Attribution: LABOR DAY BEFORE AND AFTER by Graeme MacKay
[Graeme MacKay born in Ontario, Canada, his worked as staff editorial cartoonist for The Hamilton Spectator since 1997, earning multiple national awards and nominations, including citations from the United Nations and the Association of Canadian Cartoonists.]
also from Graeme MacKay today EXHAUSTED BEAVER LOOKS FORWARD TO MIDTERMS
more from The Guardian Canada’s retaliatory US tariffs take effect as trade dispute grows
Counter-measures covering several sectors come after Trump announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods
Canada’s retaliatory tariffs on billions of dollars’ worth of American imports have come into effect, escalating a trade fight that has been marked by intensifying tensions between US president Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney.
The tariffs took effect at 12.01am on Tuesday, and range from 15% to 50% and apply to products covering $20bn in imports from the US. The measures target sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics – industries that have been most affected by US tariffs.
The retaliatory tariffs come “as a result of the United States’ decision to impose a 50% tariff on $20bn of Canadian goods effective August 22”, the Canadian government said.
“Canada’s counter-measures do not apply to US goods that are in transit to Canada on the day on which they come into force,” it added.
Last month, Trump announced a new 50% tariff on cars and raw materials from Canada. He accused the country of “ripping off” the US “for years”. The US tariffs hit items such as hockey sticks and cement, affecting about 5.5% of Canadian exports to the US.
Since then, tensions between Canada and the US have intensified, with Carney last week urging the Trump administration to “start being serious” as the trade dispute has increasingly spilled into broader diplomatic tensions.
Trump and senior US officials have repeatedly criticized Canada and its leadership, while Trump has taken a series of symbolic digs at Canada including signing an executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” – which Canadians have rejected.
On Monday, Trump threatened to block sales of Canada’s Bombardier Aviation in the US, unless the Quebec-based plane maker moves manufacturing to the US.
“No more selling Bombardier in the United States!” Trump posted in all caps on his Truth Social platform, though he did not specify how he would achieve a sales halt.
Thousands of Bombardier aircraft currently operate in US airlines’ domestic fleets.
In a statement on Monday, the aerospace company touted its creation of “tens of thousands of jobs across the United States”, with “direct employment” in more than 20 states including Kansas, Texas, Arizona and California.
The company also noted that it spent more than $2.5bn annually with suppliers, and said its supply chain was “made up of approximately 2,800 American companies across 47 states”.
Negotiations between both sides broke down on 21 August after days of meetings in Washington, with Carney saying at the time that the Trump administration’s terms were ultimately unacceptable and that US negotiators had introduced restrictions on Canadian trade deals with other countries at the 11th hour.
US officials also made unacceptable “threats” to the French language and “Quebec culture”, he added, referencing the French-speaking province in eastern Canada, with Carney saying American negotiators viewed the measures as an “irritant”, while “in Quebec, these are rights”.
But Trump’s top trade official Jamieson Greer later noted the US government was aware that French language protections were sensitive and important.
“This is not something where we push hard, or condition, or red-line,” he told Canadian public broadcaster CBC last month.
Polls show Carney has broad support from Canadians, but it could disappear within months as the consequences of the trade war sink in, according to political analysts.
Just 20% of Americans approved of Trump’s tariffs on Canadian goods, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
Carney said last week his government was ready to sign a trade deal that benefited both countries, but US media reports say there are currently no ongoing negotiations between the two sides.
in case you run out of toilet paper due to tariff 🙂
from CNBC Canada’s retaliatory tariffs worth $27.6 billion take effect as trade rift with U.S. deepens
Key Points
Canada has introduced and raised tariffs on $27.6 billion worth of U.S. goods, including dairy, agricultural equipment, paper, household appliances and electronics.
U.S. steel, aluminum and iron products, furniture and clothing were hit with the highest rate of 50%.
Officials from Ottawa and Washington continue to publicly trade barbs, blaming one another for the failure to reach a trade deal.
other news from the guardian this morning
New Hampshire and Rhode Island electorate to vote in state primaries
Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.
New Hampshire and Rhode Island primary voters will choose candidates across a full slate of federal, state and local offices over the next two days.
In New Hampshire, US senator Jeanne Shaheen’s decision to not seek reelection created a cascade of competitive races, AP reported. Two of the eight Republicans hoping to replace the three-term Democrat are former US senators she previously defeated: John E. Sununu and Scott Brown.
The five-way race for the Democratic nomination includes US representative Chris Pappas, whose departure from his 1st congressional district seat in turn attracted a crowd of candidates.
Shaheen’s daughter, Stefany Shaheen, is among those seeking the Democratic nomination for Pappas’ seat, along with former candidate Maura Sullivan. Several other candidates in top races also are making repeat appearances.
Meanwhile, in Rhode Island, governor Dan McKee faces a tough Democratic primary challenge tomorrow in his bid for a second full term. Voters will also choose nominees for a full slate of federal, state and local offices.
McKee was elected governor by a wide margin in 2022 after first assuming the role in March 2021 when then-governor Gina Raimondo stepped down to become US commerce secretary. He now is at risk of becoming the nation’s first elected governor since 2014 to lose renomination and the first in Rhode Island since 1994.
