Monster Mash or Mash-Up

Smashed bro-mance or just another distraction making something new by combining their old songs?

Musk And Trump Go To War: Musk Signals He’s Open To Truce (Live Updates)

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Author: patd

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked. "Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad." "How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice. "You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

68 thoughts on “Monster Mash or Mash-Up”


  1. A full-scale flame war has broken out between the world’s most famous besties, causing their former buddy Kanye West to wade into the fray, and an intern is running Homeland Security’s terrorism prevention unit.


  2. Pickett co-wrote “Monster Mash” with Leonard Capizzi in May 1962. The song was a spoof on the dance crazes popular at the time, including the Twist and the Mashed Potato, which inspired the title. The song featured Pickett’s impersonations of veteran horror stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi (the latter with the line “Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?”). It was passed on by every major record label, but after hearing the song, Gary S. Paxton agreed to produce and engineer it; among the musicians who played on it was pianist Leon Russell. Issued on Paxton’s Garpax Records, the single became a million seller, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks before Halloween in 1962.[3] It was styled as being by “Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers”. The track re-entered the U.S. charts twice, in August 1970, and again in May 1973, when it reached the #10 spot. In Britain it took until October 1973 for the tune to become popular, peaking at #3 in the UK Singles Chart.[4] For the second time, the record sold over one million copies.[5] The tune remains a Halloween perennial on radio and on iTunes.

  3. a game of chicken where both sides chickened out?
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/06/05/musk-trump-dragon-space-station/

    Elon Musk’s threat, which he later retracted, to cut off NASA’s use of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft would be a huge blow to NASA, depriving the space agency of the only American vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to the International Space Station and dramatically changing how NASA would access the $100 billion orbiting laboratory.
    The threat, posted on X, came during an escalating fight between President Donald Trump and the wealthiest man in the world, after Trump had threatened to cancel all of Musk’s company’s federal contracts. Given SpaceX’s importance to multiple federal programs, severing those relationships could leave NASA as well as the Pentagon and intelligence agencies in a lurch.
    Several hours after making the threat, Musk relented, saying in response to a post on X that he should cool off and reconsider: “Ok, we won’t decommission Dragon.”
    Over the years, SpaceX has become a vital contractor, launching sensitive national security payloads such as satellites that provide missile warning, battlefield communication and guide munitions to precise targets.
    […]
    For years, space industry officials have warned that the government desperately needed more providers so that it wouldn’t be so dependent on a single company. But while SpaceX soared, launching its Falcon 9 rocket more than any other in history by a wide margin, its competitors, including Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin, failed to keep up. As a result, SpaceX continued to win government contract after contract, deepening its ties to the federal bureaucracy. (Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
    [continues]

  4. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/05/trump-white-house-aides-signal-a-possible-detente-with-musk-00391502

    Signs of a truce are emerging in the increasingly bitter clash between two of the world’s most powerful men.
    President Donald Trump projected an air of nonchalance in an interview Thursday with POLITICO during a day of sparring over social media with Elon Musk.
    Separately, White House aides, after working to persuade the president to temper his public criticism of Musk to avoid escalation, scheduled a call Friday with the billionaire CEO of Tesla to broker a peace.
    “Oh it’s okay,” Trump told POLITICO in a brief telephone call when asked about the very public breakup with his onetime megabacker. “It’s going very well, never done better.” Trump went on to tout his favorability ratings saying, “The numbers are through the roof, the highest polls I’ve ever had and I have to go.”
    It was a marked contrast to what appeared for all the world to be an ugly online feud between Trump and Musk over his “big beautiful bill,” the legislation now in the Senate that incorporates his presidential agenda, from tax cuts to immigration enforcement.
    The stakes were high enough, and the exchanges so alarmingly bitter, that aides and allies, including hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, rushed to ease the tension — and Musk seemed agreeable.
    “I support @realDonaldTrump and @elonmusk and they should make peace for the benefit of our great country,” Ackman wrote on X.
    Musk responded, “You’re not wrong.”
    [continues]

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2025/jun/06/donald-trump-elon-musk-feud-steve-bannon-jeffery-epstein-us-politics-live-news-updates

