PP: Rotten To The Core

By Zamboni

One more post about the Canadian election, and then we'll move on.

The political chatter is starting to turn against Monday's big loser, Pierre Poilievre, even though some Conservatives had made early noises about keeping him on as party leader. They must feel reality crashing down upon them. Since PP lost his own seat in Parliament on Monday, the logistics of keeping him on have begun to get complicated.

Voters also started questioning if Poilievre would — or could — stay in Stornoway, the residence of the leader of the official opposition. Many suggested he should clear out. Not the best week for PP!

But the coup de grâce was delivered by the journalist who tried to interview Poilievre back in 2023, a video that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Poilievre showed his contempt for the reporter by eating an apple throughout. PP's adoring fascist fans loved it, but most Canadians must have been turned off. (Especially all those folks in Poilievre's riding who voted for Bruce Fanjoy this week instead.)

Today, the journalist, Don Urquhart, issued this statement. Here's one of the juiciest parts:

"[Poilievre's] utter disrespect for the media and by extension Canadians themselves — whether it be apple munching, refusing to allow reporters to travel with him on the campaign trail, or limiting access and vetting of questions with no follow-ups — took a direct page from Trump’s playbook and raised many questions about his ability to represent Canadians. As for the viral ‘apple clip’ from fall 2023, it was an undeniably clear reflection of his character.

"This surely won’t be the end of Poilievre or the masterminds of his political persona, but at least for now, Canada has dodged a bullet."

Delicious! We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: "ReinCarneyated" Edition

By Baxter

In case you were wondering how that $60 million fighter jet "fell off" one of our aircraft carriers, here's the obvious answer.

But we digress. Everyone is agog about the results of yesterday's election in the True North. Before we dive into the details, here are a couple of housekeeping notes: In Canada, the Liberals are red, the Conservatives are blue. And a riding is their version of a Congressional district. S'aright? S'aright.

1. So now the Liberals have won four elections in a row. Last night's took us back to the first one, in 2015. That year, Team Trudeau's crushing of the Conservatives started early on when Atlantic Canada came in as a stunningly solid sea of red. This time, the Liberals got off to a nerve-wracking slower start. There were rumors that the seven million early votes from the Easter weekend were counted last, which could explain why we spent the first part of yesterday evening feeling a tad stressed.

2. With the annexation threats from Benedict Donald, Quebec ended up handing 43 seats to the Liberals, at the expense of the separatist Bloc Quebecois. (But the Bloc didn't do so bad — in fact, they're probably going to be the Liberals' main dance partner in Parliament.) Quebecers apparently realized that their language and culture wouldn't stand a chance in a "51st state," and they voted accordingly. But it was Ontario that cost the Liberals their majority — they lost four ridings there that they probably should have won.

3. Which makes Pierre Poilievre's loss in his Ontario riding all the more embarrassing. Yep, PP lost his seat — which he's held for 20 years — to a Liberal with the fun name of Bruce Fanjoy. (Poor Pierre! How simply frightful! How humiliating! How delightful!) Fanjoy had been knocking doors, raising money, and organizing for two years, and yesterday all the hard work paid off. Now PP is making noises about staying on as party leader, but some MP would probably have to resign and let him run in a by-election for his or her seat — but not for in 180 days. Wouldn't it be great if the Liberals could knock Poilievre off again?

4. Another fun development from last night was Trumpy MP Jamil Jivani going after Ontario Premier Doug Ford in his victory speech. Don't bother to look Jivani up, because you already know his type — a physically unappealing MAGAt who has palled around with JD Vance since their Yale law school days. Jivani accused Ford of being a "hype man" for the Liberals. We won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say that the Conservative infighting has begun, which is great. Watch also for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's next move. She's been doing a nod-nod-wink-wink at Albertan separatists for a while now, but may not be able to get away with that for much longer. 

5. Before we forget, here's a shout-out to Justin Trudeau, who nobody thought understood when to stay and when to leave. He stuck around long enough to call Benedict Donald out on his shenanigans (pulling his own poll numbers up in the process), and left as soon as his party chose a new leader. Good job, Justin — your dad would be proud of you.

6. Finally, word from the PMO is that Mark Carney chatted with Benedict Donald today. Of course! That's what smart businesspeople do — they take care of their most disagreeable tasks first. And nobody said Carney isn't a good manager. Just ask the folks at the Bank of England and the Bank of Canada.

