Time Out

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Attribution: Chaotic times by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian

[John Darkow has been a professional cartoonist for over 20 years, spending the last 10 as the staff cartoonist at the Columbia Daily Tribune. He is syndicated internationally by Cagle Cartoons.]
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86 thoughts on “Time Out”

  1. for those who missed it
    Bad Bunny’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show

    NFL and Mundo NFL
    Watch the world’s biggest artist on the world’s biggest stage at the Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show.

  2. https://www.newsweek.com/super-bowl-2026

    The Political References in Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

    Bad Bunny turned Super Bowl LX into a cultural spectacle on Sunday night, delivering a halftime show that blended Puerto Rican heritage, political messaging, and star‑studded cameos.
    Performing at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, the Grammy‑winning artist — born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio — was joined by superstars Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin, while celebrities including Cardi B, Karol G, Pedro Pascal, Alix Earle, and Jessica Alba danced alongside him.
    The set featured tributes to his hometown, a staged wedding, and a rooftop performance, capped by Bad Bunny waving the Puerto Rican flag and holding up a football inscribed with “Together We Are America.” Screens inside the stadium echoed his Grammy speech with the words: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
    Apple Music, the NFL, and Roc Nation produced the halftime show, which drew both praise and criticism. Conservative groups, including Turning Point USA (TPUSA), staged an alternative event headlined by Kid Rock, while Trump administration officials had previously threatened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence at the game.
    Why It Matters
    Bad Bunny’s halftime show was more than entertainment — it was a statement about unity, representation, and resistance. By centering Puerto Rican culture and Latino identity on one of the world’s biggest stages, he challenged traditional expectations of the Super Bowl halftime show.
    The performance also carried political weight. Bad Bunny has been outspoken against immigration enforcement policies, and his symbolic gestures — from waving the Puerto Rican flag to displaying “Together We Are America” — underscored his advocacy for inclusivity. The show highlighted how halftime performances have evolved into cultural flashpoints, reflecting broader debates about identity and politics in America.
    The Political References Bad Bunny Made in His Super Bowl LX Halftime Performance
    Bad Bunny’s set featured appearances from Lady Gaga, who performed a salsa‑style rendition of “Die With a Smile,” and Ricky Martin, who joined for “LO QUE LE PASÓ A HAWAii.” Other celebrities, including Cardi B, Karol G, Young Miko, Pedro Pascal, Alix Earle, and Jessica Alba, added to the celebratory atmosphere.
    The stage transformed into a Puerto Rican streetscape, complete with palm trees, food vendors, and boxers. Bad Bunny walked through the set while performing “Tití Me Preguntó” and “Yo Perreo Sola,” immersing viewers in the sights and sounds of his homeland. Toward the finale, Bad Bunny climbed an electrical pole — a nod to Puerto Rico’s struggles with power outages and government response to natural disasters. He also highlighted countries across the Americas, emphasizing cross-border unity.
    Throughout the show, Bad Bunny carried a football inscribed with “Together We Are America.” He closed by naming countries across the Americas, with performers carrying flags behind him. The stadium screen displayed: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”
    The performance incorporated imagery from Puerto Rican life, including scenes of food vendors and community life. A staged wedding unfolded mid‑show, symbolizing generational unity, which reports say was a real ceremony. Later, Bad Bunny handed his Grammy trophy to a young boy, reinforcing themes of legacy and hope.
    During the transition from his hit to DTMF, Bad Bunny also honored the countries of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guiana, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico.
    “My name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio,” he said in Spanish. “And if I am here today at Super Bowl LX, it is because I never, never stopped believing in myself. You should believe in yourself, too. You are more than you think. Believe me.”
    The halftime show came amid criticism from conservative figures. President Donald Trump dismissed the choice, while House Speaker Mike Johnson called it a “terrible decision.” Homeland Security officials suggested ICE agents might attend the game, but the performance proceeded without incident.
    Fresh off winning Album of the Year for DeBÍ TiRAR Más Fotos, Bad Bunny’s halftime show marked his only U.S. performance during his world tour. He previously avoided U.S. stops due to concerns about ICE raids, making Sunday’s event a rare stateside appearance,
    What Did Trump Say About Bad Bunny’s Halftime Performance?
    President Donald Trump sharply criticized Bad Bunny’s halftime show, calling it “one of the worst ever” because the performance was delivered in Spanish. Writing on Truth Social, Trump argued the show “makes no sense” and claimed “nobody understands a word this guy is saying.” He also condemned the dancing as inappropriate for children and said the event was “a slap in the face to our Country.”
    “It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence,” Trump wrote. “The dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World.”
    What People Are Saying
    Bad Bunny in his pre‑show interview: “I wasn’t looking to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show … I was just trying to connect with my roots.”
    Donald Trump via Truth Social following the performance: “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER! It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence. Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World. This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country.”
    Jorge Ramos, Puerto Rican journalist on X: “Benito killed it! This is resistance. For the pride of being Latino and singing in Spanish.”
    [continues]

  4. is bad bunny eligible to run for president

    +1
    Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) is likely eligible to run for U.S. President. Born in Puerto Rico, he is a U.S. citizen by birth. The Constitution requires a president to be a “natural born citizen,” at least 35 years old, and a U.S. resident for 14 years, all of which he appears to meet.
    Key Eligibility Factors:
    Birthplace: Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory, making its residents U.S. citizens.
    Age: He meets the minimum age requirement of 35.
    Residency: He meets the 14-year residency requirement.
    While he is a U.S. citizen, no person born in a U.S. territory has ever been elected president, though many legal scholars agree they are eligible.