    Elon Musk has suggested he may de-escalate his public row with Donald Trump after their spectacular falling out.
    The Tesla chief executive signalled he might back down on a pledge to decommission the Dragon spacecraft – made by his SpaceX business – in an exchange on his X social media platform. He also responded positively to a call from fellow multibillionaire Bill Ackman to “make peace” with the US president.
    Politico also reported overnight that the White House has scheduled a call with Musk on Friday to broker a peace deal after both men traded verbal blows on Thursday.
    [continues]

  5. meanwhile
    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/06/russia-mounts-deadly-barrage-of-kyiv-after-vowing-revenge-for-ukraine-attack-on-bomber-fleet

    Russia bombards Kyiv after Putin vows revenge for Operation Spiderweb
    Three people killed and 20 wounded as missiles and drones strike Ukrainian capital
    Europe live – latest updates
    Daniel Boffey in Kyiv
    Fri 6 Jun 2025 03.57 EDT
    Share
    Russia launched an intense missile and drone barrage at Kyiv overnight, killing four people, after Vladimir Putin had vowed to respond to Operation Spiderweb.
    Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Friday that Russia had launched more than 400 drones and more than 40 missiles at the country, as he urged allies to build pressure on the Kremlin to end its war.
    “If someone does not put pressure and gives the war more time to take lives, they are complicit and responsible. We need to act decisively,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on social media.
    [continues]

  6. not by chance 99% are POCs in re those visa bans of folks from certain countries. as trail friend anonduh said last thread:
    ” It’s about permissive racism.”

  9. Gary S. Paxton, he of The Hollywood Argyles, who did the “Alley-Oop” song and who figured greatly in the Jim and Tammy Faye blow-up.

  10. Wonder how many of these never-stump republicans were perfectly ok with W Bush…..

  11. One of several tell-tale traits of the “broken family system” is waking up the morning after and pretending like nothing happened: denial and silence.

  13. NYT mentioned the part where the Chancellor of Germany schooled Dodo on the true significance of D-Day.

    “Mr. Merz chimed in mostly to appeal to Mr. Trump’s ego and national pride. He thanked Americans for liberating Europe on D-Day, 81 years ago on Friday. He said Mr. Trump could prove equally consequential by backing Ukraine in its war against Russia. When Mr. Trump interjected to say D-Day was bad for Germany, Mr. Merz waved him off, telling him that America saved his country from the Nazis, too.”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/world/europe/germany-merz-trump-visit.html

  14. A nation under dictatorial fascism cannot liberate itself. It has to come from outside intervention. Who is going to liberate our country as we liberated the Germans?

  15. elon’s most recent use of his toy in the battles playing out in social media and world news coverage:
    https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/videos/entertainment/english/musk-shares-1992-party-tape-donald-trump-epstein-caught-on-camera/videoshow/121667088.cms

    Musk Shares 1992 Party Tape: Donald Trump & Epstein Caught On Camera
    Elon Musk has reignited controversy by resharing a 1992 NBC video showing Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein partying at Mar-a-Lago, years before Epstein’s child sex conviction. The footage captures Trump and Epstein laughing and watching young women dance, contradicting Trump’s claim that he barely knew Epstein and “was not a fan.” Musk has accused Trump of being named in Epstein’s sealed files and called for his impeachment, claiming the truth is being hidden from America. The clip quickly went viral on X, sparking fierce debate online. While many praised Musk for exposing the truth, others pushed back by sharing photos of Musk with Ghislaine Maxwell and Diddy. This has escalated into a full-scale public war, with heated accusations and viral videos fueling the fallout.

  16. Elon’s going to have to dig deeper for something more incriminating than an old tape we’ve already seen.

  17. Ivy, thanks for the kind words yesterday and for alerting us to remembering D-Day. here’s what huffpo reported on the chancellor’s comment including a twiXt from the bulwark:
    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/donald-trump-friedrich-merz-d-day

    “We all are looking for measures and for instruments to bring this terrible war to an end,” Merz said. “And may I remind you that we are having June 6th tomorrow. This is D-Day anniversary, when the Americans once ended a war in Europe. And I think this is in your hands, and specific, in ours.”
    Trump interrupted and said: “That was not a pleasant day for you,” appearing to frame the Allied victory as just a loss for Germany, and not also as the end of dictator Adolf Hitler’s brutal, authoritarian regime.
    “No, that was not pleasant,” Merz replied.
    “This was not a great day,” Trump insisted.
    Merz then gently pushed back: “In the long run, Mr. President, this was the liberation of my country from Nazi dictatorship.”
    “That’s true, that’s true,” admitted Trump
    “And we know what we owe you,” said Merz. “This is the reason why I’m saying that America is again in a very strong position to do something on this war and ending this war. So let’s talk about what we can do jointly.”