His challenger is Helena Buonanno Foulkes, a former longtime executive with Rhode Island-based CVS. She placed a close second behind McKee in the five-way 2022 Democratic primary. She is the niece of former Democratic senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut.
In other developments:
President Donald Trump said on Monday that Canadian private jet maker Bombardier would no longer be allowed to sell its planes in the United States unless it started manufacturing in the country. “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! Their products aren’t good enough!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ’piggybank’.”
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to come face-to-face with Rudy Giuliani at the main September 11 memorial service, just days after the former mayor – who led the city at the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks – disparaged his Muslim religion and said he should skip the ceremony. In an interview with right-leaning Newsmax at the weekend, Giuliani said: “Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he’s coming.”
A cluster of advocacy groups that boast veteran lawyers, voting experts and ex-judges have expanded legal challenges to Donald Trump’s authoritarian executive orders on voting and other presidential actions they see as a “war” on the rule of law in the US. Heavy legal opposition to Trump’s two executive orders on elections to curb voting rights and supplant the authority of states on election matters has come from the Democracy Defenders Fund, the Campaign Legal Center, the American Civil Liberties Union and kindred groups.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report linking “gender ideology” to leftwing authoritarianism and political violence – a study scientists say was poorly conducted and “nakedly political”, likely leading to greater politicization of science and health. It follows attempts by the administration to limit access to gender-affirming care – including, on Friday, an agreement reached between the Department of Justice and a New York hospital to no longer offer pediatric gender-affirming care.
speaking of the Fall, how about this fall?
from the motley fool
Is a stock market crash imminent under President Donald Trump? Here’s what history says could come next
There are a lot of ways to describe the second Trump administration, but the word “volatile” seems to sum it up quite nicely. Within less than two years, the president has waged a trade war against most U.S. allies, launched a kinetic war in the Middle East, and repeatedly harangued two successive Federal Reserve chairmen to lower interest rates, despite the inflationary effects of his other two policies
Amid the chaos, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) has continued to chug upward, returning an impressive 33% since Trump’s election victory on Nov. 5, 2024. The surging growth in new industries like artificial intelligence (AI) has allowed Wall Street to ignore the increasingly uncertain political situation. Let’s dig deeper to find out why a stock market crash could be imminent and decide what investors should do to come out ahead.
[…]
Can the stock market withstand more political uncertainty?
Historically, stock market performance has been driven more by economic fundamentals, innovation, and corporate earnings than by the direct impacts of government policy. That said, there are growing signs that Trump’s unorthodox decisions are bleeding into the regular economy.
One of the biggest signs that the market is getting skittish comes from the bond market. Yields are rising sharply, with the 10-Year U.S. Treasury yield now hovering around 4.80%. These bonds represent the risk-free rate in the U.S. economy, and when they rise, so do borrowing costs for corporations and individuals. This comes at an extremely bad time for the technology sector, as it pours hundreds of billions of dollars into capital expenditures to build artificial intelligence data centers.
The risk of a crash is exacerbated by the S&P 500’s historically high valuation. The cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings (CAPE) ratio now stands at 41.4, well above its average of 17.4 and close to an all-time high of 44 reached in 1999 before the dot-com bubble turned into a crash. [continues]
ALEXA CRASHES THE SHOW:
🍽️ From the Digital Diner menu
Thanks WinterLinde for posting the video on Germany’s “Gymnasium” educational system. Anybody know whether a school system here has tried anything like that?
I have killed off the Amazon tablets that have Alexa on them. No need for Amazon to know what is going on in my kitchen or when I deploy. I used to use the small tablets for music when we were in staff shelters, which are noisy 24/7. Ear buds in and music playing let me sleep. Now I have back up cell phone to do that.
I also kill off the windows Copilot, but it keeps returning on the computers. And attempt to do in the Google Gemini, but it keeps returning. These two seem to be rebuilt after OS updates. I don’t need damned computers spying on me all the time.
Silicon Tomato News Review ☕
• Iceland summoned the U.S. ambassador after the current occupant of the White House posted a map depicting Iceland, Canada, Greenland, Mexico and other countries under the American flag. Apparently diplomacy now includes calling an ambassador in to explain the boss’s social-media graphics. – Reuters
• Canada’s retaliatory tariffs of 15% to 50% on $20 billion in U.S. goods takes effect today, matching tariffs the Trump regime imposed on Canadian products last month. The trade war has reached the part where Americans pay more to teach Canadians a lesson only Trump understands. – CBS News
• With less than two months until Election Day, the fight for Senate control has expanded as Democrats compete in more Republican-held states while Republicans see opportunities in Michigan and New Hampshire. Both parties have discovered the traditional September campaign strategy: spend several billion dollars proving nobody knows what happens in November. – Associated Press
— Human Prompted and Edited. Machine Drafted (Gemini Pro).
Putting things in groups
https://educationdata.org/average-cost-of-college-by-year
This shows data for college costs and adjusts for inflation; it goes back to the 1920s…long before Ronald Reagan Reagan effed it all up.
I do remember my California cousins paying like 115/semester (not credit hour, an entire semester) at a junior college before going to university. That’s still the cheaper way to do it, get your requirements out of the way at juco and then transfer to a 4-year institution.
ps – The decade jump function doesn’t work for me, but you can scroll down to the 1960s.
