Sickness

 The Biden family must be regretting their decision to go public with the former president's dire cancer diagnosis, because one entire party/cult and its media jackals have decided to make the experience many times worse than it needs to be.  This is the American hellscape we live in now.

To start at the bottom of a very toxic barrel, Leo Terrell, another Fox News hire and now senior counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights -- let that sink in -- shared an X post that "[Jill Biden] knew about President Biden's health problems.  But still wanted him to run for President.  Evil."  Not content with that, Terrell added, "Elder Abuse!  Criminal Charges??"  Since we now live in Bizarro World, where the "civil rights" division is investigating Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago for promising to hire black officials, you almost understand Terrell's instinct to protect his own job by pleasing Marse Donald.  There's always room for one more on the "Lock her up!" tumbril.

Jesse Watters is still at Fox impatiently waiting to be called up to what ballplayers call The Show, and his minor league efforts are becoming more desperate.  He only wants Joe Biden's doctor to be subpoenaed by Congress for his role in the vast conspiracy.  "This guy was brought in from Delaware and he was in business with the Biden family and this was the oldest president in American history, probably the sickest sitting president of this century, and he never gave a press conference."  Imagine, wanting a doctor who knows you instead of some Navy drunk.  Imagine a world where doctor-patient confidentiality (not to mention HIPAA) doesn't exist.  We know Biden has been treated for skin cancer, covid, arthritis, a fractured foot and other problems because it was made public.  We're still waiting for a cogent account of the "bullet wound" that forced Trump to walk around with a Kotex pad glued to his ear for weeks.  You know, the one that miraculously left no scar.

On Sunday Trump issued the requisite "Melania and I" yadda-yadda about "warmest and best wishes," but he's had time to stew over it and revert to being Trump.  "It's the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine," he told the stooges who now comprise the credentialed White House "reporters."  Was Walter Reed involved?  Why were we not told of his "cognitive" problems?  He's very fond of the word since he was able to pick that camel out of a photo array.  "I think it's very sad, actually.  I'm surprised that it wasn't, y'know, the public wasn't notified a long time ago.  'Cause to get to stage nine, that's a long time...I just had my physical.  Good physical...I did a very complete physical..."  The rest is him babbling about how perfect he is.  Cognitively put, except there's no such thing as stage nine.  But you can see why he prefers military doctors who have to follow orders.  

It wasn't long before J.D. the Pope-killer chimed in:  "Whether the right time to have this conversation is now or in the future, we really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job."  The prostate is not connected to the brain, Jade.  John Lewis continued serving in Congress after his diagnosis.  Alex Trebek was reading Jeopardy! clues up to the end.  Joe Biden did an astonishing job of cleaning up Trump's mess in only four years.  Your strenuous efforts to assist in wrecking the economy, pissing on the Constitution and smashing the lives of thousands of innocent people will be noted, however.  Now and in the future.

While Trump was raging about the cooling-off of Taylor Swift and demanding investigations into Oprah, Beyonce, et al., tornadoes were devastating MAGA country.  Nineteen people died in Kentucky, five in the St. Louis area, two in other parts of Missouri and two in Virginia.  Three days later Mayor Cara Spencer of St. Louis was still waiting to hear from FEMA because old, impaired Joe Biden is no longer president.

Ric Grenell says he found $26 million in "fake revenue" on the books of the Kennedy Center and wants the Bondi Department to charge somebody with something.  It isn't clear exactly what, possibly deferred maintenance.  Perhaps it will be big enough to distract everyone from the announced schedule of next year's productions, seemingly chosen with travesty in mind.  Chicago, Mrs. Doubtfire, Spamalot and Moulin Rouge! The Musical all involve cross-dressing characters, a reversal of Trump's vow to "STOP Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth."  

Nearly $5 million will be handed over to the family of Ashli Babbitt, to the disgust of former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, among others.  Her fellow rioter Zachary Alam, recipient of one of Trump's autopen pardons, was arrested for burglary of a house near Richmond on May 9.  In addition to his January 6 charges, Alam was previously arrested for DUI and auto theft.  He is also credited with breaking the glass of the Speaker's Lobby through which Babbitt was climbing.  Small world.

Trump scored another of his foreign-policy-in-reverse triumphs over the weekend.  In Romania's presidential election the liberal mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, defeated ultranationalist George Simion, the candidate favored by Putin and Trump.  Needless to say, Simion says the election was rigged through "foreign interference" and will ask the court to annul it.  Starmer, Macron, Merz, Carney, Albanese, how does he do it?  Poland has a presidential runoff on June 1, with the liberal Rafal Trzaskowski narrowly ahead.  Can Donnie the king-maker put him over the top?

Ground radar is being installed at LaGuardia to prevent incidents like the one today, when a Republic jet had to abort a takeoff because a United plane was still crossing the runway.  One Republic passenger said she has an app on her phone which showed the plane on the runway.  Let's hope all the airports will soon be as sophisticated as this woman's phone.

Interesting exchange today in the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.  Might make a good SNL sketch.

Maggie Hassan (D-NH):  What is habeas corpus?

Kristi Noem:  Well, habeas corpus is a Constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country, to suspend their right to -- 

Hassan:  Let me stop you, ma'am.  Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public reason for detaining and imprisoning people.  If not for that protection the government could simply arrest people.  Habeas corpus is the foundational right that separates free societies like America from police states like North Korea.

On second thought, it's not that funny.  Anyway, isn't that Latin?  Trump has decreed ENGLISH ONLY.

Thiel, Bezos and the rest will have to step up, because Elon says he's tapped out.  "In terms of political spending I'm going to do a lot less in the future.  I think I've done enough."  The economy must be worse than we thought.  "If I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I will do it.  I do not currently see a reason."  But he sees the beginning of a 2026 Blue Wave, and why throw good millions after bad?