  18. Those relationships between tRUMPsky and any-given-idiot/creep that come back from the dead…the other party kisses the ring and comes back as a zombie.

    Tell me Rubio isn’t just a zombie now.

  19. Hi – I am still alive, just no internet due to dead router. Hopefully it will be fixed today.

    This is still avery good week. For those interested in Ukriane, that was damaged earlier this week, it was closed a little bit ago, speculation is it was hit again.

  20. old tape?
    Ivy, probably not to maga world that never watches anything but Faux News and ONAN who weren’t likely to have let them know about it

  21. Forgot about that, Pat, you’re right. Stuff that’s old news to me my maggers never heard before. It’s amazing.

  23. Bannon wants MuskRat deported as he didn’t come here properly; came for school, but worked instead. His own brother admits it.

    I say we dispossess him of all of his businesses, since they exist because of government contracts.

    SpaceX can be part of NASA.

    Deport him with what arrived with from SA.

  25. “I’m not friends with anybody,” Mr. Trump told reporters

    One truthful thing escaped his lips by accident.

  28. We need to shake some of the lurkers from the rafters. Come on down, the natives are friendly and almost never bite!

  30. Back in the 30’s and 40’s my father and many of our neighbors traveled route 66. Much like many modern day migrants, they went to work, send money home, get enough money so they could go back home, to “Gods” country. Some did, some didn’t.
    Jack

  32. A salute to the men and women who created and made D-Day 1944 a success.

    The day always brings me back to multi-family get together during the 50’s and 60’s. A couple of the vets went in during the second wave on Omaha Beach. Others followed days or weeks later. When I was about 16 I sprained my ankle and needed to be on crutches several weeks. One of the men thought I looked about his size and went to get his crutches, one of his legs was in France. He brought up a great pair of crutches, hand crafted for him in the hospital in France. The best was they were a perfect fit making life very easy. These are wonderful memories.

  34. https://slate.com/technology/2025/05/cryptocurrency-financial-crisis-silicon-valley-bank-collapse.html

    The previous year, the cryptocurrency industry was decimated as the prices of various coins plunged. Investors raced to withdraw their money but were surprised to find it was no longer there.

    By guaranteeing their money, the Fed likely did the right thing to contain the growing crisis, but neither the crypto companies nor their investors suffered consequences. In fact, by retaining their cash, companies like the behemoth exchange Coinbase and venture capital firm a16z were soon able to use that moolah to influence politicians and regulators at a scale even Sam Bankman-Fried couldn’t have imagined.

    Legislation on crypto is moving forward after stalling on the Hill, in yet another example that Democrats’ only have so much of a spine. It makes a grim kind of sense: The crypto industry gave truckloads of money to both D’s and R’s; it expects a return on its investment.

    ***
    The budget bill does not specifically prioritize cryptocurrency reimbursement; however, it includes provisions related to the regulation of stablecoins, which may impact how digital assets are managed and reimbursed in the future. -ai

  35. We need to shake some of the lurkers from the rafters. Come on down, the natives are friendly and almost never bite!

    Yes, Jamie. Lurkers old and new!

    Anyone hear from Mrs. Cracker? She’s been missing for a minit.

  36. “That was not a great day.”

    The transcriptions don’t capture his tone of mockery the way the video does. The U.S. President was mocking the sacrifices of D-Day. He is a total disgrace to the nation. His Flag Day birthday party will not atone for it.

  37. Photo post cards from my grandfather’s war album, so I assume he was there at some point.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral

    The Second World War, in France, was fought between the Allies and Axis powers of Germany and Italy. In July 1944, the British and Canadians found themselves restrained just south of Caen. The Americans and their five divisions planned an alternative route to the Germans. While some Americans headed west and south, others found themselves in a sweep east of Caen that led them behind the frontline of the German forces. Hitler ordered the German commissioner, Kluge, to head west to cut off the Americans. This ultimately led the Allies to Chartres in mid-August 1944.[18]

