i honestly don't know why joe biden just gave up america like that when he could have stopped it then and there

The former is true, the latter probably not.

The only hard evidence we have is that it produced the best electoral outcome for an incumbent party candidate of any liberal democracy on earth (unless you include Mexico).

(2006, Apologetically) "Sorry, I was raised Catholic."

(2026, Menacingly) "Sorry, I was raised Catholic."

Economist cover describing America's economy as "the envy of the world"

Oh, all of that was wildly successful. This was the Economist cover the eve of the election.

And then we proceeded to elect Donald Trump because Biden had "ruined" the economy.

Sorry, this all just seems like silly "happened on his watch" navel-gazing to me.

He was a flawed man and president, but one which any democracy would be moderately lucky to have. His failures were unremarkable but for the era in which they occurred.

The remarkable failure is we the people.

> his duty was to stop Trump becoming president

no

it was ours

"continuing our past economic support of Orbán that has helped make it the poorest nation in the EU!"

He was, by far, the most focused target of threats, and had already been prosecuted past the maximum extent of the law.

Biden did what any father would do under threat of a lawless psychopath, and Trump will do what any lawless psychopath would do under threat of the restoration of law.

True, and it's not difficult to say that someone in his position shouldn't be expected to face peril himself.

But to imperil totally innocent civil servants like Anthony Fauci? If I were in his position, I would have a hard time justifying what gave me the right *not* to pardon them.

exchange them for a few thousand dissidents, call it square

John Roberts did this.

"They really only have us by the hairs, and not even the long ones"

We still are!

Dictators don't subject themselves to humiliating losses like Iran when they have other options. Trump is responding to an electorate that hates the entire war because he *has* to.

If there is a wave election in 7 months, we're already on a new path from any of those three.

Could a former Brazilian model be the whistleblower Melania is afraid of? The First Lady’s unprecedented public statement about Jeffrey Epstein yesterday raised a lot of questions about what, if anything, is about to be revealed about Donald and Melania Trump’s relationship with the late sex trafficker.

open.substack.com/pub/jkbjourn...

Oh, and note that borghese needs to be reserved *weeks* in advance!

Borghese is a banger, the finest "can see in an hour" art museum in the eu

Would add that ticketing is chaotic for both the colosseum and forum, seeing the former from the outside is 80% of the experience, and there is a great view of the forum from the back of the (excellent) capitoline museum.

Only three times in history has a country democratically elected someone after attempting a coup:

France, 1848 (Louis Napoleon)
Venezuela, 1998 (Chavez)
Germany, 1933 (Hitler)

All three ceased to be democracies. We will surely be the first to survive, but it's not good company.

that is some transcendent cover art

Album: Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk

In college we went to a concert with John Faddis (legendary jazz trumpet player). My friend asked if he would sign a record. Faddis said "sure!", and was presented with this, which to be fair he is prominently listed on the liner notes.

He grimaced and said "Ah, come on, man", but he did sign it

The only hope is that, in the long run, military junta turns out to be ultimately more pliant than theocracy, and offer a path to real democracy like Spain, SK or Taiwan.

"ope, sahrry hon. yah turns out i was just honey pottin ya this whole time there"

lmao this rules

Downfall: Everybody has been lying to me, even the SS!

rare opportunity for original subtitles

whats the deal with the three em dashes tho

was that Melania speech one of Iran’s demands

Pathetic.
gift link
wapo.st/4ccudpF

All 100% compatible with Iran's 10-point plan.

Nature is healing