and “What’s on last” paraphrasing the old Abbott & Costello joke.
Attribution: Andy Marlette
84 thoughts on “Who’s On First”
“Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans like the women standing behind me now.”
MTG
All the talk about Jeffrey Epstein seems to be getting to President Trump, who behaved in a disgusting way towards a female reporter on Air Force One. Perhaps he was cheered up today by welcoming Saudi Arabia’s leader to the White House and giving an hour-long speech at a McDonald’s convention.
The Senate moved swiftly to approve legislation Tuesday forcing the Justice Department to release more information about the case it built against the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — acting hours after an overwhelming House vote to send the bill to the desk of President Donald Trump, who spent months trying to kill it.
The Senate acted by unanimous consent, which requires signoff from every senator but does not require them to take a roll call vote. Earlier in the day, the House passed the bill on a 427-1 vote.
President Trump will sign the bill requiring the Justice Department to release all unclassified records and documents related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as soon as it gets to his desk, according to a senior White House official.
“The bill will be signed whenever it gets to the White House,” the official told The Hill.
The development comes shortly after the Senate unanimously approved the bill on Tuesday, hours after the House passed the bill.
Attribution: Trump Signs Epstein Files Release Bill by Rick McKee, CagleCartoons.com
Apparently he thinks all this quick action on Capitol Hill makes the story go away. Then they do a slow-walked “soft” release of cherry-picked items. But they might be miscalculating the impact survivors calling bullshit on them.
Hundreds of thousands more people struggle in the San Francisco area as the cost-of-living climbs and the safety net disappears.
By Reis Thebault
SAN FRANCISCO — It takes Tazo Stuart-Riascos 28,000 steps per day to make ends meet in one of America’s most unaffordable places.
He begins clocking that prodigious number of paces before sunrise, as he hustles from his apartment in Oakland to his retail job in San Francisco, then back to the East Bay for his night shift at Trader Joe’s, where he’s on his feet until 10 p.m. All that scrambling and Stuart-Riascos still just barely gets by.
He’s part of a growing number of people — many working one or more jobs — who find themselves struggling to stay afloat as the cost-of-living skyrockets and wages fail to keep pace, making it even harder to survive in the already-expensive Bay Area.
more at link
Might as well do the original, eh?
The REAL question is:
“Who’s ‘out’ first?”
Trump was asked the simplest Epstein question — “Why not release the files yourself?”
No answer. He threatened to yank ABC’s FCC license instead.
The “Classified”. “Top Secret” and whatever the hell the other stamps to keep documents away from anyone without a certain level of government clearance are being worn out at DOJ as we speak. The ones that aren’t being stamped are being filed in “ongoing investigation” files.
Now about Saudi Arabia. 9/11, Jamal Khashoggi. I guess Trump National GC and Resort, Riyadh is more important.
Pogoeaux – I would expect a lot of it is put into the box that is what West Wing called “code word”. It is outside of the DoD classifications and highly restricted as to who can see the stuff. And, then to the burn bag. I sure hope there are copies stored away off site.
Definition of an honest politician: Once bought, he stays bought.
Trump can only be rented.
today’s meme…
BB, you certainly are the local authority on that stuff.
During Tuesday night’s House vote to force the release of investigative files related to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, only one lawmaker was opposed: Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana).
“I have been a principled ‘NO’ on this bill from the beginning,” the Republican and staunch supporter of President Donald Trump wrote on social media.
“As written, this bill reveals and injures thousands of innocent people — witnesses, people who provided alibis, family members, etc.,” he continued. “If enacted in its current form, this type of broad reveal of criminal investigative files, released to a rabid media, will absolutely result in innocent people being hurt.”
[…]
[and this part is just too rich]
In Congress, Higgins chairs the House Oversight subcommittee that initiated a subpoena of the Justice Department for the Epstein case files. Democrats on the panel persuaded several Republicans to vote for the subpoena, but Higgins was one of the few who opposed it, according to the Associated Press.
Just how would he know (a) what’s in them and (b) that won’t be redacted? I suspect that the only person who he cares about being revealed is MangoMoron.
The cartoonists lately have all nabbed the pouf-less pompadour.
Alexis Wilkins, the 26-year-old girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against a former FBI agent turned podcaster who alleged Wilkins is honeypotting Kash on behalf of the Israeli government.
The lawsuit was filed against Kyle M. Seraphin, a member of “The Suspendables,” a group that accused the FBI of unfairly punishing special agents who were critical of the agency’s investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and Covid-19 mandates under the Biden administration.
The complaint filed by Wilkins’ lawyer Jason Greaves referred to an August 22, 2025 episode of Seraphin show’s the Kyle Seraphin Show, in which he said that Patel, 45, “has own little honeypot issue.”
“He’s got a girlfriend that is half his age, who is apparently is both a country music singer, a political commentator on Rumble, a friend of John Rich through Bongino, who also now owns a big chunk of Rumble, and she’s also a former Mossad agent in what is like the equivalent of their NSA,” Seraphin said.
“But I’m sure that’s totally because, like, she’s really looking for like a cross-eyed, you know, kind of thickish built, super cool bro who’s almost 50 years old who’s Indian in America. Like it has nothing to do with the fact that uh we’re really close to the Trump administration.”
*It looks weird, to be sure, but how do former FBI agents know someone was with Mossad?
Alexis Wilkins is a PragerU media personality, political commentator, country music artist, and published writer. Alexis was born in the USA, raised in both Europe and Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is currently based in Nashville.
Alexis uses her platform and experiences as a public speaker, musician, and conservative student to promote education, America-first values, and veteran causes.
She is an ambassador for Turning Point USA and a contributor to The Unity Project.
