Embrace Me, My Sweet Embraceable You

By Sniffles

Speaking of feeling worried about the upcoming midterms, we cats ran across a possible solution: Go to a Democratic rally and ask the candidate or featured speaker for a hug.

"At stop after stop on his latest Southern swing over Labor Day weekend, Governor Gavin Newsom leaned into the anxiety and exhaustion Democrats have been carrying through the Trump era," POLITICO reports. "In North Charleston, a young woman in the front row held up a sign reading HOLD ME! Newsom walked over mid-speech and obliged."

An interesting approach to mental distress. We'd particularly like to try this at a Jon Ossoff event. We cats PURR.

Let The Games Begin

By Hubie and Bertie

Well, it's Labor Day! The official end to summer and beginning of the fall campaign season. But as all of us know, electioneering for the midterms has been in full swing for some time now. Yard signs are out, debates are being booked or ducked, and polls are coming thick and fast. (A word to the wise: Treat many of the polls you see with healthy skepticism. Lots of bogus ones are floating around. Maybe stick to analysis by seasoned pros like Larry Sabato and Charlie Cook.)

We've also had a dicey incident recently at the Canfield Fair outside of Youngstown, Ohio: An armed man rushed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton, injuring several bystanders. (Acton is fine.) It turns out that the suspect is the brother of a big Vivek Ramaswamy donor, who had to resign a previous job with GOP Senator John Husted's campaign when journalists surfaced his criminal history of — you guessed it — sexual misconduct with a minor.

(JFC, these Republican pedophiles are everywhere. All those QAnon accusations against Democrats were pure projection.)

Before all this happened, Acton chatted up Democratic activist Simon Rosenberg at a Democratic fundraising event in Washington last week. "Simon," she told him, "I think there is something happening out there with people that goes beyond their economic struggles and higher costs. People are crying at my events, breaking down and crying in public. Sherrod Brown tells me he's never seen so many people cry at events as he is seeing this year."

We cats have a theory about that. Voters know that these midterms are our last chance to save our democracy, and it's damn scary. The best antidote that we can think of is to just to keep our noses to the grindstone and get as many people to the polls as we possibly can. Taking action is a good remedy for anxiety. We cats PURR.

Spotted In Seattle

"The biggest story on planet Earth, this day and every day, is that the President of the United States is seriously unwell and allowed to continue in office — unfit, untethered, and unchecked." (Until November 3rd, that is.)

Welcome The Stranger (And The Strange)

By Miss Kubelik

More than 260,000 Canadians have signed a petition to Parliament to send Donald Trump's US ambassador Pete Hoekstra back to the US, never to return. In the meantime, though, Canada is kinda stuck. Hoekstra is where he is, and sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Meaning, invite the cretin to something you'd rather not have him anywhere near, like the 25th anniversary September 11 commemoration ceremony in Gander, Newfoundland. Ugh.

The town known worldwide for its graciousness, decency, and above-and-beyond friendliness on 9/11 will have its character tested by hosting someone who's completely ungracious, Trumpily indecent, and openly hostile. "The Town of Gander says its invitation to Hoekstra was protocol, not an endorsement," CTV reports. But internet wags have suggested a sequel to the hit musical "Come From Away," in which the residents of Gander throw Hoekstra's ass out.

We'll keep an eye on this story for you, because Benedict Donald will be sucking up all the oxygen in the American media's coverage of the anniversary. But less than a week out, we have to just say that Canadians are sick of Team Trump's insults — maybe madder about those than all the ridiculous tariffs in the world.

They're sick of the annexation "jokes," the lake renaming, the mocking of Canadian military cadets, and the "nasty" accusations. Prime Minister Mark Carney, with three recent Liberal by-election victories and his Parliamentary majority strengthened, made it clear: The Americans, he said have to "stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough, and start being serious," he said. We cats PURR.

Goodbye, Gloria

Well, we've lost another one. Activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes, on the right in this famous photo, died in 2023, and now Gloria Steinem as well. With Dolly Parton leaving us last week, we've had enough. Can the Reaper take a few Trumpsters for a change? We cats HISS.

You Tell 'Em, Tarrant County

By Zamboni

Another dispatch from the Republicans-Are-Scared-and-Desperate Department: Tarrant County, Texas, near Dallas-Fort Worth, has reduced the number of their polling places for the midterms from 316 to 224.

But the Tarrant County Commissioners' Court got an earful from the public first. People stepped up to give the commissioners many pieces of their minds, and they were pretty eloquent about it.

"People have fought and died for the right to vote."

"You're on the wrong side of history. You're dishonoring what it means to be an American, and more than that, you're losing your humanity."

"I'd love to know what you all think our tax dollars are for. They are to serve us, and I can't think of a better use of taxpayer money than to encourage and support the democratic process."

And the piece de resistance: "Nothing you can do can stop us from removing you in November."

All this pushback helped. The original plan was to reduce the county's Election Day polling places by half. In the end, they settled on 30 percent. Still not great, but proof that if you try to tell people they can't vote, they'll walk over broken glass to do it. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: [Democracy Docket]:Tarrant County Commissioner Alisha Simmons and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico speak at the University of Texas Arlington, August 30, 2026)

Check, Check, And Recheck Your Registration

By Baxter

It's almost Labor Day, which marks what used to be the official start of the fall campaign season, when TV ads would start airing and rallies and events would really begin to crank up.