We have no doubt that the Prime Minister will be in the driver's seat when he has to deal with Trump. In fact, with his resume and pleasant but no-nonsense demeanor, Carney seems pretty Trump-proof. We cats congratulate him and the True North, and we PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: First 100 Days Edition

By Sniffles

It's just dawned on us that the ever-ridiculous White House Correspondents Dinner was held this weekend, and nobody noticed. Well, at least we didn't — and neither did the folks we follow on Bluesky and that other place. That's what happens when you are so cowed by Benedict Donald that you fire your headliner comedian, lest you offend his Awful Orangeness. And by doing so, you cast your event forever into oblivion.

Actually, oblivion is what the WHCD has always deserved. The event was never not inappropriate, but now, in Trump 2.0, it's far, far worse. As democracy defender Marc Elias put it, "I have no interest in sitting in a room with people who believe their job is to stay neutral while the administration is deporting two-year-old American citizens."

Here are some other stories that have caught our attention today.

Donald has marked his first 100 days back in office with the lowest approval ratings (41 percent) this early in a Presidential term since — well, since this early in his first term. It's good that people are waking up, but after everything he's done, who is still in that 41 percent?

And the riotous Republican town halls continue! On Saturday, Rob Wittman of Virginia got yelled at (in absentia) for everything from immigration to Musk-y spending cuts. Endangered New York rep Mike Lawler, who actually attended his Sunday event, tried to control it with an intimidating entrance sign that outlined all the bad (to him) behavior he wouldn't tolerate. (It didn't work.) As POLITICO reported, "Many in the crowd continuously jeered him and, at one point — displeased when he beat around the bush before answering a question — offered a chorus of blah, blah, blah." Even the nutty Victoria Spartz of Indiana was forced to admit at her Friday town hall that Signalgate was "very, very bad." Keep up the good work, everyone!

Speaking of stuff that happened Friday, the Trumpsters have started arresting judges. We are in deep, deep trouble.

But finally, some good news: It was excellent to see that not only did Baby Marco parrot Donald's ridiculous "51st state" line on the Sunday shows, but Trump himself simply had to repeat it himself in a post at 8:36 this morning — Canadian election day. Liberal turnout already appears pretty robust, but that Trump tweet will probably kick it up even a bit more. Our paws crossed, and we cats PURR.

Trust The Guy Who's Liked By A Cat

Dear Canadians, tomorrow is Election Day. Here is a nice photo of Prime Minister Mark Carney with a furry feline friend. Now, we know that Stephen Harper liked cats, too. But unlike Harper (and Pierre Poilievre, for that matter), Carney has so many other things going for him. Please vote wisely. We cats PURR.

Sartorial Screw-Up

By Hubie and Bertie

Holy smokes, but Benedict Donald and Moose & Squirrel managed to embarrass the United States on the world stage once again today. (By the way, is that really Moose & Squirrel? We're not sure.)

The protocol for the Pope's funeral was black suits for men. Some wore very dark blue suits (so dark that they were nearly black). Donald didn't even try. And then he snoozed. Can you imagine the media frenzy if Joe Biden did something like this? What's happened to all the dementia stories? We know, we're a broken record, but good God. We cats HISS.

The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of

By Miss Kubelik

The Canadian election is Monday. If what we're seeing on social media is accurate, our neighbors to the North will be very glad to see it over. Imagine how they would feel with our months-long-years-long American campaigns. Maybe we can take a hint from their system (or, maybe not).

The last few days' unofficial assessment of the Conservative closing-argument ads is universally negative. The Tories are either offering up a couple of old dudes jawing about politics while they play golf (virtually begging for the tagline "Ask your doctor if Viagra is right for you"), or a garishly made-up Stephen Harper endorsing Pierre Poilievre. Honestly, we cannot believe that the Tories' ad agency allowed Harper to be seen like this. But you be the judge. We cats PURR.

If Trump Were Normal

By Zamboni

Since we have an upcoming papal funeral, here's a favorite meme from an earlier one. (That's John Paul II, not St. Nicholas. And Benedict, who died two years ago, doesn't really count, does he? Quitter.)

We looked at the list of pooh-bahs who are planning to attend Francis's service on Saturday, and were happy to see that Prime Minister Mark Carney is sending the Governor-General of Canada instead, seeing as how there's a big election taking place on Monday and all. It also dawned on us that if Benedict Donald were a human being, he would invite Joe Biden, who was only our second Catholic President, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to fly over with him. But he's a narcissist and a sociopath, so he won't. We cats HISS.

