Randy Rainbow Channels His Inner Dusty Springfield

 

"Elsie" Fails Again

By Baxter

Public service announcement: Please call or write your Senators and tell them to vote against the so-called SAVE America Act, which will suppress voting rights in November. (It just passed the House.)

Meanwhile, the House has also done something right: It passed a resolution to repeal Benedict Donald's tariffs on Canada. Gee! Guess that means enough of them have realized how much economic pain Trump's tantrums have inflicted on their districts' economies. (For example, Jack Daniel's had to close an entire distillery in Kentucky after Canadians retaliated with a liquor boycott.)

Six Republicans joined Democrats to tank the tariffs: Don Bacon of Nebraska, Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Dan Newhouse of Washington. It's the first of what promises to be a whole bunch of snap repeals. (Donald's support in the House is cracking as members realize they are facing Armageddon in November.)

Conspicuously missing among the "no" votes is our own Upstate New York representative, Elise "Elsie" Stefanik. She represents the largest land-mass district in the state, which borders Canada and whose economy is significantly affected by Trump's peevishness.

It seems to us that if Elsie genuinely cared about the extended families who live on both sides of the border — if she, with her Kennedy School degree, truly understood the value of the US-Canada relationship on trade, defense, manufacturing, and tourism — then she would have supported this measure.

The fact that she (and the rest of the New York Republican caucus) could not bring themselves to vote "yes" speaks volumes about their false claims of being "bipartisan problem-solvers" and genuine representatives of the people who elect them. And that's the politest thing we can say. We cats HISS.

De Adder Du Jour

 

By Sniffles

All you need to know about the Gordie Howe Bridge — aside from Mark Carney calling Benedict Donald to correct him on the basic facts — is that "Matty" Mouron, the owner of a competing bridge between Detroit and Ontario, met with Jeffrey Epstein pal (and Secretary of Commerce) Howard Lutnick to bitch about the Gordie Howe just hours before Benedict Donald came out against it.

Fun fact: Back in 2018, Trump thought the Gordie Howe Bridge was a swell idea. Surely PM Carney reminded him of that. (And that Canada has paid the entire bill for its construction.) Donald's hissy fit has boosted Canadian confidence and made life more difficult for Michigan Republicans whose names are on the ballot this year.

That's not just for economic reasons. Gordie Howe was Canadian, but he was also a Detroit Red Wings legend, racking up so many great stats and throwing so many elbows that he became known as "Mr. Hockey." Michiganders will not soon forget Trump's insult. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Committee Contretemps

By Hubie and Bertie

Is there any better proof that the Trumpsters have their backs against the wall than Pam Bondi's behavior in front of the House Judiciary Committee today? When you've got nothing, the theory goes, then insult, obstruct, accuse, and yell (aka, "pound the table"). They think this will make the American people forget about Jeffrey Epstein.

Thanks for playing, Team MAGA. The Epstein saga is metastasizing, and Benedict Donald and his perfidious minions can barely keep up. House Democrats — and Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie — hammered Bondi on the Epstein cover-up, forcing her to lose her cool many times. News flash: When you allow yourself to get rattled, you're losing.

Bondi must have known this, though, deep in her heart (or whatever is where her heart ought to be). She had to know that Rep. Pramila Jayapal had boxed her in on apologizing to the Epstein victims. She also had to know that Jayapal had put her front-and-center in what surely will be one of the photos of the decade. (That's a group of Epstein survivors, plus Virginia Giuffre's brother, standing behind Pamela Jo, raising their hands to say that they'd never been asked by DOJ to testify about what Jeffrey did to them.)

Props to Pramila for that — nicely done. And Bondi just got nuttier from there. Donald will surely spend hours lauding her performance on social media tonight, but they have to know they lost the day.

At one point, Bondi called Ranking Member Jamie Raskin "washed up" and "not even a lawyer." Guess again, Blondie. Jamie Raskin is indeed a lawyer, as well as an expert on something Bondi knows nothing about: the US Constitution. Raskin is a graduate of Harvard, which is slightly more respected than (cough, cough) Stetson University College of Law. But true to her alma mater's name, Bondi proved today that she's all hat, no cattle. Meanwhile, the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein isn't going anywhere. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

(PS: Will someone in the Trump orbit please tell Pamela Jo that the Dow is not "over 50,000 dollars"? Thank you.)

