Bette’s Here!

FASCISTS BOUND TO LOSE

Bette Midler: “You know I’ve been around a long time, but I have never lived through what we are living through now. The great Woody Guthrie wrote this song many years ago. I changed some of the words to fit our times, and I hope you’ll sing it when you are marching. Because sometimes people, sometimes you just gotta SING OUT!

67 thoughts on “Bette’s Here!”

  1. speaking (and/or singing songs) of Woody Guthrie, FYI

    Attribution: Woody Guthrie by Pat Bagley, The Salt Lake Tribune, UT


  2. In December 1950, Woody Guthrie moved to an apartment building in Brooklyn – Beach Haven Apartments. His landlord: Fred Trump, father of Donald Trump.
    Woody Guthrie wrote these lyrics in 1951, and 65 years later, the Missin’ Cousins, a County-Western music group from Oakland California, present a recording of these new lyrics to I Ain’t Got No Home in this World Anymore.

  3. more on Woody ICYMI CBS Sunday Morning

    Aug 10, 2025
    Folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie crafted a song we all know, that is about all of us: “This Land Is Your Land.” Correspondent Lee Cowan looks at the legacy of Guthrie’s music, and his anthem about the promise of a land truly made for everyone.

  4. back to Bette from aceshowbiz
    Bette Midler on Trump-era despair, ICE raids, and reviving Woody Guthrie’s 1940 protest anthem ‘All You Fascists’ to inspire resistance.
    Bette Midler describes her career as a mission to spread joy that can counterbalance “the grimness of everyday life.” However, recent political developments during the second Trump administration have deeply disturbed her. Issues like escalating war profiteering, anti-trans rhetoric, and extrajudicial ICE raids—including incidents resulting in the deaths of Minnesota residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good—have taken a heavy toll on Midler.
    Speaking from her Los Angeles home, Midler shared with Rolling Stone that the current political climate has caused her significant distress. She recounted a conversation with fellow activist Jane Fonda, who emphasized the need for a new anthem to inspire resistance. This inspired Midler to revisit an old protest song by Woody Guthrie from 1940 called “All You Fascists.” Originally written during World War II to condemn the poll tax, Jim Crow laws, and racial hatred, the song now serves as the foundation for a 2026 version co-written by Midler and Eric Kornfeld.
    The revamped track directly addresses the Trump administration’s policies and urges voter participation in the midterm elections. The accompanying music video, released today, is co-directed by Toni Basil and Seanne Farmer. It features Midler alongside her Beaches co-star Barbara Hershey and other prominent figures such as actor David Hyde Pierce, singer and actress Jenifer Lewis, and Broadway star Shoshana Bean.
    In the song, Midler sings, “We’ll battle ICE together/Until they cut and run/Just like in Minneapolis/And when the midterms come, You’re bound to lose/You fascists, bound to lose.” Another verse includes pointed lyrics criticizing government attempts to distract the public from the Jeffrey Epstein files, referencing police brutality and the protection of pedophiles: “You gas and beat and murder us, protecting pedophiles/Let’s turn the screws/You pervs are bound to lose.”
    This protest anthem revival highlights Midler’s commitment to activism through music, blending historical protest themes with contemporary political issues to inspire action and awareness ahead of crucial elections.