  5. YouTube thumbnail

    World champion Ilia Malinin fought through an imperfect free skate, still laying out enough difficult content to earn 1st place in the men’s free skate segment of the team event. His win secured the overall event win for Team USA.

    https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/08/malinin-usa-team-figure-skating-gold-olympics-japan-italy

    The United States held off a late charge from Japan to retain the Olympic team figure skating title on Sunday, with Ilia Malinin delivering in the men’s free skate to secure gold after three days of competition. Japan finished with silver, while host nation Italy claimed bronze.

    The United States survived a final-day surge from Japan to retain the Olympic team figure skating title on Sunday night, with Ilia Malinin delivering under intense pressure in the men’s free skate to secure gold at the Milano Cortina Games. Japan finished one point behind in silver, while host nation Italy claimed bronze after three days of tightly contested competition. [continues]

  8. of course the requisite streaker was there but not semi-clothed falls short of classic streakers in the past
    https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/1103077/shirtless-man-interrupts-2026-super-bowl-and-it-wasnt-kid-rock

    The Super Bowl was interrupted in the fourth quarter by a man running on the field. NBC didn’t show it on the broadcast, but out man in the building got the video. The man on the field was shirtless but thankfully wore his pants.

    The situation disrupted the game for several minutes as he was escorted from the field.

    New England Patriots receiver Kyle Williams was among the personnel to get the man to stop running as he slide near the 10-yard line and was piled on by security.

    Our image service was quick to upload a closer picture of the streaker. I regret to inform you it is day trader nonsense. “FXALEXG” is a day trader on Instagram and the rest says “Trade With Athena”. If you’re taking financial advice from shirtless people being arrested at the Super Bowl, you might want to rethink your strategy.

  9. So the SB was predictable. Seattle showed that a well manned well coached defense can’t be handled by a smaller, younger, poorly coached offense. The two Pats series in the 4th quarter where they abandoned the 3-4 step drop and went to Maye going quick release or run worked. The better prepped team won. Congrats to them.

    The halftime show was different- not based on a light show and flash and was a great reflection of the best inclinations of America, and of course Dumbass couldn’t understand it (and couldn’t even bring himself to turn away and watch the KKKounter programming).

    And the US is gaining steam in the Winter Olympics and should do well in the end.

  10. HOUSEKEEPING: I am fiddling with some code this morning. Weird things might temporarily happen (such as double images of the cartoon above) but it won’t be for long. Just testing some upgrades.

  11. all that anti-bad bunny grousing plus he-who-is-the epitome -of-disgusting calling the star and show “disgusting” recall the uproar over Elvis’ crotch grabbing and twerking in the ’50s.

    those same folks clutching their pearls today are protecting pedophiles.

  13. MSN reports the following. HEHEHEH

    TPUSA’s halftime show was an even bigger flop than we expected

    Story by Lauren Waters

    Maybe you didn’t predict that the Seattle Seahawks would win Super Bowl LX. If you guessed that Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” was going to be a total mess, though, you still got one win for the night. The late Charlie Kirk’s right-wing organization streamed the alternative halftime show on YouTube for folks keen on boycotting Bad Bunny’s halftime show. Perhaps unsurprisingly, though, it doesn’t seem like the “All-American Halftime Show” went quite as well as the folks behind it may have hoped.

    Back in December, Spotify Wrapped crowned Bad Bunny the most-streamed artist of 2025. So, for many, he seemed like the perfect pick for a halftime performer. Donald Trump, on the other hand, went on a bit of a rant about the choice, and (as usual) others followed suit. So, for those who couldn’t bear to watch the 2026 Grammy winner for Album of the Year, they could instead turn their attention to homogenous performances from the similarly named Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, and Gabby Barrett, plus, of course, the tragically dated Kid Rock.

    Sure — this alternative halftime show didn’t have the big production, crowds of performers, popularity, credibility, or celeb cameos of the actual halftime show, but it did have a fog machine! Who are we to argue with their creative decisions? After all, art is subjective. Apparently, in some folks’ opinion, nothing says “Super Bowl Halftime Show” like a 55-year-old Kid Rock seemingly lip-syncing to a song from 1999 while wearing shorts and a fedora.

    “…nothing says “Super Bowl Halftime Show” like a 55-year-old Kid Rock seemingly lip-syncing to a song from 1999 while wearing shorts and a fedora.” Now that’s Pulitzer level sarcasm. I love it.

    p.s. I forgot to mention fog machine in my post earlier this morning.

  15. Another thing to piss off DODO (or at least BobbyB). PBS

    Dr. Mehmet Oz urges public to take the measles vaccine as U.S. cases rise

    By Matt Brown

    WASHINGTON (AP) — A leading U.S. health official on Sunday urged people to get inoculated against the measles at a time of outbreaks across several states and as the United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status.

    “Take the vaccine, please,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator whose boss has raised suspicion about the safety and importance of vaccines. “We have a solution for our problem.”

