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.

So Many Nazis, So Little Time

By Hubie and Bertie

This isn't to say we aren't annoyed, but we cats are going to sit out the current brouhaha on Capitol Hill for now. We want to see where things go from here before we jump into the blame game. For example, if Mike Johnson finally reconvenes the House, what happens? Adelita Grijalva will be right there, ready to be sworn in and cast the last necessary vote to release the Epstein Files. Mikey can't stall her forever.

It'll be interesting to watch. Meanwhile, if you have the chance, grab three hours and settle in for the new Nuremberg movie. Our first thought on seeing it this weekend was that Russell Crowe must have watched Gary Oldman win an Oscar under all that Churchill makeup in Darkest Hour and said, "Hold my beer." (Crowe plays Reichsmarschall Hermann Göering. There might be nothing he can't do.)

Donald Trump and his minions will probably hate Nuremberg, which is the story of the Army psychiatrist who analyzed the first group of Nazi defendants tried for war crimes after World War II. Dr. Douglas Kelley was trying to figure out not just if Göering and his pals were competent to stand trial, but also whether they were singularly predisposed to commit evil acts — and not representative of humanity as a whole.

Well, you can guess what he decided. "Kelley argued that the defendants were simply opportunists," Smithsonian magazine reports, "people 'who exist in every country of the world,' as he said during a lecture in the fall of 1946, 'who would willingly climb over the corpses of half of the public if they could gain control of the other half.' 

"Kelley likened white supremacists in the US to Hitler and his followers, emphasizing their use of 'racism as a method of obtaining power, political aggrandizement or individual wealth.'

"Without checks on the antidemocratic ideologies he'd witnessed in America, such as placing restrictions on voting rights and perpetuating anti-minority feeling,' the psychiatrist believed that the US could easily transform into a Nazi-like state."

Douglas Kelley could point to precedent in making his argument: Just a few years earlier, the German American Bund had held a Nazi rally in Madison Square Garden. Still, his warnings fell on deaf ears. Americans had just won the war, and were in no mood to be told their country could be a breeding ground for fascists.

But it was, and it is. Famously, a second Nazi rally starring Donald Trump and Stephen Miller was held at Madison Square Garden in 2024. And now those guys are the ones in charge. We cats HISS.

Marching Orders

"In the coming days, the Democratic Party and the pro-democracy movement needs to speak with one very loud and very clear voice against this fascistic, un-American Trump regime and its mad, ailing, desperate, and dangerous leader.

"Congressional leaders should be doing events with Governors and state AGs, showing our unity of purpose, making it harder for Trump and Miller and Hegseth to isolate their opponents and divide and conquer.

"Every elected Democrat, at every level of office, should be putting out statements denouncing what Trump is doing, and talk to their constituents about what is happening now, in their country, with their tax dollars. Amicus briefs should be flying. Our leaders should be booking themselves to speak to as many No Kings events as possible on October 18. We are here now, and we must fight."

—Simon Rosenberg

Madeleine Dean (D-PA) Vs. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Pedophile Protector)

"He knows it. They know it. They've always known it. Amongst themselves, they joke about it. They tell stories about it. They swap advice on how to deal with it.

"But most importantly, to everyone else, they lie about it. They pretend not to see it. They change the subject when they are confronted with it. And that's why they are responsible for the fact that we have deeply mentally ill president, surrounded by other deeply unwell people."

—George Conway

Donald Has Water On The Brain

By Sniffles

As Benedict Donald continues to sundown, stranger things are coming out of his mouth. His stream-of-consciousness can be overwhelming, but one theme that emerges is... water. Yesterday, he was at it again.

Remember how a few months back, Trump thought there was a giant faucet somewhere that California Governor Gavin Newsom could have just turned on to put out the LA fires? He's taken it one step further with an imaginary fire-suppression system.

"Newsom didn't allow the water to come from the Pacific Northwest. I demanded that to be open. If that were open, you wouldn't have had the fire because all the sprinklers would have worked in the houses."

All righty, then. (And no, you don't need to ask — the press that spent three relentless weeks last year hounding Joe Biden about his mental faculties has had nothing to say about this.)

Meanwhile, a recent survey by the Leger firm in Quebec showed a jump in young people's interest in sovereignty. Forty-eight percent of respondents age 18 to 24 were in favor of the province breaking away from Canada. It's not a majority, and it's only one poll, but the separatist Parti Quebecois thinks things could be trending in their direction. (This year is the 30th anniversary of the 1995 referendum, in which the "No" side beat the "Yes" side by a mere 54,288 votes.)