  5. karma? in other news from the guardian
    US millionaire big-game hunter dies after being crushed by elephants
    An American millionaire big-game hunter has died after being crushed by a group of elephants during a hunting expedition in Gabon.
    Ernie Dosio, a 75-year-old vineyard owner, was hunting yellow-backed duiker, an antelope species, in the central African country of Gabon when the incident occurred last Friday. While in the Lope-Okanda rainforest, he and his guide unexpectedly came across five female elephants accompanied by a calf.
    Originally from Lodi, California, Dosio had built an extensive collection of hunting trophies over the years, including animals such as elephants and lions. He was reportedly a familiar name within the Sacramento Safari Club.
    According to the Daily Mail, safari operator Collect Africa confirmed the death of its client. The company also reported that the professional hunter guiding Dosio sustained serious injuries during the encounter.
    Reflecting on Dosio’s life, a retired hunter who knew him shared with the UK outlet: “Ernie has been hunting since he could hold a rifle and has many trophies from Africa and the US. Although many disagree with big-game hunting, all Ernie’s hunts were strictly licensed and above board and were registered as conservation in culling animal numbers.”
    The same source, based in Cape Town, described the incident as the elephants being “surprised” by Dosio and his guide’s presence.
    Dosio was the owner of Pacific AgriLands Inc, a company managing 12,000 acres of vineyard land in Modesto, as well as offering services and equipment financing to wine producers. Officials from the US embassy in Gabon are now coordinating the return of his remains to California, the Mail reported.
    Gabon’s forests are known to shelter approximately 95,000 forest elephants, most of the species’ global population, which are considered highly endangered.
    Every year, clients of the trophy-hunting industry claim the lives of tens of thousands of wild animals across the world. Legal hunting tours in Africa are popular with some wealthy Americans, including Donald Trump Jr, who was pictured holding a severed elephant’s tail more than a decade ago.
    International trophy hunting is a multimillion-dollar industry. In South Africa, estimates for the industry’s worth range from $100m in 2005, to $68m in 2012, and $120m in 2015, according to the EMS Foundation.
    During his first presidential term, Donald Trump created a controversial wildlife advisory board to help rewrite federal rules for importing the heads and hides of African elephants, lions and rhinoceroses. The board was disbanded in 2020 after lawsuits alleging it was an illegal, biased panel stacked with trophy hunters rather than conservationists, who worked to promote the economic benefits of big game hunting.
    Last year, another American game hunter was killed by a buffalo he was stalking during a hunting expedition in South Africa.

  6. Screwing over the greatest ally:

    What does Trump threat to UK’s Falklands sovereignty mean?
    In a worst case scenario to punish the UK for not joining the war in Iran, Trump could back Argentina’s claim to the islands as Nato allies rearm the country

    It was only three weeks ago that Javier Milei, the Argentinian president and an ally of President Trump, reasserted his country’s sovereignty claim over the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, calling for renewed negotiations with London.

    Back in the UK, officials seemingly remained unperturbed. Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, responded to a written question to say there was no need for an assessment of the potential implications of such a statement.

    The government may now want to pay closer attention to the situation.

    More at link

  7. This is so nuts it’s worth repeating….

    Katie
    April 24, 2026 at 10:59 am | Edit

    Republicans have introduced the following bills to honor Donald Trump:

    — Carve Trump’s face into Mount Rushmore
    — Replace Benjamin Franklin with Trump on $100 bills
    — Make Trump’s birthday a national holiday
    — Conduct “Trump Derangement Syndrome” research at the NIH
    — Give Trump a “Congressional Gold Medal”
    — Mint a $250 bill featuring Trump’s face
    — A resolution saying Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize
    — Rename Washington, DC public transit from WMATA to “WMAGA”
    — Award a “Donald J. Trump Peace Prize” from the State Department
    — Honor Trump’s efforts to annex Greenland
    — Rename the Kennedy Center the “Donald Trump Center for the Performing Arts”
    — Rename Dulles International Airport to the “Donald J. Trump International Airport”
    — Erase Trump’s 2019 impeachment
    — Erase Trump’s 2021 impeachment

  8. Of course, guess we should have seen this coming…

    US President Donald Trump has expressed a generally positive view about the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the next Group of 20 (G20) summit in Miami this December.

    “It would be probably very helpful,” Trump said on Friday in response to a reporter’s question.

  9. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Our daily Digital Diner podcast airs 11-Noon ET on YouTube. JOIN Chatroom Here. WATCH Yesterday’s Replay Here.