Everything is different now — campaigns know no start and no end. But we're entering the meaty part of the Desperate Donald Danger Zone.

The Trumpsters and Republicans know they're deep in dirtied cat litter for the midterms and beyond. Voters are furious about gas and grocery prices, the needless war in Iran, the neglect of our soldiers and sailors, the snatching of innocent people off the streets, and the raping of our national parks. Republican candidates across the country are weak, lazy, and/or bad campaigners (looking at you, Ken Paxton), and they're trying to fend off challenges from strong, confident Democrats. Turnout for the primaries and special elections since Trump started wrecking the country has soared. Just about the only thing the GOP has in its favor is its war chest, but even money can't beat determined voters (just ask Elon Musk about that Supreme Court race in Wisconsin).

So, they've ratcheted up their suppression tactics — remove mail-in voting, or drop-boxes where they can't erase it. Threaten to put ICE at polling places. And now comes this news from Texas: More than one million people on the voter rolls have been "suspended."

"The designation, which means that the voter's county doesn’t know their address or thinks they’ve moved, doesn’t stop people from voting in November’s midterm elections, but it does make the process more difficult," The New Republic explains. "If a voter shows up on Election Day and their registration is suspended, they have to fill out a statement of residenc” form, and if they’ve moved to a new county, they’ll either be required to vote in their old one or be given a provisional ballot."

Our first reaction was, wow, Gregg Abbott must really be worried. But this has to be stopped.

Texans, you have until October 5 to check your registration and correct it if there are any problems. Visit VoteTexas.gov, call 800-252-VOTE, or email elections@sos.texas.gov today.

And everybody else? Check your registration anyway, even if you live in a blue state, and especially if you live in a red one. And keep checking, up until the deadline in your state to register for the midterms. Click here. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

"Farther Below, Lake Ontario Takes In What Lake Erie Can Send Her"

MapQuest is getting in on the fun: If you'd like to rename Lake Ontario yourself, just click here. We cats PURR.

Dr. Frank-N-Furter Exits (Chasing Dolly, No Doubt)

"'I was hesitant in that, if it worked, it might be a difficult image to shake off." —Tim Curry

Tidbits And Cat Treats: 2026 Electoral Update Edition

By Sniffles

We cats are headed to Quebec tomorrow, and we hope they let us in. (KIDDING — of course they will, but we wouldn't blame them if they were a bit surly. If they are, we'll just speak French with a good accent.)

Meanwhile, we have a few observations about elections around the US of A.

South Carolina — It was a little surprising, after her silly gaffe the other night, that the Republican Senate runoff was called pretty early for Darline Nordone (we refuse to call her Graham). But while the MSM is portraying her victory as a Benedict Donald triumph, we're not convinced. Trump had to haul his fat ass down to Myrtle Beach to campaign for her, and — although we know the Republicans have more money than God — they still had to spend almost a million dollars on a GOTV phone bank. In South Carolina! Oh, Mary, please.

By the way, if you're ready to send some love to Democratic candidate Dr. Annie Andrews, click here.

Michigan — Abdul El-Sayed would not have been our choice for Senate nominee for Gary Peters's seat, but too bad, he won. We've also been encouraged by the way he's bringing it to Trump and the Republicans. First, his relentless focus on Benedict Donald is very smart. But also, his recent appearance on Fox "News" with Jesse Watters has received universally good reviews. Even Watters himself admitted he liked him. What's not to like about a guy who asks if you're circumcised?

Here's a link to El-Sayed's website if you're of a mind to contribute.

Texas — All righty then, we all know that James Talarico is running rings around Ken Paxton, raising a ton of money (which he'll need, by the way), while Paxton is vacationing in the UK and running a lackluster campaign. But other things are happening in Texas, too. Sabato's Crystal Ball has changed the governor's race from "Safe Republican" to "Likely Republican," mostly because of Democratic energy and voters' potential weariness with their multi-term guv. But get a load of TX-15.

That's a Trumpy district — plus-18 in 2024 — but the Democrat, Tejano music star Bobby Pulido, is leading incumbent Republican Monica De La Cruz by five points. This is South Texas, folks. Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved the race from "Leans Republican" to "Toss-Up."

Exciting! You can send Bobby some support by clicking here.

These are just three races around the country where Republicans are wringing their hands and in some cases spending unexpected money. Thanks to Trump, the GOP has similar dilemmas in places like Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, Alaska, Virginia, Iowa, Maine... the list goes on. We'll keep you updated, but right now, going into Labor Day weekend soon, we're liking where the Democrats are. We cats PURR.

Don't Tell Donald

"Today, we remember an American original and a wonderful friend. Dolly, we will always love you!"

—The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library

De Adder Du Jour (2)

 

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

De Adder Du Jour (1)

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deAdder.net)

Picking Fights With Canada Makes You A Loser

We don't often agree with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, but today's an exception. Translation: After he said that Trump was a bully who would "take your lunch money one day," he said that Trump would "take your toque off your head the next day." You're welcome. We cats PURR.

Canada Hates Us, And That's Not Good

By Miss Kubelik

It's pretty amazing how things have worked out politically in Canada since Benedict Donald manged to convince 77 million Americans to vote for him in 2024. (We're assuming that some buyers' remorse has set in since then... but to be honest, we're not sure.)

