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.)

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.

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?)

Target: Jon (And You)

By Hubie and Bertie

So Trump is speaking to the nation tomorrow night about — what, exactly? Iran? Greenland? Election security? A "potpourri"? We have no idea. But rumor has it that he's going to "reveal declassified intelligence" on 2020 "election fraud" in Georgia, and call duly elected US Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff "illegitimate."

This will be Trump's newest salvo in his war against the 2026 midterms, which he knows he's going to lose. But it's not going to work, for lots of reasons. One, for us, sticks out.

First, for a little refresher course, let's step back a few years to the resignation of Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, who stepped down in late 2019 due to health reasons. Governor Brian Kemp then appointed Kelly Loeffler to serve the remainder of Isakson's term. Loeffler was an ineffective doofus who was primarily known for her good hair. (She's head of the SBA now, and is currently stinking up the place with her performance there, too, as you'd expect.)

Anyway, Raphael Warnock beat Loeffler in the special election runoff on January 5, 2021 — the same day that Jon Ossoff beat Georgia's other Senator, David Perdue. That election flipped the Senate to the Democrats. (And we all know what happened on January 6.)

The thing is, though, after that, Warnock ran for a full term in 2022, and he won — so how by any logic could he possibly be "illegitimate"? It also means he won't be up for re-election again until 2028. By our way of thinking, then, Trump's targeting of Warnock and Ossoff is really mostly about Ossoff, who is on the ballot this fall. 

Despite Kellyanne Conway's mocking tweet back in 2017, Trump and the Republicans are scared of Ossoff — big time. And Ossoff's masterful performance during the Jay Clayton/DNI hearing today will only increase their fear (that, and the margin by which Ossoff leads the hapless, election-denying fool Mike Collins in recent polls).

Here's a swell idea that applies to both Georgia Senators: The moment Trump starts speaking tomorrow night, go to Ossoff's site (and Warnock's site) and send each of them a few bucks. Make a statement. Tell Trump you won't let him deny Georgians' votes — and yours. We cats PURR.

Let The Combat Begin

By Miss Kubelik

One thing is certain: There is no shortage of awful people in South Carolina jockeying for Lindsey Graham's Senate seat.

Nancy Mace, surely, has been working the phones since midnight. Others in the mix include Pamela Evette, Nikki Haley, Joe Wilson, Ralph Norman, Russell Fry... the list goes on. All possibilities. All gross.

The good news is that they are so many, because the best outcome would be a knock-'em-sock-'em, dirty-double-crossing cat fight of a special primary that will kick off with filing day, July 21. The primary itself could take place in mid-August. Then we'll see what happens on Election Day, November 3.

Meanwhile, the governor will no doubt appoint a fill-in Senator, who could then also compete in the primary, or just be a caretaker until whoever wins in November takes over. We don't care — as long as the candidates rip each other to shreds over the next few weeks.

One thing we don't want is for Benedict Donald to put his thumb on the scale and clear the field. But even if he does that (and he's threatening to), the Democratic candidate, Dr. Annie Andrews, would be handed an excellent talking point — something like "First, Republicans try to pick their voters by gerrymandering. Now, they're trying to pick South Carolina's possible next Senator. Dictator Donald is denying you a choice." (Team Andrews, please wordsmith it.)

Speaking of Dr. Andrews, today would be an excellent day to send her a campaign contribution. Do it for Lindsey! We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: This Lindsey Laff is being shared on social media and is AI-generated. As for the newspaper... well, IYKYK. We cats PURR.)

A Hot Take On July 4

By Sniffles

We're about to observe the 250th anniversary of the American colonies' Declaration of Independence from England, but we might have to admit that sometimes the British have a good idea or two. As in, if you have a King, maybe celebrate his birthday when the weather is good.

Charles III, for example, just presided over that grand spectacle, the Trooping of the Colour, as his mum did before him. Elizabeth II was actually born in April, a month that can be unreliable and squally, and Charles made his first appearance in dreary late November. June can more easily promise sunshine and warmth.

Conversely, if you want cooler temperatures, perhaps it would be better for some national observances to move to earlier or later in the year — rather than in, say, early July when everything is beastly hot.

Especially this year. Thanks to a summer supercharged by climate change and a strong El Niño, North America and Europe are baking in unbearable heat waves this week. But we're stuck with the fact that the founders signed the Declaration on the Fourth. So even if Benedict Donald's offensive "Freedom 250 state fair" was appealing, well-managed, and in good taste, 105-degree temperatures in DC will keep the already-sparse crowds down even more. Sad!