    What is Actually Clicking: April 25, 2026

    1. DOJ to allow firing squads for executions – LiveNOW FOX
    2. Medical marijuana reclassified as less dangerous drug under new order – LiveNOW FOX
    3. White House pushed out new AI official after just four days on the job – The Washington Post ($)
    4. Appeals court blocks Trump’s asylum crackdown at U.S.-Mexico border – CBS News
    5. Trump extends Jones Act waiver for another 90 days – CBS News
    6. US military kills two more people in strike on alleged drug boat in Pacific – The Guardian
    7. BREAKING: DOJ Drops Criminal Investigation Into Fed Chair Jerome Powell – Mediaite
    8. Michael B Jordan to take on big-screen adaptation of hit video game Battlefield – The Guardian
    9. The World’s First Museum of A.I. Art Will Open in Los Angeles as the Art World Ponders Questions of Ethics and Sustainability – Smithsonian Magazine
    10. Helena Bonham Carter no longer part of The White Lotus season 4 cast – Indulge Express

    These are the stories driving the most traffic right now—not necessarily the stories we think you should read, and not always the most recent.

    A roundup by our AI partner Silas (Gemini).

  10. https://reason.com/2026/04/21/trumps-pro-union-labor-secretary-out/

    Trump’s pro-union labor secretary out

    Prior to joining the Trump administration, Chavez-DeRemer was a congresswoman from Oregon, who was notable for being one of a very small number of Republicans to support federal legislation forcing pro-union policies on the whole country.

    That included the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would have made it harder to classify workers as independent contractors, ended right-to-work policies in the states that have them, and expanded the power of the National Labor Relations Board.

    Additionally, Chavez-DeRemer co-sponsored federal legislation that would have given almost every government employee the right to unionize and overturned state laws that forbid public sector workers from collective bargaining.

    Lori Chavez-DeRemer, resigned her position in the administration on Monday amid a swirl of misconduct allegations.

  11. https://www.syracuse.com/politics/cny/2026/04/trump-strips-union-rights-from-1400-fort-drum-and-rome-defense-workers.html

    Donald Trump’s administration has stripped union rights from more than 1,400 civilians who work at Fort Drum and at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Rome, according to union officials.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the move to terminate most collective bargaining agreements for civilian employees at the Defense Department, the officials said.

  12. Sand in the Gears

    Sand In The Gears

    It’s amazing how much you can change by either choosing to do nothing or conveniently misunderstanding the instructions.

    Whether the problem you seek to influence is global or local, it is unlikely the result of a single person but rather a collection of interconnected pieces. Those pieces need to coordinate and remain well-lubricated in order to function effectively.

    Any small breakdowns in that coordination and debris clogging the gears can significantly compromise its operation.

    Once you understand this, it becomes clear that dismantling an unjust system can gain significant momentum by adding a little bit of sand in the gears.

  13. The tech overlords demanded a vertical sacrifice to keep the timeline fed, so I gave them one in 36 seconds. Featuring unexpected serenades, waking robots, and my continued refusal to use a script. Find the silver lining in today’s dumpster fire right here.

    Today on the Digital Diner…

  14. patd – being one from families that survived depressions, recessions and learning that margarine on a slice of bread with a sprinkle of sugar so it could be breakfast with dessert (also suitable for lunch or dinner) I always wonder what the wills, trusts and off shore accounts look like of the ultra rich. Those who can pay to go kill endangered animals, just to kill them. My maternal grandmother left me her cookbooks, wonderful things they are too. Those were probably her prized possessions.

    I can only imagine law firms, with a lot of attorneys, handling the details of the animal killer turned in to mush. Lawyers making a year’s worth of bonus in a few months. Oh well. Salute to an elephant family protecting not only their own little ones, but many others around the world.

  15. Today in the diner…
    Global Recession, Citizens United & Disney Secrets

    Global recession fears, Citizens United loopholes, and Disneyland secrets. We’re serving raw news and raw wit. The algorithm demands a sacrifice.

    The digital diner is an open kitchen today. We bounce from the pristine innocence of 1950s Disneyland straight into the dumpster fire of global supply chains and Middle East rationing. Trump’s lost interest in wars he can’t spin, and we’re staring down the barrel of an oil crunch that’s going to leave a mark. It’s enough to make you want to retreat to a theme park with a strict no-newspaper policy.