    On 16 August 1944, the cathedral was saved from destruction thanks to the American colonel Welborn Barton Griffith Jr. (1901–1944), who questioned the order he was given to target the cathedral. The Americans believed that the steeples and towers were being used as an observation post for German artillery.[19]

    Griffith, accompanied by a volunteer soldier, instead decided to go and verify whether or not the Germans were using the cathedral. Griffith could see that the cathedral was empty, so he had the cathedral bells ring as a signal for the Americans not to shoot. Upon hearing the bells, the American command rescinded the order to fire. Colonel Griffith died in combat action that same day, in the town of Lèves, near Chartres. He was posthumously decorated with the Croix de Guerre avec Palme (War Cross 1939–1945), the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour) and the Ordre National du Mérite (National Order of Merit) of the French government and the Distinguished Service Cross of the American government.

  38. Ivy, view of it from europe
    Attribution: NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FOR MERZ! by Marian Kamensky, Austria

  39. so, not everything is a “distraction”. It’s a complicated world and a lot of things happen.

    evil people are capable of doing more than one evil thing at once

  42. ideal flags for DODO’s b-day/military/flag day parade
    Attribution: Trump Military Parade by Dave Whamond, Canada, PoliticalCartoons.com

  44. https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-administration-elon-musk-feud-live-updates-2081904

    Trump announced Friday that he plans to add a new ballroom to the White House, saying he inspected a potential site for the project on the grounds.

    Posting on his social media platform, Trump promised the ballroom would be built “quickly” and described it as a “wonderful addition” to the historic complex. He did not share details about the design, cost, or funding source.

    ***

    House Majority Leader Steve Scalise formally introduced legislation to enact President Donald Trump’s $9.4 billion rescissions package on Friday, setting up a floor vote as early as Tuesday.

    The proposal would claw back funds already approved by Congress, including $8.3 billion in foreign aid and $1.1 billion for public broadcasting. It faces a July 18 deadline before the administration must release the money.

    ****

    On Friday, Musk has been a bit quieter on social media, not making any more comments about Trump. Trump Chief of Staff Susie Wiles told NBC News there are “no plans” for the two to meet on Friday.

  45. Ballroom, huh?

    I’m sure he’s thinking more “King’s Hall”

    impeach depose deport

  47. Trump said he would end the Russian war on Ukraine on day one of his administration

    I think we are past 120 days… Haven’t counted on my fingers

  48. so when I generally insult the intelligence of all Americans, we made a two bit real estate hustler/reality TV buffoon king

    Just saying

  49. The electorates don’t read and they don’t write (or proofread), including email. Even their text messages are by voice dictation and full of the accompanying garbles that must be broadly interpreted or guessed at.

    I read an actual newspaper on the flight home the other day and was amazed that I felt better informed. It’s near impossible to find print editions in the airports these days.

  51. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-trump-doge-social-security-data-access-elon-musk-rcna206515

    Supreme Court allows DOGE to access Social Security data

    The Supreme Court on Friday allowed members of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security Administration data.

    The conservative-majority court, with its three liberal justices objecting, granted an emergency application filed by the Trump administration asking the justices to lift an injunction issued by a federal judge in Maryland.

    The unsigned order said that members of the DOGE team assigned to the Social Security Administration should have “access to the agency records in question in order for those members to do their work.”

    Follow live politics coverage here

    Liberal Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote a dissenting opinion questioning the need for the court to intervene on an emergency basis.

    “In essence, the ‘urgency’ underlying the government’s stay application is the mere fact that it cannot be bothered to wait for the litigation process to play out before proceeding as it wishes,” she added.

    “These teams have a business need to access the data at their assigned agency and subject the government’s records to much-needed scrutiny,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in court papers.

    The lawsuit challenging DOGE’s actions was brought by two unions — the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the American Federation of Teachers — as well as the Alliance for Retired Americans.

    U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander had ruled that DOGE had no need to access the specific data at issue.

    The move formalizes a decision issued by Chief Justice John Roberts on May 23 that temporarily put lower court decisions on hold while the Supreme Court considered what next steps to take. The court also told lower courts to limit the scope of what material could be disclosed.

    It means the government will not have to respond to requests for documents and allow for the deposition of the DOGE administrator, Amy Gleason, as a lower court had ruled, while litigation continues.

    The three liberal justices noted their disagreement with that decision, too.

    *Ah, the illusive Amy Gleason.