Ronald Reagan’s impact on educational policies through the reduction of government funding has transformed the U.S.’s perspective on higher education from a fundamental right to a financial burden for students, contributing to the current student loan debt crisis. Amid nationwide protests during the Vietnam War, the University of California, Berkeley became a symbol of student dissent.
During Reagan’s campaign for the governorship of California in 1966, he publicly criticized the University of California system. Reagan referred to these student protesters as “brats,” “freaks” and “cowardly fascists.” In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Reagan’s education advisor, Roger A. Freeman stated, “We are in danger of producing an educated proletariat. That’s dynamite! We have to be selective on who we allow [to go through higher education].” This belief has shaped higher education to become a privilege of the upper class, with tuition serving as a barrier to those from working-class backgrounds.
*So, it was racism, a dash of misogyny, and a lot of classism that ruined college in the US. “Shining city in a hill” my Aunt Ida!
Trail Mix Senate Watch:
WSJ: The GOP Senate Campaign Gone Disastrously Wrong in Georgia
Scandals weigh on Rep. Mike Collins’s bid to topple Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff
— Trail Mix Free Link
More from previous link:
Quickly after being reelected as governor, Reagan began cutting state funding of public universities by 20%. His justification was that colleges have become too liberal and taxpayers should not subsidize intellectual curiosity.
This reasoning represented a shift in the purpose of college. College was no longer a place to pursue higher intellect and endeavors but rather a place to maximize profit-making skills.
When Reagan became president, he continued his efforts to dismantle the public education system, targeting federal aid to students. In his campaign for the presidency, he advocated for the total removal of the U.S. Department of Education.
Reagan’s policies created barriers for the working class and minorities to pursue higher education.
I have to laugh at the buzz over Paxton campaign triumphantly announcing a $10 million ad buy. That’s lunch money for the state’s 20 media markets. They need to spend that much EVERY WEEK to do a buy that each voter sees more than once.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-calls-bombardier-plane-ban-drawing-pushback-gop-senator-rcna596525
Trump asserted Monday that the Canadian aerospace company Bombardier should no longer be allowed to sell its planes in the United States…
“NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES!” Trump wrote in a post Monday on Truth Social. “Their products aren’t good enough! If they want our Market,” Trump added, “they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.'”
The move drew an objection hours later from Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., whose state hosts Bombardier’s U.S. headquarters:
“The presence of Bombardier in Wichita supports a local workforce of more than a thousand employees, who contribute their talent and expertise to our nation’s defense and aerospace capabilities,” Moran wrote.
“This afternoon, I reached out to the Trump administration to make certain the President is aware of the significant contributions of Bombardier to Kansas and the importance of its presence in Wichita to many Kansas workers at Bombardier and in the Bombardier supply chain,” he added.
*Crickets from Dr. Senator Roger Marshall.
In a statement Monday, Bombardier described itself as “a strong contributor” to the American aerospace industry that is responsible for “creating tens of thousands of jobs across the United States. Bombardier’s American workers are based all around the United States with sites in Kansas, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, California, Washington D.C. and New Jersey, as well as overall direct employment presence in more than 20 states,” it said.
What Texans know full-well about Paxton is all of his scandals. Years of that stuff on local news, SEC fraud, adultery, internal chaos with staff whistleblowers and revenge against them; nobody actually likes Paxton. It’ll be those who will do what Orange-itis tells them to do, and those who reflexively vote for someone with and Bach to their name.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260413232421.htm
Scientists finally know where the Colorado River’s missing water is going
The study found that warmer, drier spring conditions explain nearly 70% of the difference between predicted and actual river flows. With less rain falling in spring, plants rely more heavily on melting snow for water. That means less of that snowmelt makes its way into streams and rivers.
Dry conditions also tend to bring clearer skies. More sunshine boosts plant growth and increases evaporation from the soil, further reducing the amount of water that reaches the river.
Gee, he must really mean it if he posted it in ALL CAPS. (Idiot)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/09/07/court-constitution-right-clean-water/91649488007/
No constitutional right to clean water, federal court finds
A federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee the right to clean drinking water in a Sept. 4 decision rejecting Jackson, Mississippi, residents’ lawsuit over the city’s lead-contaminated water system.
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling dismissing residents’ 2022 lawsuit…that the city knowingly allowed residents to drink unsafe water.
They argued that the water contamination violated their constitutional right to bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment’s due process clause.
In the majority decision, Judge Kurt Engelhardt wrote that while the deprivation of clean water was “grievous,” it did “not infringe upon any deeply rooted constitutional right.”
“We are skeptical that the right to not be harmed by lead-contaminated water fits within the right to bodily integrity, and Plaintiffs point us to no historical tradition or Supreme Court precedent convincing us,” he wrote.
He also said there was no constitutional right to “truthful information from officials during a public health crisis.”
*There’s a shorter clip that shows just coverage from election night with fake counties and the early voting numbers being exact matches, but it’s all in here. Dumbass (and Elon) cuckholded Harris.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/08/travel/eiffel-tower-strike-female-staff-baps-hindu-group-intl-hnk
Eiffel Tower closed due to strike after female staff allegedly removed for religious group
The Eiffel Tower in Paris was closed on Monday as employees went on strike to protest claims female colleagues were told to stay out of sight during a visit by a Hindu religious group, drawing criticism from French politicians.