De Adder Du Jour

 

By Baxter

A record number of Canadians — 7.3 million — voted in this past weekend's advance polls. That's a 25 percent increase over the number of people who voted early in 2021. Wow!

Nobody's speculating as to whether these banked votes will favor the Liberals or the Conservatives, but we're assuming that the sense of urgency folks are feeling about standing up to Benedict Donald will not redound to Pierre Poilievre's benefit. The overall sense is that although the Tories are trying to seize the mantle of change, voters aren't buying their alleged new brew. (See above.)

We'll know better when the results come in on April 28. Meanwhile, it is always excellent when voters in a democracy make sure their voices are heard, isn't it? We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Life Imitates Art

You probably saw the Liz Truss-with-the-Queen and JD Vance-with-the-Pope photo juxtaposition shared widely on social media, but you may not have seen this. Today, @ArtButMakeItSports decided not to make it about sports after all. Well done. We cats PURR.

(IMAGES: Vatican Media Pool; "Dance with Death," Hieronymus Hess)

Francis Says Over And Out

By Sniffles

This is one of our favorite photos of Pope Francis, who after meeting with JD Vance this weekend apparently decided, "I'm outta here." (And it's certainly proof that he met with much better men than Vance.)

Francis's death today was a surprise after his recent lengthy hospitalization, but it's potentially good news that before he checked out, he managed to appoint half of the College of Cardinals — not unlike President Biden and all those judges. So maybe there's hope that the church won't go back to a 16th-century-type guy.

We're rooting for the Filipino dude, Cardinal Chito. He'd be the first Asian, seems relatively lefty, and it would be fun to have a pope with a name like that. Meanwhile, we cats salute Francis for being significantly less awful than his predecessors, and we PURR.

"One If By Land, Two If By DC"

By Hubie and Bertie

The spirit of resistance might be still alive and well in America. Organizers said that more than four million people turned out for yesterday's 50501 protests against King George III oops, Benedict Donald and his odious, anti-democratic administration. Hundreds of folks even showed up in cute little Saratoga Springs for an anti-Trump Honk n' Wave — despite the rain. Good work, everyone! Keep it up.

The prize for protest, though, might go to Silence Dogood, an organization of artists that takes its name from a pseudonym Benjamin Franklin used in the run-up to the American Revolution. Observing the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere's ride, the group projected pro-democracy and anti-Trump messages onto historic Boston buildings. They particularly targeted Trump's so-called "border czar," who threatened to "bring hell" to Boston, a sanctuary city for immigrants.

This is all excellent. And it's just dawned on us that July 4, 2026, is going to be, as they say, lit. We cats PURR.

Ponto Says: Go Vote!

Early voting began today in Canada. (They call it advance polls.) The Conservatives are protesting the fact that voting's begun on the long Easter weekend, but they're just being sour grapes — if they were leading in the polls, they'd be all for it. It's also the 43rd anniversary of the repatriation of Canada's constitution from the UK. So it seems a good time for folks to make their voices heard. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: @pontomtl.bsky.social)

Habs Clinch, And Maybe Carney Does, Too?

By Miss Kubelik

The Montreal Canadiens snagged a playoff spot last night when they defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 at home. At nearly the same time, Canada's four party leaders also held their official French debate, just a few blocks away. Fun fact: The debate was moved two hours ahead of schedule to accommodate the hockey game. Can you think of anything more Canadian than that?

That debate, and the English-language match-up that followed tonight, gave the Conservative Party its last best chance to try to change the narrative in the run-up to Canada's April 28 federal election. Sadly for them, it looks like they failed. Prime Minister Mark Carney didn't stumble badly in French, and the Tories' Trumpy leader, Pierre Poilievre, scored no knockout punches. At least, that's the consensus right now. We'll see if the analysis changes as the dust continues to settle.

In our minds, though, the election continues to be Carney's to lose — projections currently have the Liberals gaining 193 seats to the Conservatives' 121. The Tories have their own internal problems, too: Ontario Premier Doug Ford is being no help to Poilievre (there's bad blood there), and the public finger-pointing has already begun. And right wingers in Alberta are already talking secession. Fun!

The Habs, however, might not be as well-positioned for their next challenge as Carney and the Liberals are. They're set to meet the Putin-loving Alex Ovechkin (shudder) and the Washington Capitals next week. It's going to be tough, but we wish them well. Meanwhile, we cats PURR.

On That Note...

