68 thoughts on “Puppet Show”

  1. Attribution: A win-win for Putin by Patrick Chappatte, The Boston Globe
    Patrick Chappatte was an editorial cartoonist for The New York Times, until the newspaper terminated all editorial cartoons in 2019. He now draws for The Boston Globe, as well as European media Der Spiegel, Le Canard Enchaîné, Le Temps and NZZ am Sonntag.

  2. from NJ just a month ago‘Putin’s puppet’: Why Trump’s Iran war remarks struck such a nerve
    President Donald Trump on Friday suggested Russia may be helping Iran in its war with the U.S. and Israel.
    […]
    The Associated Press last week reported that that Russia fed Iran intelligence that could be used to target U.S. military assets in the Middle East, where seven American service members have been killed in Iranian counterattacks.
    Trump’s Friday remarks about Russia drew fire from both Democrats and Republicans, compounding concerns about the administration’s temporary lifting of Russian oil sanctions as energy prices climb in the wake of the Feb. 28 American-Israeli strikes on Iran.
    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on X that Trump is “Putin’s puppet.” “Always has been, always will be,” he said.
    Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) rebuked Trump for lifting some sanctions on Russia, which has continued its military assaults on Ukraine since launching a full-scale invasion in February 2022.
    Grassley said removing Russian sanctions is the “wrong move,” adding that those sales “fuel Putin’s war and prolongs suffering in Ukraine.”
    Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) posted on X: “Trump’s war is a lose-lose for Americans and actively helps our adversary—Russia.”
    And Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) slammed the White House as “weak on Russia.”
    “There is a moral blindness when it comes to Russia. Over two-thirds of Americans find it repulsive,” Bacon posted on X.

  3. crickets from the puppet’s puppets

    Attribution: Utah Iran War by Pat Bagley, PoliticalCartoons.com

  6. 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: May 4, 2026

    BREAKING NEWS: Iran claims two missiles hit a US warship (CNN: Pentagon denies)

    1. Politics: [Ongoing] Redistricting battle intensifies in states after US Supreme Court ruling on Voting Rights Act – AP News
    2. Politics: Calculating The Impact Of Redistricting 6 Months Out – FOX News Rundown
    3. National News: NYPD roughed up street protesters after helping bring someone in ICE custody to a Wykcoff Hospital in Bushwick. – Streetsblog New York City
    4. World News: Jerusalem Christians worried but not surprised by attack on nun – Al Arabiya
    5. Politics: [Ongoing] Trump talks up his push to lower costs, as analysts see bruising midterms for GOP due to economic worries – Morningstar
    6. Politics: Man arrested at Trump’s Miami golf club for disorderly conduct, Secret Service says – CBS News
    7. World News: Israel Approves Multi-Billion Shekel Plan to Acquire New F-35 and F-15 Fighter Squadrons – Jordan News
    8. Culture: Spike Lee Defends ‘Michael’ From Critics Who Think Child Sexual Abuse Allegation Should Have Been Included: ‘Doesn’t Work in the Timeline of the Film’ – Variety
    9. Culture: ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ Hired a Human Artist to Create the Film’s AI-Generated Meme: ‘It Was Nothing But Fun’ – Variety
    10. Culture: Foo Fighters Changed the Name of Their New Album To Avoid Conflict With ‘Wicked: For Good’ – Rolling Stone

    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).

  8. Dumbass says that we aren’t shooting anything in Iran AND says we’re at war because __________ [fill in the blank with his latest justification- seems to be settling on nuclear most often now]. I’m taking him at his word that we aren’t shooting anything. I will check gas prices on the way to PT and see what the gas vendors in EB think.

  9. Tanker hit in Strait of Hormuz
    Second attack on a commercial ship in less 24 hours after a period of relative calm
    UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) recorded an incident involving a vessel 78 nautical miles north of Fujairah being hit by “unknown projectiles,” with the crew reported safe.

  11. Tracking Pump Pain

    The national average is currently sitting at $4.46 a gallon. Before this Iran war: $2.98.

    That is a $1.48 jump—a roughly 50% spike in just over two months.

    At 50%, this current market panic has officially eclipsed both the 2022 Russia-Ukraine surge and the 1973 OPEC embargo. The only historical benchmark left to beat is the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

    Comparing past spikes:

    • 2022 (Russia-Ukraine): We saw a similar trajectory, with prices spiking about 43% and hitting an all-time nominal peak of $5.02.
    • 2008 (Market Speculation): Prices surged 37% to $4.11 before crashing. Adjusted for inflation, this remains the most painful peak for consumers.
    • The 1970s Shocks: The 1973 OPEC embargo triggered a 41% jump, and the 1979 Iranian Revolution caused an 83% explosion in prices. Crucially, those spikes came with physical shortages and rationing—something we are not currently experiencing.