As a country artist, she’s opened for Lee Greenwood, Chris Young, and Parmalee. Her independently produced Veterans Day single “Stand” and debut song “Grit” landed in the top 10 on iTunes.
A contributor for Townhall, Daily Caller, TPUSA Live Feed, Business Insider, and a guest commentator on various platforms, Alexis isn’t afraid of sharing her views and showing people that you can hold to your values, “make patriotism mainstream again,” and not bend the knee to accomplish your goals.
Kyle Seraphin, the former FBI agent who is now a podcaster with over 230,000 followers on X, is being sued by Wilkins.
Wilkins has also filed a defamation lawsuit against Sam Parker, a former U.S. Senate candidate in Utah.
The third defamation lawsuit, filed by Wilkins, is against conservative influencer Elijah Schaffer. Schaffer is the CEO of Rift TV and has over 840,000 followers on X.
Elijah Schaffer, in a post on X, responding to the lawsuit: “I’ve never engaged in defamation or illegal activity. Gross LAW FARE This is an ATTACK on free speech & an EMBARRASSMENT to the FBI & Trump Admin.”
Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, in a post on X on November 2: “The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis—a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life—are beyond pathetic.
Candace Owens, the conservative influencer and podcaster, in a post on X viewed 1.5 million times: “Kash Patel has to step down. This is excruciatingly embarrassing. He’s a teenager in love representing the Federal government.”
In late October 2025, a claim circulated online that FBI Director Kash Patel used a government-owned jet for a “date night” with his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins.
Seraphin claimed the flight logs for N708JH on Oct. 25 showed Patel flying to see Wilkins sing at the Real American Freestyle wrestling event in Pennsylvania and then on to Nashville, Tennessee, where Wilkins lived.
Patel is a “required use” traveler due to his position as FBI director, meaning he must use government-owned aircraft for personal and professional travel. “Required use” travelers reimburse the government for the equivalent coach costs of personal flights they take on government-owned aircraft.
It was unclear at the time of this writing how far these reimbursements went toward covering the actual cost of the flights that the U.S. government incurred.
It was unclear at the time of this writing whether Patel was on board the Oct. 25 flights. Wilkins’ Instagram post showed Patel was in Pennsylvania on a date and time that correlated with logs for N708JH, and further flight records appeared to correspond to Patel’s previous travel that week.
According to FlightAware, an online flight tracker, logs for the N708JH plane showed it flew from Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia to State College Regional Airport in Pennsylvania on Oct. 25, landing at 5:40 p.m.
According to Wilkins’ Instagram post, she and Patel attended the Real American Freestyle wrestling event at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania, that night. One video (archived) posted on Real American Freestyle’s X account showed Wilkins performed at the event (at 0:13), which was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The Bryce Jordan Center is a 10-minute drive from State College Regional Airport.
After landing in Pennsylvania, N708JH departed for Nashville International Airport in Tennessee at 8:03 p.m. The plane then took off from Nashville the next morning and flew to San Angelo, Texas, where it remained until Oct. 29.
Other flight records from N708JH also appeared to correspond to Patel’s known travel that week.
That is a nice plane. I’d like proof that he paid for the flight segments for personal fun time. That picture in the link, well, she looks like a red sparrow or honeypot.
Just because they meh in 2023 doesn’t mean that strings weren’t being pulled to get Patel into the job of FBI Director.
Honestly, him being an FBI anything seems just as weird as seeing the two of them as, to paraphrase Patel, life partners.
Could Mark Epstein (the estate) be holding back information because they know it will lead to lawsuits and he (the estate) will be drained? If so, he’s complicit in the sex trafficking ring after the fact. I’m not sure if that’s criminal or just shameful.
Read those names provided by the victims in the House floor. Don’t wait for the trickle of scrubbed files.
Lincoln returns for the 162nd anniversary of the Gettysburg Address — part of our Echoes of America series leading to the 250th next July 4.
Inside a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday, Rep. Jen Kiggans, a swing district member who is a linchpin of the party’s narrow majority, stood up and made a plea.
“Doing nothing on health care is not the right answer,” the Virginia Republican later told NBC News, summing up her message to colleagues. “I would really appreciate if we could have a timeline because we know that the end of the calendar year is coming, and I don’t want to see people’s premiums go up. I don’t want to see people lose their health insurance.”
Republicans are careening to a health care cliff with no solution in hand. An estimated 22 million people in the U.S. are about to see their health insurance premiums soar by, in some cases, thousands of dollars per month, as billions in funding for the Affordable Care Act expires on Dec. 31.
The expiring funds, costing about $35 billion per year, were first passed during the pandemic to subsidize insurance payments, capping premiums for a “benchmark” ACA, or “Obamacare,” plan to 8.5% of income.
*Argentina got $40 billion from us, and I do believe they have universal healthcare.
Is anyone bidding on John Oliver’s auction to benefit public broadcasting?
“I think this is really an issue of wages, to be honest, when I look at it across states,” Phelan said. He added that when workers can make the same money they might earn at a Buc-ee’s convenience store or at Amazon, but instead spend all day welding in tight spaces, “it’s hard to get that person to want to do that job.”
Buc-ee’s declined to share average salary details. Indeed, a popular job search and recruitment website, lists average hourly pay for general retail staff between $15 and $25. Amazon, according to wage data the company released in September, pays US fulfillment and transportation employees an average of over $23 an hour. There are other roles that offer more compensation.
*I hear ICE bounty hunters get paid well.
Wow, he’s raising big money for PBS.
The frogs rapidly went way beyond my budget!😊
Interview with Pam Bondi should just have been labeled “Let the weaseling begin!” It will be interesting to see how much pressure gets applied.
NPR and CPB settle, Reinstating $36 Million in Satellite Funding
The public radio network had sued the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to cut off its funding.