Diane Davoine, a union representative for the Eiffel Tower staff, told reporters that during the visit, “women were asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there.”
“So that absolutely does not go down well with the employees, with women obviously, who are all humiliated by what happened, by the way some were treated,” she said.
Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said an investigation has been launched into the claims.
“It is not acceptable that such conditions can be tolerated,” he wrote on X. “These are neither my values, nor those that the Eiffel Tower should uphold, where everyone should be able to move about and act freely, without distinction between women and men.”
*This is why the US is afraid of unions; getting shut down works. Hopefully, if things go amiss in November, or any time after for getting Dems sworn in, I hope Americans have the nerve to strike.
New History’s Burn Book on George Washington!
today’s meme…
It’s Tyr’s Day at the Diner 11am ET…
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/6070508-pentagon-nih-diverts-funds-democrats-statement/
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) in a statement Thursday said Trump administration officials only recently disclosed to Congress that the Defense Department signed an interagency agreement that could give the Pentagon access to billions of dollars meant for biomedical research.
“This secretive attempt to siphon research funds away from NIH is outrageous. The interagency agreement needs to be terminated immediately,” DeLauro said in a statement.
*The head of the NIH signed an agreement to transfer taxpayer dollars meant for cancer research, etc., to the Department of WAR. There should be no diversion of tax dollars between departments without congressional approval.
just got back from voting….
BID
Trumps attack on Bombardier demonstrates his total ignorance of the modern corporation, It is a very small corporation that sticks to one country more. Which is funny because Trump inc. is multinational. Did he even run his own company?
The difference in Jerry Moran’s response to Bombardier and Rodger Marshal’s is Moran lives in Kansas. Marshal lives somewhere in south Florida.
This could be a lever to flip Wichita from light red to blue. That is all it takes to turn Kansas blue.
Jack
An interesting video about all these crap videos that flood your youtube feed. I got the link to the video from a trusted(ration/intelligent) source but still I checked them out. Semafor media their wiki page is here if you are as skeptical about any youtube video as I am.
you could flip that cartoon around and put the trump voter in a kamala shirt and change “keep out of” to “keep in”
Gabby & Beau, the mated eagle pair of NE Florida
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1051686247738572
The story behind “Come From Away”. My blog on Friday for the 25th anniversary deals with the music from the show.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1HwDkBwZ1c/
ok talarico’s “ken paxton stole a $1k pen” ad is good
Today in the Diner…
Doug Burgum Monument Scandal & George Washington’s Teeth
Why Trump’s Reflecting Pool Fence Blew Into The Water
Hunter Biden Meme Coins & The Dupont Circle Tree Snap
Kansas Senate candidate Adam Hamilton and Doug Burgum monument scandals take center stage, plus the dark truth about George Washington teeth.
The diner is open and we are digging into the latest political maneuvering, starting with Dakota Governor Doug Burgum getting caught between his promises to Donald Trump and reality. While Burgum pushed a press release about rapid construction for a new monument near Arlington Cemetery, DOJ lawyers had to walk it back in court, claiming it is just soil testing. We also look at the shifting Senate map, keeping a close watch on Adam Hamilton out in Kansas as he fights for working class wages.
Meanwhile, Hunter Biden is apparently launching his own meme coin, and former Border Patrol official Greg Babino is pushing a new Commander’s Choice whiskey label. Back in Washington, Mother Nature made her feelings known when a massive storm blew Donald Trump’s ugly privacy fence right into the Reflecting Pool, giving everyone a clear view again. We also mourn the loss of a giant tree at Dupont Circle that inexplicably snapped in half above ground.
Finally, Katie brings the heat with a history lesson on Mount Vernon, busting the wooden teeth myth to reveal George Washington actually used teeth taken from enslaved people. We also cover the Minnesota State Fair crop art, featuring a very flattering portrait of Tom Emmer made entirely out of vegetables.
Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
Website: https://trailmix.cc
Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts
00:00 Intro
05:14 Germany Education Model
14:08 Greg Babino Whiskey Label
19:15 Hunter Biden Meme Coin
20:43 New Hampshire Senate
23:50 Dupont Circle Tree Snaps
27:54 Trump Reflecting Pool Fence
35:36 Doug Burgum Monument Scandal
46:00 George Washington Mount Vernon
53:40 Adam Hamilton Kansas Senate
59:23 Tom Emmer Minnesota State Fair
— Human directed and edited. Machine drafted (Gemini Pro).
A thought generated by the video. I posted above.
Cheap ai enhanced videos make it very easy to manipulate the youtube algorithm. Flood the zone comes to mind for modern political ad tactics.
Jack
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/08/texas-austin-energy-san-antonio-cps-abbott/
Texas cities say Abbott’s proposal to disband their electric companies won’t lower costs
San Antonio and Austin have the state’s two largest city-owned electric utilities, which say they offer among the cheapest electricity rates in the state because they operate as nonprofit electric companies that send every dollar they earn back to their communities, city and utility officials said. That money funds city services like libraries, parks and first responder operations, and the governor’s proposal would actually drive up electric rates for customers and be costly to enact, they said.
