User-Supported News Commentary Hosted by Craig Crawford
Bill and Coup
Attribution: One Big Beautiful Still Unwritten Bill by R.J. Matson, CQ Roll Call
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
View all posts by patd
As Republicans get to work on the legislative language, here’s what they’re really trying to do—and what’s at stake.
More Americans would flunk President Trump than give him a passing grade on the first 100 days of his second term, voters in Canada chose a liberal for their next prime minister, more than half of the Philadelphia Eagles chose not to attend a White House ceremony with the president, and many former Pentagon officials are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign after a series of blunders.
LOS ANGELES, CA — The MeidasTouch Network once again proved the power of pro-democracy media by hosting the #1 livestream across all of YouTube tonight with its historic Democratic Governor Virtual Town Hall. The groundbreaking event featured Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul — all live and unfiltered, exclusively on the MeidasTouch YouTube channel.
Moderated by MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas, the four governors laid out their plans to combat Trump’s disastrous first 100 days back in office and protect democracy at the state level.
In a first-of-its-kind moment, questions from grassroots MeidasTouch supporters—known as the Meidas Mighty—took center stage. Viewer-submitted video questions were featured during the event, making this not just a conversation about the people—but with the people.
“This wasn’t just a town hall. It was a rallying cry. A blueprint for resistance. And a reminder that we, the people, have power,” said Meiselas.
Thanks to overwhelming community support, MeidasTouch beat out every other live broadcast on YouTube, including cable news streams, major network coverage, and celebrity events.
This town hall was just the beginning. MeidasTouch will continue hosting these people-powered forums in the months ahead, amplifying the voices of leaders fighting back against authoritarianism—and the Americans standing with them.
Watch the full replay here:
MeidasTouch Host Ben Meiselas hosts a exclusive town hall with Governors JB Pritzker (IL), Tim Walz (MN), Maura Healey (MA), and Kathy Hochul (NY) to break down Trump’s chaotic first 100 days back in office.
[an aside while watching the above] dem friends, please, this next time around make it brief and to the point. remember the shortness of our american span of conscience and particularly the media’s.
although informative, civil and courageously patriotic this tendency to talk a lot about a lot is losing your audience. there’s a pattern here (25-hour senate speeches, 12-hour talking sit-ins and interminably long rallies) that needs severe editing and punching up.
True, Pat. My attention span has gotten shorter, as well as my fuse.
‘Trump’s crypto firm has eviscerated the boundary between private enterprise and government policy in ways without precedent in modern American history.”
It was widely expected that congressional Republicans would use the GOP’s sweeping domestic policy bill to cut taxes, boost border security and slash federal spending. They’re also proposing to hand President Donald Trump a broad new swath of executive power.
A legislative draft released by the House Judiciary Committee Monday and set to be adopted at a committee meeting Wednesday would consolidate the federal government’s antitrust enforcement powers at the Justice Department, taking them away from the independent Federal Trade Commission. And it would also supercharge the GOP’s deregulatory agenda, allowing Republicans to potentially overturn reams of government regulations during the remainder of Trump’s term.
[continues]
maher should update his Nov 9 2018 old new rule “the slow-moving coup;” however, some of it’s still applicable, just the names need changing.
In his penultimate New Rule of the season, Bill takes a look back at an exhausting year in politics and issues a warning about Trump’s dictatorial desires.
By the way…..I’m a redneck goober from the South Carolina coast….of course I have guns.
“you” dear reader, not you specifically ❤️
and yes for the neighbors coming to eat you (dear reader)
“In visit to Texas, RFK Jr. said autism, diabetes deserve more attention than measles”
*They all deserve attention, but it doesn’t seem like Bobby Brainworms understand the term ‘communicable disease’ that could be avoided or managed to create a public health crisis. He should have to pay all of the medical bills for those with measles, and their hearing aids if they later become deaf, and the funerals (since the low number of deaths makes measles if no consequence to him. He should also pay for medical bills and, possibly, liver transplants to those following his medical advice (he’s not a doctor!) who present with toxicity from excessive vitamin A.
The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at criminalizing political memes.