November 17, 2025 at 8:49 p.m. EST
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting settled with NPR on Monday, agreeing to restore a nearly $36 million contract for satellite infrastructure funding with the public radio network.
Under the agreement, CPB will disburse congressionally appropriated funds to NPR to continue operating the Public Radio Satellite System over the next five years. In return, NPR dropped its claims against CPB filed in federal court as part of a broader lawsuit against the Trump administration for an executive order targeting NPR. Additionally, NPR said it would waive fees it levies from public radio stations for accessing its satellite services for the next two years.
The agreement resolves a dispute that began in September, when CPB said it would redirect satellite interconnection money away from NPR to Public Media Infrastructure (PMI), a newly formed nonprofit backed by other public radio organizations. NPR immediately sued, arguing the move was illegal and violated the Public Broadcasting Act. It alleged that the decision to redirect funds was made under pressure from the Trump White House, a claim CPB has disputed.
[…]
Patricia Harrison, the president and CEO of CPB, called the settlement an “important moment” for the public media ecosystem. “We are very pleased that this costly and unnecessary litigation is over, and that our investment in the future through PMI marks an exciting new era for public media,” she wrote in a statement.
NPR’s broader constitutional challenge to Trump’s executive order continues, with a hearing scheduled for Dec. 4 before U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss.
In May, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing CPB to halt all funding to NPR and PBS, saying that taxpayers should not have to fund “biased media.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which for decades has doled out congressional funds to public media stations as well as national entities like NPR and PBS, recently laid off most of its staff and is largely shutting down operations following the Trump administration’s successful push this summer for Congress to rescind $1.1 billion in funding to public media.
Excluding nursing from professional degree classification jeopardizes efforts to strengthen and expand the U.S. nursing workforce
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is concerned by the Department of Education’s exclusion of nursing from the definition of “professional degree” programs under forthcoming federal loan eligibility rules.
This will severely restrict access to critical funding for graduate nursing education, undermining efforts to grow and sustain the nursing workforce.
“Nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and the backbone of our nation’s health system,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association.
“At a time when healthcare in our country faces a historic nurse shortage and rising demands, limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care.
In many communities across the country, particularly in rural and underserved areas, advanced practice registered nurses ensure access to essential, high-quality care that would otherwise be unavailable. We urge the Department of Education to recognize nursing as the essential profession it is and ensure access to loan programs that make advanced nursing education possible.”
meme #2…
what do you mean you can’t tell the difference…
Jamie, about that honest politician quote…
Then there is one of my favorite from your home state of California.
“If you can’t eat their food, drink their booze, screw their women and then vote against them, you have no business being up here.”
British Columbia has turned its eye toward luring doctors and nurses from the United States to move north in what Health Minister Josie Osborne is calling an “unprecedented” recruitment opportunity.
Osborne says the province is changing its licensing rules so U.S.-trained doctors can begin practising in B.C. right away, without any need for further assessment, exams or training.
She said there will be a similar scale-back of the barriers facing U.S.-trained nurses and that a marketing campaign will be unveiled in Washington, Oregon and California within the next few months.
As heated as Trump can get when asked about this issue, though, “Quiet, Piggy” stands out as an exceedingly juvenile and degrading insult. Many social media users have been speculating about why the schoolyard name-calling went unchallenged in the moment—about why Jacobs’s fellow reporters didn’t make sure her question got answered or demand an apology on her behalf.
Perhaps it’s the absence of any heroes aboard Air Force One, though, that has inspired social media users to push back on Trump’s hogwash themselves.
Trump has a documented history of calling women like Rosie O’Donnell and former Miss Universe Alicia Machado “pigs”—along with “dogs,” “slobs,” and “disgusting animals.” He also has a more recent and pointed history of insulting and berating journalists.
Trump: Will you let me finish? You are the worst. You’re with Bloomberg right? You are the worst. I don’t know why they even have you.
Trump on Epstein Files: I don’t want to talk about it because fake news like you—you’re a terrible reporter—fake news like you just keeps bringing up to deflect from the tremendous success of The Trump Admin
*The theme of Orange Adolf’s wake will be QUIET PIGGY!
@realDonald Trump
THE ONLY HEALTHCARE I WILL SUPPORT OR APPROVE IS SENDING THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE, WITH NOTHING GOING TO THE BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES, WHO HAVE MADE $TRILLIONS, AND RIPPED OFF AMERICA LONG ENOUGH. THE PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE AND BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, INSURANCE. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Congress, do not waste your time and energy on anything else. This is the only way to have great Healthcare in America!!! GET IT DONE, NOW. President DJT
Nov 18, 2025, 6:57 AM
*So, of course, I made some calls today. LoL
Negotiate with insurance companies individually? That’s not how it works, you orange dimwit.
Pay for costs directly, without healthcare, could cost thousands or even millions depending on the problem.
Congress should have their healthcare sanctioned until they fix our system for everyone.
BiD
Trump is proposing a version of medicare for all. You turn your doctor bills in and the government send you the money to pay them.
JUSTICE DEPT. ACKNOWLEDGES FULL GRAND JURY NEVER SAW FINAL COMEY INDICTMENT
The acknowledgement came during a hearing in which a federal judge heard the former FBI director’s arguments that he is the target of a vindictive prosecution.
By Salvador Rizzo and Jeremy Roebuck
Justice Department lawyers acknowledged Wednesday that a full grand jury never reviewed the final indictment against former FBI director James B. Comey, a remarkable admission that could threaten the viability of the case.
The revelation came during a court hearing in which U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff quizzed prosecutors over what appeared to be a missing portion of the transcript of the grand jury proceedings.