A Bad Week For MAGA, And It's Only Monday

By Miss Kubelik

Will somebody tell Benedict Donald that Bad Bunny's spectacular Super Bowl halftime show crushed TPUSA's silly counter-program in the ratings? (Trump might not be surprised, since Bad Bunny was even spotted on screens at the Mar-a-Lago Super Bowl party. Hilarious!)

In more bad news for Trump World today, Pam Bondi is scheduled to testify to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, and it should be quite the show. Ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who viewed some of the Epstein files today under the substandard conditions in which DOJ made them available, has said that there are plenty of unexplained redactions (and non-redactions), plus breezy chats about trafficking girls as young as nine. So gross. 

The Epstein fallout is causing a storm in the UK, but here in the United States it's more of a slow roll, which actually might be worse. It means a steady drumbeat of Epstein, Epstein, Epstein from now until November. The Trumpsters may have privately decided that their sacrificial lamb might be Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who has shamelessly lied about his Epstein connections and seems generally universally loathed. But MAGA should be warned: Cutting Lutnick loose won't be enough.

Meanwhile, things keep going not so great for the GOP at large. In Colorado, for example, the state party is deep in debt and its leaders are brawling. Financial woes and kerfuffles are unwelcome at any time, but it's particularly bad for Colorado Republicans given that this year they already have to defend one very flippable House seat, plus two others — Lauren Boebert's previous district, and her current one — that could easily be lost in a wave year.

Closer to (our) home, New York Republicans have more headaches on their hands. Bruce Blakeman, the presumed GOP opponent to Governor Kathy Hochul since Elise "Elsie" Stefanik dropped out of the race, was flatly told by Fulton County Sheriff Richard C. Giardino nope, nope, nopity-nope when he asked Giardino to be his running mate. (So, why float Giardino's name in the first place? This is the kind of stuff that happens when you don't know what you're doing.)

Not to be outdone, up in Elsie's soon-to-be-old Congressional stomping grounds of NY-21, two candidates hoping to replace her are in a cat fight to end all cat fights. Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino has threatened Assemblyman Robert Smullen with a cease-and-desist letter over Smullen's accusations that Constantino is a tax cheat. Sticker Mule Anthony is big, big mad, but Smullen is firing back. "It should come as no surprise that Anthony Constantino is accusing me of lying about his tax record," he said. “This is typical of him. Unfortunately for him, I won’t be intimidated and the facts are clearly on our side."

Way to go, guys. Don't focus on keeping the seat in Mikey Johnson's column — just attack one another viciously during the primary. Speaking for Democrats, we love to see it. We cats PURR.

Give This Clever Account A Follow

 

"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

GOP: "Fort Worth, We Have A Problem"

By Miss Kubelik

Another special election, another jaw-dropping Democratic overperformance. This time, in Tarrant County, Texas.

Benedict Donald must have been worried, because he phoned in last-minute endorsements of the GOP candidate for State Senate District 9. Really? Trump has to tear himself away from his ballroom plans to rush out a statement of support for a Republican in Texas?

The thing is, it didn't work. The Democrat, Taylor Rehmet, squished Repub Leigh Wambsganss by an Abigail-Spanbergerish margin of 15 points. (!) Just for the record, District 9 isn't pink, or rose, or light red — it's deep, dark, ruby, blood-red. It went for Benedict Donald by 17 points in 2024. The Hill, not a publication known for its fondness for our side, called the result "stunning" and a "shock upset."

Well, we don't know about "shock." Team Rehmet obviously worked to get their vote out. And maybe folks in this district who normally vote Republican didn't this time. Or both. But it's not like the GOP hasn't had warning bells clanging like mad in all the latest public opinion polls. Perhaps they just covered their ears? We cats PURR.

Cool Hand Carney

By Zamboni

This is a super-duper speech.

We cats wish we had come up with the Heated Rivalry concept before anybody else did. But we didn't, so the laurels go to the true creators. No harm, no foul — let's all celebrate its success.

Meanwhile, we're happy to have Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney riding the wave the Crave series' popularity — something that the leader of the opposition couldn't do. Can you picture the ever-Trumpy Pierre Poilievre being comfortable with a show that celebrates gay love?

Nah, we can't, either. But the buttoned-up economist who's been to Davos 30 times? No problem. We cats PURR.