The bill, HB 366, would imprison offenders for a minimum of one year if the meme does not have a government-approved disclaimer.
lol
There’s a beautiful chapter in THE SOT-WEED FACTOR (John Barth) about Alfred the butle and his master preparing for attacks by the savages…..I’ll find it
yeah… exceptionally stupid…
Sorry we broke the last thread with youtubes, Mr. C, it was kinda epic, though 🎶 🕺
Gold has little use for comedians kowtowing to people’s sensitivities, as exemplified by the trend of providing “safe spaces” that even some comedy clubs have come to embrace. She quotes her collaborator Sarfaty, who says, “Going to a comedy club and expecting not to get offended is like going on a rollercoaster and expecting not to get scared.”
She cites cases of comedians around the world who have been imprisoned by their governments and even killed, including her hero, Afghan comedian Khasha Zwan, who was murdered by the Taliban. In the execution video posted online, he’s seen making jokes and mocking his killers until the very end.
*Judy Gold did a one-woman show in 2023. It was incredible, and now her warning isn’t far-fetched. It was based on her book (which I have not read since I saw the show), but maybe your library has a copy; or, just read the full reviews of the show (above) and the book (below).
Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All In Trouble
Anon – I got the thread to work, but it freaks out if you use the up/down arrows or scroll too fast.
Craig – We were posting songs for Lazy Man’s playlist. Sturg posted one called “Homegrown Tomatoes.”
It was, indeed, epic.
I don’t usually get emotional about vegetables BUT … Bok Choy be with you. 🥬
Yesterday’s thread seems to have handled the YouTubes just fine. I’m adding them to my Kitchen Anthems on YouTube now
Vegetable Quick Response Team
Amber Ruffin on The View, since the WH Correspondents’ Dinner dropped her.
Hmmm, I have bokchoy seeds. I’ll try them in seed trays when I have space.
Give me a plateful, I’ll be grateful! Last one.
OK our Kitchen Anthems playlist shelves are stocked with your contributions, songs about biscuits and butter beans to “We caught a rattlesnake, now we got something for dinner.”
There is a “Play All” button on the page. I’m playing it in the background right now. Nifty.
Whitmer joined Trump at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County on Tuesday. There had been fears that the base could close, but this week, those fears appeared to be quashed when Trump said he would “save Selfridge,” announcing new fighter jets for the base.
The base contributes an estimated $850 million annually to Michigan’s economy and supports around 30,000 jobs. Whitmer has lobbied both the Biden and Trump administrations, highlighting Selfridge’s legacy with fighter aircraft and its strategic location near an international border, making it ideal for future missions.
Following Trump’s announcement, the president brought Whitmer onstage, seemingly catching her off guard.
Mike Nellis, Democratic strategist, added: “You won’t catch me complaining about Gretchen Whitmer saving tens of thousands of jobs or bringing in federal relief for people without power in Michigan. That’s the damn job.”
While the Tuesday night rally had been billed as a way to celebrate his 100-day record, it served many more purposes. Trump also used his time on stage to luxuriate in the crowd’s adoration, blame Joe Biden for various national problems, and insist that he, as president, is not getting the credit he deserves for his accomplishments.
We’ve been abused by friend and foe, and in many cases, friend has abused us more so than foe on trade,” he told the crowd. “So I want to just let you know you’re going to be very proud of this country very soon, and with my China tariffs, we’re ending the greatest job theft in the history of the world.”
On Tuesday, Trump signed executive actions to ease the tariff burden on automakers who assemble cars in the U.S.
“Somebody would say, ‘Oh, well, that’s a change.’ It’s called a little flexibility,” Trump said, before adding a threatening note about companies that don’t eventually build in the United States: “We give them a little time before we slaughter them if they don’t do this, right?”
“They say Trump only has a 44% approval rating,” he said. “Well, that’s actually not bad. But when you figure that if it were a legit poll, it would be in the 60s or 70s, is – these people are a bunch of crooked people.”
*Talking about oneself in third person is a way of disassociating. When it’s good, it’s ‘I’ and when it doesn’t match his reality it’s ‘that guy’.
today’s meme…
couldn’t resist…
Let’s see if ABC, CBS, and/or NBC will actually cover the protests this time. They should. It may be the last time it’s allowed.