The grand jurors had rejected an early version of an indictment charging Comey with three counts. Hours later, the grand jury foreperson signed off on a two-count indictment charging Comey with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. The foreperson said at the time that a majority of the panel had approved those two counts.
Prosecutors acknowledged Wednesday that they revised the indictment to delete the rejected count. But, in a remarkable concession, they told Nachmanoff that they never presented that revised indictment to the full grand jury for approval. Instead, they said, they had the foreperson sign the new version before presenting it to a judge, while a deputy foreperson was also in the room.
That means “there is no indictment Mr. Comey is facing,” defense lawyer Michael R. Dreeben said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney N. Tyler Lemons sought to downplay the error, arguing that the revised indictment was changed only to remove the count that the grand jury rejected.
“The new indictment wasn’t a new indictment,” he said.
Nachmanoff said little during Wednesday’s two-hour hearing about how he viewed the significance of the issue. The hearing had been called to consider Comey’s arguments that the case should be dismissed on the grounds that he is only being prosecuted because of President Donald Trump’s vindictiveness.
The judge also did not immediately rule on the vindictive prosecution motion, saying the issues were “too weighty and too complex” for a quick decision. Comey’s attorneys have already signaled they intend to file a separate challenge to the case based on grand jury irregularities.
[…]
Throughout the proceeding, Nachmanoff quizzed Lemons about the earlier decision by former U.S. attorney Erik S. Siebert not to pursue charges against Comey.
The judge asked Lemons whether prosecutors under Siebert had written a formal declination memo laying out the reasons for not seeking an indictment. Lemons initially demurred, telling the judge, “I don’t know the world of documents that exist.”
Nachmanoff pressed him. “You are counsel of record on this case,” Nachmanoff said. “When you became counsel of record in this case, did you seek out a declination memo?”
Lemons said he was trying to answer the court’s question but was constrained because Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche’s office had directed him not to reveal whether such a memo existed while the Justice Department studied whether privilege issues applied. Legal privileges might give the Justice Department grounds not to disclose the document.
Two people familiar with the memo have told The Washington Post that it exists. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared reprisals.
To get the indictment dismissed on vindictive-prosecution grounds, Comey would have to establish that prosecutors “acted with genuine animus” against him or were “prevailed upon to bring the charges by another with animus such that the prosecutor could be considered a ‘stalking horse,’” his attorneys argue. Comey also must show that he would not have been prosecuted “but for that animus,” his legal team said.
Amateur hour at the DOJ. If there’s a way to fuck this up they will find it.
Viewer mail time. Trump dodged the question again — and the comment section lost its mind.
Includes my answer to What-about-ism →
Pog, i’m gathering a legal brain trust to talk about that shocking story, and the assault on the rule of law in general. Maybe Friday afternoon or Sunday, still nailing down a good time for everyone. Sure would enjoy your participation. And all lay folks welcome as well, of course.
Also, if you don’t have insurance, you don’t get a negotiated rate for anything, so IF that happened, it would cost the government (taxpayers) more than the ACA tax subsidies. How could you depend on the government under tRUMP’s cankle -filled boot to actually pony up? Are docs & hospitals going to roll the dice?
“THE PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE AND BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, INSURANCE.” -Orange Adolf/from prior post
If it turns out Mark Epstein (the estate) have documentation of crimes, is this obstruction of justice?
I wouldn’t let anyone in the tRUMP administration have sole access to it if it exists.
BiD
Free government paid healthcare, A bit like the French have, a regulated private system. Like all things Trump says, he never thinks it through to the end. But he did come out in support of federal paid healthcare.
Jack
If they knowingly destroyed materials they thought could be used as evidence in a criminal investigation, then a charge of obstruction could be pursued
Unknowingly possessing evidence isn’t obstruction
Jack is pointing out that. unwittingly, Trump is the most socialist president since FDR
But only because he will say anything and might collapse capitalism
if i understand correctly
It may be that the estate just got control of his papers and stuff. If I was them I would document everything in at least triplicate. One for the estate’s records, one for the government and one buried someplace nobody knows about. Because the first 2 can easily disappear.
Jack
Nicole Wallace just nailed it:
“The Wizard of Oz is buck ass naked.”
I think it’s beginning to rain on the pumpkin parade.
It’s going to be like that storm in Beethovan’s 6th Symphony.
The legal question you always tend to ask is usually answered with “if a prosecutor thinks they can convince a jury to convict”
Unless you are employing a rhetorical device
I don’t see the problem with Comey, mangomoron told DOJ to prosecute him. Why bother with a grand jury? Why bother with law as practiced for hundreds of years? If dictator wannabe wants to take revenge just DO IT.
It is interesting how many of the sfb judges are not following his dictates.
Mark Epstein on CNN Erin Burnett now.
he’s sticking to no suicide claim
“if a prosecutor thinks they can convince a jury to convict”
The grand jury is the test for this. That’s what our DA told us was our job (one of them.)
The entire suicide scenario was too sketchy to be believed.
gas is up, trump did that
I predict his sharpie will be all dried up with no warning.
If they go ahead and release the files, we can all be investigators. It will go a lot faster.
The AI generated #1 (not really) country song. Any of our resident musicians care to comment?
I just had AI Sam scan transcript of Mark Epstein CNN interview tonight. Here are pertinent quotes about suicide claims:
“They did not do an investigation into the cause of death of Jeffrey.”
“They came out of the autopsy saying they couldn’t call it a suicide because it looked too much like a homicide.”
“There was no reason Jeffrey would commit suicide.”
“When I first heard he was dead from an apparent suicide, I didn’t doubt it… but then when they did the autopsy… it looked more like a homicide.”
“Why would he kill himself before that hearing?”