Here's a suggestion for when sane people return to power in Washington: Global warming ain't going away. Let's follow the example of the Britons, and move our Independence Day celebrations to a different, potentially more temperate, date. In fact, why not center them around the Constitution instead? We could mark the anniversary of its framing (September 17, 1787) or the day it took effect (March 4, 1789).

After all, since Trump has been violating the damn thing every day since he got back into office, our poor, abused Supreme Law of the Land could maybe use a little love. Just a thought. We cats PURR.

No Kings, Just Presidents

This is just a reminder that tomorrow, if you're on social media, you need to post something complimentary about this man, accompanied by a stunning photo (like this one). Because it will drive You-Know-Who crazy. Thank you for your attention to this matter! We cats PURR.

How Simply Frightful, Humiliating, Delightful

By Hubie and Bertie

How many of us think that Benedict Donald assumed that the Supreme Court allowed TV cameras in their hearings? Bet he did, bet he did!

Trump probably thought that he would be given a special (maybe golden?) seat. And that he would be the center of admiring attention as his Solicitor General brilliantly advocated for restrictions to birthright citizenship. And, most of all, that he'd be able to stare down the justices into complicity. It must have been a fun fantasy. But what he got instead was a simple spectator's bench, a sketch artist, and a hapless legal team that embarrassed itself in front of skeptical (i.e., Trump-appointed) justices. He left after an hour.

So, another silly stunt backfires. We can only imagine what he has in store for us in his speech tonight.

But do we care? If he announces he's going to pull us out of NATO, Congress will have something to say about that. (Yes, even this Congress.) He can't do anything about gas prices, even if the Strait of Hormuz opens tomorrow. His ridiculous Executive Order on mail-in voting is already being legally challenged. (The challengers will win.) The National Trust for Historic Preservation, bolstered by yesterday's decision by Judge Richard J. Leon, is possibly feeling renewed energy to oppose his Third Reich-ish arch and the other crap he has planned for Washington, DC. In short, Donald's on the downswing.

Interestingly, the more things go south for Trump, the more doubts we're seeing — on social media and in regular media — about the so-called "assassination attempts" on him, and even on the Charlie Kirk murder. (The recent news about ballistics analysis in the Kirk killing has contributed, too.) Donald seems weak, so everything in his orbit seems weak, too — and questionable. Because Trump is in a spiral, this will only continue. We cats are here for it, and we PURR.

Donald Crosses One Line Too Many. Mr. Kristi Noem Just Cross-Dresses.

By Miss Kubelik

There's a perfect headline in The Guardian tonight about Benedict Donald's latest Executive Order: "Trump Signs Order to Restrict Mail-In Ballots in Probably Unconstitutional Move."

Gosh, could American media write headlines like that? After all, as The Guardian correctly points out, "The US constitution gives the President no authority over elections, and expressly authorizes states to set election rules."(Look it up: Article I, Section 4, Clause 1.)

Take it from us, if an Executive Order from the President could magically fix problems with state-run elections, Lyndon Johnson wouldn't have troubled himself to make Congress pass the Voting Rights Act. He could have just wiped out Jim Crow and poll taxes at the ballot box with the stroke of a pen. But it doesn't work that way.

Donald's performative antics have gotten so silly, they deserve nothing more than an exasperated eye roll. Yes, Marc Elias and his valiant team at Democracy Docket will have to contest this latest EO in court. However, judges have become the biggest eye rollers of them all.

Take US District Judge Richard Leon, an appointee of the man we used to call The Worst Person Who's Ever Lived. (Trump long ago left George W. Bush in the dust.) Leon put a stop to Donald's $400 million Beyond Bad Ballroom today. It looks like the Congress will have to bless it now, and if folks on Capitol Hill value their jobs, they'll vote it down in a heartbeat. (Hint: It's not popular.)

Also today, US District Judge Randolph Moss permanently blocked a Trump EO that defunded NPR and PBS. "It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch," Moss wrote.

The judicial branch is really the only guardrail left, which seems an odd thing to say in the era of the Roberts Court — but Trump is definitely feeling it. If Donald's in the dumps about all this, he can comfort himself that maybe he's not the most ridiculous person in his orbit these days. There's Kristi Noem, for example. We cats PURR.

Scenes From No Kings 3

If we were Republicans, this would be truly scary. We cats PURR.

