Take them out of the ball game

 Great.  Now I have to become a Dodger fan.

Not because the Mets are a lost cause -- they're only one game out of first! -- but because the Dodgers are stepping up for what is right.  Two days ago the ICEstapo were denied access to the Dodger Stadium parking lot, which is private property.  This is so rare, and so humiliating, that ICE had to claim they were never there in the first place.  Today the Dodgers announced they will donate $1 million to support immigrant families terrorized by the raids.  They can afford much more, but it's a good start.  I would expect no less from the team of Jackie Robinson.  Other clubs need to get on board, to thank their fans in New York, San Diego, Chicago -- hey, White Sox, want to earn a papal blessing from your biggest fan?  At 24-52, you need it.

Having fled the G7 because the other six were whispering and laughing about him, done a TACO on farm and hospitality workers, endured a pathetic birthday parade that was Hegseth's fault and watched MAGA go all Alien versus Predator about the Israel-Iran war, Trump decided to concentrate on the all-important goal of at least equaling Barack Obama by claiming a shiny gold Nobel Prize.  "This is a Great Day for Africa and, quite frankly, a Great Day for the World!" he Truthed.  No, not because the citizens of most African countries are banned from the US as "foreign terrorists," including the Senegal women's basketball team.  Because he personally arranged a "wonderful treaty" between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and is making them sign it in Washington.  He went on to list all the amazing things he has done for which "I won't get a Nobel Peace Prize, no matter what I do," but "the people know, and that's all that matters to me!"  Sure, Donnie.  If only there was a Nobel Prize for modesty.  

Trump finally stopped bragging about his role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire after Prime Minister Modi definitively stated that he had nothing to do with it.  How dare anyone suggest he's out of touch when he correctly identified the countries as "two nuclear powers, big ones, big big nuclear powers"?  Today Pakistan announced that it will nominate him for the Big Prize, possibly to discourage him from joining in the Israel-Iran war but mostly to spite India.  Trump says he'll decide which wing of MAGA to support "in two weeks," code for "never."  He also promised a health plan much better than Obamacare "in two weeks" and a plan to lower prescription drug costs "in two weeks" and Infrastructure Week -- well, it was some years ago.  

Let us pause to imagine what his Stockholm speech would be like, ranging from immigrants eating dogs and cats to Crooked Joe Biden to Arnold Palmer's manly attributes to "the late, great Hannibal Lecter" to why Jerome Powell is stupid to how the polls are always wrong to American cities being crime-ridden hell holes to -- where are you going, Your Majesty?

Despite his own extensive hotel and resort interests, Trump has been a disaster for the US hospitality industry.  How could the stable jenius have anticipated that whimsically applied tariffs, mass roundups of workers who "look illegal" and bans on tens of millions of prospective tourists would be bad for business?  Not to mention repeatedly threatening our closest neighbor with annexation and trashing its leaders.  Faced with economic disaster, chambers of commerce, tourism boards and individual businesses along the border are offering "Canadian only" deals to lure visitors back with discounts on hotel rooms, food, and "at par" currency exchange.  If successful, it may encourage southern states to appeal to Canadians who used to winter in Florida and Arizona.  Trump could turn out to be the best thing to happen to well-off Canadians.  Maybe not Quebecois -- it's English-only here by imperial decree.

As evidence piles up that Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter is MAGA to his toenails, all the usual suspects cry "False flag!"  "Psy-ops!" as you knew they would.  Boelter knew they would -- he wrote a "rambling, conspiratorial" letter to the FBI claiming that Tim Walz ordered him to kill Senator Amy Klobuchar because he wanted to run for the Senate, and left it in his car along with his "kill list" of other Democrats in Minnesota and Wisconsin.  Prosecutors are not taking it seriously, but I'm sure plenty of others are.

MAGA appears to be undergoing a Great Schism over the Middle Eastern hostilities, with Original MAGA and -- Reform MAGA?  MAGA Lite?  According to Laura Loomer, "Original MAGA understands the threat of Islam.   We're not trying to play footsie with genocidal Muslims, OK?"  She's convinced that something happens "when you go to Qatar that rots your brain cells, or maybe money is exchanged and then you just automatically hate Jews."  Careful, you're talking about the country that donated Future Air Force One.  As far as I can tell, Original MAGA, the ones who can't wait to bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran (John McCain reference, yo) include Loomer, Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Tony Perkins, and Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL), who's running into traffic like Kevin McCarthy at the end of Body Snatchers yelling that if Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor of New York he'll "turn America into a Shiite caliphate."  But first New York, right?  Meanwhile, Enrique Tarrio says the Proud Boys will stop loving Trump if he goes to war for Israel.  The Times is reporting that B-2 bombers (the invisible ones) are headed to Guam.  They can be equipped with Trump's favorite bombs, the 30,000-pound "bunker busters."  Very sci-fi.

But it's not only Canadians who can, if they choose, reap the rewards of this Reign of Error.  The DNC is reporting a record-breaking increase in donations over the last four months with $40 million.  (Americans always wake up too late and start Googling "How do I change my vote?"  Like the Brits who searched "What is Brexit?" the day after the referendum.)  The Freedom from Religion Foundation experienced a "Trump bump" of more than 2,600 new members since October, while the American Humanist Foundation saw a 77% increase in donations since January, not bad for organizations most people have never heard of.  American Atheists and Secular Coalition for America are also doing well.  They will all be pleased that a three-judge appellate court says Louisiana can't make public schools display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

Happy solstice to those who celebrate.