Amazing that Erin Burnett asked nothing about his prior claims on NewNation that DOJ is destroying records. She never asks him about “scrubbed,” “destroyed,” “tampered” or “missing” records — all words he has used before. She didn’t touch it, Craig. Not even a sideways glance. And he didn’t volunteer it
Not a single prompt in that direction, and he never volunteers it.
good crowd
Jamie
My opinion, the AI generated song was good for an AI video, not the best AI video I’ve seen. But who ever is doing it is making some faulty choices. There are a number of AI music video, usually labeled “lost recording” some of them using real performers names others made up names. While some of them are ok, they don’t quite sound like the real thing
Here is an AI version of Muddy Waters,
Here is the real thing.
Breaking: Jeffrey Epstein’s brother told CNN the autopsy “couldn’t call it a suicide” because it looked too much like a homicide. I pulled the key moment.
Full Epstein Files playlist (autoplay):
Hah, I missed the Walters and read Waters
Jack
Nobody jumpin’ time heah…..
Stur
I’m pretty sure those are real people making real music with some real tune making thing-a-ma-bobs.
well, the bill is finally coming due for Trump’s wishful-thinking economic policy
Nice job, Trumpers
Good stuff, Sturg.
Now if I could just find the dance floor.
Them there time jumpers have got that magical mix of bluegrass and jazz. I don’t know much about this shit but, it’s good.
Ya got me started
From back when we all were young
bluegrass and jazz
…in the tradition of David Grisman and Bela Fleck
Billy Strings is a newer artist getting some notoriety in the genre
This active role beyond the borders is part of the quiet transformation of its parent agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, into something more akin to a domestic intelligence operation. Under the Trump administration’s heightened immigration enforcement efforts, CBP is now poised to get more than $2.7 billion to build out border surveillance systems such as the license plate reader program by layering in artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
The result is a mass surveillance network with a particularly American focus: cars.
“Let me tell you what a traitor is. A traitor is an American that serves foreign countries and themselves. A patriot is an American that serves the United States of America and Americans like the women standing behind me now.”
MTG
All the talk about Jeffrey Epstein seems to be getting to President Trump, who behaved in a disgusting way towards a female reporter on Air Force One. Perhaps he was cheered up today by welcoming Saudi Arabia’s leader to the White House and giving an hour-long speech at a McDonald’s convention.
BTW, if you haven’t heard yet
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/house-approves-epstein-files-bill-in-near-unanimous-vote
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5611879-trump-epstein-files-bill/
Attribution: Trump Signs Epstein Files Release Bill by Rick McKee, CagleCartoons.com
Apparently he thinks all this quick action on Capitol Hill makes the story go away. Then they do a slow-walked “soft” release of cherry-picked items. But they might be miscalculating the impact survivors calling bullshit on them.
Poverty spikes in the land of the tech billionaires
Hundreds of thousands more people struggle in the San Francisco area as the cost-of-living climbs and the safety net disappears.
By Reis Thebault
SAN FRANCISCO — It takes Tazo Stuart-Riascos 28,000 steps per day to make ends meet in one of America’s most unaffordable places.
He begins clocking that prodigious number of paces before sunrise, as he hustles from his apartment in Oakland to his retail job in San Francisco, then back to the East Bay for his night shift at Trader Joe’s, where he’s on his feet until 10 p.m. All that scrambling and Stuart-Riascos still just barely gets by.
He’s part of a growing number of people — many working one or more jobs — who find themselves struggling to stay afloat as the cost-of-living skyrockets and wages fail to keep pace, making it even harder to survive in the already-expensive Bay Area.
more at link
Might as well do the original, eh?
The REAL question is:
“Who’s ‘out’ first?”
Trump was asked the simplest Epstein question — “Why not release the files yourself?”
No answer. He threatened to yank ABC’s FCC license instead.
The “Classified”. “Top Secret” and whatever the hell the other stamps to keep documents away from anyone without a certain level of government clearance are being worn out at DOJ as we speak. The ones that aren’t being stamped are being filed in “ongoing investigation” files.
Now about Saudi Arabia. 9/11, Jamal Khashoggi. I guess Trump National GC and Resort, Riyadh is more important.
Pogoeaux – I would expect a lot of it is put into the box that is what West Wing called “code word”. It is outside of the DoD classifications and highly restricted as to who can see the stuff. And, then to the burn bag. I sure hope there are copies stored away off site.
Definition of an honest politician: Once bought, he stays bought.
Trump can only be rented.
today’s meme…
BB, you certainly are the local authority on that stuff.
Now on to drivel – Epstein files. WaPo
Just how would he know (a) what’s in them and (b) that won’t be redacted? I suspect that the only person who he cares about being revealed is MangoMoron.
The cartoonists lately have all nabbed the pouf-less pompadour.
https://thenationaldesk.com/news/americas-news-now/fbi-directors-girlfriend-sues-podcaster-for-5m-over-outrageous-honeypot-spy-claims
Alexis Wilkins, the 26-year-old girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against a former FBI agent turned podcaster who alleged Wilkins is honeypotting Kash on behalf of the Israeli government.
The lawsuit was filed against Kyle M. Seraphin, a member of “The Suspendables,” a group that accused the FBI of unfairly punishing special agents who were critical of the agency’s investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riots and Covid-19 mandates under the Biden administration.
The complaint filed by Wilkins’ lawyer Jason Greaves referred to an August 22, 2025 episode of Seraphin show’s the Kyle Seraphin Show, in which he said that Patel, 45, “has own little honeypot issue.”
“He’s got a girlfriend that is half his age, who is apparently is both a country music singer, a political commentator on Rumble, a friend of John Rich through Bongino, who also now owns a big chunk of Rumble, and she’s also a former Mossad agent in what is like the equivalent of their NSA,” Seraphin said.