What does this have to do with Donald's water fascination? We cats have a theory. We believe that some in the Trumpian circle are keeping a sharp eye on separatist sentiment in La Belle Province. In fact, they may be working under the table right now to foment a Canadian breakup. Why? Because like Putin, they hate federalism (as we know from their actions here in the US). But there's another reason.

Quebec is home to 3 percent of the world's freshwater. It's not an imaginary big faucet, but it's one hell of a resource. So, all the province has to do is secede from Canada, and Trump can order an invasion.

The last time the US tried to take over Quebec, it didn't go very well. But that won't stop Benedict Donald. We cats HISS.

The White House Fades To Black

By Hubie and Bertie

How much better for us Americans to be like the British or the Canadians — who either offer their PM modest living quarters guarded by a cat, or who, feeling frugal, aren't much interested in fixing an official residence that's fallen into disrepair.

But for those of us who care about the White House, these are dark days. Benedict Donald is turning 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue into a garish presidential palace. Now he says he's adding a ballroom (and spending $200 million of, make no mistake, our money to do it). A ballroom. Gee, that's funny — we thought that was what the East Room was for.

And what is he doing, demolishing the East Wing? It's kind of unclear, but then again, would it matter? Moose & Squirrel (aka "the Third Lady") seems not to ever be there. Does she even have a staff?

So maybe it's time for us to let any fond feelings about the Executive Mansion go. Its history is kind of spotty, anyway. Built by slaves, burned by the British, and not really infused with any kind of glamor until 1961, when John and Jackie Kennedy moved in. It's pretty clear that that's what Trump is trying to do: erase any trace of the Kennedy mystique. (See also: "Trump Center for the Performing Arts.")

Or maybe we'll just hang on until a Democrat gets elected again and can tear out all vestiges of the VulgAryan. We cats watch and wait, our tails switching. In the meantime, we HISS.

Pendant Trump, Le Deluge

By Sniffles

When Team Trump 2.0 began taking a sledgehammer to the federal government this year, we cats just knew that disaster was in store. It was bad enough in the first term to have people who hate government in charge. Benedict Donald's COVID mismanagement — with the sole exception of Operation Warp Speed — was one of the inevitable results, and it helped defeat him for re-election in 2020.

But now, it's so much worse: Not only are the haters running the show again, they're dismantling whole departments and agencies, and chasing away the experts. Which guaranteed that something terrible was going to happen, and somebody was going to die. Maybe a lot of somebodys.

The death toll in the Texas flash floods is now more than 100, and will keep going up. Yes, the flooding happened at the worst possible time (in the middle of the night) and in the worst possible place (low-lying flatlands along the Guadalupe River). But the tragedy was compounded by the fact that important positions at the National Weather Service had stood vacant since the Trumpy DOGE onslaught began.

"Former Weather Service officials said their forecasts were as good as could be expected, given the enormous levels of rainfall and the storm’s unusually abrupt escalation," The New York Times reports."The staffing shortages suggested a separate problem, those former officials said — the loss of experienced people who would typically have helped communicate with local authorities in the hours after flash flood warnings were issued overnight."

Donald, of course, said none of this was his fault. When a reporter asked if he was looking into whether his cuts had left crucial vacancies at the NWS, he responded with a word salad. "They didn't, I'll tell you, uh, if you look at that, that water situation that all is and that was really the Biden setup. That was not our setup." (Good heavens, his brain is mush. Would be nice if the press would cover that.)

Trump is continuing to scrounge around to either paper over this calamity or spin it — look how quickly he granted an emergency disaster declaration for Texas, but toyed with holding it hostage for California during the LA fires. Meanwhile, we hate to be Debbie Downers, but more terrible, awful, no-good things are bound to happen. Here are just some of the possibilities:

A hurricane will hit somewhere in the United States and kill more people than necessary because — well, you know.

Detainees at "Alligator Alcatraz" will die — maybe of heat stroke, maybe from malnutrition and abuse, or maybe just from despair.

People in rural America will have no Emergency Rooms to rush to because their local hospitals will be closed. Heart attack? Car accident? Mugging? Gunshot wound? No help for you!