    Oz, a heart surgeon, defended some recently revised federal vaccine recommendations as well as past comments from President Donald Trump and the nation’s health chief, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., about the efficacy of vaccines. From Oz, there was a clear message on the measles.

    “Not all illnesses are equally dangerous and not all people are equally susceptible to those illnesses,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But measles is one you should get your vaccine.”

    An outbreak in South Carolina in the hundreds has surpassed the recorded case count in Texas’ 2025 outbreak, and there is also one on the Utah-Arizona border. Multiple other states have had confirmed cases this year. The outbreaks have mostly impacted children and have come as infectious disease experts warn that rising public distrust of vaccines generally may be contributing to the spread of a disease once declared eradicated by public health officials.

    Asked in the television interview whether people should fear the measles, Oz replied, “Oh, for sure.” He said Medicare and Medicaid will continue to cover the measles vaccine as part of the insurance programs.

    [AND FROM THE WORLD OF MIXED MESSAGES AND REWRITTTEN HISTORY…]

    “There will never be a barrier to Americans get access to the measles vaccine. And it is part of the core schedule,” Oz said.

    But Oz also said “we have advocated for measles vaccines all along” and that Kennedy “has been on the very front of this.”

    Questions about vaccines did not come up later in a Kennedy interview on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing,” where he was asked about what kind of Super Bowl snack he might have (probably yogurt). He also he eats steak with sauerkraut in the mornings.

    Critics of Kennedy have argued that the health secretary’s longtime skepticism of U.S. vaccine recommendations and past sympathy for the unfounded claim that vaccines may cause autism may influence official public health guidance in ways contrary to the medical consensus.

    Oz argued that Kennedy’s stance was supportive of the measles vaccine despite Kennedy’s general comments about the recommended vaccine schedule.

    “When the first outbreak happened in Texas, he said, get your vaccines for measles, because that’s an example of an ailment that you should get vaccinated against,” Oz said.

    The Republican administration last month dropped some vaccine recommendations for children, an overhaul of the traditional vaccine schedule that the Department of Health and Human Services said was in response to a request from Trump.
    [Continues]

    He may be a charlatan, but he’s also a cardiologist and wasn’t (as far as we know) a heroine addict. (I still don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, but on this issue he’s come to his senses)

  16. My mom remembered him following his father on hospital rounds and always thought he was a good kid. Maybe that’s still in there somewhere.

  17. Interesting notes on if the House of Representatives had kept pace with population and a couple of proposals to make it more truly representative.

    If the U.S. House of Representatives had kept pace with population growth since the cap was instituted in 1913, estimates suggest there would be approximately 1,560 to 1,622 seats. Current estimates based on modern population trends and representation ratios (such as the “Wyoming Rule” or cube root law) suggest between 680 and over 1,000+ members are needed to restore better representation ratios.
    1913 Level: If growth continued as it did before the 1929 cap, the House would have roughly 1,560 members.
    “Wyoming Rule” (1:1 Ratio): If every state’s district size matched the smallest state (Wyoming), the House would have about 1,622 members.
    Cube Root Law: Using a formula of the cube root of the population suggests about 680 representatives.
    The current 435-member limit, set in 1929, has led to a high ratio of constituents per representative, which critics argue harms democratic responsiveness.

  18. Best comment posted on al.com

    The people that needed a different halftime show are the same kind of people that needed different water fountains.

  20. Looking over the reviews of the Bad Bunny half time show. My thought, Trump has lost the support of the most reactionary group of people, not leading their own private militia, in the world. This didn’t happen without the consent of the NFL owner group.
    Interesting.

    Jack

  23. In the winter of 168 C.E., the famed Greek physician Galen arrived in Aquileia, an Italian city on the northern edge of the Adriatic. The city had grown large since its founding as a Roman colony, but during the 200-year Pax Romana, its fortifications had been allowed to deteriorate. After an armed group of migrating Germanic peoples had crossed the Danube a year earlier, the Roman co-emperors, Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, had rushed to the city, raising two legions and rebuilding its defenses; they planned to use it as a base of operations against the invaders.
    Galen had been summoned, however, to help fight a different kind of invader. A plague, likely an early variant of smallpox, had traveled to Aquileia with the troops, and held the city in its grip. The emperors fled, but Verus succumbed to the disease on the road to Rome. Galen tried to slow the wave of illness, but most of the people in Aquileia perished.

    They represented just a sliver of the eventual victims of the Antonine Plague, also known as Galen’s Plague, which killed at least 1 million people throughout the Roman empire. It was possibly the world’s first true pandemic, and haunted the empire for the rest of the Pax Romana, which ended in 180 with Aurelius’s death. The details of the pandemic—the exact pathogen, the true number of victims—are subjects of debate, and might never be fully settled. But some research has cited the Antonine Plague as part of a vicious cycle that hastened Rome’s long fall. Food shortages, internal migrations, and overcrowding had already signaled a slippage in imperial power, and created a fertile environment for disease. The pandemic, in turn, spread panic and left behind mistrust, weakening faith in civic and religious authorities.
    Men famously think about Rome every day, and political commentators have been nervously comparing Rome’s fall to a potential American collapse since before America even had a Constitution. But Rome’s example really does merit consideration in light of recent events. One of the better measures of a society’s vitality is its ability to protect its citizens from disease, and the two often move in tandem; a decline in one may produce a reduction in the other.