PROTESTS: MAY DAY! and 5/2 and 5/3
Senate hearing going on now re: J6ers and their pardon; many of them had violent, criminal records.
Detainees at the Bluebonnet immigrant detention center in the small city of Anson, Texas, sent the outside world a message this week: S-O-S.
With a Reuters drone flying nearby, 31 men formed the letters in the dirt yard of the facility on Monday.
Ten days earlier, dozens of Venezuelan detainees at the center were given notices by immigration officials that alleged they were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and subject to deportation under a wartime law, according to documents shown to Reuters, recorded video calls and court proceedings.
The families of seven detainees interviewed by Reuters said they were not gang members and that they refused to sign the document.
Nevertheless, hours later on Friday, April 18, they were loaded onto a bus bound for nearby Abilene Regional Airport, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and family members, before the bus was turned around and sent back to the detention center.
That night, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked their deportations. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the halted deportations.
The Bluebonnet facility, located 200 miles (322 km) west of Dallas, is privately run by the Management and Training Corporation under a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Named after the state flower of Texas, it has held an average of 846 detainees a day in fiscal year 2025, according to ICE detention data.
*How much is that in taxpayer dollars to a company of ghouls? How much is that in human misery? How much is that in bad will from the rest of the western world?
Ladybird is probably rolling over in her grave. Bluebonnet. Pffft.
HOUSEKEEPING:
WordPress just did one of their automatic updates I always dread. Keep a lookout for roadkill!
Haitian woman complaining of chest pain and told to ‘lie down’ dies at ICE facility
Marie Ange Blaise, 44, died while in custody at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, on April 25, ICE confirmed.
“After her blood pressure measured with a top number of 156, the detainee said, Blaise was given some pills and sent to lie down,” the Herald reports.
Another detainee told the newspaper that Blaise “started shaking” and “screaming, ‘My chest! My chest!” She was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m.
Blaise had been at the detention facility, owned by the Geo Group, since April 5 and had passed through multiple ICE detention facilities before then.
ICE said that “at no time” during detention are detainees denied emergency care.
“Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,” ICE said in a news release. “All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health screening and 24-hour emergency care at each detention facility.”
*Nuremberg 2.0 Hope the ICC is taking notes. Maduro has even engaged with the ICC because Venezuelans are ending up in a prison camp in El Salvador…and he’s not a good guy.
Here is the link to Comments on my YouTube “Kitchen Anthems” post where you can add suggestions and interact with like-minded YouTubers:
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/five-big-questions-about-trump-big-beautiful-bill-tax-spending-republicans-congress-medicaid-debt
More Americans would flunk President Trump than give him a passing grade on the first 100 days of his second term, voters in Canada chose a liberal for their next prime minister, more than half of the Philadelphia Eagles chose not to attend a White House ceremony with the president, and many former Pentagon officials are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to resign after a series of blunders.
BiD, thanks for alerting us to it.
https://www.meidasplus.com/p/meidastouch-dem-gov-town-hall-reaches
MeidasTouch Host Ben Meiselas hosts a exclusive town hall with Governors JB Pritzker (IL), Tim Walz (MN), Maura Healey (MA), and Kathy Hochul (NY) to break down Trump’s chaotic first 100 days back in office.
[an aside while watching the above] dem friends, please, this next time around make it brief and to the point. remember the shortness of our american span of conscience and particularly the media’s.
although informative, civil and courageously patriotic this tendency to talk a lot about a lot is losing your audience. there’s a pattern here (25-hour senate speeches, 12-hour talking sit-ins and interminably long rallies) that needs severe editing and punching up.
True, Pat. My attention span has gotten shorter, as well as my fuse.
Absolute Power Corrupting Absolutely.
Here is a gift link for the NYT expose on Trump crypto conflict of interest:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/29/trump-executive-powers-reins-act-ftc-antitrust-00317105
maher should update his Nov 9 2018 old new rule “the slow-moving coup;” however, some of it’s still applicable, just the names need changing.
In his penultimate New Rule of the season, Bill takes a look back at an exhausting year in politics and issues a warning about Trump’s dictatorial desires.