Recipients tossed from Medicaid will lose their access to healthcare and medications (and die). Kids whose SNAP benefits get cut will go hungry. And, of course, women will keep bleeding out in hospital parking lots because of the Supreme Court and Dobbs.

It's hard to imagine that anything will change until we Democrats can get back some of the levers of power. In the meantime, we're stuck with a government that couldn't care less about its people, and that's a dangerous place to be. The loss of empathy is one of the first steps to authoritarianism. We cats HISS.

(PHOTO: Getty Images)

The Face You Make When You've Ripped 15 Million People's Healthcare Away And Closed Hundreds Of Rural Hospitals

"I’ve been thinking a lot about Murkowski’s vote. It contains, in one action, so much that defines our pathetic political moment:

"Selfishness — I’m taking care of me and mine, the rest of you can pound sand.

"Lack of accountability — I know the bill is bad. Hopefully someone else will fix it.

"Cowardice — I’m scared of Trump and his voters, and need to go along to get along with my GOP colleagues.

"Moral rot — I know the difference between right and wrong, and actively chose wrong."

—Sarah Longwell, The Bulwark

Democracy On The Brink

By Hubie and Bertie

Gosh, we cats were really trying to enjoy the weekend without paying too much attention to Benedict Donald. But then we were momentarily distracted by this awful White House ballroom story. Just for the record: The White House, unlike most foreign presidential palaces, is really quite modest — by design. But as we know from his tasteless New York apartments and Mar-a-Lago, Trump has no acquaintance with the concept of "modest." We have no idea how he's going to pull this off, but we assume that he won't be able to. The White House does not belong to him — it belongs to the American people.

More importantly, though, there's the Trumpy threat this weekend to deploy the National Guard — or even the military — against peaceful anti-ICE protesters in Los Angeles. "The federal government is moving to take over the California National Guard and deploy 2,000 soldiers," California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted. "That move is purposefully inflammatory and will only escalate tensions."

We've disagreed with Gavin recently, but he is spot-on here. And with 2028 ambitions, he probably welcomes a confrontation with Trump. But federalizing a state's National Guard under Title 10 only applies in situations of invasions, rebellions against the government's authority, or other situations in which the President can't fulfill his constitutional duty to enforce the law. One would think that a peaceful demonstration against ICE in Paramount, California — and there's some disagreement as to who actually torched that car or two — doesn't quality for Title 10. (Sorry to hair-split, but you really have to in cases like this.)

Even if Title 10 ever so glancingly applied, posse comitatus would still forbid the administration from deploying troops against American citizens. (See: Rutherford B. Hayes and the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. It pays to brush up on your Gilded Age history, ya know?)

The last time a President activated the National Guard was during the Civil Rights era. In 1965, LBJ federalized the Alabama Guard against segregationist Governor George Wallace. So, look at that history and decide whose side you'd want to be on. Johnson, as President, was defending democracy — not working against it.

Collateral damage from these anti-ICE demonstrations includes ABC reporter Terry Moran, who has been suspended by his network for tweeting a basic truth: that "round-em-up-and-ship-em-off" White House adviser Stephen Miller is a world-class hater. It is oh, so true. Did Moran cross a line? Maybe so. Are we in a space in which legacy media journalists need to cross lines? A thousand times yes. Stay safe next weekend, everyone. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

Eruptions

By Sniffles

It's hard to believe that tourists in Sicily would gawp at an erupting volcano at close range until — well, until they've suddenly figured out that they might be in, um, danger.

Mount Etna blowing its top today is reminiscent of the history we all know about Pompeii, whose eruption probably seemed curious to local citizens until the pyroclastic flow started. It buried the city at 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit. You want to go back in time and warn everybody — not just in Pompeii but also in nearby Herculaneum. Recent research has shown that the victims in both cities didn't vaporize immediately, but rather died slowly from heat, suffocation and toxic fumes. Ugh.

The moral of the story? Anything can happen any time — so, like the Boy Scouts, be prepared.

It seems like Americans today are decidedly Not Prepared. Trump 2.0 has been violating the Constitution and bending the rule of law to such an extent that we're in a volcanic-eruption-type emergency — but because it doesn't affect their daily lives, our fellow citizens are, so far, unconcerned. Other people are getting arrested by ICE. Women we don't know are being tracked by authorities if they seek abortions. National security experts are having their clearances revoked. None of this seems to have anything to do with the price of eggs, does it?