Even if it hasn't, sentiments north of our border have changed — and solidified. Sad to say that Canadians' view of the US has turned decidedly for the worse. They don't want to buy our booze, visit Florida, or cross into Michigan, Maine, or New York State to go shopping. And now, with this week's collapse in trade talks, Prime Minister Mark Carney has made it very clear how his countrymen feel about America under the sway of Benedict Donald and his hateful minions.

"We’ve recognized from the start that America has changed," Carney said today. "We recognize that sometimes, its signature is written in pencil. We cannot accept what they offered, and we will not give what they asked." Thank you, Prime Minister, for your bold words.

Since January 2025, we cats have not understood why Canada should be forced to deal with American assholes on trade, defense, or any other issues. Yep, times have been kinda tense before — Diefenbaker and JFK were not the best of friends, for example. But the relationship between our two countries has never been as strained as it is now.

Why should Canada have to negotiate with a jailbird and an Epstein pal? But maybe that's just us. We live for the day when President Ossoff can appoint somebody to the post in Ottawa who can repair relations. Whoever it is will have a lot of work to do. We cats HISS. 

Palmetto State Pitfalls

By Zamboni

Well! Trouble in GOP/Trump world. Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has endorsed Rep. Ralph Norman over appointed-Senator Darline Graham Nordone in the Republican runoff.

"As much as I would like to honor tradition and old friendships, the stakes are simply too high as our nation really is at a financial tipping point," Sanford said on social media. He posted it hours before Benedict Donald was set to appear at a campaign event for Nordone. (And gosh, Donald looked sweaty and awful at that rally — just like a guy who's on an endorsement losing streak.)

Is it too early in the midterms to declare that we cats would rather be us than them? Maybe so, because who knows what shenanigans Trump will try to pull between now and November. Still and all, the polls we've seen, and the struggles that the Republicans are dealing with, are too enticing to ignore. Let's take heart from them, but still keep our noses to the grindstone: Register absolutely everyone you know, and then get out the vote, in early voting and on Election Day. We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

Oliver!

 

By Baxter

So this is the best funeral urn we've ever seen. Jazz legend Oliver Jones was honored with a public viewing at Montreal's Hall of Honor yesterday, and if we cats had been in town, we would have tried to attend.

Jones's touch on the keyboard was special and gentle — hard to describe. You just have to listen to it. He championed other jazz musicians' careers, as Oscar Peterson and Daisy Peterson Sweeney championed his. And he knew that the best way to keep jazz going was to nurture up-and-coming talent.

It was good to see Montreal's mayor attend Jones's tribute at City Hall, because he was truly a cultural icon of a vibrant, international metropolis. Oliver, your gift will live forever. We cats PURR.

(IMAGES: Evan Buhler, Montreal Gazette)

De Adder Du Jour: Darline Edition

 

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Tidbits And Cat Treats: More GOP Travails Edition

By Sniffles

Big primary day yesterday, among other events. Here are some news items that have gotten our attention today.

Darline Graham Nordone may have made a fatal mistake in last night's South Carolina Senate debate ("I'm not that informed on national security"). Now everyone's knickers are in a twist about it. But the reason for the uproar is unclear. If Nordone's just going to be a Trump cipher in the Senate, why does she need to know anything about policy? She's supposed to just show up and vote any way Trump wants. Still, with this gaffe she's suddenly looking more like the placeholder that fate initially meant her to be.

People are agog at Angie Nixon's primary win in Florida — or, should we say, Alex Vindman's surprise but apparently deserved loss — but what really got our attention was Alaska, where there's a much more competitive Senate race. Democrat Mary Peltola was the leading vote-getter in that ranked-choice primary, beating incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by six percent. (The top four candidates will advance — root for the other Dan Sullivan to make the cut!) The Republicans also are shut out of the governor's race — incredible. With 80 percent of the vote in, we'll keep tabs on this one.

Donald's endorsements are getting less and less valuable on the Republican side. Three of his candidates lost yesterday: Megan Degenfelder in Wyoming, and Catalina Lauf and Cory Mills in Florida. Did Natalie have the heart to break it to him? LOL

Finally, US debt has officially hit $40 trillion. If any Reagan Republicans are still around, this news will have them hacking up endless hairballs. And as for all those GOP think tanks that screamed about the horrors of budget deficits and debt for two generations — and who now bend the knee to Trump? Shame on them, and on the mainstream media for platforming them for all these years. We cats HISS.

Elvis Is Still In The Building

No, not that Elvis — he died in 1977. This Elvis. Bill Clinton turned 80 today. Happy birthday, Mr. President! We cats PURR.

The Method Behind The Mention

By Hubie and Bertie

We're not trying to turn this into a Jon Ossoff blog, honest! But the Senator from Georgia keeps popping up in the headlines — at least until today's primary results start rolling in.

This is completely okay, by the way. Ossoff is so easy on the eyes that it's totes cool to have more opportunities to post more photos of him. And the fact that he's driving the Trumpsters crazy is a real bonus.

According to Rick Wilson, Ossoff's "Natalie" speech on Sunday "put the White House into a screaming panic." Adam Kinzinger observed that Team Donald was "big maddddd." The right-wing media have kept up the rending of garments and gnashing of teeth — maybe because Ossoff has followed up by making the rounds on TV to expound further on his now-famous Natalie Name-Check. (Seems like kind of an overreaction to us, but then, everything is a veiled confession with these folks.)