(IMAGE: Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Nightmare Scenarios

By Zamboni

That Constitutional crisis that folks have warned is coming? It's here. Team Benedict Donald is ignoring court orders in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, and if that behavior is allowed to stand, it's game over for democracy, everyone. (Republicans in Congress, are you listening? Or will you always be cowards?)

The latest news is that Maryland Senator Chris Von Hollen is headed to El Salvador tomorrow to find out where Abrego Garcia is — and how he is. (He'd better not be dead, a concept that started to dawn on everyone when White House liar-and-cross-flaunter "Karoline" Leavitt started talking about him in the past tense.) Other members of Congress, including Maxwell Frost of Florida and Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, are talking about tagging along.

Any number of awful events could unfold from this trip. The right-wing dictator of El Salvador could deny the delegation entry to the country. He could let them in, but detain them at whatever location they visit. Or Benedict Donald could refuse to let them come back home, saying they had met with "known terrorists." The possibilities are absurd and revolting — off the charts, really — and we just hope that Van Hollen and his delegation have a strategy for each one of them, because this is where we are as a country now.

We support Van Hollen's mission, but it also scares us. Anyone who remembers California Congressman Leo Ryan is probably nervous, too. Just ask Jackie Speier. We cats hope they'll stay safe, and we HISS.

This Will Put A Twinkle In Your Eye, Too

 

These days, it's important to keep laughing. We cats PURR.

If Randy Were A Carpenter

 

We cats love it when Randy gets inspired. He always makes us PURR.

Repellent.

By Baxter

Benedict Donald sure has a thing about magnets. Remember how he famously said they don't work in water? And so they shouldn't be put on boats? What in the hell does any of it mean? It's hard to know with all those rabid raccoons running around in his brain.

Just a couple of months ago he was at it again, raving about the USS Gerald R. Ford and its electromagnetic aircraft launch system. "They have all magnetic elevators to lift up 25 planes at a time, 20 planes at a time," he burbled. "And instead of using hydraulic, they use magnets. Magnets are going to lift the planes up, and it doesn’t work. And they had billions and billions of dollars of cost overruns."

As with everything Trump says, this is baloney. The aircraft carrier in question cost $13 billion, not $18 billion as Donald claimed. There's no evidence its "magnetic elevators" caused it to go over budget, or even that its launching system is a bust. Maybe Trump just doesn't like ships being named after people who are not him (e.g., Ford, Jimmy Carter, John McCain). But now, magnets have come back to bite him.

Everybody took note on Friday when Trump exempted phones, computers and chips from his so-called "reciprocal" tariffs — Tim Cook evidently called in his Inaugural donation chit. But Donald left the tariffs on China, and guess what? China has quickly retaliated by suspending shipments of magnets that US manufacturers need to make cars, drones, missiles, and robots. Among other things.

"Shipments of the magnets have been halted at many Chinese ports while the Chinese government drafts a new regulatory system," The New York Times reports. "Once in place, the new system could permanently prevent supplies from reaching certain companies, including American military contractors."

Oops! Sounds like your economic boat is sinking, Donald. The problem is, we're all in the damn boat with you. We cats HISS.

"The Moon, The Stars, And All The Planets"

At the White House, the long black car turned off Pennsylvania, through the northwest gate, and swept up the drive, stopping under the North Portico. The time was 5:25.

Two ushers were waiting at the door. They took his hat and escorted him to a small, oak-paneled elevator, more like an ornate cage, that had been installed in the Theodore Roosevelt era and that ascended now very slowly to the second floor.

In the private quarters, across the center hall, in her sitting room, Mrs. Roosevelt was waiting. With her were Steve Early and her daughter and son-in-law, Anna and John Boetigger. Mrs. Roosevelt stepped forward and gently put her arm on Truman's shoulder.

"Harry, the President is dead."

Truman was unable to speak.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" he said at last.

"Is there anything we can do for you," she said. "For you are the one in trouble now."

–David McCullough, Truman

Unite For Veterans

Looks like there's going to be a big rally for veterans on Friday, June 6 (the anniversary of D-Day, natch). If you're a veteran, or if you love someone who is, mark your calendar! We cats PURR.

Marvelous Marg Suits Up For Canadian Film

By Sniffles

Is April the cruellest month? T.S. Eliot thought so (and yes, he spelled "cruelest" that way). And indeed, it seems to be... anybody in the US who watches the stock market already believes it — plus, there's tax day, which feels particularly rapacious and unjust this year, and other less-than-wonderful anniversaries (Lincoln's assassination, the death of FDR, Waco, the Boston Marathon bombing... the list goes on).