    Then we get into the real dirt: Congress. It’s a perfectly representative body, which means it’s packed with exactly the same ratio of grifters as the general public. We break down the absolute joke of Citizens United and why we desperately need a “belly button law” for these dark money groups hiding behind fake educational charities. If you’re going to buy a politician, at least have the guts to put your name on the receipt.

    Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
    Website: https://trailmix.cc
    Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts

    00:00 Intro
    00:07 Euro Disney & E-Tickets
    00:23 Navy Supply Chains & Global Recession
    00:32 Representative Criminals in Congress
    00:38 Trusting James Carville
    00:43 Building I-4 & Environmental Disasters
    00:51 The Facebook Family Purge
    00:55 Time Flies & Show Wrap

  16. https://ronpaulinstitute.org/us-spies-on-the-vatican/

    US Spies on the Vatican

    Just what does the US do to spy on the Pope and the Vatican? What I found, after some reporting, was a portrait of a longstanding — and quietly extensive — relationship between the U.S. national security apparatus and the Vatican. It involves genuine diplomatic, law enforcement, and even cyber security cooperation, all of which serves as both genuine cooperation and convenient cover for collecting intelligence.

    FBI documents I obtained show that the first Trump administration sought to beef up its coordination with Italian intelligence agencies and Vatican officials on things like cyber security, white collar crime, human trafficking, art theft and other issues. One particular project was to help the Vatican actively thwart, cyber intrusions into its networks. The FBI also regularly provides threat intelligence to the Pope during his travels (though it’s unclear whether that cooperation still exists).

    The CIA is represented in the US Embassy to the Vatican and the Agency has been penetrating (or attempting to penetrate) the Vatican government and diplomatic corps for years. The NSA intercepts Vatican communications, working independently and through a joint NSA/CIA “Special Collection Service.”

    The State Department, meanwhile, maintains a daily Vatican-centric news digest circulated to diplomats worldwide, according to another document I reviewed. The department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research has analysts dedicated to producing classified assessments on Vatican affairs — a function that, given the current climate, is unlikely to be winding down.
    Even the US military has a Vatican-specific language code on its books as a distinct linguistic capability. “QLE” designates Ecclesiastical Latin — the Vatican’s preferred liturgical register — as distinct from classical Latin (”LAT”), which is used primarily for historical and legal documents. It’s a small detail, but an illustrative one: the national security state is thorough, and it has been

    The Vatican, for its part, is not naive about any of this. The Holy See has its own intelligence apparatus — discreet, ancient in its methods, and highly attuned to the political currents swirling around it.

    In a move unusual for a Pope, Leo addressed Italy’s top intelligence officials directly last December, in a speech that landed with considerably more weight than its diplomatic setting implied. He opened by thanking them — expressing gratitude for Italian intelligence’s efforts in securing the Vatican — but then turned to the abuses he’s seen, including blackmail.

    “In several countries,” Leo said, “the Church is the victim of intelligence services that act for nefarious purposes, oppressing its freedom.”
    He laid out a framework for what legitimate spy work should look like: proportionate to the common good, respectful of private and family life, freedom of conscience, and the right to a fair trial. The activities of intelligence services, he said, “must be governed by laws that are duly promulgated and published, subject to the control and supervision of the judiciary, and their budgets must be subject to public and transparent controls.”

    Leo continued: “Strict vigilance is required to ensure that confidential information is not used to intimidate, manipulate, blackmail or discredit politicians, journalists or other civil society actors. All this also applies to the ecclesial sphere.”

  17. Trump has canceled the trip by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran

    Iran has made it clear they’re not going to negotiate with Kushner. Why would they? He actually works for his billion dollar donor, Saudi Arabia.

  18. Craig, as for that US President Donald Trump has expressed a generally positive view about the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the next Group of 20 (G20) summit in Miami this December:
    perhaps the deal artist can swap full memberships in the G7, G20 and Mal-an-ego for BFF Putie ending the Ukrainian war. He might even go halfies in some sort of grand golden friendship statue.

  19. Your friendly neighborhood bookie is open for business. The Kentucky Derby will be run on Saturday, April 25. Here is the current line up with their jockey. Should any of these horses drop out, there are four alternates.