"The Streets Of Minneapolis"

 

This has gotten 4,611,579 views on YouTube so far — roughly one out of every 75 Americans. Well done, Bruce. We cats PURR.

Mark Your Calendars

Here's the date of the next national No Kings demonstration day, so start planning now. Registration isn't open yet, but we cats will share the info as soon as we get it. In the meantime, we PURR.

The Whole World Is Watching

We wake with no words, just woe & wound.

Our own country shooting us in the back is not just brutality; it's jarring betrayal; not enforcement, but execution. A message: Love your people & you will die. Yet our greatest threat isn't the outsiders among us, but those among us who never look within.

Fear not those without papers, but those without conscience. Know that to care intensively, united, is to carry both the pain-dark horror for today & a profound, daring hope for tomorrow.

We can feel we have nothing to give, & still belove this world waiting, trembling to change. If we cannot find words, may we find the will; if we ever lose hope, may we never lose our humanity.

The only undying thing is mercy, the courage to open ourselves like doors, hug our neighbor, & save one more bright, impossible life.

—For Alex Jeffrey Pretti, Murdered by ICE January 24, 2026

by Amanda Gorman

Mood.

Looks like the White House is turning tail in Minneapolis. They aren't even calling the VA nurse they executed a "would-be assassin" anymore. Have they finally figured out that they can't lie about what Americans are seeing with their own eyes? Don't assume the best about these Trumpsters, but they appear to be retreating, at least for now.

But this isn't over. We cats are waiting for the next awful thing to happen. Meanwhile, we HISS and PURR at the same time.

De Adder Du Jour

 

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

In Cold Blood

By Baxter

Since we cats last posted, Benedict Donald's masked J6 cosplayers have murdered another Minnesotan. The Trumpsters wasted no time trashing the reputation of the victim, VA nurse Alex Pretti. And Pam Bondi went so far as to send an extortion letter to Governor Tim Walz, saying ICE would leave his state if he'd hand over his voter-roll database, among other ridiculous demands. Fat chance, Pamela Jo.

But other than those predictable Trumpy outrages, things are developing a little differently this time.

It's not just that more than 100 House Democrats have called for Kristi Noem's impeachment — or that the government funding bill, just passed by the House and which includes funding for DHS and ICE, appears to be DOA in the Senate. And it's not just that former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have both issued statements calling for everyone to stand up for American democracy. Now, a lot of folks from the other side of the aisle have joined the chorus, too.

Republicans like Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma and Governor Phil Scott of Vermont, Senator Pete Ricketts (a huge Donald fan) and his colleagues Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy — plus Representatives James Comer (House Oversight committee chair!), Andrew Gabarino (Homeland Security committee chair!), Michael McFaul of Texas, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — have all, in the wake of the Pretti killing, peeled away from Trump.

Those are the Republicans we've been able to ID so far. We expect there will be more — heck, even the Gun Owners of America have stepped up to the plate. When you've lost the 2A crowd, you're losing.

Is Donald worried? He should be, but he's too busy tweeting about his ballroom and holding a command screening at what's left of the White House of the absurd new documentary about Moose & Squirrel (which is about the lay a big egg at the box office). You can only assume that President-In-All-But-Name Stephen Miller is calling the shots. And it looks like they may — may — be starting to fold. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump suddenly seems willing to fold his tent in Minneapolis. "At some point we will leave," he said.

That's TACO for you. But why did two Minnesotans have to die? Couldn't Republicans have started pushing back earlier, and maybe have saved some lives? We cats are disgusted, and we HISS.

One Of The Best Things About Canada's National Identity? Trump Is Irrelevant.

Canada's global profile was elevated this week — mostly thanks to Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech in Davos. But we also have to give Benedict Donald his due. Thank you, Trump, for being such a buffoon that the rest of the world ("Board of Peace" suckers exempted) finally got the permission structure to push back. We cats PURR.

ICE OUT

By Sniffles

This photo from Minnesota is wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. If you know, you know.

It's encouraging, though, that as we cats dictate this blog post to our human typist, thousands of people in Minneapolis are braving minus-10F temperatures in a giant protest against Benedict Donald, JD Vance, Stephen Miller, Kristi Noem, Greg Bovino, and all their evil storm troopers from ICE.

The march is on top of today's General Strike, which saw hundreds of Minneapolis businesses closing their doors on a "Day of Truth and Freedom." One coffee shop stayed open, but only so they could serve hot drinks and croissants to protesters free of charge. Nice!