But pretty soon, the pyroclastic flow will catch up with all of us. Maybe Republican Senator Joni Ernst drove it home this weekend with her callous "We're all going to die" comment. Maybe Social Security recipients are feeling increasingly vulnerable, and checking their deposits every month. But sadly, human nature decrees that most of us don't care about public policy until it affects us personally.

Attention, everyone: The pyroclastic flow is coming. Let's not get caught in it. (Here's how not to.) We cats HISS.

Nasty Woman

Joni Ernst is the GOP in a nutshell. So don't expect any Republicans to disavow her town hall performance, or her bizarre walk-in-the-graveyard "apology" on social media. They really believe that poor people deserve everything they have coming to them. If Jesus came back today, he would never stop throwing up. We cats HISS.

The Mirror And The Blight

By Miss Kubelik

Today is no ordinary International Workers' Day — the nation is in a state of emergency. That's why thousands marched in anti-Trump protests across the country today — the sixth major day of demonstrations since early February, and with many more no doubt to come. (For information on the movement and upcoming protests, click here.)

The first 100 days of Donald 2.0 have been so relentlessly dark that it's hard to imagine they will ever end. But our destiny lies in our hands. The midterms aren't until next November, but these elections will take place before then, with the Virginia and New Jersey Governor's races the key events. In the meantime, we can organize on the ground: registering voters, building networks, turning out at town halls, and fielding candidates at the local level, like for school boards, county commissions, and city councils.

In short, we're in it for the long haul, folks. Democracy will not be reclaimed overnight, but through the slog, it will be good to remember the words of Frederick Douglass: "The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." We cats PURR.

(IMAGE: Michael de Adder, deadder.net)

Repellent.

By Baxter

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

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

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

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

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

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

World War D? (Let's Not.)

By Miss Kubelik

Gosh, we're seeing so much anger from our party on social media that we've decided only to look at tweets and skeets about last night's lunar eclipse or today's swearing-in of the new Canadian Prime Minister. The rest is a headache we don't need, thank you very much.

Nevertheless, we have to say: Our left wing's frustration with the overall lack of Democratic pushback against Trump is completely understandable. And our members in tight House districts who put their careers on the line to vote "no" on the CR are rightly furious.

But we have to pick our battles. As painful as it is to say: Perhaps this wasn't the one? Maybe we don't want to change the narrative on who's responsible for the current clusterfuck that passes for the State of the Union? (Right now, people are saying the Republicans own it.)

Look, we might as well admit it: Preacher of the House Johnson and the Republicans backed us into a corner, giving us what Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rightly called a Hobson's Choice. The CR is terrible. But in a shutdown, the Trumpsters and their GOP allies would have been able to leave departments and agencies they don't like closed forever. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? The Environmental Protection Agency? The Department of Education? The Social Security Administration? Yes, the Muskovites have already done great damage to many of these institutions, but why give the Republicans the opportunity to simply never reopen them — when the judiciary, slow and creaky as it is, seems poised to support our side?

Another way of looking at this is that the Senate Democrats who voted "yes" today were giving cover to others — like Jon Ossoff of Georgia, in a tight race next year — who voted "no." (Never mind that the Trumpian shitshow that's raining down on us day after day after day means that no one is going to remember this event next week, let alone during the midterm elections next year.)

So, please — let's not make matters worse by forming a Democratic circular firing squad and talking about primarying people. That's what Benedict Donald and the fascists want. Let's focus instead on the 17 vulnerable House Republicans — and how Democrats like Governor Tim Walz are parachuting into GOP-held districts during this Congressional recess to hold our own versions of town halls.

Want proof that that town hall strategy will work? Check out what happened in Asheville, North Carolina, yesterday. Not only did Republican Chuck Edwards get his head handed to him, the whole event devolved into something out of World War Z. (People were even mad about Benedict Donald's treatment of Canada! Now, that's progress.) American voters are furious, so this is the way to go. Governor Walz, please add Asheville to your itinerary. We cats PURR.

The Gospel According To...

By Miss Kubelik

One of the most important books we cats have read lately is James, by Percival Everett — a re-imagining of Mark Twain's classic Huckleberry Finn. Sitting atop the New York Times bestseller list for months, it won the National Book Award for fiction last year. We cats knew it was brilliant from its first pages. Please, American high schools everywhere, teach it alongside Twain's novel from here on in.

