Benedict Donald, the perfect one to start with — and not just because the others are tangled up in delays. Yes, we all know that Trump lies as easily as he breathes. But, as Conway says, "The alleged lies in People v. Trump strike at the core of his moral putrescence — and Trump knows it. They are lies allegedly meant to cover up a tawdry man's tawdry behavior. The case truly embodies Donald Trump. And for that reason, I think, it deeply disturbs him." We cats PURR.

This Makes Us Gag

By Baxter

As we mentioned the other day, it's become clearer and clearer lately that Benedict Donald's marriage to Moose & Squirrel is a transactional one. But aren't all his relationships? 

News recently broke that Trump hosted oil executives at Mar-a-Lago last month and asked for $1 billion in exchange for rolling back President Biden's environmental policies if he gets back to the White House. He called it a "deal" that he'd deliver on "day one."

One problem, of course: He'd have to win in November first, and that's far from assured. Still, this whole scenario is unsettling. We can't find any details on how the CEOs reacted in real time to Trump's corrupt and icky proposal. What we do know is that the fossil-fuel dudes have been sitting on their checkbooks — so far. That probably won't last. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has been working them pretty hard. Burgum is also allegedly on Trump's silly running-mate shortlist.

Which got us thinking: What's stopping Benedict Donald from hitting up his veep candidates? He could be soliciting them right now for hundreds of millions — write him a personal check, and the Vice Presidential nomination is theirs. Only a handful of them could swing such a swap. Burgum has the money, and so do Rick Scott and Glenn Youngkin. We don't know the state of JD Vance's finances, but he made a lot of money on the lecture circuit before Ohio inexplicably elected him Senator.

We hope we're wrong about this. But if we're right, note that it significantly narrows the veep field that reporters have been relentlessly chasing like catnip toys. Also note that all of the qualifying moneybags mentioned above are white males. Can some intrepid journalist figure out whether this is actually happening? We cats HISS.

Aurora No-More-Alis

After all our excitement over the total eclipse of the sun last month, we cats have managed to completely miss the Northern Lights from this weekend's geomagnetic storm. We were out last night, and we saw nothin'. So here's the aurora if Benedict Donald saw it (with help from some colored Sharpies). We cats PURR.

Open Season

By Sniffles

Lots of Democrats wringing their hands on social media today. Can we all go after Barron Trump now? Everyone's wondering because Dems, being decent people, don't want to harass a minor — but now that Barron has turned 18, and it's been announced that he's going to be a delegate at the 2024 Republican Convention, can we take shots at him?

We cats say unequivocally yes. Two reasons.

In our minds, the standard was always whether Barron would dip a toe into the political arena. Until he did that — presumably busying himself with graduating high school instead — he was off our radar. Really, did he matter? Not at all, except for the occasional petty satisfaction we would get from seeing how much taller than Trump he is. The dude is enormous — six-foot-five at least. Must drive Benedict Donald crazy.

The second reason is that Republicans have already attacked young Democrats who are politically active. Take, for example, Olivia Julianna from Texas. Disgusting reprobate Matt Gaetz tried to fat-shame her, and she ended up raising $700,000 off him, all in the service of reproductive rights. And all this happened while Olivia was well under 21.

So, LFG, as they say. Oh, by the way, is Benedict Donald still going to Barron's graduation? Last we saw, Trump was scheduled to attend a fundraiser in Minnesota on the same day. Depending on the timing, he could do both events — but we won't forget to check. We cats PURR.

UPDATE: Looks like Moose & Squirrel has put her foot down, and Lurch won't be an RNC delegate after all. This incident and others have confirmed what we always suspected: Benedict Donald's third marriage is strictly transactional. How much is she charging him to show up in Milwaukee this summer? We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Something's Not Quite Right In Republican Land

By Hubie and Bertie

For most of us, it was just another Wednesday, but for the GOP, today was unsettling. And it had absolutely nothing to do with Stormy Daniels.

Reason one: House Republicans descended into even more mess as Marjorie Taylor Greene, unable to take a hint (or do math), introduced a motion to vacate the chair against Speaker Mike Johnson. Not only did it fail on a lopsided vote, with just 10 members of her own caucus supporting her, Greene got booed and hissed — by her fellow Republicans. Should Greene be punished for her antics? "One dumpster fire at a time," one member said.

Reason two: Indiana Republicans held their 2024 Presidential primary yesterday, and Nikki Haley got 22 percent of the vote. Need a handy reminder that Haley dropped out of the race against Benedict Donald two months ago? Even so, in many contests since, she's received respectable support. More than 128,000 Hoosiers pulled the lever, colored in the oval, or touched the screen for a candidate other than Trump. Obviously, something's going on.