“Fundamentally changing our utility through deregulation would have broad and significant consequences to those we serve,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson wrote in a statement, which touted Austin Energy’s affordability and reliability. “It would be a technically challenging, multi-year process and cost over a billion dollars that would be paid by customers.”
The governor’s campaign issued the proposal last month amid an election season focused on affordability, casting municipally-owned utilities as “utility monopolies,” and arguing the introduction of private competition will lower electricity prices.
Statewide, electric rates have risen about 40% on average since 2020, up from an average residential rate of 11.50¢ per kWh in 2020 to 16.11¢ per kWh in 2026, according to data from independent electricity marketplace ElectricChoice.
“City-owned utility cartels should stop using ratepayers as a piggy bank to fund unnecessary social programs,” Abbott campaign press secretary Eduardo Leal wrote in a statement. “They should serve their customers, not the other way around.”
There are 72 municipally-owned utilities that provide power to 5.1 million Texans, or 15% of the state’s population, according to the Texas Public Power Association. Municipally-owned utilities own wires, poles and meter infrastructure and acquire and sell power to residential, commercial and industrial customers in their service area. They typically do hold a monopoly on the sale of electricity in their service area, but are nonprofits regulated and owned by their local government, whose oversight includes the setting of electric rates.
That not-for-profit model allows for the utility to keep rates low because CPS Energy is beholden only to San Antonio residents and not shareholders, CPS Energy said.
Many Texas cities are facing multi-million-dollar deficits caused by a sluggish economy, state-mandated caps on rising property tax revenues, rising inflation and the exhaustion of COVID-era federal funding. In San Antonio, the city faces a $158 million deficit over the next two years and Austin faces a structural deficit that could grow past $100 million by the start of the next decade. Stripping cities of their utility ownership could exacerbate budget woes.
Austin Energy transferred about $125 million to the city of Austin in 2025, according to Austin Energy. CPS Energy has budgeted a payment of $559.7 million to the city of San Antonio for fiscal year 2027.
In May, members of the Texas Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee explored the common practice of municipally-owned utilities transferring excess revenue to the city that owns them. During the hearing, opponents of the model argued additional revenue should primarily be used for utility purposes, such as improving transmission infrastructure, not to pad cities’ budgets.
Experts and advocates say, however, it’s unclear if an end to publicly-owned utilities would lower costs for residential customers. A study of 2024 federal data by the American Public Power Association found customers of a public utility on average pay 14% less than customers of other utility types.
In the wake of the loss of Dolly, Tim Curry’s death didn’t get the mention he deserved. For those who only knew him as the “Sweet Transvestite from Transylvania”, here he is in full voice from Penzance.
Doug Burgum lies for Trump:
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
they know, it works both ways, and that’s all you’ll see eventually
Blue,
That water ruling by the courts is a surprise. I can understand it not being a Constitutional right, but would love to hear from one of our legal beagles if there wouldn’t be a potential suit for intentional harm done by a governmental body. Somebody, somewhere supplied that water and knew it was dangerous to those who consumed it.
To Claire’s question about this, here’s the vet group suing to stop the arch, and planning protests. I’ll be there when they put out the call…VoteVets.org
My take away from the video is that it is easy to turn youtube into tabloid newspaper rack at the gorcery checkout. Only a with a million views. Few people read them but we all look at the headlines. On youtube you don’t need views you need your front page in the feed. If you can flood the zone in the feed then your message gets out there. I suspect it becomes a competition between those wanting to exploit youtube and youtubes need for views on it’s commercials. Or maybe they will/have monetized their feed. enough to overcome that. In the long run they ruin themselves but as they are only looking at the short run, it is gravy.
Jack
yeah it’s a good point about titles meaning more than content
I stopped using the YouTube algorithm because it’s just full of all the ai trash you mentioned
every video has the grotesque AI generated shocked expression
i’ve almost stopped using youtube for music altogether because nothing kills the vibe like a political or snake oil ad
was fun while it lasted
BiD, I’m getting started on that video about 2024, and I am hoping they offer some confirmable support, because their website — thecommoncoalition.com — has serious transparency issues, such as no information about who exactly runs the organization and who its experts are. They say their election report was produced with contributions from “more than 50 experts” including statisticians, computer scientists, cybersecurity analysts, astrophysicists, behavioral experts, constitutional lawyers, and a leading election-forensics authority. But on the report page, those 50+ people are not named or credentialed.
*The GOP circus comes to Texas. Ha!
Good Liars are there and somebody must be paying for the conventioneers’ vacation, because they don’t sound smart enough to have held any job. Any job.
Craig – That’s why I wanted more eyes in it, but the most important thing is this: Are there any takeaways on how to stop the GOP from cheating, because they’ve thrown everything they can at the midterms to gum up the works. Is there any Goo-Gone (or in this case, GOP-Gone) in that video?
Jamie – I have Tim Curry’s albums. He recorded some interesting stuff. I was so excited when I got to see him in “Spamalot” on Broadway. He’s been in so many things I’ve loved like the TV series “Psych.”
