In both foreign policy and economic policy, the core belief of Trumpism is that there is some button one can press to instantly and easily solve any problem, and every political leader this country has ever had was simply too cowardly to press it. That’s it.

Naming my security company after the giant evil eye that, crucially, was too distracted to see the actual threat sneaking in

Lynne Thigpen as "The Chief" from Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego

Lock the fuck in, Gumshoes. Carmen Sandiego stole a priceless wax pressing of "One of These Nights" by the Eagles. You've got to stop her before she travels back in time to 149 BC Carthage and trades it to Scipio Africanus the Younger for a kilo of the good shit.
*Rockapella bops on stage*

i dont understand, 2 days ago i was told there was a deal, i was told it was over and we got everything we wanted, i was told the strait would never be closed again, i was told all this just as markets were hitting their stride on friday afternoon

There was no dearth of effort to spend money in ways Americans could feel good about under the Biden admin. It didn't work because mainstream press by and large refused to give it airtime, and online influencers refused to discuss it because it wasn't considered fashionable to acknowledge it.

"according to nine people familiar" is never a line you want in a story about you

Pope: [moral critique of illegal war]

President: I am Jesus. Thr pope is gay

Media: they are feuding😳

that they are freaking out this badly over a surtax on second homes worth more than five million dollars - the most excessive rich person thing imaginable, which doesn’t even affect most of them - really makes it clear how little attention you need to pay to the freak outs

the basic theory of DOGE was that if powerful people said it was fine it didn’t matter what the law said.

I think proving that theory wrong is worth significant effort

THE HOUSE JUST VOTED TO EXTENDED TPS FOR HAITI!!! Thank you, Rep. Ayanna Pressley for your leadership on this. Proud to help co-lead this effort for our Haitian brothers, sisters, and siblings. What a day.

Exactly one year ago today:

Good for him but I am tired of learning about all the ways a 41-year-old candidate for U.S. Senate supposedly has a lot more growing and learning to do. Maybe do that before the Senate? And maybe try out a lower office before then?

Or maybe we just watch him blossom into another Sinema/Fetterman.

The New York Times telling me that my dog is dumb

Bitch I will beat your ass

Tax law scholar Lawrence Zelenak observes, “April 15 can and should be as important a civic holiday as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Together, the two days celebrate the fulfillment of the two great responsibilities of citizenship.” The filing of the income tax return offers an opportunity to mark this achievement. Riffing on Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.’s famous quip, “I like to pay taxes. With them I buy civilization,” Zelenak calls for greater recognition of how filing an income tax return constitutes a “Purchase-of-Civilization Ceremony.”

Happy tax day! This should be a civic holiday, we should have a parade and give out taxpayer awards.
ruthbraunstein.substack.com/p/what-does-...

Trying to explain St Augustine to the pope, the former head of the Augustinian order, who wrote his doctoral thesis on Augustine, on his way back from celebrating mass at the Basilica of St Augustine in Annaba, Algeria, overlooking the site where Augustine lived is peak Adult Catholic Convert.

Piker is the Joe Rogan of the left because, like Rogan, he is a moron.

Fighting with the pope, thinking of himself as god, humiliated in a naval war of choice he assumed he would win easily over an "inferior" people, surrounded by kook healers and medical advisors, obsessed with familial legacy in the shadow of an actually successful father, this man is Nicholas II

Hungarians deserve every congratulations for giving Peter Magyar a bigger margin than Orban has ever gotten in all of his rigged elections - and this within the system that Orban rigged. Magyar now has a constitutional majority to undo Orban's constitutional prison and govern as a democratic leader.

in addition to this (which i agree with), something that should put some wind in your sails is that orbán actually *was* the competent competitive authoritarian (relatively) everyone worries about, he had a stronger grip on power than i think trump ever has, and he had it for far longer

ok NOW i bet Zelenskyy will thank JD Vance

Perhaps Magyar's most important promise, and the one that certainly resonates with voters: "never again a country without consequences!"

The crowd chants: "To prison! To prison!" [with the corrupt officials of the outgoing government]

Regret to inform everyone that Peter Magyar beat the world’s smartest illiberal populist in large measure by working incredibly hard for 2 straight years, meaning the rest of us are just going to have to get off our asses and do shit rather than just complaining.

Opposition leader Péter Magyar at a rally.

Orbán's electoral crushing is a far greater achievement than most people outside Hungary realise.

He systemically consolidated power for 16 years, fixed the electoral map, abused govt power for political purposes & censored media.

The hurdles that Hungarians overcame for this moment were immense.

Less than a week ago, there were several prominent voices on here saying that they were sure Orbán was going to cancel Hungary's election. And casting that as a preview of coming horrors here in the States.

Well, Hungary had its vote, Orbán lost in a landslide, and he's conceded.

George Soros living long enough to witness Orban's humiliating defeat is the cherry on top.

what else can we get JD to do this weekend

this is exactly why I get so annoyed by people who say “oh I live in a blue state, it doesn’t matter who I vote for so I’ll protest vote for the Green Party”

when you’re up against fascists, you need as big of a margin as possible