So, to sum up, Republicans in Washington are still spending time on nonsense instead of getting things done for the American people, and Benedict Donald's soft underbelly has continued to show itself in race after race. Lots of things can happen over the next six months, but these are just two of the political fundamentals that don't bode well for the GOP for November. We cats PURR.

Vote In All of 'Em

By Miss Kubelik

Lots of news to grab attention today. The former Lieutenant Governor of Georgia, Republican Geoff Duncan, has endorsed President Biden for re-election in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution op-ed. "Speaker" Mike Johnson declared he wasn't going anywhere (just wait until November, Mikey). And of course, Stormy Daniels withstood a tough cross-examination in Benedict Donald's criminal trial.

Daniels returns to the stand on Thursday, but already there are glimmers that Trump isn't handling any of this well. Judge Merchan had to warn his legal team — again — about his behavior: "I understand that your client is upset at this point, but he is cursing audibly and he is shaking his head visually and that’s contemptuous. It has the potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that." Any bet on how quickly Donald will violate the gag order over the next 36 hours?

Meanwhile, far from the drama in Manhattan or from the 2024 Presidential campaign, we cats did our civic duty today.

Our county has a public schools election on May 21, with voters casting ballots for the annual budget and for members of the school board. We cats won't be in town that day, but we knew it was an important election. Why? Because good schools support the quality of life in our community. Also, there's a real Trumpy nutjob running for the school board, and we had to vote against him.

This required some effort. First, we had to research the other candidates (we picked out two Democrats and a less-crazy Republican incumbent who could help edge the nutjob out). Then we had to figure out whether we should vote by mail or absentee. Once absentee became the answer, our next step was to figure out where the public schools' district office was, and when they were open, so we could get a ballot. Once we got there, we had to get past a ton of security — locked doors, cameras, buzzers — no doubt thanks to the ever-present threat of active shooters. Way to go, NRA.

Long story short, we cast our ballots, and everything was fine. But we wondered how many voters would try to overcome those many hurdles to keep Trumpsters and other idiots out of local office.

So here's our request. Every election is important, from President and Congress all the way down to school boards, planning, zoning and waterworks. However things work in your city or town, please don't miss a single vote. That will make us cats PURR.

Dark Brandon Meets The Met?

Ivanka Trump's not at the Met Gala tonight. But neither is President Biden. While AI is creepy and generally alarming, this made us grin.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Cinco De Mayo Edition

By Zamboni

Or is that Cinco de Meow? Whatever you call it, we hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Here are some news items that are getting our attention this Battle of Puebla Day.

You have to wonder how the dog killer from South Dakota can defend her "book," in which she not only says she executed her pet but also claimed to have met North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Now she's saying the part about Kim was all a mistake that she had no idea was even in there. But there's a catch: Noem read the audio version of the book herself. Don't worry, she's not crazy — she's just a liar.

(But you know what? Maybe she is crazy. She came out in favor of killing Biden's dog Commander today. Who's advising this woman?)

This may not have risen to the level of national coverage, but social media is consumed with JP Staples, the idiot at the University of Mississippi who made ape noises at a Black woman during a campus protest the other day. Unsurprising, since he's apparently a fan of Nick Fuentes. But he's become too much for his fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, which has kicked him out. (Good, but expect him to run for office as a Republican someday — and, in Mississippi, probably win.) 

A new poll by ABC News has President Biden leading Benedict Donald by four points with likely voters. It's come on the heels of a poll by NPR/Marist that showed Biden ahead by five with the same demographic. Moral of the story: Every time you see a poll, ask if it surveyed all adults, registered voters, or likely voters. Very few polls are breaking out respondents that way right now. "As people move from being a registered voter to likely voter to actual voter, and are faced with pulling that lever for MAGA, Trump and Republicans lose ground," Democratic strategist Simon Rosenberg explains. 

One of our favorite Democrats, Howard Dean, may run for Governor of Vermont again. No decision yet, but he says he's motivated by the state's current fiscal situation. It wouldn't surprise us if he's also thinking that even a popular Republican incumbent like Phil Scott would be vulnerable this fall with Trump at the top of his national ticket.

Finally, tomorrow Vice President Kamala Harris heads off to Detroit on the latest leg of her Economic Opportunity Tour. This is on top of her travels across the country to campaign for the restoration of reproductive rights. And after his silly parade of alleged VP candidates at Mar-a-Lago this weekend, where will Benedict Donald be? Back in criminal court, of course. We cats PURR.

