When a botched $15 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool began floating away in sheets, Donald Trump need a big lie and a scapegoat. His scheme just fell apart.
Trump’s government thugs had targeted an unsuspecting 67-year-old cyclist who simply reached into the water to touch a peeling liner. U.S. Park Police detained him, and the Justice Department rushed to slap him with a felony indictment carrying up to 10 years in federal prison—branding him a national “saboteur” on television.
Late yesterday, the DOJ quietly filed a 20-page surrender, admitting the damage was actually caused by a hasty, botched contractor installation.
This isn’t just an embarrassing bureaucratic blunder. It’s a terrifying demonstration of weaponized incompetence. When the executive branch can invent a crime to cover up its own failure, and absolute immunity shields prosecutors from accountability, any average citizen can become collateral damage to protect a news cycle.
Read the full breakdown on my Substack.
“the damage was actually caused by a hasty, botched contractor installation”
you mean this guy? you talkin’ about him?
more about him from New Republic’s Utterly Absurd Contractor Behind Reflecting Pool Renovation Disaster
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was renovated by a Trump donor who looks like he was plucked right out of a cartoon.
the real culprit
we pause now for your Saturday serenade on the Trail and another magical musical moment
Jul 27, 2026
“Tumbling Tumbleweeds”
music and lyrics by Bob Nolan © 1930
parody lyrics by Roy Zimmerman and Melanie Harby © 2026
This is the guy who said rising credit card debt is a good thing. And of course this nonsensical factory claim is a fantasy:
FOX (BARTIROMO): Last time we spoke, you told me you were expecting 4% growth in the second half of the year. The number was way lower. How would you assess that?
KEVIN HASSETT (WH Economic Council): The reason why the number was 1.5% was because we imported so many capital goods because we’re building factories so fast.
— Watch video
PatD — is Beshear going to call their bluff or not? Under Kentucky law, if there is a Senate vacancy more than three months before Election Day, a special election must be held to fill the seat. That’s Monday Aug. 3!
Talarico campaign released this 40 minute video on his agenda for the Black community:
00:00 – Intro
00:35 – Opening Remarks
06:24 – 1st Question (Fighting for our youngest Texans)
08:44 – 2nd Question (Importance of restoring public servants)
13:55 – 3rd Question (Federal work relief programs, eliminating unemployment)
16:23 – 4th Question (How James will work to ensure his policies benefit Black voters?)
24:15 – 5th Question (How will James continue to keep a pulse on the Black community once in office?)
30:18 – 6th Question (Making sure every American has access to healthcare)
32:23 – 7th Question (James’ plan to reduce Black unemployment)
36:24 – 8th Question (Addressing over-policing in Black communities)
39:45 – Outro
Love to see Judge Janine’s presser about dropping the cases against Hearn, etc. after she claimed to have witnesses and photos (and videos?) that proved he damaged the pool. She is a fucking idiot.
Now that August is showing on our calendars we can start the office pool on when Senator Mitch McConnell is pronounced dead. It is not often we can do something like this. If a senator was to do something, say murder, and is sentenced to life in prison with an execution date and time we could. But, for now we can just use the case of the missing senator as a good office pool.
One thing that does enter into the pool rules, is the date and time can be no earlier than August 4, 2026, 00;00:01 (that is right after Midnight while the bell is still tolling). That is when the Governor of Kentucky can no longer appoint a replacement for Mitch.
So get the guesses in. Vote early, vote often. I already own August 4, 2026, 00:00:01. Thank you
Craig. last I’ve heard from Andy https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/andy-beshear-mentions-mitch-mcconnell-rand-paul-on-podcast-what-he-said/ar-AA294vJI?ocid=BingNewsSerp
https://www.lex18.com/news/state-of-the-commonwealth/kentucky-law-requires-special-election-to-fill-vacant-u-s-senate-seat-not-appointment 7/9/26
FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Kentucky has a plan if it suddenly loses a U.S. senator — but that plan has changed significantly in recent years, and questions remain about how it would work in practice.
The state updated its U.S. Senate succession law in 2024, eliminating the option for a temporary appointment and instead requiring the governor to call a special election if a seat becomes vacant. Until that election takes place, Kentucky would have only one sitting U.S. senator.
The change came after an earlier update in 2021 that shifted appointment power away from the governor. Under that version of the law, the former senator’s party would submit a list of recommended candidates, and the governor would choose from that list. The 2024 revision went further, removing the appointment process entirely.