What struck us most about James — aside from the fact that its enslaved characters speak in Margaret Mitchell-type dialect to white people, but the King's English to each other — is the constant feeling of being under siege. In James, as in life, enslaved Black Americans could be beaten, abused, raped, or lynched, at any time, for any reason (or pretext). The stress of living under this, and the constant vigilance it required, must have been exhausting. In James, as readers, we feel it — no matter our race. It's a true learning experience.

Why do we bring this up? Because with the chaos that Donald Trump has unleashed on our government and our nation, maybe white people are feeling vulnerable now, too.

Think about it.

White Americans, whether you voted for Trump or not: Are you worried that your Social Security payment won't land in your bank account on the appointed day? Do you wonder if your VA healthcare provider will be there when you need him or her in the future? Are you nervous that 20-year-olds with Musk laptops have gotten hold of your confidential IRS information? Are you a participant in an NIH clinical trial that's been halted? Are you a federal employee whose job has been eliminated/restored/eliminated again, without reason or explanation? Are you a pregnant woman in a red state? If something goes wrong, will your providers withhold the care you need and leave you to die?

If the answer to any of these questions (and more) is yes — maybe you're feeling kind of like James and his fellow enslaved Black Americans did. Left exposed through no fault of your own, and only because of who you are. Not a good experience, right?

In the time of Trump, we are all James — we are all under threat. Even if we don't realize it. Please, white America, wake up. We cats HISS.

(PS: In case you were wondering, yes. All of America's problems are because of racism. Jimmy Carter told us.)

It's Not Easy Being Green

By Zamboni

It's only March, but this has got to be the photo of the year.

Congressman Al Green (D-TX) stood up, both literally and figuratively, to Benedict Donald, Short-Pants Vance, and the Preacher of the House the other night, and got censured today for his trouble.

That's unfortunate, but to be honest, we doubt it bothers him. Everything in the House of Representatives has become a farce — especially since Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene escaped any punishment for their constant heckling of President Biden. As if to emphasize that point, a number of Green's Democratic colleagues joined him in singing "We Shall Overcome" to drown out Mike Johnson's reading of the measure. Good trouble, nicely done.

Nevertheless, we were disappointed to see that 10 Democrats voted "yes" on the censure. They have their own reasons, of course — maybe they're in red or purple districts, not that anyone will remember this censure vote in November 2026 — but we wish that Hakeem Jeffries had been able to keep his caucus together on this one. Green is absolutely right: "The decorum that you expect from me, you have to expect from the President. There comes a time when you cannot allow the President’s incivility to take advantage of our civility."

Damn right. This is an emergency. Don't stand on decorum. Call 911.

We're still waiting for a coherent Democratic response to the Trumpy-Musky dismantling of democracy. Yes, we know that a vocal opposition can take time to cohere. Firebrand Howard Dean, our hero, was the first outspoken voice against Bush-Cheney, and he announced his Presidential candidacy in June 2003 — a full year and a half after Bush v. Gore. But it's 2025, folks, and we don't have the luxury of time.

One of our favorite social media accounts — Texas-based — had this to say about Al Green: "Green lives rent free in their heads. That's his role, and he does it well. Not every House Democrat can be Al Green. And they don't all need to be, either." True, but right now, we wish there were just a few more. We cats HISS and PURR at the same time.

"Make That Make Sense"

By Sniffles

Gosh, we cats sure hope our lights don't go out. In response to Benedict Donald's insane tariffs on Canada, Premier Doug Ford of Ontario — not exactly a lefty anti-Trumper — has talked about cutting electricity to Minnesota, Michigan, and New York. (Come on, Doug, two of us voted for Harris-Walz last November.)

Meanwhile, Prime-Minister-For-a-Few-More-Days Justin Trudeau gave a stern speech today, and yes, he went there: "What [Trump] wants to see if a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us," he said. "That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state."

(If you watch the whole speech at the link, you'll also hear Justin address Trump directly — "Donald, this is a very dumb thing to do." Handy reminder that, according to Mary Trump, her uncle hates it when people call him "Donald.")

The bottom line? "Donald" wants Canada's natural resources. He also wants to give his pal Putin a back door to the Arctic. Sounds a lot like 1938, doesn't it? Canada is Austria — but there's no Switzerland to flee to, like the Von Trapp family did by climbing ev'ry mountain.