Luke Skywalker Meets Joebi-wan Kenobi

And "may the fourth" be with you! We cats PURR at the actor Mark Hamill, who is a great defender of democracy.

Witness For The Prosecution

By Baxter

Benedict Donald's Stormy Daniels payoff trial might not be of major interest to many pundits and historians, but it certainly could 1) convict him of a crime, and 2) remind voters of all the things they don't like about him. Today's testimony was a microcosm of that.

Trump enabler Hope Hicks put a stake through Donald's heart vis-a-vis the 2016 electoral interference conspiracy. She also reacquainted us with the smarmy Trump scheme to keep the Daniels and Karen McDougal stories under wraps, well into office. Listening to all this, you have to marvel at the fact that such a terrible person as Trump ever was elected to the Presidency at all, but... here we are.

Hicks reportedly stoically endured the initial questioning from the prosecution, but when it came time for the cross, she broke down in tears. Many observers have said it was because she was being compelled to testify against someone she admired. Sure, that's probably part of it. But we cats think that a lot of it was because of fear.

Hicks is afraid that her closely guarded life will never be the same now — and it shouldn't be. She's been able to skate under the radar for years now, but that time is over. Today, she was under oath, and she gave up her former idol Trump for what we suspect are very good reasons. But she must be smart enough to know that there are crazies out there who will never forgive her for turning coat, and who will therefore hound her, in one way or another, till the end of her days.

Will she need personal security for the rest of her life? Maybe. We cats are unsympathetic, as we would be to anyone in the Trumpster inner circle. These people are traitors to the Constitution. Period.

Meanwhile, there's probably another woman in the Trump orbit who's having a worse day than Hicks. The Jefferson County, Colorado, Republican Party just canceled a fundraising dinner with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem over her dog-killing story. "In the past few days, numerous threats and death threats have been made to the party, the Denver West Marriott and to the South Dakota governor and her staff," the GOP county chair averred.

Ain't it great? This means that Republicans, who have worked over the last 35 to 40 years to arm America to the teeth, are afraid that some dog lover might shoot up a rubber-chicken fundraiser in Colorado. Where else in America will stuff like this happen? Since guns are everywhere, we cats are thinking lots of places, and we PURR.

Pees In Our Time

By Sniffles

A week or so ago (we don't exactly remember when), Michael Cohen tweeted an insult at Benedict Donald. Didn't seem like a very smart thing to do, what with that criminal trial underway in Manhattan and all. And someone must have explained that to him, because not long after, he posted a follow-up declaring that out of respect for the court, his tweeting days during the trial were over.

The insult was — well, see above. And for some reason, Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, introduced the original tweet during this morning's hearing on Trump gag order violations. So now it's in the court record. And it's going on billboards. This is what Donald's come to: People are making fun of his misfiring bodily functions at the defense table.

Meanwhile, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, addressed the nation from the White House today, in a calm yet forceful statement about the recent campus protests. He spoke clearly about the difference between free speech and violence, the unacceptability of bigotry against any group, and the importance of the rule of law (a topic that Benedict Donald knows nothing about).

It's hard to imagine any greater contrast between our Democratic President and the quickly sundowning con man that the GOP is on the brink of nominating. It's also hard to imagine that the 2024 race is tied. We cats are certain that, in the end, it won't be. And we PURR.

Democrats In Droves

By Hubie and Bertie

There was a special election yesterday in New York's 26th Congressional district, to fill the seat of Brian Higgins, a Democrat who resigned to head up a performing arts center in Buffalo.

It's generally a Democratic district, but specials can always be tricky — people can turn out in fewer numbers and be motivated in different ways. Our candidate, State Senator Tim Kennedy, was running against Gary Dickson, who led the Republican takeover of the union-dominated city of West Seneca. So we cats didn't want to leave anything to chance: We pitched in to write post cards for Kennedy.

Happy to report that Kennedy not only won the election, he outran expectations, beating Dickson by 36 points. He also outraised Dickson by an embarrassing margin. Impressive, but why should this be important?

Because Kennedy made reproductive rights the centerpiece of his campaign. So add another race to the incredible Democratic wins we've seen since Dobbs, starting with Kansas in 2022.

The election results are clear: Americans are furious that SCOTUS overturned Roe, and they're voting in big numbers to make their displeasure felt. It's a good thing to know on the very day that Florida's six-week abortion ban takes effect — and when Benedict Donald brags at a rally in Wisconsin about ending women's right to choose. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.