  15. Happy July 4th — $6 gas
    If gas simply continues to increase by the exact same daily dollar amount it has over the last 60 days (roughly 2.5 cents a day), we cross the $5.99 national average threshold on Independence Day.

  19. He really is going to be a total Drooling Marius.

    Screaming and drooling. It just occurred to me that we might actually get to see him screaming.

    Wo…..talk about good television.

  21. gas is $3.98 in wilmington

    trust but verify?

    oh that is a diesel price in that pic, which is good, diesel owners deserve to pay more

  23. Our Founding Fathers were so brilliant that they contrived a system where we get to watch an idiot drive the country into the ground

    thanks guys 🇺🇸

  25. Today in the diner…

    • Trump Polling Crash & Gas Price Spikes
    • Six Dollar Gas By July 4th?
    • Burning Cash is Cheaper Than Gas

    Gas prices are spiking faster than the 70s thanks to the Iran war. Plus, Trump’s approval hits Nixon levels and the GOP guts voting rights.

    Welcome to the Digital Diner, where it’s officially cheaper to burn your cash for warmth than put it in your gas tank. We’re tracking a massive spike in gas prices since the Iran war started 60 days ago. If the current trend holds, we are staring down the barrel of six-dollar gasoline by Independence Day. Meanwhile, the truth remains a casualty of war as we try to figure out who is lying more about these ship attacks: Washington or Tehran. I’m taking bets.

    We also dig into the latest polling disaster for Trump. Sitting at a miserable 37% approval and an earth-shattering 62% disapproval, he’s practically making Richard Nixon look like a prom king. His independent support is cratering, and the GOP’s master plan to legally wipe out minority voting districts might just gerrymander them out of a congressional majority. Oh, and Trump is threatening to invade Cuba with an aircraft carrier. Just another Monday.

    https://trailmix.cc/chat
    https://trailmix.cc
    https://trailmix.cc/alerts

    00:00 Intro
    03:00 Tracking Six Dollar Gas By July 4th
    08:00 The Bridge Protester & The Iran War
    09:20 Supreme Court Kills Southern Voting Rights
    11:30 Fact-Checking The Iran Ship Attacks
    14:15 Trump’s Polling Plummets to Nixon Levels
    26:30 Polling Flaws & The Independent Vote Drop
    35:30 Kent State Anniversary Reflections
    46:00 Bannon’s ICE Polling Place Intimidation Plan
    53:30 Comparing Trump and Biden Gas Prices
    01:01:25 Trump Threatens To Invade Cuba

  26. Anon, but they saw it coming, that’s why checks and balances was created. And that’s why we have midterms to correct this.

    They saw Trump coming. Nobody worried about it more than Alexander Hamilton, writing in 1792 to George Washington:

    “The only path to a subversion of the republican system of the Country is, by flattering the prejudices of the people, and exciting their jealousies and apprehensions, to throw affairs into confusion, and bring on civil commotion. . . When a man unprincipled in private life[,] desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper … is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity … It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.’”

  27. All Vance’s ducks are in a row—waiting.
    Waiting for what?
    Waiting for the democrats to get rid of the stump for him.
    What needs to happen is simple. The gop has to be the ones who dump him,because if the democrats do it he becomes all those crazy Ai memes he’s been putting up.

    This time they should be forced to clean up their own mess.

  28. Iran Ship Attack Update

    Centcom briefing just now: The US reversed earlier denial that Iran fired on a Navy ship. This morning they said it didn’t happen. Now they say shots were fired but the ship wasn’t hit. Iran still insists two missiles hit a U.S. “warship”. A British marine monitoring agency reports two missiles struck an “unidentified” ship.