“But I’m sure that’s totally because, like, she’s really looking for like a cross-eyed, you know, kind of thickish built, super cool bro who’s almost 50 years old who’s Indian in America. Like it has nothing to do with the fact that uh we’re really close to the Trump administration.”
*It looks weird, to be sure, but how do former FBI agents know someone was with Mossad?
https://www.prageru.com/presenters/alexis-wilkins
Alexis Wilkins is a PragerU media personality, political commentator, country music artist, and published writer. Alexis was born in the USA, raised in both Europe and Fayetteville, Arkansas, and is currently based in Nashville.
Alexis uses her platform and experiences as a public speaker, musician, and conservative student to promote education, America-first values, and veteran causes.
She is an ambassador for Turning Point USA and a contributor to The Unity Project.
As a country artist, she’s opened for Lee Greenwood, Chris Young, and Parmalee. Her independently produced Veterans Day single “Stand” and debut song “Grit” landed in the top 10 on iTunes.
A contributor for Townhall, Daily Caller, TPUSA Live Feed, Business Insider, and a guest commentator on various platforms, Alexis isn’t afraid of sharing her views and showing people that you can hold to your values, “make patriotism mainstream again,” and not bend the knee to accomplish your goals.
https://www.newsweek.com/alexis-wilkins-kash-patel-fbi-defamation-sam-parker-kyle-seraphin-elijah-schaffer-11029236
Kyle Seraphin, the former FBI agent who is now a podcaster with over 230,000 followers on X, is being sued by Wilkins.
Wilkins has also filed a defamation lawsuit against Sam Parker, a former U.S. Senate candidate in Utah.
The third defamation lawsuit, filed by Wilkins, is against conservative influencer Elijah Schaffer. Schaffer is the CEO of Rift TV and has over 840,000 followers on X.
Elijah Schaffer, in a post on X, responding to the lawsuit: “I’ve never engaged in defamation or illegal activity. Gross LAW FARE This is an ATTACK on free speech & an EMBARRASSMENT to the FBI & Trump Admin.”
Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, in a post on X on November 2: “The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis—a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life—are beyond pathetic.
Candace Owens, the conservative influencer and podcaster, in a post on X viewed 1.5 million times: “Kash Patel has to step down. This is excruciatingly embarrassing. He’s a teenager in love representing the Federal government.”
https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/10/30/kash-patel-date-night-government-jet/
In late October 2025, a claim circulated online that FBI Director Kash Patel used a government-owned jet for a “date night” with his girlfriend, country singer Alexis Wilkins.
Seraphin claimed the flight logs for N708JH on Oct. 25 showed Patel flying to see Wilkins sing at the Real American Freestyle wrestling event in Pennsylvania and then on to Nashville, Tennessee, where Wilkins lived.
Patel is a “required use” traveler due to his position as FBI director, meaning he must use government-owned aircraft for personal and professional travel. “Required use” travelers reimburse the government for the equivalent coach costs of personal flights they take on government-owned aircraft.
It was unclear at the time of this writing how far these reimbursements went toward covering the actual cost of the flights that the U.S. government incurred.
It was unclear at the time of this writing whether Patel was on board the Oct. 25 flights. Wilkins’ Instagram post showed Patel was in Pennsylvania on a date and time that correlated with logs for N708JH, and further flight records appeared to correspond to Patel’s previous travel that week.
According to FlightAware, an online flight tracker, logs for the N708JH plane showed it flew from Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia to State College Regional Airport in Pennsylvania on Oct. 25, landing at 5:40 p.m.
According to Wilkins’ Instagram post, she and Patel attended the Real American Freestyle wrestling event at the Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pennsylvania, that night. One video (archived) posted on Real American Freestyle’s X account showed Wilkins performed at the event (at 0:13), which was scheduled to start at 7 p.m. The Bryce Jordan Center is a 10-minute drive from State College Regional Airport.
After landing in Pennsylvania, N708JH departed for Nashville International Airport in Tennessee at 8:03 p.m. The plane then took off from Nashville the next morning and flew to San Angelo, Texas, where it remained until Oct. 29.
Other flight records from N708JH also appeared to correspond to Patel’s known travel that week.
That is a nice plane. I’d like proof that he paid for the flight segments for personal fun time. That picture in the link, well, she looks like a red sparrow or honeypot.
Just because they meh in 2023 doesn’t mean that strings weren’t being pulled to get Patel into the job of FBI Director.
Honestly, him being an FBI anything seems just as weird as seeing the two of them as, to paraphrase Patel, life partners.
Could Mark Epstein (the estate) be holding back information because they know it will lead to lawsuits and he (the estate) will be drained? If so, he’s complicit in the sex trafficking ring after the fact. I’m not sure if that’s criminal or just shameful.
Read those names provided by the victims in the House floor. Don’t wait for the trickle of scrubbed files.
Lincoln returns for the 162nd anniversary of the Gettysburg Address — part of our Echoes of America series leading to the 250th next July 4.
Watch Abe and our playlist:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/obamacare-premium-subsidies-likely-expire-trump-opposes-extension-rcna244650
Inside a closed-door meeting of House Republicans on Tuesday, Rep. Jen Kiggans, a swing district member who is a linchpin of the party’s narrow majority, stood up and made a plea.
“Doing nothing on health care is not the right answer,” the Virginia Republican later told NBC News, summing up her message to colleagues. “I would really appreciate if we could have a timeline because we know that the end of the calendar year is coming, and I don’t want to see people’s premiums go up. I don’t want to see people lose their health insurance.”
Republicans are careening to a health care cliff with no solution in hand. An estimated 22 million people in the U.S. are about to see their health insurance premiums soar by, in some cases, thousands of dollars per month, as billions in funding for the Affordable Care Act expires on Dec. 31.