Although it's sure to cause another emotional reaction from Team Trump, Minnesotans' continued peaceful resistance is just the latest episode in Donald's humiliating week. Following his Big Fail at Davos — and the paltry turnout for his "Board of Peace" (did our Western allies hate the $1 billion dues or the awful logo more?) — his bought-and-paid-for Supreme Court may be on the verge of ruling against him on 1) tariffs and 2) Lisa Cook. Wouldn't it be loverly? We cats PURR.

Also Seen In Davos This Week

Benedict Donald arrived in Switzerland for the Economic Forum, and nobody was there to greet him. Then he gave a speech that stunk up the room. And finally, the star of the meeting, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, left without so much as crossing Trump's path. All that was before Donald caved on the tariffs. Sad! We cats PURR.

Seen In Davos This Week

 

"As President Trump began his news conference stateside...in Davos, we spotted the words NO KINGS — in all caps — glowing on the mountainside overlooking the World Economic Forum site."

—Peter Alexander, NBC News

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Foreign Policy Mishegoss Edition

By Hubie and Bertie

The world's attention is on Davos, Switzerland, this week, as Benedict Donald continues to threaten Greenland and French prez Macron and others push back. But what everybody really wants to know is, what's with the lunettes de soleil? Is Macron channeling his inner Dark Brandon? (LOL — apparently it's some minor eye infection. Or he figured out a nifty way to steal the spotlight from certain hoggers of same.)

Whatever the reason, here are some of our initial impressions from Davos Day Two:

The forum's star today was definitely Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Yep, we know we're prejudiced when it comes to our Neighbor to the North, but jeez — it was so smart of Canada to put a hardheaded economist in charge just as Trump started rampaging about tariffs and takeovers. Carney's speech, which quoted Václav Havel's Power of the Powerless essay, brilliantly placed Havel's theory of "living the lie" squarely into the international conundrums of 2026:

"The system's power comes not from its truth but from everyone's willingness to perform as if it were true. And its fragility comes from the same source: When even one person stops performing...the illusion begins to crack." In short, Western powers, stop assuming Trump's behavior is normal, and act accordingly.

We cats don't know about you, but any major economic speech that quotes Václav Havel is a-okay by us.

Meanwhile, back in Berlin Washington, Donald spent two hours at the White House lectern rambling on about — well, about what, exactly? All we know is that at some point this afternoon, thought leaders we follow on social media began posting things like "Every network in America should be carrying this right now. People need to see the condition their President is in." Gosh, what's going to happen when he speaks in Davos? And will Jake Tapper write a book about it? (Nah.)

So, lots and lots going on. But a thought occurred to us: Is Donald acting like a maniac because Jack Smith is testifying to Congress in public on Thursday? We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

MLK Day: More Relevant Than Ever

Martin Luther King's principles of nonviolence against injustice can be tough to follow — especially these days. But Minnesotans (and the rest of us) must follow them. We cats PURR.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Things Are Bad, But Could Be Worse, Edition

By Miss Kubelik

So much going on in the news these days — the usual firehose, actually. But here are the stories that got our attention today.

Larry the Cat, feline guardsman of No. 10 Downing Street, has turned 19. That's an advanced age for our species, so we hope that the Labour government has prepared a succession plan for when (God forbid) Larry crosses the Rainbow Bridge. In the meantime, Nico Carney, "Purr Minister" of Canada, has convened a birthday celebration at Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. (They're probably also saluting PM Mark Carney's end run around Benedict Donald with his trade trip to China. Ha!)

The Trumpsters are trying to intimidate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey with "criminal investigations" against them. If only they would put half the effort into defending the Constitution, right? It seems that Walz and Frey are undeterred — as they should be. Why do we think that the only people benefiting from all this nonsense are lawyers?

Abigail Spanberger has been sworn in as Virginia's first woman Governor. This is a great day — not just because it's the end of the era of fleecy-vest asshole Glenn Youngkin, but because Spanberger sprang immediately out of the gate by: 1) telling multiple Trumpy members of the University of Virginia Board of Visitors to resign, and 2) presiding over the redistricting of the Commonwealth CDs to cut Republicans down to one seat. Spanberger is a centrist, national-security Democrat, but she will brook no GOP bullshit. Love it!