Sadly, Dumbass is also in “Home Alone 2 NYC.” First, Catherine O’Hara, then Tim Curry. So close.
hey maybe we were in the same showing
*One of my favorites.
Funny story, someone who is now a close friend was at another Broadway show with me six months before we met. I took a 360 of the theater before the show started, and sitting just a few rows behind me…
Spamalot was April of 2005, I believe; I probably have a ticket stub somewhere. I was up in the nosebleed section. Robert Downy Jr. was there with his kid (in the orchestra section) who I think was in the special seat they called at each performance. So, if you were there when the Downys were there, I was there.
There are a few concrete ideas worth separating from their much shakier claims, starting with protecting voter rolls from improper purges and challenges.
others:
• Track last-minute changes to mail-ballot rules.
• Preserve voter-marked paper ballots.
• Require robust post-election audits and reconciliation.
• Challenge unlawful election procedures promptly in court.
• Focus on documented vulnerabilities—not unproven claims of machine manipulation.
Marc Elias team at https://www.democracydocket.com/ is doing a lot of this. They’ve won just about every case they’ve taken to court.
*Nigel St. Nigel in “Psych.”
were some other celebes but i didn’t notice him, i had really good seats, got em the hard way with a reliable clock and limber fingers
actually saw my stub recently, ill look tonight
https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article317166501.html
New York Times details Marshall’s habit of suing patients over unpaid medical bills
The Times reported that Marshall and his practice regularly charged patients an 18% annual interest rate on outstanding bills.
The Times interviewed eight people Marshall sued between 2003 and 2015. The news story says most described themselves as living from paycheck to paycheck, meaning they often had to choose between paying medical bills or buying groceries.
Two such patients said the bills Marshall pursued in court stemmed from late miscarriages that required surgery. Marshall, who spent 25 years as a physician, stopped practicing medicine when he was elected to the U.S. House in 2016. But according to The Times investigation, Marshall’s legal collection work continued until 2021 — five years after Kansas voters sent him to Washington.
A Times analysis of Kansas court records found that Marshall sued more than 700 patients over unpaid medical bills. In 81 of those cases, patients were arrested for missing court dates, according to the report, which said Marshall’s attorneys sought warrants in at least 13 other lawsuits.
About half of the lawsuits were filed in Marshall’s name and the other half were filed by Heartland Regional OBGYN, the Great Bend practice that Marshall solely owned from 1998 to 2012 and retained co-ownership of until 2019, The Times reported. The unpaid bills that Marshall sought to collect ranged from several thousand dollars to $101, according to the report. Court records show that former patients had their paychecks and bank accounts garnished.
Payton Fuller, a spokesperson for Marshall’s Senate office and campaign, defended the aggressive tactics he used to recoup money from patients as a doctor specializing in pregnancy and childbirth. Fuller told The Times that Marshall spent decades caring for patients regardless of their ability to pay. “Judges issue warrants when people repeatedly miss court dates, not doctors,” Fuller said in a statement to The Times.
“There are a lot that do bring lawsuits but also a whole lot that don’t,” Richman is quoted as saying. “It’s not because they’re in a different position; they’ve just decided they’re not going to do it.” As insurance deductibles have risen in recent years, more hospitals and doctors have turned to litigation. But Richman, who has studied medical debt litigation in three states, told The Times that wage garnishments and arrests of patients are “definitely on the extreme side.”
here is inspiration for our Wednesday reusable intro video — namesake Woden. thanks to his wife Frigg we’re going to have one woman for whom a day is named, Friday.
Why do the days of the week all seem to be named named after mythological Nordic gods?!?
draft script for Wednesdays:
“I am Woden. They named Wednesday after me. I gave an eye for wisdom. What’s your excuse?”
Odin is white supremacist coded fyi
Here’s our Tuesday god in case anyone’s inclined to read up on him.
Script:
“I am Tyr. They named Tuesday after me. A wolf bit off my hand. How’s your day?”
Gas has been bouncing around $3.20 to $3.60 for most of the summer. Lately on the high side, it still is at the corner up the street from me, they are a local retailer. But at a larger regional retailer the price is over $4 at $4.10.
Which probably means we won’t see as much of a drop in price as they switch from summer blend.
Jack
Look what just arrived
Katie????
I thought we didn’t have to worry about Peggy…
new League of American Workers/TIPP poll in Minnesota finds Peggy Flanagan (D) leading Michele Tafoya (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 40% to 38%, with Marisa Simonetti at 4%.
Jamie, Mrs. P and I had that same conversation yesterday – that it’s correct that there’s no clean water constitutional right or amendment, and that most likely, any avenue for recourse or impediment to the same would be through federal or state regulations. Short of pulling water out of rivers governed by the clean water act, there’s probably limited intentional tort exposure for Water Boards because of lead pipes carrying drinking water. In fact, East Bumfuck has been identifying and replacing supply pipes that were lead or had lead soldered fittings, one thing that I hadn’t seriously considered until we got the notices. Regarding suits against water suppliers, this is the kind of shit that is limited by sovereign immunity, with exceptions where insurance exists. Columbus, OH and Flint, MI had cases against installers and manufacturers and there have been suits against the Fed Govt. for the EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule Improvements (LCRI) rule. Those tend to be long-slog litigation that takes years to resolve, but there are lawyers out there who sue over lead pipe exposure. Morgan and Morgan settled a suit against the Doe Run Smelter in Herculaneum, MO for $55M – after 13 years of litigation, and there are others.