  52. TM.CC – Happy 20th. It has been fun and interesting.

    Ivy – I read through and it brought back very nice things.

    I was just going to write a sentence or two about it being Friday and what can we expect from the broken bromance or some stupid thing from mickie and his gang of idiots, when I see the big answer. It comes from the court formerly known as supreme, give Social Security data to russia. Great. At least it is universal in its coverage. Now when a hacker gets into the Palinter d/b they can find out what krasnov has been doing (lie or not). Yes I do expect the entire U.S. data on each ciitizen to end up with Palinter.
    There is still a lot of time for sfb, muskovite, House and Senate to provide some stupid thing for Friday night ‘no news time’.

  53. They’re charge Garcia with human trafficking, after ICE kidnapped and trafficked him.

    At least he’s getting his day in court, which is what needs to happen in every, single one of these extra-judicial acts.

  54. I am seeing some disturbing stuff on the intertubes about sfb longevity. These are on possible Russian bot sites. This is not normal stuff. There are remarks about how the mango moron is not needed because President Zelensky outsmarted “trump” and puttie. Apparenty puttie thought sfb was a cognizant human and would somehow turn over Ukraine to fascit russians.

    There is some talk about muskovite but mainly he did his job. That was to buy krasnov the Oval Office. There is no need for anymore.

    What is interesting is, as far as I know, no functional relationship between heritage and Russia puttie.

  55. NBC is showing news for the Afrikaners that Taco Don imported, I guess. A bounce house in SA went airborne with kids inside.

    It’s not news. It happens about once a year in the US, so why waste airtime showing a piece like this on national news?

    South African news for 59, or so, newcomers?

    Supposedly, there were retired military protesting today. Zero coverage. It’ll show up online tomorrow.

  56. I’ve read some things like that, too, Anon. Vance is on deck and warming up. The thing is, it really is a cult of personality.

  57. Kilmar Abrego Garcia is back on U.S. soil, where he will stand trial on criminal charges, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced this afternoon.

    Why it matters: Abrego Garcia’s case has become a flashpoint in President Trump’s immigration crackdown as well as his administration’s showdown with the courts.
    ⚖️ What they’re saying: A grand jury indicted Abrego Garcia on charges that he helped transport undocumented migrants within the U.S., Bondi said.

    She said during a news conference that his “full-time job” was trafficking people, drugs and weapons, and accused him of abusing undocumented women.
    Bondi said she anticipates that Abrego Garcia will be deported to El Salvador again after serving his sentence, if he’s convicted, calling him “a danger to our community.”
    The administration is finally doing what the Supreme Court told it to do in April — take steps to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. and make a formal, legal case for deporting him.

    The courts haven’t said Abrego Garcia is innocent — only that the administration needs to provide some form of due process before shipping people off to a Salvadorian prison. A trial would meet that standard.
    “This is what American justice looks like,” Bondi said.

    -Axios PM thing

  58. Pick of the litterer

    Relevance Fallacies:
    Ad Hominem: Attacking the person making the argument instead of the argument itself.
    Straw Man: Misrepresenting someone’s argument to make it easier to attack.
    Red Herring: Introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the main issue.
    Appeal to Emotion: Using emotional manipulation rather than logic.
    Appeal to Authority: Relying on an authority figure without sufficient evidence.
    Appeal to Ignorance: Arguing that something is true because it hasn’t been proven false.
    Appeal to Popular Opinion: Claiming something is true because many people believe it.
    Appeal to Pity: Using pity or sympathy instead of evidence.
    Argument to Force: Using threats or coercion instead of logic.

  59. These Veterans Fought for the US. Now They’re Fighting Trump’s VA Cuts

    Organizers opted to hold the protest on Friday in part because of its historical significance: June 6 is the anniversary of D-Day, when the US military and Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, in 1944 to help end World War II.

    In addition to protesting job cuts, many in the crowd were incensed by Trump’s executive order to ban trans people from the military.

    *Not a peep on NBC Nightly News, about the protest nor a mention of it being D-Day. Fascist state media. No wonder Lester Holt retired.

  60. Ivy, thanks for the list of objections. So hard to keep those straight. Great explanations for final arguments.

    BTW, watched Blondi read her announcement about the Abrego Garcia return and indictment- what a fucking embarrassing ass kisser. THAT is the Attorney General of the US? I’m betting even Bill Barr has his face in his hand watching that performative bullshit.