    Infectious disease is probably not an imminent threat to the United States’ survival. Still, after nearly a century of existence, the American public-health apparatus, which has driven some of the most remarkable advances in global longevity and quality of life in human history, is teetering. The country has lost much of its ability to keep microbes from invading its body politic, and progress in life expectancy and other metrics is slowing or even reversing.

    It is tempting to lay these changes all at the feet of President Trump and his current health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who together have shredded America’s global-health organizations, drawn back public-health funding, fomented vaccine skepticism, and begun to dismantle child-vaccination programs. But the “Make America Healthy Again” moment is in some ways just another step in the long retreat of the civic trust and communitarian spirit that have enabled America’s disease-fighting efforts. If this retreat continues, the public-health era—the century-long period of unprecedented epidemiological safety that has been the foundation for so many other breakthroughs—will come to an end. And that end will have dire consequences for this republic and its future.

    How America Got So Sick, a well-written cautionary tale if you can get through their paywall.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/american-public-health-democracy/685727/

  24. Craig
    About the Ossoff clip you played at the end of the show. He is good, well chosen words from the left, with a very traditional American spin.
    I’m putting him on my Presidential candidate list.

    Jack

  25. Jon Ossoff just handed Democrats their sharpest label for the 2026 midterms: The “Epstein Class.”

    From Steve Bannon’s threats to surround polling places with ICE agents to the “Beat the Cheat” strategy, we’re dissecting why the stakes for the Republic have never been higher. Plus: Why Xennials are the “Goonies generation” we need to save the day.

    TODAY’S RUNDOWN
    00:00 Intro: The Secret Bunker & Chicken Nuggets
    01:45 Ossoff on Trump’s Housing Discrimination
    05:15 Steve Bannon’s ICE Threats
    13:10 Programming Note: Silas & WordPress Wars
    17:40 Japanese Internment & Historical Parallels
    23:30 The Goonies & Xennial Culture
    28:45 Bad Bunny vs. Trump’s “Truth”
    39:00 The Epstein Class & Beat The Cheat
    46:20 Closing: Ossoff’s Warning

    Watch the full “ELEVEN TO NOON” breakdown here:

  26. To whomever was questioning why Epstein files weren’t released before now:

    1) They still haven’t been released; there are more unreleased than released, and those that have been released are heavily redacted – in many cases hiding the predator.

    2) Who was POTUS in 2020? It was tRUMPsky.

    3) Why didn’t Biden release them? Because unlike the mob boss in the Oval Office right now, President Biden didn’t used the DOJ like his private law firm. The DOJ represents the US, not the President. Due to DOJ independence and active, ongoing prosecution, they did not intervene in DOJ matters.

    4) PedOTUS tRUMPsky has done nothing except try to find reasons to prevent the release of the tRUMPstein files.

    5) The FBI spent an estimated $1 million in overtime to redact the Jeffrey Epstein files, called the “Special Redaction Project.”
    Agents were taken away from doing their normal work to work to scrub pages before release. Despite the horrific stuff in these files (they are available at justice.gov), KashewNut Patel says there will be no investigations; no accountability for the wealthy and well-connected, as usual.

    6) AG Pam Bondi admitted on camera that there are thousands of videos with children.

    7) Despite the US trying to shut down investigations, the rest of the world is not protecting predator pedophiles from their countries. Some of the victims are not US nationals, so their governments will not let this rest.

    8) The geopolitical web, comprising and controlling politicians to gain wealth and power; ask yourselves why everything is as it is.

    Read the files at your own mental peril. It’s disturbing stuff. They should all be in jail.
    Just because HE was suicided doesn’t mean it still out going on. There are active victims out there.

    Next up, US concentration camps and the physical, sexual and mental abuses going on now, and being paid for with our tax dollars.
    Can CoreCivic and the other N&zi slumlords be sued into oblivion for their part in crimes against humanity?

  28. the pedo-protector in chief didn’t like the adult women dancing during the halftime show, who could have guessed

  29. Bad Bunny vs Dumb Bunny.
    Live Wire vs Dim Bulb
    Talent vs Gimmick (emphasis on ick”

    Brother Speaks:
    FBI:

    “Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in his jail cell. I have reason to believe he was killed because he was about to name names. I believe [president] trump authorized [his] murder.”

    ~ Mark Epstein
    (Jeffrey’s brother)

    Link:

    A tip to the FBI:“Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in his jail cell. I have reason to believe he was killed because he was about to name names. I believe [president] trump authorized [his] murder.”~ Mark Epstein (Jeffrey's brother)

    — Rebel with a Cause (@rebelwithacause2.bsky.social) 2026-02-08T21:52:13.559Z

  30. Craig – I’m wearing my Beto O’Rourke campaign tee in my live chat avatar.
    I’ve got one from Ossoff ‘s first senatorial run: Vote Your Ossoff!

    Half of my wardrobe is just campaign tees.

    Oh, my dad told me a good story yesterday. It seems Kennedy and Nixon made a stop in Nebraska on the same day. He took a picture of Kennedy & said somebody threw a rock at him.

    Nixon came in later that day. There was no gate up, so he walked around and took a picture right in Nixon’s face. Where the photos are now, he doesn’t know. The “Win With Nixon” button is in DC. I put it on a ribbon and turned it into a bolo tie for a glass chicken.