People are speculating that Ossoff is laying the groundwork for a 2028 run for President. But as we (and he) have pointed out before, November 2026 and his Senate re-election come first.

Meanwhile, though, we think that 2028 aside, Ossoff's "Natalie" comment was brilliant for another reason: It was the way to break through the flooded zone and get the attention of low-information voters who may not realize how much Benedict Donald has corrupted and defiled the Presidency — and how much that corruption and defilement endangers the country. Mention a young, attractive blonde, and people will notice. Nice going, Senator. We cats PURR.

For Your Viewing Pleasure: Jon Ossoff's "Travel With Natalie" Speech

 

By Miss Kubelik

All the speculation about Senator Jon Ossoff running for President in 2028 is fun, but we cats prefer not to indulge at this point. First, we need to get him re-elected to the Senate in November. Second, Democrats have a deep bench, with lots of folks interested in making a run. But we will confess that Ossoff is currently our favorite.

The excitement around him is palpable. And he was mentored by the late, great John Lewis. That's enough for us.

Some in the corporate media appear to be heading for the fainting couch over a few of Ossoff's comments. Ridiculous and maddening. People are sick of Trump and hungry for a fighter. Besides, what has Donald been doing for the last 10 years? Belittling and insulting people and giving them stupid names. Are any journalists noting that while Trump can dish it out, he sure can't take it? Probably not, but Trump's thin-skinned response is still pretty amusing. We cats PURR.

De Adder Du Jour: Wheels

  

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Give Hoekstra The Hook

By Zamboni

Canadian disgust with Donald Trump is still going strong. While Ontario Premier Doug Ford has been hinting that he could restore US alcohol to his province's shelves under certain conditions — spoiler alert, Doug, Canadians still won't buy it — a new front has opened up on the "We Used to Like You but Now We Hate You" war.

More than 171,000 Canadians have signed a petition to toss Trump's odious US ambassador, Pete Hoekstra, from the country. This is a lot when you consider that an online petition only needs 500 signatures to be officially considered by the House of Commons.

Good on you, Canada! Hoekstra has been a particularly disturbing ambassador. Not only has he made careless and insulting comments about US-Canadian relations — supporting Benedict Donald's "51st state" nonsense, for example — he has ties to leaders in the Alberta separatist movement. Why should Canada tolerate a US ambassador who is possibly fomenting the dissolution of their country behind the scenes? The US wouldn't stand for it. Why should they?

Add to that the fact that Hoekstra is an asshole, and we wholeheartedly endorse this movement — even though it could put Prime Minister Mark Carney in a dicey spot. (We're confident that he could find a clever, Trump-frustrating way to handle it.) Meanwhile, we cats PURR.

Constantino's Behind, Elsie's AWOL

By Baxter

The Congressional campaign of Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino — not to mention the candidate himself — is very unhappy with a recent poll from Survey USA and WNYT Channel 13 that shows Democrat Blake Gendebien four points ahead of Constantino in NY-21.

Wait! Red alert! NY-21 is Elise "Elsie" Stefanik's near-solid-Republican district. The Democrat is ahead? Wow! No wonder the DCCC recently added the district to its strategic "Red to Blue" list for 2026.

Meanwhile, Team Constantino is busy attacking the poll.

"This should be illegal and WNYT13 should be swiftly reprimanded by the FCC to the fullest extent possible,” Constantino tweeted. “This 'story' is a clear violation of journalistic ethics and (an) example of rampant political corruption." Former Stefanik campaign aide Alex deGrasse, now working for Constantino, huffed that the poll was "completely fraudulent" and a "scam." A scam!

Oh, sigh. They're so desperate and dumb. Survey USA is a leans-Republican polling firm — no friend to Democrats. But since Channel 13 is one of the local stations not owned by a right-wing broadcast group, that seems to explain Constantino's bleating about finking them out to the FCC. Even though it's extraordinarily silly.

So, where's Elsie? Why isn't she out campaigning for her party's nominee? Was she a secret Robert Smullen supporter in the primary? Has she lost interest? Will any intrepid reporter even bother to ask her about all this? Yeah, right. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Missed The Solar Eclipse? Here You Go.

We cats witnessed the amazing eclipse in April of 2024, but we still wish we could have seen the one today. Let's PURR anyway.

Carted Away

The whole world is laughing at us, including our friends — that is, when they're not petitioning their government to expel our ambassador. Nice work, Trumpsters. We cats HISS.

(IMAGE: Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

How Unpopular Is Donald? Very Unpopular.

By Sniffles

There's a satisfying symmetry in the results of two recent Democratic primaries in the Midwest. In Michigan, Bernie Bro Abdul El-Sayed defeated a so-called "establishment" candidate, Haley Stevens, while in Wisconsin, the "normie" David Crowley beat the progressive-but-non-Bernie-endorsed Francesca Hong. Both races were unexpectedly close, and both ended with Democrats coming together in unity. Nice!

Meanwhile, in Trump World, things aren't going so hot. Donald-endorsed candidates Andy Ogles (Tennessee), Amir Hassan (Michigan), and Mike "MyPillow" Lindell (Minnesota) all got beat in their respective races — with Lindell refusing to concede, which is great. Darline Graham Nordone in South Carolina fell well short of avoiding a runoff. She has to face bonkers Rep. Ralph Norman on August 25.