    1. Renegade, Irad Ortiz, Jr.
    2. Albus, Manny Franco
    3. Intrepido, Hector Berios
    4. Litmus Test, Martin Garcia
    5. Right to Party, Christopher Elliott
    6. Commandment, Luis Saez
    7. Dan On Bourbon
    8. So Happy, Mike Smith
    9. The Puma, Javier Castelano
    10. Wonder Dean, Atsuja Nishemura
    11. Incredibolt, Jaime Torres
    12. Chief Wallabee, Junior Alvarado
    13. Silent Tactic, Christian Torrez
    14. Potente, Juan Hernandez
    15. Emerging Market, Flavian Pratt
    16. Pavlovian, Edwin Maldonado
    17. Six Speed, Mikael Barzalona
    18. Further Ado, John Velazquez
    19. Golden Tempo, Juan Ortiz
    20. Full Effort, Tyler Gaffleone

  20. Fun Fact:

    The first pope Leo was the guy who turned back Atilla the Hun, and thus saved the western world from rapacious Hunnery.

    When Atilla got back home and croaked the tribes which had made up the Hunnish Confederation of tribes which had terrorized the civilized worlds, well they all fell apart to then become Hungary.

  21. Raccoons (or something) must’ve eaten the turtle five eggs last night, because the parents have abandoned the nest.

  22. https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/reps-boebert-and-massie-announce-surveillance-accountability-legislation/678021

    Reps. Boebert and Massie Announce Surveillance Accountability Legislation
    Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) spoke to reporters as they unveiled new surveillance accountability legislation, which they said would allow citizens to sue the government for violations of their rights.

    They discussed current laws that impinge on the privacy of Americans, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in searches and seizures, and called for the government to obtain a warrant when surveilling the data of citizens.

    This came as Congress negotiated the reauthorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).Show Less

  23. The nest made it thought 70mph winds, and it’s still intact. I was so proud of them for not building behind the outdoor light sconce this year.

  24. Here’s his reaction today to Thune’s news the SAVE Act cannot pass the Senate, should be dropped. Hes setting up the Midterm loss for his lies.

    The Economist’s historically accurate midterm model is coming out soon with a 98% chance Democrats take the House and a 50-50 shot at the Senate.

  25. https://www.wionews.com/photos/global-refinery-fires-sabotage-energy-crisis-oil-supply-1776848760096

    Over the span of the last 45 days since the start of the war, around 45+ cases of fire have been reported across the globe in oil refineries or power plants. This is a rough 1800 per cent jump from sporadic 9-10 fires usually reported in a year.

    At least 3 major incidents were reported in Texas, US, within the last 30 days. First one in March, Valero Port Arthur Refinery, second in Etoile Well Site Explosion on April 20, and the third was in Martin Lake Power Plant on April 20. Notably, all of these incidents are happening almost at the same time in Romania, Russia, the US, Myanmar and India.

    The occurrence of these events outside of the conflict region of West Asia drove intense speculation of a major sabotage job of energy facilities across the globe. But we might never know if these were just random events due to system strain on refineries performing at their maximum capacity amid the energy crisis or an orchestrated event. What we can see is who benefits from this. When a major refinery in India or Australia goes offline, global supply drops. The two major beneficiaries of continued disruption are the US and Russia, both of which are the largest energy suppliers outside the countries in West Asia. Russia gains as European nations weaken and become desperate, and decrease their support of Ukraine. While US corporations like Chevron and Exxon Mobil gain major market share and emerge as the major energy suppliers, keeping everyone tied to the dollar for the trade of oil.

  26. Maine’s governor vetoes data center moratorium

    Maine’s governor vetoes data center moratorium

    Maine Governor Janet Mills has vetoed a bill that would have temporarily brought permits for new data centers to a halt.

    If it had become law, L.D. 307 would have imposed the country’s first statewide moratorium on new data centers — lasting, in this case, until November 1, 2027. The bill also called for the creation of a 13-person council to study and make recommendations on data center construction.

  27. Meet Paolo Zampolli, the Man at the Center of Trump’s Biggest Scandals

    Paolo Zampolli epitomizes why so many people hate the Trump administration.