Rep. Steven Rudy, the Republican sponsor of the 2024 bill, said the decision is best left to voters.
“People want to elect their United States Senator and should we have a vacancy, I think, this is the preferred method and this is what the people of Kentucky would want,” Rudy said at the time.
The law is drawing attention now because of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s June 14 hospitalization.
Still hasn’t come clean, Fox continues calling it a Sports Story.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/prosecutors-move-dismiss-felony-vandalism-case-olympian-david-hearn-reflecting-pools
Beshear needs to remember exactly how cut-throat Yertle was with SCOTUS hearings.
Beshear has shown he is too timid to be an effective POTUS.
I say August 12, at 3:46 pm.
Good use of AI for Talarico!!
have you people with maga family members asked them what they think about Trump persecuting an Olympian with blatant lies and having his DoJ prosecute said Olympian only to admit they lied the whole time?
I don’t know about that, but he has a podcast and he’s too dry
I’m starting to like Rahm Emmanuel if he could drop the stupid catch phrases
and if I could tell him personally, he would probably say something like yeah well you know there is research that indicates blah blah blah
Just drop that shit, makes you sound phony
Someone forward that to him thank you
bId – almost all of Dem leadership is timid and weak. Sharply worded letters are not the way to fight evil.
Anon: i don’t bring up these inflammatory topics to them. As a classic dysfunctional family, we operate according to the principle of ignoring the elephant in the room. But I doubt they even know about the twist in the case since Fox doesn’t think it’s important enough to report except as a Sports Story.
yeah, mine are like that which is why I’m like this
lucky to not have too many magas in my tree, a few
One that lies about not being one so I enjoy fucking with them, I’ll be like “hey isn’t Trump a huge asshole? Thoughts?”
no thoughts
my gold statue video got lots of viewer mail..
I’m here to avoid the dumb people Craig I can hear their dumb bullshit everywhere else
yes trump wants DC to look like Paris, more concerned with the criminality
if gilding statues was his biggest preoccupation, we’d be fine
𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍 Chat Now🚨
On YouTube🎙️11am (ET) until NOON
Grab a Mic, Cam or Keyboard → https://trailmix.cc/stage
More options at https://trailmix.cc/chat
WATCH here 👇
Craig…
When I look at that picture of trump reflecting as a clown… I can’t help but think of Stephen King’s novel “It”. And yes, the clown was incredibly evil.
One in a while, stuff leaks out sideways, such as wise-cracks about all the gold gilt shit in the Oval Office.
Actually, it’s they who stay on mute, perhaps they know it’s better to not get Mr. Ivy started. I may humor them but he calls out the bullshit.
worse than king fucko are his congressional republican water-carriers that have to spin every dumb thing he says as if he is cogent
too many to list but never surprised when they’re from Florida
Always ask “Remember when Fox News had to pay HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS for LYING ABOUT THE ELECTION?
Of course then you’re stuck having to explain that it ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
They won’t ever care because, Corrupt Judges, but what the hell, a gsme’s a game, innit?
That’ll be fun. Like a party game.
Today in the Diner…
Todd Blanche Caves. The Epstein Files Are Moving.
Acting AG Todd Blanche submits unredacted Epstein files to Judge Emmett Sullivan. Plus, Tim Walz battles Elon Musk, and Abdul El-Sayed surges in MI.
It turns out a little legal pressure goes a long way. Thanks to a lawsuit from Katie Fang, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche finally handed over unredacted Epstein files to Judge Emmett Sullivan. We dive into what this means for the transparency act and who might be sweating bullets while the judge reviews the documents in his chambers.
Meanwhile, the battle for Democracy wages on in the Midwest. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is fighting off Elon Musk over AI generated fake images, proving that billionaires will sue for the right to be creepy. Over in Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed is surging past Haley Stevens in a shocking Emerson poll, showing that grassroots energy might actually translate into votes if the momentum holds.
Finally, we track Mary Peltola slicing salmon in Alaska, launch a formal investigation into the missing beef in Wendy’s chili, and review a newly revealed diary entry where Barack Obama gives a highly accurate assessment of a certain former president.
Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
Website: https://trailmix.cc
Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts
00:00 Intro Trump Gold Statues
01:40 Abdul El-Sayed Michigan Poll
08:26 Tim Walz Battles Elon Musk
10:50 Haley Stevens AIPAC Spoof Ad
22:58 Jon Stewart Grills Mamdani
28:44 Wendy’s Chili Beef Scandal
48:50 Mary Peltola Salmon Ad
55:20 Todd Blanche Epstein Files
59:00 DOJ Drops Vandal Case
— Human Prompted and Edited. Machine Drafted. (Gemini Pro)
dude one of my fortunately-more-distant-than-not trumpies parroted him blaming Canada for the wildfires
that smartmatic stuff is way beyond their processing capabilities
That’s why I was thinking the prosecution of the Olympian might break through because there’s no deep legality to need to understand
TRUMP’S HACK JOB:
🍽️From today’s Digital Diner menu
Anon, you hit the nail on the head – that’s why Fox has it relegated to the Sports page. How often do they even feature sports on their cable news network? IDK, I don’t watch them. But if they’re anything like MSWhenever, that’s almost never.
Fox Sports is preoccupied with using Catelyn Clark and Sophie Cunningham as pawns
They’re trying to use the WNBA to start some kind of race war
It’s a bunch of old white men attacking young black women, spoiler alert
they’re really pissed that black women and girls have something of their own
Clark flopping as a tactic is having societal consequences, just get up damn
There’s only two time zones on MSWhenever: EDT and PDT. We midwest and mountain zone folks don’t exist.
From Gordon AI:
No — Wendy’s has not announced any big cut to the beef in its restaurant chili.
That question comes up a lot, so a couple of fact-checks have looked at it directly:
> No, there have been no changes made to Wendy’s beloved chili recipe
> Amidst the rumors, Wendy’s has responded to the speculation surrounding their chili recipe. The fast-food chain has confirmed that there have been no changes made to their beloved chili recipe
> “We take pride in our chili recipe and have not made any changes to it. It is the same recipe that our customers have come to know and love over the years.”
For the 2016 rumor that gets recirculated online, the same reporting found:
> There is no official announcement from Wendy’s confirming any modifications to their chili recipe in 2016
> 2016 | No official announcement of chili recipe change
And the basic formula Wendy’s still describes is the same one Dave Thomas created in 1969 to use fresh beef efficiently:
> Founder Dave Thomas built the brand on serving fresh, never-frozen beef… Rather than waste hundreds of pounds of fresh beef, Thomas decided to repurpose the leftover burgers into chili
Officially, chili with beans like Wendy’s serves has to be at least 25% beef by federal standard, and chili without beans at least 40%. Their grocery cans even advertise “30% more beef than our chili with beans” to highlight the meat content.
## Why your friend’s cup could look almost meatless
If the recipe hasn’t changed, why a photo shows only a speck?
**1. How it’s made and held.** The beef is not scooped in separately — it’s chopped-up burger patties cooked into a big kettle with beans, tomatoes, onions, celery, peppers and spices, then simmered for hours. If a location doesn’t stir the kettle often, the heavier beans and broth can settle one way and the crumbled beef another. One ladle from the top can look like bean soup.
**2. Leftover-driven supply.** Because the chili uses patties that didn’t become burgers that day, the exact beef-to-bean ratio can vary a little by day and by how busy the grill was.
**3. Cup size matters.** A small cup is only about 8 oz. In a small portion, one or two spoonfuls without a chunk is more noticeable than in a large.
## What other customers are seeing
You’re not the only one noticing it. In recent social posts about Wendy’s chili, comment threads include lines like “It’s OK for fast food chili but they skimpy on the meat now”. That sentiment pops up regularly, especially with the family-size buckets — people remember big, meaty servings from years ago and feel the current one is leaner.
But there’s no corporate memo or menu change showing an intentional, chain-wide cut “at a tremendous percentage.” It’s more consistent with normal variation and individual store handling.
If you want to test it:
– Order a large chili next time and give it a good stir before you look — the beef usually shows up after you mix it.
– If a cup truly looks off, most managers will swap it or ladle from the bottom of the kettle if you mention it. Wendy’s keeps pretty tight quality control on that recipe, so they want to know when a batch is thin.
Your memory of chili loaded with large chunks is still the standard they’re supposed to hit… probably just an unlucky ladle.
From Goldfinger hot-takes to Liberace-level glitter, the comments on Trump’s $5M gold statue spending spree did not disappoint. We read the best ones out loud.
Watch the full Viewer Mail clip:
https://theblast.com/828995/jared-kushners-brother-loses-fifa-world-cup-deal-implodes/
Jared Kushner’s brother loses out as FIFA World Cup deal implodes
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed the proposal “will not proceed” after opposition hardened across the body’s various continental member federations. UEFA threatened to boycott future World Cups, while Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation also rejected the plan. That left FIFA without a realistic route to the 106 votes needed for approval.