  29. Eating from the garden
    Greens and field peas
    The greens from my garden, the field peas and everything else is from my local Walmart.
    1/2 cup of chopped onion
    1/2 cup chopped ham
    Oil in the wok cook untill oinions are clear. If you greens have long stims chop the into thin diagonal slices and sauté with the ham and onions until soft, add a large handfull of your favorite mushrooms cover and let simmer a while. When everything looks cooked add a double hand full of the leaves, season with soy sauce The soy sauce and ham will be the only salt in the dish.
    Add cup of cooked field peas, black eyed peas, or any beans you have handy. I usually have several to choose from in my freezer.
    Field peas a variety of cow peas, like black eyed peas with better flavor. My local walmart started to carry them last year.
    After everything is cooked serve over you favorite rice.
    My greens today were a variety of bok choy, not the head forming variety. I coul have added some turnip greens or mustard green, but that will be tomorrow

  33. i been all over

    white Americans are racist everywhere, not just the south, yankees and left coasters just pretend they’re not

  34. grow a tomato and maybe ill bless
    you with pics 😜

    and go make friends with those pigeons

  36. a big hawk came to check out my garden yesterday, he was like “yo i’ll eat small mammals for you”

    i was like “they’ll be here all summer yo”

    then it flew away, we will meet again

  38. I might write a blues tune about being retired. I’m going to call it “Monday Ain’t Shit”.

  39. I used to put deer netting over my ‘mater plants to keep the ‘mater-biting Alabama mockingbirds off them. There was a reason folks thought about killing them birds.
    (joking, mostly. Serious about the netting.)

  40. TrailMixers On The Web — A new menu tab

    HOUSEKEEPING — Check out our new “TRAILMIXERS” tab in the Menu above (just below the masthead). That’s where we put your sites on the web. Now featuring Jamie’s Place, Katie’s Podcasts, BlueBronc’s new essay, plus Colorado Bob’s Blue Corn and Lardass Liberal’s masterpiece: “How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Just Have Brain Cancer Instead”.

    Sturg, i need your link again. Anyone else with stuff on the web you’d like added? Just post the link here, or send an email to help@craigcrawford.com

  41. https://bluescrab.blogspot.com/?m=1

    When even old crabs got the blues.

    I try to make new postses but it’s got to where before I can get a photo posted google breaks in and, stroking its beard says,”I’d like access to ALL of your photos…..that’d be ok, right?” At which time I tell them that there’s a stage leaving in 30 minutes—would they please be under it? Or words to that effect.

  42. Tomato and squash seedlings are mostly in; need to do something to repel those squash bugs this year. Bought an organic Honey-Nut squash this weekend, and hop to get seeds to grow some. Planting more red onions this week. Garden isn’t picture ready until at least Memorial Day.

    This day in history:

    1886 Haymarket riot in Chicago; bomb kills 7 policemen

    1961 CORE begins freedom rides from Washington, D.C., to challenge segregation in the South

  43. Pinwheels! Lots of pinwheels in the garden & old AOL CDs hanging around, shining in the sun. Taking tinfoil out to put under squash plants, plus garlic/hot pepper/soap spray.

    Aaaand it may hail tonight.

  44. it’s not unheard of to pick pests off by hand

    decorations won’t work, that’s silly, but fun!

    you did remind me
    to hang my disco ball in the garden tho ty

    an ecologically diverse garden is the best prevention against pests, get that food chain running

    flowers and birdfeeders

    salvias, cannas, things with trumpet flowers

    my food chain is topped by owls and hawks, just sayin’ 😎

    oh and a vagabond cat

  46. Once I lived on Tomato Growers to the World Island. 2nd or 3rd largest island on the East coast and most of it was tomato fields. You could just stop by the road and pick a hand full and be on your way. It was very cool, but now the tomatoes are gone with the wind. Now the main industry is beachfront and waterfront McMansions. Tomatoo are very cool but they never wanted any cabinets, so you know…..c’est la vie

  47. ok so i need my disco ball, a fishing lure spinner from my tackle box, an attractive string or chain and a ladder

    FML

  48. i am like 10’ away from all those things but the question becomes in which direction and through what barriers

    like i said

    FML

  49. Mrs. P and I were talking about the Centcom denial this morning and both of us said “I don’t believe that.” She finished the thought off with “It’s sad when you believe the Iranians instead of our guys.” She’s right. Turns out we were both right.

  50. Yep, Pog, i am planning to do a timeline of claims since Trump first lied about the girls schools and see how they stack up. My hunch is Iran is going to win the truth war.

  52. Another secret service shooting in my neighborhood. Just when i was planning to start getting outside more in the good weather. Does Amazon sell bullet proof vests?

  54. I forgot to turn my camera on. The entire planet suffers technical difficulties, and Dexter battles a rogue garage raccoon. Just another flawless live broadcast from the digital trenches.
    From today’s Digital Diner menu 🍽️

  55. everything the ai tech alarmists are warning about i predicted 10 years ago

    right here

    on trailmix

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