Finally, did you know that Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland was reaffirmed in a post-9/11 agreement back in 2004?

Yes! The Igaliku Agreement recognized Greenland's Home Rule government as a partner in matters of defense, solidifying Danish control while also granting Greenlanders more say in US military activities. You know who was President then? Yep, it was George W. "Smirky" Bush — and it would be nice if he would step out and say something about Benedict Donald today. But since Bush was the Worst Person Who's Ever Lived before Trump was, perhaps we can't expect him to behave like a statesman? We cats HISS.

How Do You Solve A Problem Like The VP?

By Zamboni

Back in the day (and not too long ago), right-wing American Catholics used to call for the church to deny the sacrament to Democratic politicians who supported abortion rights. President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Senator John Kerry were all in their crosshairs — and, most recently, so was Senator Dick Durbin. So this is not exactly a thing of the distant past. 

In Durbin's case, his hometown bishop objected to an award that he was set to receive from the Archdiocese of Chicago. And so Durbin took the higher road and said, you know what? Skip the award, I'm good.

However, you can't help but wonder if contretemps like these might become less frequent under the papacy of Leo XIV. The former Robert Prevost, born in that Toddlin' Town and holder of both US and Peruvian citizenships, has begun to chart his course — and because his mentor, Pope Francis, stacked the College of Cardinals like Biden did US judgeships, Leo might actually be able to make some incremental progress on a more progressive direction.

We say "might," "incremental," and "more" progressive, because this is the Catholic Church we're talking about. But it seems like Leo's staking out a global position against autocracy, intolerance, and hatred of migrants. Sooner or later, he may come smack up against Benedict Donald and his ICE-y minions. At least, he's considering an invitation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to visit his old Cook County stomping grounds — so we'll keep you posted on that.

Meanwhile, we definitely expect that the "deny the sacrament to Democratic office holders" crazies will have the wind taken out of their sails. But if not, here's a thought: Why not do the same to Catholic convert JD Vance? He's defended the killing of an unarmed Minneapolis woman at the hands of ICE — an outright murder of someone whose last words were "That's okay, dude, I'm not mad at you." And it's on video.

Is there anything worse than that these days? In fact, should we blow right past denying the sacrament to Vance, and move straight to excommunication? We cats wonder, and we HISS.

Just Posting This For No Reason At All

 We cats PURR.

The GOP Is "Cooked"

"Okay, Trump wants to 'cancel the midterms.'

"How does he get the Virginia state board of elections to cancel the midterms? How does he get the Georgia board of elections to do it? How does he convince Republican House members to quit their jobs and give up their paychecks?

"What does he do about the fact that in most states, midterms and statewide elections are on the same cycle, so 'canceling the elections' might mean that Tennessee doesn't have a governor next year? How does he convince Tennessee Republicans to give up power in their own states?

"ICE can't even deal with irate, middle-aged Midwesterners. How does he occupy hundreds, if not thousands, of polling cites and precincts? Trump v. Illinois clarified that he has no legal authority to unilaterally commandeer National Guards. How does he move forward from there?

"Now, of course, when you point out the practical obstacles to 'canceling the elections,' people move the goal posts to 'voter suppression and various shenanigans.' Yeah, those things exist and they always have. But the other thing is that those things work at the margins.

"You can't actually suppress away a wave of discontent. (Relatedly, I think a lot of you have no idea how large this country is and how small its various military and security forces are relative to its population).

"A lot of you are responding with 'You think guardrails and institutions will hold!' And that is a sign you aren't actually engaging with the words you're reading.

"If I want water from the sink, I have to turn on the faucet. If I want to ride my bike, I have to pedal and engage the gears. There is a mechanism. My point is that there is no mechanism by which elections can be canceled. It's not about norms, it is about how things work."

—New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie, on Bluesky

"Mr. Adams, Damn You, Mr. Adams"

By Baxter

Scott Adams died today, and we cats have a few thoughts.

His obits have correctly led not just with the creation of Dilbert but also Adams's spectacular crash and burn after he spewed racist comments on his podcast a couple of years ago. (Did you know that our country's 50 million Black people were a "hate group"? Neither did we.)

Not content with stopping there, Adams also questioned whether six million Jews really, truly died in the Holocaust (or was this a number that "someone pulled out of his ass?"), and he said that "women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. Its just easier this way for everyone."