By the way…..I’m a redneck goober from the South Carolina coast….of course I have guns.
“you” dear reader, not you specifically ❤️
and yes for the neighbors coming to eat you (dear reader)
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/04/29/texas-measles-robert-kennedy-autism/
“In visit to Texas, RFK Jr. said autism, diabetes deserve more attention than measles”
*They all deserve attention, but it doesn’t seem like Bobby Brainworms understand the term ‘communicable disease’ that could be avoided or managed to create a public health crisis. He should have to pay all of the medical bills for those with measles, and their hearing aids if they later become deaf, and the funerals (since the low number of deaths makes measles if no consequence to him. He should also pay for medical bills and, possibly, liver transplants to those following his medical advice (he’s not a doctor!) who present with toxicity from excessive vitamin A.
The Texas House of Representatives has passed a bill aimed at criminalizing political memes.
The bill, HB 366, would imprison offenders for a minimum of one year if the meme does not have a government-approved disclaimer.
lol
There’s a beautiful chapter in THE SOT-WEED FACTOR (John Barth) about Alfred the butle and his master preparing for attacks by the savages…..I’ll find it
yeah… exceptionally stupid…
Sorry we broke the last thread with youtubes, Mr. C, it was kinda epic, though 🎶 🕺
https://nystagereview.com/2023/03/21/yes-i-can-say-that-judy-gold-hilariously-makes-her-voice-heard/
Gold has little use for comedians kowtowing to people’s sensitivities, as exemplified by the trend of providing “safe spaces” that even some comedy clubs have come to embrace. She quotes her collaborator Sarfaty, who says, “Going to a comedy club and expecting not to get offended is like going on a rollercoaster and expecting not to get scared.”
She cites cases of comedians around the world who have been imprisoned by their governments and even killed, including her hero, Afghan comedian Khasha Zwan, who was murdered by the Taliban. In the execution video posted online, he’s seen making jokes and mocking his killers until the very end.
*Judy Gold did a one-woman show in 2023. It was incredible, and now her warning isn’t far-fetched. It was based on her book (which I have not read since I saw the show), but maybe your library has a copy; or, just read the full reviews of the show (above) and the book (below).
Yes, I Can Say That: When They Come for the Comedians, We Are All In Trouble
Anon – I got the thread to work, but it freaks out if you use the up/down arrows or scroll too fast.
Craig – We were posting songs for Lazy Man’s playlist. Sturg posted one called “Homegrown Tomatoes.”
It was, indeed, epic.
I don’t usually get emotional about vegetables BUT … Bok Choy be with you. 🥬
Yesterday’s thread seems to have handled the YouTubes just fine. I’m adding them to my Kitchen Anthems on YouTube now
Vegetable Quick Response Team
Amber Ruffin on The View, since the WH Correspondents’ Dinner dropped her.
Hmmm, I have bokchoy seeds. I’ll try them in seed trays when I have space.
Give me a plateful, I’ll be grateful! Last one.
OK our Kitchen Anthems playlist shelves are stocked with your contributions, songs about biscuits and butter beans to “We caught a rattlesnake, now we got something for dinner.”
There is a “Play All” button on the page. I’m playing it in the background right now. Nifty.
https://www.newsweek.com/gretchen-whitmer-selfridge-air-base-trump-2066002
Whitmer joined Trump at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Macomb County on Tuesday. There had been fears that the base could close, but this week, those fears appeared to be quashed when Trump said he would “save Selfridge,” announcing new fighter jets for the base.
The base contributes an estimated $850 million annually to Michigan’s economy and supports around 30,000 jobs. Whitmer has lobbied both the Biden and Trump administrations, highlighting Selfridge’s legacy with fighter aircraft and its strategic location near an international border, making it ideal for future missions.
Following Trump’s announcement, the president brought Whitmer onstage, seemingly catching her off guard.
Mike Nellis, Democratic strategist, added: “You won’t catch me complaining about Gretchen Whitmer saving tens of thousands of jobs or bringing in federal relief for people without power in Michigan. That’s the damn job.”