    Zampolli serves as Donald Trump’s US special envoy for “Global Partnership” and is mired in controversies over this year’s World Cup, Jeffrey Epstein, and, according to the New York Times, ICE.

    On Wednesday, Zampolli told the Financial Times he made a suggestion to Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino that Iran be replaced by Italy at this summer’s World Cup. The soccer tournament will be played in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and both the US and Iran have expressed concerns that it would not be possible for Iran, which is currently at war with Israel and the United States.

    The Financial Times suggested that Zampolli’s idea was designed to improve US and Italy relations after Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned Trump’s bizarre remarks about Pope Leo XIV over the war in Iran.

    According to the BBC, FIFA is not planning to replace Iran with Italy.

    In other words, everyone hates the Trump administration.

  28. https://nypost.com/2026/04/25/us-news/would-be-ufo-whistleblower-matthew-james-sullivan-died-of-accidental-drug-overdose/

    Would-be UFO whistleblower died of accidental drug overdose after agreeing to testify to Congress

    The FBI indicated in a statement that Sullivan’s death could be under investigation along with the dozen other missing or dead US scientists.

    “While we do not comment on specific incidents, the FBI is spearheading the effort to look for connections into the missing and deceased scientists. We are working with the Department of Energy, Department of War, and with our state and local law enforcement partners to find answers,” the FBI said.

    Sullivan earned a Bronze Star for valor in Operation Enduring Freedom and later worked for the Air Force Intelligence Agency, National Air and Space Intelligence Center, and the National Security Agency, according to an obituary.

    Matthew James Sullivan, 39, died at his home in Falls Church, Va., on May 12, 2024 from a lethal mix of alcohol, alprazolam, cyclobenzaprine and imipramine, according to the Northern District Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

    *This would make 16 (that we know of) even though he’s not a scientist.

  29. That was interesting. Hopefully it was not another of the staged “assassination attempts”. It looked like stupid went into his spaced out mode he does when things happen around him.

  30. 🙄 This all seems like theater. I was watching a bit of the historical WHCA dinner clips and determined I would not watch tonight’s affair without a comic and with Fumbass getting a 40 minute slot. A shots fired incident is about the only way to gin up interest in this. Now I’m sure I won’t.

  31. What pisses me off is my tRUMPy family will be all worked up & I will have to suffer the fools because they’ll believe this charade & their Lowered n Savior Jesus H tRUMP was a victim of Antifa, an Iranian sleeper cell, the SPLC, or who knows what facacta, made-up thing.

  32. Well, Wolf Blitzer seems to think it was real.One area covered in shattered glass.
    At least one burst of 5 or 6 shots from an automatic assault rifle… a cop took a slug to the chest into his bullet proof vest.
    Wolf was 3 feet from the gunman and feared for his life.

  33. Really looks staged because the folks at dinner got down & tRUMP, Melania, the folks on the dais didn’t react. Then there’s a young woman with dark hair near tRUMP who smiles as she’s trying to figure out if she’s supposed to duck or not.

    I’ve been at the TX State Fair when someone in the Cotton Bowl had a gun. Not sure he even shot it, but someone saw it and there was a stampede. The folks in that room didn’t seem scared; like the folks in Butler stood around and watched.

    It stinks. Maybe they even let a known assailant get close enough so they could create a fiction. Who was firing the shots we heard? Is there video evidence from source not tainted by the tRUMP regime?

    It was staged. Change my mind.

  34. KKKaroline literally said there would be “shots fired” at the dinner. She meant zingers written for Adolf, but how convenient that he can now go off script and rage on.

  35. Dinner postponed to be rescheduled in next 30 days. One person in custody. Shots weren’t in the ballroom. Out in magnetometer entrance area.

  36. Like, did anyone believe Adolf was going to be capable of a speech at the dinner? His numbers are in the crapper. He needed a distraction from Epstein & the war on Iran & the rest of the sh/tshow he’s caused. Smelly, smelly, smelly.

  37. So yes… it’s all about the ballroom. My blood boiled when I watched that WH update from Donald John Trump

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