Scott, not to mince words or anything, but fuck you and good riddance.

Hundreds of newspapers dropped Dilbert like a hot potato, as did the publisher Penguin Random House. "My reputation is destroyed," Adams whined. "You can't come back from this, am I right?" Right.

Adams was, unsurprisingly, a big Trump admirer. He remained steadfast even through all of Benedict Donald's outrages, and despite the damage it did to his career. (He even begged Trump on Twitter to help get him access to the cancer drug Pluvicto. In the end, it had to be postponed due to radiation treatments. Well, now it's permanently postponed.)

It seems to us that, as he's done with so many, Donald Trump gave Scott Adams — who had previously been rich, admired, and successful — permission to be his worst self. Adams behaved accordingly, and look what it got him. "I sacrificed everything. I sacrificed my social life. I sacrificed my career. I sacrificed my reputation. I may have sacrificed my health. And I did that because I believed it was worth it."

All righty, then. We'll close by noting that President Joe Biden, who is also battling stage IV prostate cancer — and whom Adams dragged for allegedly "not admitting" to having it earlier — has managed to outlive him. Nice work, Joe. We cats PURR.

ICE On The Rampage: Cameras Out, Americans

"Get it all on record now. Get the films, Get the witnesses, because somewhere down the road of history, some bastard will get up and say that this never happened."

—Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Commander, Allied Forces

(IMAGE: The 45th Infantry liberates Dachau, April 1945)

Heading For The Exits

By Sniffles

The GOP has a big problem on its hands. It's not just that 25 of their incumbent members of Congress have decided against running for re-election in 2026. Republicans who have already declared their candidacies for various races are dropping out, too.

The latest is New York State Assemblyman John Lemondes, who had been set to challenge Democratic Congressman John Mannion in NY-22, but who surprised everybody this past Friday by announcing he wouldn't run after all. Lemondes gave no reason for his change of heart — he just said he'd run to keep his seat in the state assembly instead.

Lemondes isn't saying, but he obviously figured out he couldn't possibly win this year with an "R" after his name. Republicans must be chagrined. NY-22 would have been a juicy win-back for them — it's a longtime GOP district that Mannion had only been able to flip in 2024 (a rare bright spot on an otherwise bad night).

Even setting aside the giant albatross that is Trump, by any reasonable logic, the Republicans should be contesting this seat. So state party chair Ed Cox has to at least get someone on the ballot, and he doesn't have a lot of time — federal filing opens in New York on March 30 and closes on April 6. His job will be made more difficult by the fact that the GOP can't promise any money to whatever candidate steps up. They've got to defend endangered Rep. Mike Lawler in NY-17, and spend heavily in four Long Island/Queens districts (both the ones they hold, and the ones they want to flip back) — plus NY-21, since Elise "Elsie" Stefanik called it quits herself a few weeks ago.

Whoever goes up against Mannion will be on his or her own. Sad! (Not really.) We cats PURR.

Im-Plaque-Able

By Hubie and Bertie

Last week was such a shitshow that we cats never really got around to mentioning that Tuesday was the fifth anniversary of the Trump-incited 2021 attack on the US Capitol. But of course it was, and — true to form — the White House unveiled a timeline on its website that blamed Democrats and the police for the riot. It's up to the rest of us to make sure that they're not allowed to twist history for good.

At the same time, though, another crack appeared in Benedict Donald's Congressional support system, as the Republican-controlled Senate unanimously voted to hang the January 6 plaque honoring the Capitol Hill police and other defenders of democracy that day. (Mikey Johnson and his Trumpy minions in the House have been refusing to hang it, even though its display is required by law. MAGA Republicans don't care much about the law these days, do they?)

The vote in the Senate was unanimous. While we wait for someone on the Capitol custodial staff to find the real plaque, here's a suggestion for every Democratic member of both chambers: Hang a replica on the wall outside your office.

Several members already do this. (This photo is from outside Rep. Jamie Raskin's door.) But everybody should. Democrats could also post a small banner with it, saying something like "We truly back the blue." Let everybody know what liars and hypocrites the Republicans are.

PS: Each Democratic member might want to order 100 or so extra replicas. Because you never know when a pardoned Jan-Sixer or other sick Trumpster will wander by and try to tear it down. We cats HISS.