No Kings Three Is A Royal Success!

By Baxter

Happy No Kings Day! We cats went up the road to Glens Falls, New York, for their mid-morning protest, which jived better with our Saturday schedule. And we were not disappointed. Another good turnout, similar to October's, and we were amazed at the number of white guys in pickup trucks who drove by and honked at us in support. What's going on? Maybe they buy gas like the rest of us?

Numbers are still rolling in, so we'll post later with some analysis. The interwebs right now are estimating 7 million to 8 million, but that seems low to us. In the meantime, we'd have to say the turnout in specific locations like Minneapolis (200,000-plus) will be key. We also will be interested in numbers from some of the more contested states like Ohio, Georgia, and Iowa. Film at eleven!

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the enthusiasm spectrum, CPAC is wrapping up a desultory, low-energy confab with lackluster speakers and no Trump. But they still bothered to take a poll for 2028, and it looks like Couch Fancier JD Vance, one of the least-liked politicians in the country, won with 53 percent. (Baby Marco trailed with 35 percent.) So what's going on, team? We hear rumors that Benedict Donald is leaning toward Rubio. We love this for them, and we cats PURR.

Sunny News From The Sunshine State

By Zamboni

The interwebs started exploding last night with election results from two state legislative districts in Florida. Normally, races like that would fly farther under the radar, but one involved the house district that's home to Benedict Donald's Temu Greenbrier. Long story short: Trump, Moose & Squirrel, and Lurch are all represented in Tallahassee now by a Democrat. (And PS: They all voted by mail.)

On the other side of the state, another Democrat upset a creepy Republican woman with tortoiseshell glasses and a penchant for dressing like something out of Laura Ashley. In spite of that, she was seen as a "rising star" in GOP circles, had oodles of money, and was predicted as late as Monday to have a 95 percent chance of victory. Instead, she was beaten by an electrician who had a lot of union support. Sweet!

There's something happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear.

Or maybe it is.

And maybe the corporate news media just keeps missing the boat. We still can't surf the headlines these days without seeing some version of "Democrats in disarray" or "Democrats in despair." But, but, but: We keep flipping these GOP state seats — 30 since the start of 2025. (Republicans: Zero.) It's enough to make the MSM start speculating not only about the US House this November, but also the US Senate. But how is that possible? They keep telling us that we have no message, and nobody likes us. Yet we keep winning.

Here's an answer: The pundits, of whom we are all heartily sick, continue to think 2026 is an election between two choices: unpopular Republicans versus unpopular Democrats. They just can't get past the Democrats' negatives — but that's short-sighted. To the non-pundit, non-MAGA universe, 2026 is a choice between autocracy at its best (and fascism at its worst) versus an imperfect party committed to the Constitutional order. So imperfect wins just about every time.

Since the Trumpsters have the media on their enemies list — and since the heads of anyone in the press will be on Donald's chopping block if he can consolidate power — we don't understand why they don't report it that way. Maybe the No Kings rallies on Saturday will wake them up? Let's hope. Meanwhile, we cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

A Royal Error

By Baxter

Nobody expected to see King Charles II in the news today, but there he was. And all because Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News either made a nearly (if not completely) understandable typo, or he really doesn't know his English monarchs.

Sherman tweeted this morning: "WH expected to announce that KING CHARLES II will make a state visit next month. Likely to include address to joint session." Okay, how is that going to work?

At first we thought maybe it was the White House that got Charles's number wrong. (They're not bright.) But on closer look, Sherman was quote-tweeting an earlier Punchbowl post that had it right. So it was Just Jake. Tweeps immediately jumped in with all sorts of Charles II jocularity. Did you know that was a thing? Apparently it is.

After a few hours, Sherman must have figured out what was going on. "King Charles III," he said. "Not Charles II. The latter died 300 years ago. Sorry." The tweet didn't really help, because the jocularity raged on. 

As everyone pointed out ad infinitum, Charles II was the 17th-century king who succeeded to the throne after the English Civil Wars. He was known for his love of opulent dress, his interest in the arts, and his spaniels. (And in Forever Amber, he was played by George Sanders, which was, take it from us, terrific casting.) Journalism's in a sorry state when we can't decide if Sherman's goof was a typo or not. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

"The Power Of The Presidency Is Nothing Compared To The Power Of The People"

Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) keeps giving swell speeches. This is from Sunday, at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta. You can show Senator Ossoff some love and support by clicking here. 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.

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.

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.

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

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

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