The expiring funds, costing about $35 billion per year, were first passed during the pandemic to subsidize insurance payments, capping premiums for a “benchmark” ACA, or “Obamacare,” plan to 8.5% of income.
*Argentina got $40 billion from us, and I do believe they have universal healthcare.
Is anyone bidding on John Oliver’s auction to benefit public broadcasting?
https://e.givesmart.com/events/LYw/i/
https://www.businessinsider.com/navy-secretary-says-shipbuilder-pay-needs-to-be-more-competitive-2025-11
“I think this is really an issue of wages, to be honest, when I look at it across states,” Phelan said. He added that when workers can make the same money they might earn at a Buc-ee’s convenience store or at Amazon, but instead spend all day welding in tight spaces, “it’s hard to get that person to want to do that job.”
Buc-ee’s declined to share average salary details. Indeed, a popular job search and recruitment website, lists average hourly pay for general retail staff between $15 and $25. Amazon, according to wage data the company released in September, pays US fulfillment and transportation employees an average of over $23 an hour. There are other roles that offer more compensation.
*I hear ICE bounty hunters get paid well.
Wow, he’s raising big money for PBS.
The frogs rapidly went way beyond my budget!😊
Interview with Pam Bondi should just have been labeled “Let the weaseling begin!” It will be interesting to see how much pressure gets applied.
Somehow I missed this … WaPo
Drip, drip, drip….
https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2025/statement-from-the-american-nurses-association-on-proposed-federal-loan-policy-changes/
Excluding nursing from professional degree classification jeopardizes efforts to strengthen and expand the U.S. nursing workforce
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is concerned by the Department of Education’s exclusion of nursing from the definition of “professional degree” programs under forthcoming federal loan eligibility rules.
This will severely restrict access to critical funding for graduate nursing education, undermining efforts to grow and sustain the nursing workforce.
“Nurses make up the largest segment of the healthcare workforce and the backbone of our nation’s health system,” said Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, PhD, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, president of the American Nurses Association.
“At a time when healthcare in our country faces a historic nurse shortage and rising demands, limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care.
In many communities across the country, particularly in rural and underserved areas, advanced practice registered nurses ensure access to essential, high-quality care that would otherwise be unavailable. We urge the Department of Education to recognize nursing as the essential profession it is and ensure access to loan programs that make advanced nursing education possible.”
meme #2…
what do you mean you can’t tell the difference…
Jamie, about that honest politician quote…
Then there is one of my favorite from your home state of California.
Jack
My favorite X post today
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/doctors-recruitment-1.7480911
British Columbia has turned its eye toward luring doctors and nurses from the United States to move north in what Health Minister Josie Osborne is calling an “unprecedented” recruitment opportunity.
Osborne says the province is changing its licensing rules so U.S.-trained doctors can begin practising in B.C. right away, without any need for further assessment, exams or training.
She said there will be a similar scale-back of the barriers facing U.S.-trained nurses and that a marketing campaign will be unveiled in Washington, Oregon and California within the next few months.
https://www.fastcompany.com/91444310/quiet-piggy-trump-viral-insult-has-already-become-an-anti-maga-clapback
As heated as Trump can get when asked about this issue, though, “Quiet, Piggy” stands out as an exceedingly juvenile and degrading insult. Many social media users have been speculating about why the schoolyard name-calling went unchallenged in the moment—about why Jacobs’s fellow reporters didn’t make sure her question got answered or demand an apology on her behalf.
Perhaps it’s the absence of any heroes aboard Air Force One, though, that has inspired social media users to push back on Trump’s hogwash themselves.
Trump has a documented history of calling women like Rosie O’Donnell and former Miss Universe Alicia Machado “pigs”—along with “dogs,” “slobs,” and “disgusting animals.” He also has a more recent and pointed history of insulting and berating journalists.
Trump: Will you let me finish? You are the worst. You’re with Bloomberg right? You are the worst. I don’t know why they even have you.
Trump on Epstein Files: I don’t want to talk about it because fake news like you—you’re a terrible reporter—fake news like you just keeps bringing up to deflect from the tremendous success of The Trump Admin
*The theme of Orange Adolf’s wake will be QUIET PIGGY!
@realDonald Trump
THE ONLY HEALTHCARE I WILL SUPPORT OR APPROVE IS SENDING THE MONEY DIRECTLY BACK TO THE PEOPLE, WITH NOTHING GOING TO THE BIG, FAT, RICH INSURANCE COMPANIES, WHO HAVE MADE $TRILLIONS, AND RIPPED OFF AMERICA LONG ENOUGH. THE PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE AND BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, INSURANCE. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Congress, do not waste your time and energy on anything else. This is the only way to have great Healthcare in America!!! GET IT DONE, NOW. President DJT
Nov 18, 2025, 6:57 AM
*So, of course, I made some calls today. LoL
Negotiate with insurance companies individually? That’s not how it works, you orange dimwit.
Pay for costs directly, without healthcare, could cost thousands or even millions depending on the problem.
Congress should have their healthcare sanctioned until they fix our system for everyone.
BiD
Trump is proposing a version of medicare for all. You turn your doctor bills in and the government send you the money to pay them.
Jack
lol trump is a free luigi-er
all of a sudden
because epstein
Well, how about that. WaPo
Amateur hour at the DOJ. If there’s a way to fuck this up they will find it.
Viewer mail time. Trump dodged the question again — and the comment section lost its mind.
Includes my answer to What-about-ism →
Pog, i’m gathering a legal brain trust to talk about that shocking story, and the assault on the rule of law in general. Maybe Friday afternoon or Sunday, still nailing down a good time for everyone. Sure would enjoy your participation. And all lay folks welcome as well, of course.