The ICEMan Killeth

 

From top: Mike Luckovich, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Jim Morin, Morintoons Syndicate; Ocean Beach, San Francisco, today; and uncredited (but brilliant). We cats PURR.

Donald Messes With Maine

By Miss Kubelik

Susan Collins is not our favorite person, but it's hard to imagine her on the receiving end of one of Benedict Donald's "profanity-laced rants."

That's how The Hill described a call that Trump made to Collins after she joined four Republican Senate colleagues to support Senator Tim Kaine's war powers resolution on Venezuela. But more important, Donald's just put the Maine Senate race into a tizzy. The five Republicans, he said, "should never be elected to office again."

Um. Collins is up this year, and like nearly every Republican in 2026, it seems, she's vulnerable. GOP members of the Senate went nuts. "You’re s—g on her on this sort of stuff?" one told a reporter (anonymously, of course). "It’s almost reminiscent of 'Don’t come to vote for the Georgia Senators. It’s not worth your while.'" Oh, faceless, nameless and gutless Republican Senator, thank you for taking us back to the day the Peach State elected Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. It makes us grin.

She won't show it, but Susan Collins is probably mad. And if she really wants to get back at Trump, we have a suggestion: Go all the way up to the March filing deadline, and then at 4 PM that day, announce she's retiring. She'd strand the Republicans with no candidate. It won't happen, but it's fun to think about. We cats PURR.

Internet, Do Your Thing To Jonathan Ross

By Zamboni

How do you solve a problem like the Minneapolis ICE shooter? (How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?)

As Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.) said, "I've worked closely with law enforcement in my roles at state and local government, and I have never seen anybody describe as protocol holding a cellphone and taking video while you are simultaneously shooting a gun that ends up killing somebody. It's kind of unbelievable."

You got that right. A new (horrifying) video is making the rounds tonight, thanks to the Trumpsters. And we are mystified. Renee Good appears to be cheerily conversing with her murderer, and after he shoots her in the face, he mutters, "Fucking bitch." This is exculpatory?

Now, with the FBI freezing out Minnesota law enforcement on the investigation, what can be done? Well, we have a few suggestions.

Minnesota AG Keith Ellison should do to the shooter what the Trump DOJ is doing to our New York AG, Letitia James, and others: Explore every aspect of his life. Mortgage fraud? Missed childcare or divorce payments? Lying about income to qualify for Medicaid? Unpaid traffic tickets? Small claims court judgments? The corn is as eye as an elephant's eye.

In short, assume that the Department of Homeland Security's vetting was no where near enough. Find anything and everything about the guy. Dox his high school transcripts to show that he had a 1.8 EPA. We already know ICE is accepting the worst of the worst. Show that Jonathan Ross is even more terrible. We cats PURR.

Moskowitz The Magnificent

As if this wasn't delicious enough, Benedict Donald and Mikey Johnson had a pretty bad day today. They lost five Senators on Venezuela, and 17 House members on extending the ACA subsidies. We cats PURR.

Reactions.

 

"The Trump administration has repeatedly targeted small and politically disempowered populations — Haitians, Somalis, trans people — in order to justify abuses of power. But its abuses of power are not limited to those communities. What the government can do to the most vulnerable among us, it can also do to you." —Adam Serwer, The Atlantic

"I refuse to stay silent while Secretary Noem breaks the rule of law and terrorizes our communities. I am introducing Articles of Impeachment against her... From Chicago to Charlotte to Los Angeles to Minneapolis, Secretary Noem is violating the Constitution while ruining — and ending — lives, and separating families. It’s one thing to be incompetent and dangerous, but it’s impeachable to break the rule of law. I told my constituents and Chicagoans that I would fight against Secretary Noem’s agenda. This is me fighting back." —Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL)

"Maybe we're at their McCarthy moment. Do you have no decency? We have someone dead in their car for no reason whatsoever." —Governor Tim Walz (D-MN)

"I have a message for ICE. Get the fuck out of Minneapolis." —Mayor Jacob Frey (D-Minneapolis)

"I await the day you're offered a cigarette and a blindfold." —Rick Wilson on Twitter, to Stephen Miller

Minneapolis Again

Today we cats decided we weren't sure the country was going to make it until November. But we have to try. Until then, we can send money to Democratic candidates, we can organize, we can register people to vote — and we can peacefully protest. But be sure you know your rights. And let's be careful out there. We cats HISS.

Will George Take Manhattan?