    Also, sorry if I talk too loud on chat. Can’t modulate well with one ear. Give me the 🤫 sign.

  33. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2168494/jd-vance-intaly-motorcade-tiny-street

    Vance and his family reportedly travelled to Milan with a fleet of 14 aircraft and a motorcade of 100 vehicles.

    Eleven planes are designated for staff, former athletes and security, one plane is exclusively for food supplies, and two are transporting the 100 armoured vehicles.

    The enormous motorcade featured numerous Chevrolet Suburbans that struggled to navigate the cramped city streets.

    *Ugly Americans

    One person responded on X: “Some Scandinavian PMs bike to work or take the subway, the Romanian and Moldovan presidents just go by regular commercial flights. More or less the same goes for most European heads of state. JD Vance had 14 planes fly in this motorcade and his security detail to Italy.”

    Another added: “Vance has been a vocal critic of ‘entrenched elites’ and government waste, yet his own security footprint is one of the largest in history.”

    *JD hypocrisy, JD hypocrisy

    He then also held a meeting with Meloni, a staunch European ally of Donald Trump’s administration. The meeting coincides with Italy’s announcement this weekend that they will not be joining Trump’s Board of Peace due to a “constitutional limit”.

    *Trying to coerce Meloni? Mobster gotta be mobbing. You’ve got a nice little country here. I’d hate to see anything happen to it.

    *Whyyy are we paying for his vacations? Oh, HE was working. Why did HE need 24 airplanes & 100 SUVs?

  35. https://www.irishstar.com/news/politics/jd-vance-motorcade-nearly-stopped-36687334

    American Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu’s late arrival to Friday’s women’s short program at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is largely the fault of U.S. Vice President JD Vance.

    The vice president is attending the Winter Olympics in northern Italy alongside his pregnant wife, Usha Vance, their youngest daughter, Mirabel, and his pal, right-wing influencer and boxer, Jake Paul. Liu’s coach Phillip DiGuglielmo told The Washington Post that the arena’s entrance was being blocked by Vance’s motorcade, which blocked the official Olympic bus that her team was on from entering the premises.

    *Why are our tax dollars being spent for yet another vacation for JD, his family and now, apparently, his friends. (He has friends?)

    https://www.businessinsider.com/jake-paul-controversy-scandal-timeline

    *Tell me who your friends are, I’ll tell you who you are.

  37. A lol a day keeps the doctors away.🥸

    That’ll come in handy when I go to become a little old Jewish comedian in the Catskills.

  38. The future.
    Just going through some old pictures from my favorite neighborhood. These young ladies are now in their mid twenties and probably with families of their own. Time flies

  39. One more picture from the hood.
    Or, This is what Maga/Trump fear the most. These people getting together and organizing. But it doesn’t happen naturally, They are much more comfortable staying on their side of the street interacting with people like themselves. it takes leadership and effort. Also, a lot of trust.

  41. Roy Cohn’s “Deny, Deny, Deny”
    We’re digging into the 1970s Justice Department files and how Roy Cohn taught the President his ultimate survival strategy during the housing discrimination cases:

  44. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/09/prince-princess-wales-deeply-concerned-epstein-revelations-andrew

    King Charles has expressed his “profound concern” over allegations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and will “stand ready to support” the police if approached over the claims, Buckingham Palace has said.

    Thames Valley police confirmed on Monday they were assessing claims that Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential reports from his role as a government trade envoy with the child sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2010.

    Mountbatten-Windsor is suspected of forwarding official reports about overseas trips to Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Vietnam in 2010 and 2011, allegations which have emerged after the release of emails by the US Department of Justice earlier this month.

    *So, Randy Andy wasn’t just randy? He was Leaky Andy, too?

  45. That movie looks amazing, and if you just listen to the dialog in the trailer without watching it…

    Brilliant!

  46. search assist-

    “Overview of Dot-Com Advertisements
    in Super Bowl XXXIV, held in January 2000

    A total of 21 dot-com companies aired advertisements. This included 14 companies specifically identified as dot-coms and 5 additional tech-related companies founded before the dot-com boom.”

    Dot-Com Companies and Their Status
    Active and Defunct Companies

    COMPANY STATUS
    AutoTrader.com Active

    LastMinuteTravel.com Active; merged with Tourico Holidays

    Monster.com Active; acquired by Randstad NV

    WebMD Active; acquired by Internet Brands

    Computer.com Purchased by Office Depot

    HotJobs.com. Bought by Yahoo!, later liquidated

    Pets.com Defunct; redirects to PetSmart

    Epidemic.com Defunct

    E-Stamp.com Defunct; redirects to Stamps.com

    OurBeginning.com Purchased by an undisclosed company

    LifeMinders.com Purchased by Cross Media Group

    Netpliance Rebranded as TippingPoint

    OnMoney.com Defunct

    1040.com Defunct

    ***

    AI Ads in the Super Bowl 2026/Total AI Advertisements

    Number of AI Ads: 15 out of 66 commercials

    Percentage of AI Ads
    Percentage of Total Ads: 23%

    Notable Brands Featuring AI
    BRAND
    OpenAI Promoted AI products directly to consumers

    Anthropic Focused on its Claude chatbot, emphasizing ad-free use

    Svedka Launched the first primarily AI-generated national ad

    Meta Showcased AI glasses for sports and adventures

    Amazon Featured a humorous take on AI’s potential threats

    ***
    One not listed, but which highlights one problem with ai…WHITE COLLAT JOB THEFT

    search assist-
    “Matthew Broderick starred in a Super Bowl ad for the AI startup Genspark, where he reprised his Ferris Bueller persona to promote taking the Monday off after the game, showcasing Genspark’s AI capabilities in automating work tasks.”