These were GOP primaries, so it's interesting that Benedict Donald's blessing didn't help candidates coast to victory. And the Republicans who did win will come up against strong headwinds in November, headed by Trump's simply terrible poll numbers. Check out the latest results from The Economist, whose tracker lands him at minus-27 net approval.

Trump has a positive rating in only three states: West Virginia, Wyoming, and Idaho (see above).

But what really worries Republicans is Trump's underwater approval in states that have key House, Senate and gubernatorial races this year: states like Maine, where's he's minus-31, Minnesota (-42), Michigan (-27), Georgia (-31), Wisconsin (-28), Iowa (-24), Texas (-22), Arizona (-23), Alaska (-18), and Nevada (-27). We cats are proud to note that here in New York, Trump is down by minus-36. 

How bad is it for them? Well, there's about 12 weeks left until Election Day. For Trump to pull even in Iowa, for instance, he'd have to move up two points per week, every week. He'd have to improve three points a week to be even in New York. He'd have to move 1.5 points each week to catch up in Alaska. Ain't gonna happen. Somebody get Mike Johnson and John Thune some smelling salts. We cats PURR.

Iran Marks Its Calendar For 2029

 (IMAGE: Theo Moudakis, The Toronto Star)

Sending Good Thoughts

We cats PURR.

That Long National Nightmare

By Hubie and Bertie

We cats have been around for a while, which means that we vividly remember August 9, 1974, when Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency, gave that weird malignant-narcissist speech, and left the White House — after which Gerald Ford was sworn in as President. What a day.

Sadly, it must be pointed out that the thing that did Nixon in was his comment on the White House tapes about telling the CIA to keep the FBI from investigating Watergate. "Don't go any further into this case, period!" That smoking gun alone was able to torch Nixon's presidency — as it should have. It was clear obstruction of justice.

Now, 52 years later, we have a Watergate-and-beyond Trump scandal every single day. And nothing happens. The Trumpsters are very good at "flooding the zone" with a firehose of outrages. But if the Democrats take control of the House and/or the Senate — which is growing increasingly likely — there will be some hell to pay.

There has to be, actually. Back in 1974, Republicans had enough respect for the Constitution to march down to the White House and tell Nixon his goose was cooked. Today's Republicans wouldn't even bother. Which means that Barry Goldwater, John Rhodes, and Hugh Scott are all spinning in their graves. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Cracking Up

By Miss Kubelik

On top of all their other troubles, the Republicans' Senate contenders are suffering from the Bad Candidate-Bad Campaign Syndrome.

We already know that Mike Collins in Georgia and Michael Whatley in North Carolina are — because they're both getting their asses whooped in the polls by Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper. (And they're getting wiped out by the Democrats money-raising-wise, too.) And certainly Ken Paxton, the most toxic and corrupt candidate the GOP could have ever nominated in Texas, has been driving Republicans to drink as he vacations in London with his mistress and stonewalls questions about his 15 zillion-dollar properties. (Man of the people, that.)

Aside from those guys, you could credibly add to the list Ashley Moody of Florida, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Ohio's Jon Husted. All have been running lackluster efforts, or have been surprised at the strength of their Democratic opponent, or both. In the case of Darline Graham Nordone in South Carolina, her late entry and name change are weird, and polls show she's not a lock for the GOP nomination in next Tuesday's primary. Nebraska's Pete Ricketts has his own problems, running against an Independent, Dan Osborn (Democrat Cindy Burbank dropped out of the race to give Osborn a clear shot).

So, yeah, not a good situation for them. And on the House side? Check out what district the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee just added to its "In Play" list: Elise "Elsie" Stefanik's own NY-21! The DCCC thinks that the bombastic and repugnant Anthony Constantino is volatile and silly enough to give a thoughtful listener like dairy farmer Blake Gendenbien a chance. We cats agree, and we PURR.

Kiss And Make Up

By Zamboni

Republicans must be so disappointed about the speed at which Democrats coalesced around their candidates in Michigan today. The winner in yesterday's Senate primary would not have been our first choice, but although Haley Stevens ended up making it a race, it was probably better for the sake of the party that Abdul El-Sayed pulled it out. As we learned to our dismay in 2016 and 2024, Bernie Bros (and Broettes) are not dependable in a general election.

Meanwhile, the so-called Democratic "establishment" prevailed in other races. US Rep. Wesley Bell beat former Rep. Cori Bush (again) in Missouri's first Congressional District. It wasn't close: 70.7 percent to 25.8 percent. Shannon Taylor won in Virginia's first CD with 53 percent of the vote, while former Rep. Elaine Luria waltzed to victory in the second CD with 80 percent. And Rep. Don Beyer defeated Mo Seifeldein in VA-08. We are noting these wins even if the media don't.

Back in Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson romped to victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary with 84.6 percent of the vote. She will headline a party unity event on Friday in Detroit, with El-Sayed, Stevens, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Mallory McMorrow, and special guest and famous Michigan resident Pete Buttigieg (above). We cats are looking forward to it, and we PURR.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

"America has changed over the years. But these values my grandparents taught me — they haven't gone anywhere. They're as strong as ever, still cherished by people of every party, every race, every faith. 