By Baxter

If we cats lived in NY-12, we'd not only be very wealthy (it's the third-richest Congressional district in the country), we'd be mighty tempted to vote for George Conway in the Democratic primary to succeed Representative Jerrold Nadler, who is retiring.

Did we just type those words? George Conway supported Benedict Donald. He wrote legal briefs for Paula Jones. He was married to Kellyanne. He has said he wept "tears of joy" on Election Night 2016.

But now, Conway is a registered Democrat. He launched his Congressional campaign today, and as we all know, he's done a complete 180 on Trump. There's no shortage of candidates for Nadler's seat, but Conway is intriguing because if elected, he would make Benedict Donald's life just miserable — especially with Democrats in charge.

We don't live in Manhattan (or the Bronx or Staten Island too), but there's still something we can do: Send Conway and a few other Democrats some money this week. Trump and his madmen have gone so far off the deep end — invading Venezuela, threatening Greenland — that until we take to the streets, we can let our wallets do the talking. Think about giving a few bucks to Conway (here), Roy Cooper for Senate in North Carolina (here), or Jon Ossoff for Senate in Georgia (here). Or whatever Democratic candidate you like.

Let's rack up some big early fundraising numbers, just to send Trump and the Republicans a message. That would make us cats PURR.

What Could Have Been

We could have prevented all this awfulness if enough Americans had been willing to vote for the smart, experienced, and beautiful Black woman. Or the white woman before her. We cats HISS.

What Is Wrong With This Picture?

 Answer: Nothing. We cats PURR.

Somehow These Things Are All Connected

By Sniffles

It's about Jeffrey Epstein, and it isn't.

Back in 2019, former White House national security adviser Fiona Hill testified to Congress that Vladimir Putin had proposed a deal to Benedict Donald: He would look away if we waltzed into Venezuela, so long as we would ignore Russia waltzing into Ukraine.

It looks like that swap is well underway. But the invasion of Venezuela also helps people forget that Friday was the deadline for DOJ to explain their redactions and delays on the Epstein Files. Or maybe instead of "delays," the correct term is "breaking the law" (a.k.a. the Epstein Transparency Act, passed by Congress and signed by Trump).

Weird to think that in June 2018, Epstein was offering himself up to the Russians as a source on All Things Donald. "It is not complex," Epstein wrote. "He must be seen to get something." What else did he share with them? Stories of sex trafficking and child rape? Photos and videos?

Okay, it's tinfoil hat time. But these days, everything seems possible. We absolutely have to win the midterms. Until then, we cats HISS.

Lucko Nails It Again

More on the newest Trump outrage later. But in the meantime, we hope that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Carney, and whoever runs Greenland hire some extra personal security. We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

That's The Way It Is.

By Hubie and Bertie

CBS News is dead — as dead as a doornail.

This won't make a dent in our current habits, since we cats can't remember when we last watched any of the networks' evening news shows. But there was a time in our previous nine lives when we wouldn't have missed them. (Or, in our case, the Huntley-Brinkley Report. We knew, though, that CBS had a well-earned, distinguished reputation.)

Today, CBS is under the direction of some strange girl who has no journalistic experience but plenty of delusions of grandeur. The new anchor for the evening news show is a dude named "Dokoupil," who needs to wear an undershirt under his dress shirt (sorry, it's just something we noticed), and who has announced to the world that CBS will no longer consult "elites and academics" about the stories they cover. Guess they're going to talk to MAGA folks in TJ Maxx or diners instead? Why bother with experts?

It's adorable how they think we're going to watch any of this.

CBS also issued a grossly insipid and jingoistic statement about their alleged core principles, including the fact that they "love America — and we make no apologies for saying so." Somebody please tell Officially Bad Writer Bari Weiss that Edward R. Murrow loved America, too. Probably more than she can comprehend. (It would be hard to have reported on Nazi Germany and the war in Europe, as Murrow and William R. Shirer did, and not come away from the experience loving America.)

Dan Rather, the surviving member of CBS in its heyday, has not tweeted or skeeted about these developments. We have our differences with him, too, but we'd still like to hear what he has to say about the downfall of his once-mighty employer. Meanwhile, we'll continue to support independent media, thank you very much. At least none of the people who podcast to us are married to Katy Tur. We cats HISS.

No Notes

We cats 💖 NY. And we PURR.