  61. BiD, the orange idiot has no comprehension that D-day was the first domino t led to today’s Germany. It was a BAD day for the third reich and a great day for Germany. Such a stupid fuck.

  62. Date night in D.C.
    JOSÉ ANDRÉS wasn’t at the table—but his Chipotle Salsa was.
    Smoky. Spicy. Emotionally destabilizing.
    BLUE CORN ENCHILADAS that made me rethink my life.
    TUNA CEVICHE so fresh it asked me for ID.
    And real MEXICAN COCA-COLA—because Corn Syrup should be illegal.

  64. https://deepnewz.com/us-judiciary/top-tennessee-federal-prosecutor-ben-schrader-resigns-over-doj-political-kilmar-f5a17950

    Ben Schrader, the chief federal prosecutor in the Middle District of Tennessee, resigned abruptly around the time an indictment was issued against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Schrader’s departure has been linked to concerns that the Department of Justice was pursuing the criminal case for political reasons. This development raises questions about the legitimacy of the charges against Abrego Garcia and could pose challenges for the current administration. Multiple sources, including ABC News, have reported that Schrader’s resignation was motivated by his objection to the political nature of the prosecution.

    *Bringing him back suddenly, after MuskRat mentioned Pedo Taco being in the Epstein file…they needed a BIG, shiny distraction.

  65. Lazy Man restaurant reviews!

    By the way, the Colonel’s seasoning on potato pancakes (or potato bread)…I will be trying that one.

  66. https://www.reuters.com/world/icc-governing-body-condemns-us-sanctioning-icc-judges-2025-06-06/

    AMSTERDAM, June 6 (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court’s governing body on Friday condemned the Trump administration’s decision to impose sanctions on four ICC judges.

    “It is with deep concern that we note the latest actions announced by the Government of the United States … These … are regrettable attempts to impede the Court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions”, The ICC’s governing body said in a statement.

    *Going after the ICC. Orange Adolf and his n@zis are trying to get ahead of Nuremberg 2.0, I guess.

  67. Following up on bId’s Reuters article on the ICC sanctions… also from Reuters…

    Sanctions severely hamper individuals’ abilities to carry out even routine financial transactions as any banks with ties to the United States, or that conduct transactions in dollars, are expected to have to comply with the restrictions.
    But the Treasury Department also issued general licenses, including one allowing the wind-down of any existing transactions involving those targeted on Thursday until July 8, as long as any payment to them is made to a blocked, interest-bearing account located in the U.S.
    The new sanctions come at a difficult time for the ICC, which is already reeling from earlier U.S. sanctions against its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who last month stepped aside temporarily amid a United Nations investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct.
    The ICC, which was established in 2002, has international jurisdiction to prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in member states or if a situation is referred by the U.N. Security Council. The United States, China, Russia and Israel are not members.

    Funny company we’re keeping. Mom used to warn me about that.

  68. My love of irony leads me here. WaPo.

    By Steve Thompson

    Kilmar Abrego García, who entered the United States illegally from El Salvador in about 2011, has been at the center of a high-profile legal struggle over the lack of due process in some of the Trump administration’s efforts to deport millions of people who entered the country illegally. Abrego García’s case has served as a test of whether a federal judge, an appeals court and the Supreme Court can compel the executive branch into complying with what judges say the law and Constitution require.

    On Friday, Abrego García was returned to the United States to face charges of human smuggling related to a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee during which Highway Patrol troopers suspected him of transporting undocumented immigrants for money.

    Below are key moments in the battle to have Abrego García released from a prison in El Salvador, where the administration sent him despite an immigration judge’s order barring his deportation to that country.

    March 28, 2019: Police in Maryland detain Abrego García as he stands outside a Home Depot, a popular hangout for day laborers seeking work. The incident prompts U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal proceedings against Abrego García and a claim by a Prince George’s County police detective that Abrego García is a member of the transnational gang MS-13. Soon afterward, that police detective, Ivan Mendez, is suspended after being accused of tipping off a sex worker he had hired about an ongoing investigation into a brothel she ran. He is later criminally indicted and fired.
    …

    Really? The source of the charges against AG is an indicted Prince George’s County cop fired “ for tipping off a sex worker he had hired about an ongoing investigation into a brothel she ran”? Now THERE’S a credible witness.

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