"They live on in each of us. What makes us American, what makes us patriots, is what's in here.

"And that's why we can take the food and music and holidays and styles of other countries, and blend it into something uniquely our own. That's why we can attract strivers and entrepreneurs from around the globe to build new factories and create new industries here. That's why our military can look the way it does — every shade of humanity, forged into common service.

"That's why anyone who threatens our values, whether fascists or communists or jihadists or homegrown demagogues, will always fail in the end."

—Barack Obama, born August 4, 1961

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Republican Troubles Edition

By Baxter

We've had our usual firehose of news these last few days. Here are a few items to help us all sort through the chaos.

How many pundits smugly said not too long ago that the 2026 Senate map was way too big a climb for the Democrats? All of them, right? Well, now we're seeing language like this: "Senate Republicans say they see Trump as a growing political liability as they try to hang on to control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections" (emphasis ours). The list of seats the GOP is worried about is a fun read — it includes Alaska, Ohio, Maine, and even Nebraska. Wow! What a difference 18 months of Donald Disasters make.

Former Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) has finally crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She's the House member who didn't show up for votes for ages and whose staff ultimately admitted was in an ALF memory care unit — presciently similar to Tom Kean Jr.'s and Mitch McConnell's recent disappearing acts. We know this is a broken record, but can you imagine if a Democrat tried to pull that off?

Looks like Congressman Max Miller isn't the only abusive personality on the Republican side of the aisle. The House Ethics Committee lowered the boom today on Chuck Edwards of North Carolina for creating a hostile and harassing work environment. "A member of Congress should not single out a staffer and isolate them from other staff, make frequent comments regarding that person’s appearance and weight, send messages in the middle of the night, text staff deeply personal and seemingly romantic thoughts, intrude on personal occasions without invitation, pay for personal vacations, and spend thousands of dollars on gifts," the committee said. Ew. (The good news is that Sabato's Crystal Ball has moved Edwards's race from "Leans Republican" to "Toss-Up.")

Finally, it's not clear why Jeanine Pirro left a White House meeting dragging a white box this afternoon. Joke of the day: That's a pretty big box of wine (but maybe not for her). We cats PURR.

Cat Fight! Miller Versus Moreno(s)

By Sniffles

Wow, Max Miller is such a creep. He launched a video on Twitter today after his former father-in-law, Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, said he should resign from Congress. But if Max thought the video would tamp down the allegations that he's a serial abuser, hoo-boy.

No way you can watch and not see a guy who throws boiling water at you, holds a gun to your head, and breaks your toddler's collarbone. (He also suffers from Michele Bachmann Syndrome — a baffling inability to look straight into the camera.) It's skin-crawl time.

But somebody said, "Great job, Max, let's post it." And the interwebs promptly blew up. "This is classic abuser tactic." "Was the point to make him look even more guilty? If so, mission accomplished." "All I heard was 'Why did you make me hurt you?'" "The video will be used in Social Work/Family Violence seminars to establish what a perpetrator of domestic violence looks and sounds like." And on and on.

Jeez. At least Ted Bundy was charming.

So here we are, with Miller and Bernie Moreno trading insults on social media, and Ohio Republicans caught in a bind. They have until Wednesday, August 5 to replace Miller on the ballot, but Miller vows to stay in. Good. We cats would like nothing more than to have this repulsive dude asking for Ohioans' votes in a district that Democrats are targeting — and for him to be publicly feuding with Bernie Moreno all the way to November 3. (When Moreno's not busy F-bombing Tony Fauci, that is.) We cats PURR.

Okay, Not That We Should Get More Freaked Out, But...

By Hubie and Bertie

We all know that the climate emergency is upon us, right? We don't need to link to any doomsday sites to drive the point home... correct?

Because, OMG — these headlines we're seeing are off-the-charts freaky. Yet we in the United States are consumed with constitutional violations to the extent that we won't be able to address the climate change issues until will after we get the White House back in 2029... right? Gosh, sounds awful.

Climate change is upon us. It's not something in the distant future, it's now. Just look at the high temperatures and the fires in Europe, and you know. Maybe you don't live in France, but you drink French wine, so — there you go. Consider yourself affected.

Many difficult decisions await us. Because the Trumpsters have insisted on indulging in denial, we can only assume that the next Democratic administration will need to address them — and get punished at the polls for doing so. OMG, is there no scenario under which we can solve these problems? We cats fear maybe not, and we HISS.

Down Days For Donald

By Miss Kubelik

Benedict Donald and his merry band of haters and traitors seem to be crumbling. Nothing is going right for them. The economy just slowed again in the second quarter. The pointlessly stupid war in Iran continues to get bigger. The egregious SAVE Act is stalled. And the Todd Blanche nomination is hitting Cornyn- and Tillis-sized speed bumps. Trump has burned too many bridges with Republicans who, unbelievably, have just recently figured out that he doesn't care about them.

If he did care, he wouldn't do stupid things like announce an early end to the Biden-era Medicare Part D subsidies. This is going to drive up medication costs for millions of seniors — but not until after the midterms. No problemo for the GOP, then, right? Wrong.

Insurers in most states will have to notify beneficiaries well before Election Day about their rate increases for next year, to give them time to shop for better plans, if they can find them. Open Enrollment begins on Thursday, October 15. 