Nevertheless, spring is trying to spring, and other, more positive events are coming up. This one, for example. Bet you didn't have this on your schedule, but if you're Canadian, it might be right up there in importance with the federal election on April 28. We cats PURR.

100 Years Old? Why, Jay Gatsby, You Don't Look A Day Over 35

"I spent my Saturday nights in New York because those gleaming, dazzling parties of his were with me so vividly that I could still hear the music and the laughter, faint and incessant, from his garden, and the cars going up and down his drive. One night I did hear a material car there, and saw its lights stop at his front steps. But I didn't investigate. Probably it was some final guest who had been away at the ends of the earth and didn't know that the party was over."

—F. Scott Fitgerald, The Great Gatsby

Seeing Red

By Hubie and Bertie

Have you gotten over your motion sickness yet? Benedict Donald backed down and put most of his ridiculous tariffs on "pause" for 90 days. So, will we all endure more whiplash then, or sooner? Who knows with this sociopath? It's enough to make people crave steady, sensible leadership.

Which is what seems to be happening in Canada, in the run-up to the April 28 federal election.

Check out this map. We're not big fans of Polymarket — it's a crypto-based prediction market that exists simply to separate vulnerable people from their hard-earned money by allowing them to bet on everything from the chance of a US recession this year to the winner of the 2025 Masters. But this particular prediction got our attention because to make it, Polymarket has simply followed Canadian polling and the trajectory of the race — and well, as they say, here we are.

Handy reminder that in Canada, the "color-coding" for the parties are the opposite of ours here: The Liberals are red, and the Conservatives are blue. And the last time we saw this much red was in 2015.

Currently, Polymarket predicts that the Liberals will end up with 174 seats, the Tories with 137, the Bloc Quebecois with 20, and the NDP with 11. It takes 172 to form a majority government, so to avoid a razor-thin margin like Speaker Mike "Mike" Johnson's in the House of Representatives, the Liberals must keep pushing.

Meanwhile, if this scenario holds, the Conservatives and their unappealing leader, Pierre Poilievre, will have some hard decisions to make. Where do they throw in the towel? Where will they stop spending money and other precious campaign resources? Do they try to pivot again? Poilievre has already tried to be quite stern about Benedict Donald's shenanigans, even though he was an enthusiastic Trump admirer before. So, what does he do? Somehow, mocking PM Mark Carney's "banker's haircut" seems like just more political malpractice.

And time is running out. We cats have our paws crossed, and we PURR.

Donald's Awful Oval

By Miss Kubelik

Today was one of those days — we cats have them periodically — when the news coming out of Benedict Donald the Second's administration is so terrible on all fronts, we just have to take a step back somehow.

(It's the only way we can manage to survive Steve Bannon's "flood the zone with sh*t" tactic, because goodness gracious, the Trumpsters are flooding that zone. Illegal deportations, top-secret chats on Signal, firing of federal workers, crashing the stock market, gutting essential medical research... the list goes on.)

So let's focus on what is not the most loathsome of everything Donald has done, but still one of his top offenders: junking up the Oval Office.

How, you ask? Well, here are some visual aids. The top two photos show the graceful office of the John F. Kennedy era. Notice the spare elegance — the restrained mid-century style. (You just know that Jacqueline Kennedy had a hand in it: She rescued from storage and had restored many historical White House furnishings. In addition to her respect for America's past, she had exquisite taste.)

The last photo is the Oval Office today. Sorry, just one. We can't bear to post any more than that.

Trump is clearly obsessed with the Kennedys. He's fired the board of the Kennedy Center — they'll have tractor pulls there soon, no doubt — threatened to pave over the Rose Garden, and has sicced DOGE on the Peace Corps. But gosh! If Jackie Kennedy came back and saw what's he's done to the Oval, she'd never stop throwing up. We cats HISS.

A Day Later, 1,500 Strong

Félicitations to the Montrealers who turned out for an anti-Trump demonstration at the George-Étienne Cartier monument on Mount Royal yesterday. "Mon pays ce n'est pas ton pays," indeed. We cats PURR.

The Massacre Continues

In the words of Hillary Rodham Clinton on Bluesky: "Remember, Republicans in Congress can put a stop to this at any time."