Of course, as it always happens with Trump, it seems he's started to waffle. Was it Trudeau's pledge to enact retaliatory tariffs? (Mexico and China said so, too.) Was it the plunging stock market? The SAQ pulling US wines and liquors off its shelves? (Probably not.) Or maybe Trump saw Liberal leader-in-waiting Mark Carney's statement today: "We didn't ask for this fight, but Canadians are united and determined. In trade, as in hockey, we will win." Ha ha! Well played, on both counts.

We know why the Trumpsters are dismantling the federal government, and why the Republicans are going along — it's the fulfillment of Grover Norquist's long-held right-wing dream of strangling it in the bathtub. But we can't figure out why Benedict Donald and the GOP are willing to tank the US economy as well. Can anyone explain? We cats HISS.

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

And We Haven't Even Asked Why Marco Rubio Hasn't Resigned

By Miss Kubelik

Did you wonder why the Trumpsters were so hell-bent on seizing the approved list of press pool members from the White House Correspondents Association? Well, here's your answer: TASS was in the Oval Office for the Zelenskyy ambush today. 

In short, America, if you were ever foggy on whether our country has become a satellite state of Vladimir Putin's, today should remove any doubt. OMG, how fast is Ronnie Reagan spinning in his grave?

Following this afternoon's pathetic and repulsive theater in the Oval Office, every democratic country in Europe and the world is lining up behind President Zelenskyy. "For three years now, Ukrainians have fought with courage and resilience," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on social media. "Their fight for democracy, freedom and sovereignty is a fight that matters to us all."

In short, the United States has been weakened and embarrassed on the global stage. But will that matter to ordinary Americans? Or will they only care about the price of eggs?

Two important things happened today. One, that Donald Trump and JD Vance were fully exposed for the repulsive Russian tools they are. Americans might not understand all the ins and outs of geopolitics, but they definitely get the concept of good guys versus bad guys. And for the last three years, Zelenskyy has clearly been a good guy.

The other thing? Trump and Vance made clear that they are Vladimir Putin's stooges. The rest of the world already knew this. But with today's video, Americans clearly know it now.

These are important points, and clearly worth the time and trouble that Zelenskyy took to travel to Washington to make them. The bottom line is that bullies do not like it when you push back. The fact that Zelenskyy did it, in a hostile milieu and in a language not his own, and yet ate Trump's and Vance's lunch, is testimony to his status as a badass. We cats salute him, and we PURR.

GOP Gives Up On First Amendment

By Baxter

It seems mighty suspicious that hot on the heels of Republican House members getting raked over the coals at town halls back home, this happens at the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee's public Q&A event in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Dr. Theresa Borrenpohl was, um, ushered out after she spoke up to defend conservation of public lands. Actually, as you can tell, she was actually assaulted and dragged out.

These men are not police. They're not wearing any kind of ID; nor do they identify themselves even after Dr. Borrenpohl demanded it. Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris — out of uniform, by the way — directed them to manhandle and eject her. 

Obviously, Republicans have decided that they will have no more raucous, free-speechy behavior from their constituents, and that the First Amendment only applies to Trump, Musk, and their fellow Nazis.

But the joke may be on them. While Dr. Borrenpohl hasn't yet made an official comment on the incident, she's issued a statement saying, in essence, "Stand by, mofos." In short, she's planning to sue their asses off, yes? A GoFundMe campaign for her legal fees has raised $168,968. (The goal was $30,000.) We cats are both appalled and encouraged, and we HISS and PURR at the same time.

The Post Crumbles Again

By Hubie and Bertie

Are you a former Washington Post subscriber who's been toying with the idea of re-upping? Well, allow us cats to save you a few bucks.

The Post has canceled a "Fire Elon Musk" ad buy that Common Cause and the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund placed for Tuesday. The ad, costing $115,000, would have wrapped the print edition and also would have appeared inside. Apparently that was too much for the knee-benders in Bezos World, who have refused to comment or explain.

The ad would have also advised readers to call their Senators and House members and demand that Elon take a hike. So, here's our public service announcement for the day: You can still do that. The Capitol switchboard phone number is 202-224-3121. Just ask for your Senator and/or Congressperson by name, and they'll connect you. (Common Cause offers more opportunities for taking action here.)

If our democracy survives for historians to write about these terrible Trumpy days, they will pin a lot of blame on the cowards and billionaire overlords in American journalism. We cats HISS.