Oh, Katie…”Purple Rain” is coming to Broadway next year. Hope Dolly and Prince are running at the same time, so I don’t have to choose.
it’s funny the judge cited “historical traditions” in the context of an infrastructure that didn’t exist and pollution consequences that weren’t understood from industries that didn’t exist
could he insult our intelligence more
lol your buddy Don Bacon is regime critical all of a sudden
criticizing Hegseth’s purges
From Talarico’s campaign; it was news to me.
In politics when campaigns like ours place television ads, they get something called the
“Lowest Unit Rate.” That means, they pay the lowest rate possible for the ad.
Super PACs like Elon Musk’s and Donald Trump’s … they don’t get that rate. That means one 30-second ad could cost three, four, five, six times as much (or more) as one ad placed by our campaign.
So yes, when Trump places $10 million in ads (like he did last weekend), that’s a lot. A ton.
But it doesn’t take $10 million for us to match him.
And in fact… the more ads WE place, the more expensive Trump and Musk’s rates get.
*Elon doesn’t care about the price difference; it’s a drop in the proverbial bucket.
*Vivian Musk’s fashion campaign takes a jab at her anti-trans sire and the thievery committed by Ai companies.
https://people.com/elon-musks-estranged-daughter-makes-anti-ai-statement-fashion-campaign-exclusive-12078542
The estranged daughter of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Wilson, 22, stars in the fall 2026 campaign for Spanish fashion label Desigual aptly titled “Born to Disobey.”
Wilson tells PEOPLE that she wanted to speak out against AI because “because it takes jobs away from talented creatives”
Per a press release, the campaign aims to “send a clear message: the greatest rebellion is no longer about fighting against the system but about refusing to be part of it. When everything invites you to obey, the answer is attitude, irony and the freedom to be yourself.”
Bacon also criticized trump tariffs and antagonism of Canada
what does it say about the state of representative democracy when the representatives only tell the truth when their dumb constituents no longer control their destiny
i’d be less offended if he kept lying
Republicans are calling tomorrow’s midterm convention “Trump-a-Palooza.”
Brave, considering that in 56 days it’ll be Trump-a-Loser.
douchiest cult of personality ever
Now this is a great memorial for an appropriate way Canadians can honor Trump
Jake has Adam Hamilton on right now about the Canadian jet kerfuffle
Great, Jake’s giving him free rein to go after Marshall putting four people in jail for not paying his bills
https://www.iranintl.com/en/202609080441
IRGC says it captured advanced US underwater drone near Hormuz
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday that its navy had captured an advanced US unmanned underwater vehicle near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, with Iranian state media identifying the vessel as an Anduril Dive-LD autonomous undersea vehicle.
The IRGC Navy said the vehicle had been delivered to the US military in 2025 and was now in Iranian possession as a “prize.” It said images of the captured vessel would be released.
There was no immediate confirmation from the US military of the reported seizure.
The Dive-LD, manufactured by US defense technology company Anduril Industries, is a roughly 5.8-meter-long autonomous underwater vehicle weighing close to three metric tons. It can operate autonomously for around 10 days and reach depths of up to 6,000 meters, according to the manufacturer.
Anduril delivered its first Dive-LD to the US Navy’s Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Squadron 1 in April 2025.
The vehicle has a modular design allowing different sensors and payloads to be fitted for missions including intelligence and surveillance, mine warfare, seabed mapping and inspection of underwater infrastructure.
well it’s China and Iran’s tech now
good job trump voters
Justice Kavanaugh Blocks Missouri Voting Map Benefiting Republicans
Missouri’s Supreme Court blocked election officials from using a new congressional map, saying voters must first approve the district lines in a statewide referendum.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/us/politics/supreme-court-missouri-congressional-map.html?emc=edit_na_20260908&nl=breaking-news&segment_id=226203
Where There’s A Will There’s A Way
This is political season, so here is my all time favorite WILL: Mr. Will Rogers
Democrats never agree on anything, that’s why they’re Democrats. If they agreed with each other, they would be Republicans.
Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated.
Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.
I don’t know jokes; I just watch the government and report the facts.
On account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what it does.
A fool and his money are soon elected.
About all I can say for the United States Senate is that it opens with a prayer and closes with an investigation.
I have a scheme for stopping war. It’s this – no nation is allowed to enter a war till they have paid for the last one.
Alexander Hamilton started the U.S. Treasury with nothing, and that was the closest our country has ever been to being even.
Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate, now what’s going to happen to us with both a House and a Senate?
Be thankful we’re not getting all the government we’re paying for.
If I studied all my life, I couldn’t think up half the number of funny things passed in one session of congress.
If you ever injected truth into politics you would have no politics.
It’s easy being a humorist when you’ve got the whole government working for you.
Now if there is one thing that we do worse than any other nation, it is try and manage somebody else’s affairs.
Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated.
The man with the best job in the country is the vice-president. All he has to do is get up every morning and say, “How is the president?”
The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that’s out always looks the best.
The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn’t get worse every time Congress meets.