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/29/nx-s1-5380216/trump-100-days-michigan-rally
While the Tuesday night rally had been billed as a way to celebrate his 100-day record, it served many more purposes. Trump also used his time on stage to luxuriate in the crowd’s adoration, blame Joe Biden for various national problems, and insist that he, as president, is not getting the credit he deserves for his accomplishments.
We’ve been abused by friend and foe, and in many cases, friend has abused us more so than foe on trade,” he told the crowd. “So I want to just let you know you’re going to be very proud of this country very soon, and with my China tariffs, we’re ending the greatest job theft in the history of the world.”
On Tuesday, Trump signed executive actions to ease the tariff burden on automakers who assemble cars in the U.S.
“Somebody would say, ‘Oh, well, that’s a change.’ It’s called a little flexibility,” Trump said, before adding a threatening note about companies that don’t eventually build in the United States: “We give them a little time before we slaughter them if they don’t do this, right?”
“They say Trump only has a 44% approval rating,” he said. “Well, that’s actually not bad. But when you figure that if it were a legit poll, it would be in the 60s or 70s, is – these people are a bunch of crooked people.”
*Talking about oneself in third person is a way of disassociating. When it’s good, it’s ‘I’ and when it doesn’t match his reality it’s ‘that guy’.
today’s meme…
couldn’t resist…
Let’s see if ABC, CBS, and/or NBC will actually cover the protests this time. They should. It may be the last time it’s allowed.
PROTESTS: MAY DAY! and 5/2 and 5/3
Senate hearing going on now re: J6ers and their pardon; many of them had violent, criminal records.
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/sos-migrants-held-in-texas-fear-notorious-el-salvador-prison
Detainees at the Bluebonnet immigrant detention center in the small city of Anson, Texas, sent the outside world a message this week: S-O-S.
With a Reuters drone flying nearby, 31 men formed the letters in the dirt yard of the facility on Monday.
Ten days earlier, dozens of Venezuelan detainees at the center were given notices by immigration officials that alleged they were members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and subject to deportation under a wartime law, according to documents shown to Reuters, recorded video calls and court proceedings.
The families of seven detainees interviewed by Reuters said they were not gang members and that they refused to sign the document.
Nevertheless, hours later on Friday, April 18, they were loaded onto a bus bound for nearby Abilene Regional Airport, according to the American Civil Liberties Union and family members, before the bus was turned around and sent back to the detention center.
That night, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked their deportations. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the halted deportations.
The Bluebonnet facility, located 200 miles (322 km) west of Dallas, is privately run by the Management and Training Corporation under a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Named after the state flower of Texas, it has held an average of 846 detainees a day in fiscal year 2025, according to ICE detention data.
*How much is that in taxpayer dollars to a company of ghouls? How much is that in human misery? How much is that in bad will from the rest of the western world?
Ladybird is probably rolling over in her grave. Bluebonnet. Pffft.
HOUSEKEEPING:
WordPress just did one of their automatic updates I always dread. Keep a lookout for roadkill!
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/haitian-florida-ice-detention-b2742412.html
Haitian woman complaining of chest pain and told to ‘lie down’ dies at ICE facility
Marie Ange Blaise, 44, died while in custody at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, on April 25, ICE confirmed.
“After her blood pressure measured with a top number of 156, the detainee said, Blaise was given some pills and sent to lie down,” the Herald reports.
Another detainee told the newspaper that Blaise “started shaking” and “screaming, ‘My chest! My chest!” She was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m.
Blaise had been at the detention facility, owned by the Geo Group, since April 5 and had passed through multiple ICE detention facilities before then.
ICE said that “at no time” during detention are detainees denied emergency care.
“Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,” ICE said in a news release. “All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health screening and 24-hour emergency care at each detention facility.”
*Nuremberg 2.0 Hope the ICC is taking notes. Maduro has even engaged with the ICC because Venezuelans are ending up in a prison camp in El Salvador…and he’s not a good guy.
Here is the link to Comments on my YouTube “Kitchen Anthems” post where you can add suggestions and interact with like-minded YouTubers:
http://youtube.com/post/UgkxTQLObXhLmYT8B-P1VVHE9wza4iwQ25gl?si=o_s64L7WXtR_D4DW
Congress is gone. They will allow tRUMPsky to deport AMERICAN CITIZENS.