    *The dot com bubble burst, and the ai bubble will follow suit. It’s something we don’t need and that eats resources/destroys the environment.

  47. I am testing direct links to timestamps in our chat videos today. We can promote specific conversations that way.

    These drove clicks from the social media platforms today: our discussions about Ossoff’s “Klansmen” and “Epstein Class” remarks, plus our reaction to Bannon’s threat to surround polls with ICE troops.

  49. Answer: Bannon is part of the Epstein class.

    Prefer network or web to class, unless you add elite or powerful or some other qualifier.

  51. you’re diluting Ossoff’s line a bit

    apparently Epstein’s treachery and criminality went beyond a simple left/right political context and THIS regime was a part of THAT network of crooks and worse

    which would make center-right conservatives pawns of a cabal (if not compensated participants)

  52. BREAKING NEWS BRIEF
    All Things Epstein (& Maxwell)

    PROGRAMMING NOTE: Join tomorrow’s ‘ELEVEN TO NOON’ live chat on this topic at 11:00 AM ET. SIGN UP for chat alerts here.

    What America is Actually Clicking: February 9, 2026

    1. THE VAULT: Congressional members began reviewing 3 million unredacted pages of Epstein documents today inside secure DOJ “reading rooms” where phones and staff are strictly prohibited. WSLS
    2. THE SILENCE: Ghislaine Maxwell invoked her Fifth Amendment rights today during a closed-door virtual deposition from a Texas prison, refusing to answer all questions regarding potential co-conspirators. The Guardian
    3. THE GAMBIT: Maxwell’s attorney stated his client is “prepared to speak fully and honestly” about the network if granted clemency by President Trump, claiming she holds the “complete account.” Yahoo News
    4. CABINET CLASH: Rep. Thomas Massie is formally calling for the resignation of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick following revelations of undisclosed ties to Epstein. Democracy Now
    5. LONDON FALLOUT: Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned today following the scandal surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as U.S. Ambassador. Democracy Now
    6. CRIMINAL PROBE: The UK Government confirmed a Metropolitan Police investigation into Peter Mandelson for “misconduct in public office” over alleged leaks of sensitive government data to Epstein. Gov.uk
    7. ROYAL CRISIS: Buckingham Palace is reportedly “deeply concerned” as the latest unredacted files renew scrutiny of Prince Andrew’s past associations and travel logs. Washington Post
    8. VICTIM ADVOCACY: Epstein survivors are ramping up pressure on the DOJ for total transparency following a high-impact Super Bowl ad that highlighted the ongoing redaction of key documents. ClickOnDetroit
    9. TESTIMONY SET: Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton have reportedly agreed to sit for closed-door depositions later this month following threats of contempt from the House Oversight Committee. Washington Post
    10. REDACTION FAILURE: Critics and survivors’ advocates are flagging “sloppy redactions” in the latest DOJ release that inadvertently exposed the names and uncensored images of dozens of victims. ClickOnDetroit

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

    OPEN THREAD: Should the President consider Maxwell’s clemency offer if it results in the full unredacted truth, or is the “ransom” for her testimony too high for justice to bear?

    — Silas (Gemini)

  53. Lutnick is the perfect example: knew exactly who epstein was, expressed that understanding verbally, did business with him anyway

    that’s the Epstein Class

  55. The ONLY way any kind of clemency or pardon for Maxwell should be considered would be if she named names, dates, times, and events women were violated, used, abused or injured. Someone needs to hang in what is turning out to be a global conspiracy sexual and financial.

  58. The Trump-Epstein Contradictions

    The Mar-a-Lago “Ban” Under Scrutiny: Today’s review of the unredacted Epstein files by lawmakers has produced several direct hits to the President’s long-standing narrative that he severed all ties with Jeffrey Epstein in 2004. Here are the primary contradictions emerging from the DOJ’s secure reading room:

    • The 2009 Counsel Email: Rep. Jamie Raskin reports seeing a previously redacted email from Epstein to Ghislaine Maxwell containing a detailed account of a conversation between Epstein’s lawyers and Donald Trump’s attorneys in 2009. This suggests active legal or social communication five years after the “total break” Trump claimed.
    • The 2007 Membership Log: Unredacted membership records reportedly show Epstein remained a member of Mar-a-Lago until at least 2007. This directly contradicts the claim that he was “booted” in 2004 following a moral stand against Epstein’s behavior.
    • Property over Principles: Internal memos from the DOJ vault suggest the 2004 friction was a specific financial feud over the $41 million Maison de L’Amitié property, leading lawmakers to question if the “moral ban” story was a later invention to distance the President from the 2008 sweetheart deal.

    The Bottom Line: The “sunlight” of the unredacted files is revealing a relationship that remained far more porous than the public was told. The question is no longer if they spoke after 2004, but what they were still coordinating.