If you're represented by Republicans in the House and/or the Senate, please call them today. The Capitol Hill switchboard number is (202) 224-3121. Meanwhile, we cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Terry Mosher, aka Aislin, The Montreal Gazette)

Democracy, Not Dictators

Millions of people are taking part anti-Trump Hands Off protests today. Here are the crowds in Washington, DC, New York City, St. Paul, Minnesota, and — wait for it — Salt Lake City, Utah. We cats PURR.

Paws Off!

One of the best aspects of a national day of protest is enjoying the demonstrators' clever signs. Today's Hands Off rallies are still underway, but we didn't want to wait to share some of the ones we liked best.

You can draw a straight line from Tuesday's election results to this — more than 1,200 demonstrations across the country, including all 50 state capitals. Americans are mad. We cats PURR.

"This Is A Crisis Of Our National Character"

 

It's been a brutal day. For a pick-me-up, let's revisit the highlights of Cory Booker's record-breaking marathon Senate speech this week on the evils of the Trump Administration. Take it as inspiration for tomorrow's Hands Off demonstrations nationwide. We cats PURR.

"With You, All Roads Lead To Putin"

By Zamboni

People everywhere today are asking why Benedict Donald seems hellbent on intentionally crashing the US economy — not to mention gutting the federal government, firing experts, defying judges, intimidating law firms, threatening Canada and Greenland, abandoning Ukraine, endangering national security, etc., etc., etc.

To us, it's so clear. In fact, Nancy Pelosi said it almost five years ago. After all this time and all these outrages, why doesn't anyone in the media connect the dots? We cats HISS.

Elon Gets Cheesed

By Baxter

We cats started our Tuesday catching up with the weekend news out of Louisiana, where voters resoundingly rejected four constitutional amendments championed by their right-wing Governor, Jeff Landry (winner of the 2025 Most Punchable Face Contest). Amendment 2's tax overhaul was particularly toxic — even rural and evangelical voters went against that one, because they feared it could lead to levies on churches. It was all pretty embarrassing for Landry, who was hoping to slide the changes in under the radar, and who predictably blamed woke leftist Soros Democrats. (Nothing's ever their fault.)

On the heels of that yummy news nugget came the revolt in the House of Representatives, where nine Republicans teamed up with Democrats against a proxy-voting rule change. Preacher of the House Mike "Mike" Johnson was so peeved he sent the members home for the rest of the week — sparking ridicule from Democrats, and a cat fight between House leadership and Anna Paulina Luna (who is a nutcase, but who managed to be right on this issue on behalf of her fellow new-mom colleagues). A Johnson hissy-fit! How ignominious.

Our first thought was: Please, don't let these be the only humiliations that Republicans suffer today.

Somebody must have been listening, because then, results rolled in from the special elections in FL-01 and FL-6, plus the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court. The GOP may have held the two Florida districts, but their vastly reduced (i.e., halved) margins of "victory" must have alarm bells ringing in Trump World. (Our candidate in FL-01, Gay Valimont, even flipped ruby-red Escambia County blue. Unheard of.)

Equally if not more important was Wisconsin, where voters gave Elon Musk a magnificent smackdown and kept a liberal majority on their Supreme Court. It's going to make a huge difference for fair maps, and maybe even add a couple of Democratic seats in this heavily Republican-gerrymandered state. And you'll never guess why Musk was so intent on rigging the Court for himself: In 2024, he applied to the Wisconsin DOT to open four Tesla dealerships there. The DOT denied it, because there's a state law that bars carmakers from selling directly to consumers. Naturally, Musk filed a lawsuit to challenge the decision — and it's due to come up before the state Supreme Court. It gets pretty interesting when you peel back the onion, yes?

(A thoroughly miffed Musk later tried to claim the Court race didn't matter as much as a voter ID law, which passed. But nobody's fooled. Wisconsin already has a voter ID law on the books. Lame!)

All in all, yesterday was the best day we Democrats — and the country — have had in a long time. And that doesn't even count Cory Booker. We cats salute him and the voters, and we PURR.

He Did It.

 

Throw The Booker At 'Em

By Sniffles

Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey has been speaking on the floor of the Senate for 19 hours now, and he's still going. You can watch him live here. You leave him a thank-you message at his Capitol Hill Senate office by calling (202) 224-3224. (We've already done it.)

At this point, Booker appears to be on the way to breaking Strom Thurmond's record filibuster of 24 hours, when he railed against the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Of course, there are so many Trump outrages that Cory will probably need twice as much time as Thurmond's to list them all. Great work, CB. We cats PURR.