The revolt also shook Infantino’s inner circle. Senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro resigned and branded the proposal “a bad deal for football,” while chief operating officer Kevin Lamour said FIFA’s administration had been “deceived” about the project.
It appears it will indeed be up to us as individuals to blow the whistle about the “sports story” and other errors and omissions to the news feed our maggers are getting/not getting. How to do this without them blocking us is the proverbial $64,000 Question (such a paltry sum in today’s economy.)
Googoo says:
Basic human psychology. That’s good, Google.
I don’t wanna encourage any squabbling among family, it’s just that my first thought when I heard Pirro dropped the case and admit it was a botched install was “OK Here’s a black-and-white example that Trump already drew their attention to, this must breakthrough”
Is why I asked ❤️
Thanks for the update Dexter. This clearly needs exploring…
WENDY’S MEAT MYSTERY:
🍽️ Watch Today’s Digital Diner
Today’s Digital Diner
MS wherever is loaded with prerecorded and aired items. There are still people and shows I truly like, but the on repeat programming is a drag. That and the all politics all the time is too much of a good thing. They need at least one news show that covers the news that none of the other streamers touch. I know things are happening in other parts of the world. It would be nice to see coverage above the level of just reading headlines.
https://www.bbc.com/audio/play/live/bbc_world_service
iheart has a lot of podcasts with the purview you seek
you could of course ask robot for media alternatives
Focus group diva Sarah Longwell goes deep into Tuesday’s Michigan primary… For starters it’s a test of the online community (Abdul) vs. voters “not terminally online” (Haley).
Attribution: Peeling Paint by Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News, NY
Awesome entry, Pat.
It’s my wish to keep the family peace so I tread cautiously. Disheartening though to see loved ones pulled deeper en masse into a malignant cult.
Another sign he aims to put himself on this Arch: posted this drawing today, ominously describes it as “prior to affixing” statues, artwork.
Trump,s not giving up on the lie, even after his own US Attorney gave it up.
By publishing an 8647 photo online, hasn’t he committed the same action for which Comey is being prosecuted as criminal?
He calls the grass 8647 “vandalism” but Comey just posting a similar photo of seashells treason.
without entertaining that, obviously his own DoJ isn’t going to prosecute him
you’d have to use their flawed Comey logic to answer your question
and what about FOX’s dissemination calling it vandalism but otherwise referring to Comey’s in harsher terms
1 month ago
Federal authorities are investigating an act of vandalism on one of the nation’s most iconic public spaces.
Are blogs such as Trail Mix equally immune?
what law do you think they’re violating?
SmartMatic got a civil judgment for defamation
Looks like Debbie Dingell won’t be endorsing in MI primary. She must think Haley gonna lose.
Abdul got work to do:
Abdul 38.7%
Rogers 49.0% (+10.3)
— Glengariff Polling. official partner for The Detroit News and Detroit’s NBC affiliate, WDIV-TV
lost poll i heard Al-Sayed was up 19
did Glengariff have Stevens vs Rogers?
Same pollster showed Stevens basically tied +0.8
Not only does Dodo fail to faithfully execute the laws he’s sworn to uphold – obstructing justice – he makes up shit to support a bogus charge. He’s thwarting his friends at Fox who were trying to sweep this “sports story” under the rug. Everyone will hear about it now. David Hearn needs to bring a lawsuit.
Here’s the very latest numbers in Tuesday’s primary:
yeah see that’s the “trouble” i was referring to, base is too left
ironically Al-Sayed isn’t even that left, just Muslim
How miserable I would feel to find myself impanelled on a Grand Jury under a prosecutor I didn’t trust.
“It is now much more common for grand juries around the country, particularly in Washington, to reject indictments brought by the department. In years past, this almost never happened.“
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/us/politics/jeanine-pirro-trump-reflecting-pool.html
Like I’ve been saying in our chat room, the job for these socialist Democrat types is to leverage their anti-establishment message to lure non voters to the polls. That’s how Trump won.
But, of course, instead of young white male racists, these folks need to find a very different type of disaffected non-voter. It is a big market, though, about a third of the eligibles in Michigan. Just a tiny fraction would get the job done.
a third of disaffecteds is a big ask
i mean, they’re disaffected!