Whoops! Sorry, Republicans. Your team in the White House just isn't very smart. (And Democrats, start messaging about this immediately.) We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Still Kinda The Worst Person

By Zamboni

In case you were wondering whether George W. Bush is still terrible, the answer is yes.

Years ago, we cats dubbed Bush "The Worst Person Who's Ever Lived." He deserved it — aside from PEPFAR, his African AIDS relief initiative, he was singularly destructive: ending stem cell research, brushing off a pre-9/11 PDB about bin Laden, lying the US into the war in Iraq, appointing cretins to the Supreme Court, bungling Hurricane Katrina, etc. The list goes on and on. And then Donald Trump came along and knocked him off his Worst-Person perch. Who'da thunk it?

Bush has faded into an uneventful and generally meaningless retirement. Occasionally he'll show up at events like the opening of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, hamming it up with Michelle Obama (who for some reason seems to genuinely like him). But as his Republican Party has become Trumpier and Trumpier — and more and more fascistic — Bush has stayed silent.

This is despicable, especially today, when Dr. Anthony Fauci — who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2008 — had to sit and endure insults and accusations from GOP members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The hearing was a ridiculous outrage. Go ahead and read about it if you must, but a good summation of it is that Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, Bernie Moreno and the rest all acted like embarrassing dipshits. 

Has George W. Bush ever firmly pushed back against his fellow Republicans on Fauci? Will he come out and say that their abusive behavior today was offensive to all Americans whose lives Fauci helped save during the COVID pandemic? Dream on.

Bush has, to our knowledge, never said boo about any of the damage the Trumpsters are doing. He hasn't seriously protested the cuts to PEPFAR, objected to the platforming of open racists, or opposed the Gestapo-like tactics of ICE (an insult to all the Hispanics who voted for him in 2000 and 2004). He's been quiet about the trashing of the White House and the death blow that Trump recently delivered to his Texas pal John Cornyn. He didn't even get in Trump's face when Donald abused his kid brother back in the 2016 campaign.

What's he afraid of? Is the political future of hapless nephew George P. Bush really that important? How pathetic. We cats HISS.

Tidbits And Cat Treats: Counting The Wins Edition

By Baxter

It might be time to tally up a few recent victories. So put your feet up, pop a cool one and read on.

Lawyer and independent journalist Katie Phang is making life difficult for the Trump DOJ and for Todd Blanche in particular. Phang filed a lawsuit claiming that Blanche's non-cooperation with the Epstein Transparency Act impeded her professional ability to report the news. She's trying to get the courts to force Blanche to comply with the law, and the judge on the case, Emmet Sullivan, seems sympathetic to her cause. He agreed she had standing, and he ordered Blanche to produce the redacted files or explain why he cannot, no later than 3 PM Eastern time on Thursday, July 30. Great job, Katie!

The Warner Bros.-Paramount Skydance merger may not happen. Wouldn't that be loverly?

Republicans in Florida have been desperately trying to push extreme right-wing nutcase James Fishback off the ballot for the gubernatorial primary on August 18. Welp, too bad for them: A circuit court judge has ruled that candidate Jay Collins's claims that Fishback doesn't meet residency requirements were unproven. Fishback stays on. Gee, Trumpsters can't succeed anywhere in court, can they?

Lots of reassuring stories are surfacing about people rescuing cats, dogs, horses, and even hedgehogs from the fires in France and Spain. And aid workers are, believe it or not, finding pets who survived the Venezuelan earthquake, a whole month later. Those amazing animals!

Finally, Benedict Donald tried to rally what's left of the campaign faithful in Michigan today. From the coverage, it looks like his performance was weak, his speech rambling, and the crowd tepid. As if that weren't special enough, some fabulous dude shouted "Pedophile protector!" at him. We cats love it, and we PURR.

All Fouled Up

By Sniffles

When we look back on the nightmare that was Trump 2.0, we'll be grateful for their incompetence.

There are too many examples of Trump ineptitude to cite, so let's just focus on the one from this past Thursday, when federal prosecutors were embarrassed into withdrawing the subpoenas they inflicted on three New York Times reporters for writing about Trump's Air Force One clusterfuck. Here's hoping that the attorneys involved get referred for disciplinary action and/or disbarment.

The Trumpsters also are still hell-bent on bringing ridiculous charges like the ones against David Hearn for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It's idiotic — the Sandwich Guy case all over again. Are we really doing this? Yes, apparently we are.

We can also be thankful that the White House staff was stupid enough to advise Benedict Donald to speak at last night's White House Correspondents Dinner, which its organizers really need to rethink, by the way. The event has long outlived its usefulness — but in the meantime, how cringey was it that Trump tried to joke his way through a mean-spirited and pointless hour-long speech to dead silence? The attendees should have stood up and walked out, but making Donald endure endless minutes of flop-sweat does have its appeal.

Nevertheless, the hell with all of them: Trump, the worst person to have ever walked the face of the earth, and the inside-the-Beltway journalists who enable him. They are equally despicable. We cats HISS.

Making America Explode In Diarrhea

By Hubie and Bertie

In case you were poised to celebrate the "IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED" event — and you all know what that means — please be informed that the video of Benedict Donald collapsing at the open door of the Presidential limo today is AI. Sorry, kids. (And if you think "IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED" referred to LeBron James: He just signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. Josh Shapiro is very happy.)