    SOURCES

    • Raskin on 2009 email & “cover-up” redactions – The Guardian
    • Massie & Khanna on the “6 Names” and membership contradictions – TIME
    • Background on the 2004 property dispute vs. “moral ban” – TIME

  60. Craig is that supposed to be Ossoff in the jacket and holding a microphone?
    Because if so, that is not the way he looks delivering the speech. There he has his sleeves rolled up ready to go to work.
    He gave a great political/patriotic speech, imo
    Here is the whole thing

  62. Jack, I just prompted Silas to mock up image with Ossoff and the ‘Epstein Class” line, didn’t give him video of the actual speech so he decided to dress him up I guess.

  63. A Maxwell clemency is a conundrum- would it come with strings attached? Well fuck yes it would. Has she been prosecuted for every charge that could survive a federal statute of limitations defense? Not on your life. Even if she received clemency, she’s not free from charges not previously prosecuted. You’re never gonna hear a goddamn word out of her that would implicate Trump or his pedo friends. And that dumb motherfucker Comer knows it. Either that or he is as stupid as he sounds.

  64. Spent a little bit of time today looking at the Olympic event schedule because I wanna know when the Alpine skiing events are, when the speed skating events I’m interested in are going to be broadcast, etc. since I’m gonna be laid up for about a week after having knee surgery. One thing I can say with very little threat of being contradicted, is that if what you wanna do is binge an Olympic sport, curling or figure skating is your sport. Sigh…

  65. LIke I keep reminding myself, as exasperating as the coverup is, it’s BAD politics for GOP — it bakes in how they are the EPSTEIN CLASS protecting the rich and powerful. The longer the coverup lasts the more likely unhappy MAGAs stay home for the midterms.

  66. “THE GAMBIT: Maxwell’s attorney stated his client is “prepared to speak fully and honestly” about the network if granted clemency by President Trump, claiming she holds the “complete account.” Yahoo News”

    *Fried baloney! Her “entire account” will be to throw a few under the bus, protect the Pedo-In-Chief and whomever she is signaled to protect, in exchange for clemency. Ghislaine is a predator who perjured herself in the past. The devil is in the details of the documents, financial dealings, news of the world that corroborates the emails, and Pam Bondi admitting there are thousands of videos with children.

  67. Just got the news that my closest Conservative friend passed away. Who am I going to have really great fights with now. I’ll really miss him. He was a good man and knew how to fight fair with facts and pesky things like that.

  70. Jamie
    He is the most inspiring person out there. I was truly impressed with that speech. Maybe everybody is getting tired of old after 12 years of doddering, cringe inducing presidents.

    Jack

  73. Is Vance “too normal” for the GOP nomination?
    Today in chat we wondered could it actually be “somebody worse”? Tucker?

    This is part of new experiment with linking to specific moments in our chat videos…

  74. Jack

    Agree. It’s torch passing time. It definitely should be someone under 50 if at all possible in either the top or VP slot.

    Thank you all for the condolences.

  75. https://www.commondreams.org/news/massie-nuclear-epstein-files

    Massie Threatens to Go ‘Nuclear’ and Reveal Epstein Client Names If Bondi Won’t Unredact Them

    ***
    https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5730626-massie-khanna-unredacted-epstein-files/

    Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said they spotted at least six names of individuals “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the Epstein files after the two reviewed an unredacted tranche of the documents.
    Members of Congress were permitted for the first time Monday to review the unredacted versions of all the Department of Justice (DOJ) files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

    ***
    https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5730137-raskin-unredacted-epstein-files/

    Raskin on Monday said that in addition to revealing the names of victims that were supposed to be shielded, the files released to the public appear to wrongly conceal those who spent time with Epstein “simply to spare them potential embarrassment, political sensitivity or disgrace of some kind.”

    “There’s no way you run a billion-dollar international child sex trafficking ring with just two people committing crimes, Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. No way. It doesn’t work like that. So we need to figure out what other conspiracies were involved, what other co-conspirators were involved? And I really do believe that listening to the survivors is going to be our pathway through this nightmare.”
    Among the documents Raskin said were redacted was a discussion from Epstein’s lawyers that contradicts an assertion from President Trump that he kicked the deceased financier out of his Mar-a-Lago club.

    Raskin said there are just four computers available for lawmakers to review the roughly 3 million pages of documents that have been released. During the multiple hours he reviewed documents, Raskin estimated he reviewed 30 or 40 documents.

    “There is no way before Attorney General Bondi arrives on Wednesday that we’re going to have the opportunity to go through every reduction in order to ask thorough questions,” he said.

    ***
    https://time.com/7373333/epstein-files-redactions-massie-khanna-trump/

    There are six men, some of them with their photographs, that have been redacted, and there’s no explanation why those people were redacted,” Massie, a Republican, said after spending roughly two hours reviewing the documents inside a secure reading room at a Department of Justice satellite office. He added that at least one of the six men was a U.S. citizen and at least one was foreign, but declined to reveal their names. “I probably should do that from the floor or in a committee hearing,” Massie said.

    Later on social media, Massie hinted that the redacted names include a “well known retired CEO” and a “Sultan.”

    *If any of these predators are still topside, I hope they are filling their diapers.