Jack – Huh? I haven’t found that proposal.
Also, if you don’t have insurance, you don’t get a negotiated rate for anything, so IF that happened, it would cost the government (taxpayers) more than the ACA tax subsidies. How could you depend on the government under tRUMP’s cankle -filled boot to actually pony up? Are docs & hospitals going to roll the dice?
“THE PEOPLE WILL BE ALLOWED TO NEGOTIATE AND BUY THEIR OWN, MUCH BETTER, INSURANCE.” -Orange Adolf/from prior post
If it turns out Mark Epstein (the estate) have documentation of crimes, is this obstruction of justice?
I wouldn’t let anyone in the tRUMP administration have sole access to it if it exists.
BiD
Free government paid healthcare, A bit like the French have, a regulated private system. Like all things Trump says, he never thinks it through to the end. But he did come out in support of federal paid healthcare.
Jack
If they knowingly destroyed materials they thought could be used as evidence in a criminal investigation, then a charge of obstruction could be pursued
Unknowingly possessing evidence isn’t obstruction
Jack is pointing out that. unwittingly, Trump is the most socialist president since FDR
But only because he will say anything and might collapse capitalism
if i understand correctly
It may be that the estate just got control of his papers and stuff. If I was them I would document everything in at least triplicate. One for the estate’s records, one for the government and one buried someplace nobody knows about. Because the first 2 can easily disappear.
Jack
Nicole Wallace just nailed it:
I think it’s beginning to rain on the pumpkin parade.
It’s going to be like that storm in Beethovan’s 6th Symphony.
The legal question you always tend to ask is usually answered with “if a prosecutor thinks they can convince a jury to convict”
Unless you are employing a rhetorical device
I don’t see the problem with Comey, mangomoron told DOJ to prosecute him. Why bother with a grand jury? Why bother with law as practiced for hundreds of years? If dictator wannabe wants to take revenge just DO IT.
It is interesting how many of the sfb judges are not following his dictates.
Mark Epstein on CNN Erin Burnett now.
he’s sticking to no suicide claim
The grand jury is the test for this. That’s what our DA told us was our job (one of them.)
The entire suicide scenario was too sketchy to be believed.
gas is up, trump did that
I predict his sharpie will be all dried up with no warning.
If they go ahead and release the files, we can all be investigators. It will go a lot faster.
The AI generated #1 (not really) country song. Any of our resident musicians care to comment?
Editorial on the above.
https://www.musictechhelper.com/blog/when-the-ai-tops-the-charts-what-walk-my-walk-says-about-music-ethics-and-education
There is a video response at the end of the editorial also worth a listen.
most people can’t tell the difference between AI generated music and otherwise, and the tech only going to improve
Support live musicians
and it’s unsurprising that the braindead modern country fan base has no discrimination or taste
The actual country musicians sounded like AI 10 years ago
eventually, the only jobs will be licking Elon Musk’s shoes and becoming food
The real Billboard #1 song
yeah, see if I click that I put money in Morgan Wallen’s pocket and I don’t want to
these two bros in traffic were blasting
country in their fancy truck with the windows down and i’m sorry it just will never be cool
i think we can call the entire body of modern country “MAGA country”, it’s very emblematic of that culture
Here’s the full Mark Epstein interview on CNN..
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/19/politics/video/ebof-mark-epstein-trump-jeffrey
Nice steelwork.
I just had AI Sam scan transcript of Mark Epstein CNN interview tonight. Here are pertinent quotes about suicide claims:
“They did not do an investigation into the cause of death of Jeffrey.”
“They came out of the autopsy saying they couldn’t call it a suicide because it looked too much like a homicide.”
“There was no reason Jeffrey would commit suicide.”
“When I first heard he was dead from an apparent suicide, I didn’t doubt it… but then when they did the autopsy… it looked more like a homicide.”
“Why would he kill himself before that hearing?”
Amazing that Erin Burnett asked nothing about his prior claims on NewNation that DOJ is destroying records. She never asks him about “scrubbed,” “destroyed,” “tampered” or “missing” records — all words he has used before. She didn’t touch it, Craig. Not even a sideways glance. And he didn’t volunteer it
Not a single prompt in that direction, and he never volunteers it.
good crowd
Jamie
My opinion, the AI generated song was good for an AI video, not the best AI video I’ve seen. But who ever is doing it is making some faulty choices. There are a number of AI music video, usually labeled “lost recording” some of them using real performers names others made up names. While some of them are ok, they don’t quite sound like the real thing
Here is an AI version of Muddy Waters,
Here is the real thing.
Breaking: Jeffrey Epstein’s brother told CNN the autopsy “couldn’t call it a suicide” because it looked too much like a homicide. I pulled the key moment.
Full Epstein Files playlist (autoplay):
Hah, I missed the Walters and read Waters
Jack
Nobody jumpin’ time heah…..
Stur
I’m pretty sure those are real people making real music with some real tune making thing-a-ma-bobs.
well, the bill is finally coming due for Trump’s wishful-thinking economic policy
Nice job, Trumpers
Good stuff, Sturg.
Now if I could just find the dance floor.
Jack
And it only costs $26 buck to catch a show. Gives me a reason to go to Nashville on a Monday.
Jack
Them there time jumpers have got that magical mix of bluegrass and jazz. I don’t know much about this shit but, it’s good.
Ya got me started
From back when we all were young
…in the tradition of David Grisman and Bela Fleck
Billy Strings is a newer artist getting some notoriety in the genre
https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-patrol-surveillance-drivers-ice-trump-9f5d05469ce8c629d6fecf32d32098cd
kudos to the AP for that report 👍
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