This is how the news unrolls these days. You really have to be on your toes when it comes to discerning real from fake. Sadly, in a time when most people fail a basic citizenship test, we don't have a lot of confidence that consumers of current events can tell the truth from lies. Still, the Democrats have an 11-point lead on the general Congressional ballot, so things can't be all bad, right?

On the bad side, the Trumpsters have clearly destroyed public health. Or at least they're working at it. Measles cases are the highest they've been since 2000, and the cyclosporiasis outbreak keeps getting worse. It's expanded to nine states, and even though New York is not one of them, we cats are avoiding salads for the foreseeable future. What we don't like is that Taylor Farms, a likely cyclosporiasis source whose CEO is a big Trump donor, reportedly begged the White House for a delay in implementing a recall. Are we surprised? Will anyone tell the Trumpsters? Because Fox News won't.

This administration doesn't give a damn about you and your family — not your grocery bills or the price you pay at the pump, but also, and most importantly, your health. They've driven the cost of coverage into the stratosphere, and have cut back on the regulations that protect us from malign actors like Taylor Farms. There's a reason we Democrats are in favor of keeping government on the backs of corporations — it's because we support the well-being of the American public. We cats HISS.

Oliver! 1934-2026

By Hubie and Bertie

This is not a music blog, but we cats would be remiss if we didn't note the passing today of the great Oliver Jones, Montreal jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

He was taught piano by Oscar Peterson's sister. And he learned it well — Jones's touch on the keyboard was so delicate and beautiful that it was recognizable to those with a sensitive ear. We flatter ourselves that we could pick him out on a jazz recording, if we didn't already know.

Jones was born in Montreal's Little Burgundy neighborhood. Murals honoring him already abound there. We hope that city flags fly at half-staff, and that the lights at Place des Arts and other downtown locations dim in his honor. It's the least Montreal can do. We cats PURR.

The Show That Should Not Go On

By Miss Kubelik

Remember those subpoenas that Todd Blanche and the Department of Justice sent to New York Times reporters and their families? As Gilda Radner would say, never mind. They've been withdrawn.

That's because US District Judge Arun Subramanian raked prosecutors over the coals today, telling them that if they didn't take the subpoenas back, he would quash them. Team Blanche bleated and moaned for an hour or so, but finally cried uncle and withdrew.

The Times's sin? Reporting on a matter of national security. That is, that Trump had been flying around on a Qatari "Air Force One" that was seriously lacking in defensive capabilities. Don't get us wrong — we couldn't care less about Benedict Donald's safety and well-being. We just believe that the President of the United States should be protected when he flies. It's the patriotic way to be. 

And clearly, the Trumpsters agreed, because they quickly flew the old, non-Qatari Air Force One overseas to fetch Trump back from his foreign travels, making up a lame story about how "the troops" wanted to see the new jet, and you know, he just couldn't deny them. What a crock. And now, Trump says the Qatari jet is going to be "maxed out." What, like a credit card? We don't get it.

Anyway. It's still ironic that the DOJ took such umbrage, subpoenaing not only the Times journalists but their spouses. Richard Nixon and John Mitchell must be spinning in hell in jealousy. And please note that the person who signed the subpoenas was Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton — you know, that DNI nominee whom Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff destroyed in a hearing last week?

Sickeningly, it appears that the "replacement" White House Correspondents Dinner, which was arranged after the original one erupted in gunfire or something, is still set for tomorrow night, with Benedict Donald as the "honored guest." God help us. One WHCD a year is bad enough, but two — and for someone like Trump? Ugh.

A group of 500 journalists has sent a letter to the Correspondents Association, urging everyone to get into Donald's face and defend press freedom, and not just spend the dinner twiddling their forks and pretending that Trump is normal. Yeah, like that will happen. The dinner is being run by Weijia Jang, White House correspondent for — wait for it — CBS News, so it's unlikely that she'll want to annoy her boss, the notoriously Donald-friendly Bari Weiss.

The rescheduled White House Correspondents Dinner, like the DOJ New York Times subpoenas, is a deception and a Trump-era sham. We cats won't be watching, and we HISS.

(IMAGE: The scene at the WHCD in April. Looks like fun, doesn't it?)

Photobomb

IYKYK. We cats PURR.

MAGAts In A Muddle

By Zamboni

Republicans are quickly appropriating the tired old saw, "Democrats in disarray." But do folks in the media realize it? Or are they just unwilling to tell the truth about the GOP because it isn't alliterative?

If Democrats are in disarray, please explain why they were able to resolve a huge mess in Maine in less than two weeks. (Troy Jackson sewed up Graham Platner's former Senate nomination over the weekend, as potential challengers Nirav Shah, Shenna Bellows, Jordan Wood, and Dan Kleban dropped out.)

And if Republicans are not in disarray, how do you excuse what's going on in South Carolina? 

Lindsey Graham suddenly dies on July 11, and Benedict Donald commands the Governor to appoint Graham's sister, an inexperienced, toothless puppet. Less than a week later, Trump instructs her to not just serve as caretaker in the seat but run for a full term. But two already-announced Trump loyalists are refusing to drop their bids. In fact, they may be joined tomorrow (it's filing day) by local luminaries like Mark "Appalachian Trail" Sanford and Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette. 

Right, everything is going to plan here (not).

But it's our party that's the mess? We cats HISS.