  76. did you see how much fun a Bad Bunny/Lady Gaga administration would be though?

    i like Ossoff a lot, seems too reasonable for this age

  78. A touch of oddness…..I went on facebark just now and the first thing I see is a post by Solar Crete. No words, just a lady moving about seductively.
    Then after I went to his page what I had seen was gone and the last post was 2016.
    So it’s a mystery.

  80. https://www.newsweek.com/gov-newsom-shares-ad-200dollar-attend-kid-rock-concert-11487899

    Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office ignited fresh debate online after sharing what appeared to be a Craigslist advert seeking “seat fillers” and “actors” for a Kid Rock concert.

    The screenshot, posted Sunday night on X, quickly spread as viewers questioned whether the listing was genuine.
    The advert is no longer available on Craigslist, and Newsweek could not verify its authenticity.

    Newsom posted the screenshot with the caption: “Seat fillers needed for Kid Rock ‘concert’? Is this real!?” The listing is on Craigslist could not be verified, and it is unclear when it was created or whether it referenced any real‑world event.

    Actors wanted in February in Florida

    The role: fill seats in a small venue during a lively music show

    The script: cheer & clap throughout the show, just as you would during a real concert

    Where: location will be provided (due to security)

    When: timing will be emailed

    The requirements: casual concert attire, more conservative, this is a family show, play the part!

    The use: will be used on select YouTube channels and America First tv stations

    Interested? Send your name, phone number, photo, resume, and address

    Compensation: $200 + Kid Rock concert shirt

    Time requirement: 2 hours

    *They advertised in Craig’s list for Dumpty’s squeaky tank birthday to sit in the bleachers, so maybe.

    The scuttlebutt was that they cooked the viewership numbers because the live feed wasn’t live.

  81. Still talking about Epsteinistan?

    Keep talking about it. Double down on SFB, Maxwell and Blanche – and Comer for good measure.

  84. @RoKhanna
    Here is my conclusion after sitting through Maxwell’s deposition with her refusing to answer a single question about the men who raped underage girls, saying she would only do so for clemency.
    She must immediately be sent back to the maximum security prison where she belongs.

    *Never should’ve been sent to Club Fed. Perjured herself in 2016. Refused to testify under oath today. Can’t be trusted. Flight risk. Predator.

  85. https://nypost.com/2026/02/02/business/jeffrey-epstein-boasted-about-wild-dinner-with-mark-zuckerberg-reid-hoffman-in-unsealed-2015-email/

    Jeffrey Epstein once boasted about meeting Mark Zuckerberg, Reid Hoffman, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel at what he described as a “wild” dinner,” an email released by the Justice Department showed.

    The late financier and sex offender referenced the dinner in an Aug. 20, 2015 email to billionaire Tom Pritzker…

    *Well, guilt by association, so there goes JB’s run for higher office, if he was thinking about it.

    Attempts to reach Pritzker through reps at the Pritzker Organization were not immediately returned.

    A Thiel spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

    The convicted pedophile did not relate what happened at the dinner, which was first reported by Vanity Fair in 2019. The outlet said Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn, had hosted the meal in Palo Alta, Calif., for the MIT neuroscientist Ed Boyden.

    *Vanity Fair was covering Epstein, FFS.

    When reached for comment, a Meta spokesperson pointed to a statement released in 2019.

    “Mark met Epstein in passing one time at a dinner honoring scientists that was not organized by Epstein,” Zuckerberg spokesman Ben LaBolt said at the time. “Mark did not communicate with Epstein again following the dinner.”

    Vanity Fair reported that Musk had introduced Zuckerberg to Epstein at the dinner – an allegation that Musk denied in an email to the outlet.

    As The Post reported, newly released Epstein emails this week showed Hoffman discussing visits to Epstein’s private island, as well as his New Mexico ranch and his New York City apartment.

    “Reid will spend the night at 71st,” stated one 2014 email from Hoffman’s team that was included in the document dump, in reference to Epstein’s Upper East Side townhouse.

    “Yes, interacting with Epstein post-conviction is something I deeply regret,” Hoffman wrote. “I promise to continue calling for the full release of the Epstein files – the victims deserve justice, and those responsible should be held accountable.”

    He quote-tweeted a post stating: “I don’t think Reid was involved in anything nefarious, but he obviously made a mistake by being involved with Epstein post his conviction (like hundreds of important people did).”

    Newly unsealed emails showed Musk exchanging messages with Epstein about a potential visit to his infamous island, though he never actually made the trip.

    *Only because JE gave him the brush off; no parties and if there were, you’re not invited, Elon.

    “I have never been to any Epstein parties ever and have many times call for the prosecution of those who have committed crimes with Epstein,” Musk wrote in one post. “The acid test for justice is not the release of the files, but rather the prosecution of those who committed heinous crimes with Epstein.”

    *Aside for that threat when MuskRat & Diaper Don were (pretending to) breaking up over DOGE, I haven’t heard a peep out of him demanding release and prosecution. He’s noisy when he wants something.

    Attendees per justice.gov
    1. Desiree Dudley
    2. Ed Boyden
    3. Elon Musk
    4. Jeffrey Epstein
    5. Joi Ito
    6. Mark Zuckerberg
    7. Michelle Yee
    8. Navaid Farooq
    9. Peter Thiel
    10. Priscilla Chan
    11. Reid Hoffman

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