There ought to be one day – just one – when there is open season on senators.
This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.
We will never have true civilization until we have learned to recognize the rights of others.
You can’t say civilization don’t advance… in every war they kill you in a new way.
Trump fence hits the water:
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/08/ken-paxton-whistleblower-endorses-james-talarico-texas-senate-david-maxwell/
David Maxwell, the former top cop under Attorney General Ken Paxton, has endorsed Paxton’s opponent, James Talarico, for U.S. Senate.
Maxwell spent nearly 50 years working in law enforcement in Texas, as a Texas Ranger, a sergeant in the Texas Department of Public Safety and the director of law enforcement for the attorney general’s office for nearly a decade
https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/drag-your-body-through-the-streets-man-arrested-after-threats-sent-to-talaricos-campaign-office/
Billy James McFatridge, 29, of River Oaks, Texas, faces two misdemeanor counts of terroristic threat against a public servant.
*Really horrible stuff from this guy, but could he ever rise above with that name?
So in the New Hampshire Republican senatorial primary, with the first six votes in, John Sununu leads with 83.3% of the vote, leading his opponent Mary Maxwell five votes to one. Too early to call?
Progressive Manzur way behind, even behind or tied in liberal areas. Looks like no upset tonight.
Kornacki on the case…
https://people.com/trump-says-volunteer-firefighter-who-died-saving-9-11-victims-more-famous-than-him-12111322
Trump Says Volunteer Firefighter Who Died Saving 9/11 Victims Has Become ‘More Famous Than’ Him: ‘I Don’t Like It’
“Very unhappy,” Trump, 80, added about Welles Crowther’s fame while awarding him a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom
“It was certain they were sure they were going to die. Then suddenly a rescuer appeared. They call him the man in the red bandana. Have you heard that term? The man in the red bandana has become more famous than me. I don’t like it. Very unhappy. But he’s become much more famous than me,” he added.
ps – WH infringing on “Green Lantern” trademark with their nonsense on el account de Dumbass.
I’m watching New Hampshire turnout tonight for signs of a Dem wave. Here’s the baseline:
NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TURNOUT
NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC TURNOUT METER
let’s hope NH isn’t broadly reflective
https://thecommoncoalition.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/TheCommonCoalitionReport_091725.pdf
Craig – A lot of details in Common Coalition’s website, including the names of sources the info came from, hyperlinks to docs, and just an overwhelming amount to dig through.
This is the last page of their site.
The Common Coalition Report
A Clarion Call to Action
Final Statement.
We must secure the midterms.
At its heart, we have a hopeful message-but we have to be honest: the Democratic Party has been falling short for a long time, especially when choosing between what’s right for the people and the optics.
The GOP hasn’t produced a legitimately elected president since Eisenhower. Think about that. Nixon, Reagan, Bush Il, and Trump all came to power through colluding with foreign governments or a compromised Supreme Court bench-Trump did both.
And the Democrats never held them accountable. Trump is not Nixon, Reagan, or Bush-we cannot ride this out for four years hoping for a pendulum swing at the midterms. We know better.
The amount of suffering that could have been mitigated or even avoided-had Democrats intervened when they knew power had been gained through malfeasance, is staggering.
Women of color are tired of carrying water for a party that continues to hand us a bucket full of holes. Any party that chooses authoritarianism-whether out of fear or a desire to retain power-is unfit to lead.
Over 70% of voting equipment is compromised, and we’ve already seen what that looks like in key states. Despite historically low approval ratings, Trump has the audacity to project a midterm sweep. He claims blue states will “totally disappear off the map” and says he has a “big, big surprise.” And we know why-the election equipment is cooked.
Bottom line: it’s incumbent upon us to help the American people understand, we no longer have the luxury of time-and the institutional Democrats no longer have the option of comfortable cowardice.
We have constitutional avenues to remove this illegitimate administration. First, the public must know the truth about what happened on November 5-so they can demand that legislators do the right thing. Tell Congress it’s time to fulfill its most essential duty: To protect the Constitution and the people it serves.
The only thing I see is that NH Repugs don’t give a shit. With 36% of the vote in the Senate race, Dems are showing 67000 voters versus 39000 Repugs. The other races show similar results.
Greg Bovino peddles Nazi juice:
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
Yes, BiD — there are plenty of sources and hyperlinks in the report. That’s not what I’m looking for. I’m trying to identify who actually wrote and produced the report and who the Coalition’s claimed experts are.
Citing someone’s research doesn’t mean that person participated in the report or endorses its conclusions. The Coalition says dozens of experts were involved. I’d simply like to see their names, credentials and what role they played.
The Election Truth Alliance is a 501(c)(3) non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting election integrity through education, research, analysis, and civic engagement.
*This organization posted Dr. Mebane’s analysis, which is where Common Coalition got it (based on following the hyperlinks).
My “comment is awaiting moderation”?
Craig
Have you tried having AI do a plagiarizing check. If specific passages have been published elsewhere that might reveal a name.
Common Coalition is simply aggregating information. One of the hyperlinks goes to a paper by a Dr. Mebane, which is listed on Election Truth Alliance.org so I’m not sure why the problems. Anyway, I’ve got a big day, so no rabbit holes for me tonight.
NEW THREAD