I know Anon. I’m not crazy about the odds either, but it looks like what we’ve got. And like I say, that’s how Trump won, pulling in last-minute non voters with the Joe Rogans of the world. If your candidate breaks through the culture and appeals to their disaffection you might get their attention.
i suppose discouraging voters from voting their conscience in cynical political plays is an admission the system is broken eh
Fair point, Anon. All I know is I’d go back to my centrist Democrat nature and tolerate the lefties losing the general if this was just another election about elitist Bush family Republicans cutting taxes for rich people.
But we’ve got to save Democracy this time, so I say to Carville, Schumer. any other corpDs resisting the Abdul folks: just get on board if they’re nominated and get along well enough to win. Save the intraparty squabbles for later. And I say the same to the Bernie side!
but down 11! 😜
NBC Nightly News showing the horrors of Gaza. The children. The phony-baloney Board of Peace. Israel doing whatever the hell it wants without international consequences.
I don’t know maybe there’s nothing commendable about voting for someone you know can’t win the general
that’s where my absurdist optimism kicks in — I say when you hit bottom at least you can push up
points for self awareness ⭐️
Let’s just tell ourselves the Senate was never realistic anyway
Abdul just tangled nicely here with right wing media:
If I were a democratic socialist, I would just start naming capitalistic developed nations who give their citizens what Americans don’t get from ours.
Well, now people are attacking Troy Jackson because his partner is his second cousin, they share the same great grandparents. So… this is fun.
just got this, pretty excited!
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-genius-of-birds_jennifer-ackerman/10731994/
lol maybe that bolsters his Mainer cred
they all seems pretty related to each other, not gonna lie
Just like the Roosevelts!
ELON’S PAYWALL PORN:
▶
Musk monetizes deepfake nudity on X under the guise of free speech. Truly a visionary grift.
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/07/30/beloved-rosie-riveter-dies-100/
Jeanne Gibson, who represented the “Rosie the Riveter” campaign during World War II, died Thursday at age 100.
In 1944, when she was just 18-years-old, Jeanne left her Minnesota home to go and work as a welder in Seattle, helping build destroyers for the war effort.
She often traveled to Hawaii to share her experiences and participate in commemorative events at the Pearl Harbor Memorial with Pacific Historic Parks.
“Her warmth, encouragement, and enthusiasm made a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of meeting her,” Pacific Historic Parks wrote. “She especially loved encouraging young girls to pursue their dreams and reminding them that they could achieve whatever they set their minds to.”
Gibson and her follow Rosies were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2024 to recognize their contributions to the war effort.
“that’s where my absurdist optimism kicks in — I say when you hit bottom at least you can push up”
Unless they murder you while you’re down there,
List all of the things Americans do have now because socialists and unions and, oh yeah, folks who didn’t want to be under the King’s thumb, fought for them.
that max miller is a cold fish
guilty
Trump halts Kennedy Center tours to hide his destruction
ICE SNATCHES AMERICAN:
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
I had a weird pairing on the tree. Two brothers married two sisters with children in both marriages. The a spouse died in each marriage and the leftover spouse got married and had more children. All the kids are cousins but they are also half brothers or sisters
.
https://www.kqed.org/news/12088904/exclusive-the-bay-areas-national-archives-office-is-closing-researchers-are-worried
The Bay Area’s National Archives Office Is Closing. Researchers Are Worried
The Bay Area collection includes original records from landmark birthright citizenship case United States v. Wong Kim Ark, and inmate records from Alcatraz. Federal officials didn’t provide details about where the records would go.
***
Chicago National Archives Closure Will Be Loss For Historians, Researchers, Even Deep-Sea Divers
The closure of the South Side center will take place “over the next few years.” The records and documents will be relocated, but it’s unclear where and how many employees are affected.
Get the genealogy info you need ASAP from National Archives. Who knows what will happen to it. Maybe that’s the point. The regime doesn’t want anyone to be able trace family records back too far, or find un-slopped info.
A reason to thank the Mormons, all the recorded copies of those archives. Ancestry may be expensive to access by computer, but your local stake can help you access if you do it in person.
I dont know if the rules have changed now that Ancestry is so big, but worth checking.
Written in 1963 by Bob Dylan. 60+ years later MAGA still hasn’t heard the lyrics.
He’s only a pawn in their game
A South politician preaches to the poor white man
“You got more than the blacks, don’t complain
You’re better than them, you been born with white skin,” they explain
And the Negro’s name
Is used, it is plain
For the politician’s gain
As he rises to fame
And the poor white remains
On the caboose of the train
But it ain’t him to blame
He’s only a pawn in their game.
NEW THREAD by our trail friend Jack