Does anyone know about it? Not if they watch Fox. They barely even mention the stock market highs. T%his is why we can’t have nice things.
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I have no idea if these attitudes are reflective of the MAGA movement as a whole but if they are, it’s good news: While Trump has yet to commit to accepting the outcome of the presidential election, several of his supporters who attended rallies in Michigan Friday said they’re ready to do so even if he loses. Jordan Walton, 24, of Warren, is a restaurant worker and Trump supporter who was too young to vote in 2016. In his first opportunity to participate in a presidential election, Walton backed the former president’s reelection bid in 2020. But unlike some Trump voters, he accepted Trump’s loss as legitimate that year. “It sucks. But yeah, he lost,” Walton said before heading into the town hall event in Warren. He said he expects a close election this time and would accept another Trump loss. “Ain’t going to be happy, but you know, it is what it is,” he said. Walton plans to vote in person, but said Trump’s past railing against absentee voting hurt the Republican presidential candidate’s chances four years ago.
I’m sure Tucker thinks he’s being funny. But I would guess that a good number of his audience, people who look up to him, think he’s endorsing this lunacy. Why else would he have her on his roadshow? The Washington Post reported on the spectacle: If you think Tucker Carlson’s political relevance has slipped since he was booted from Fox News last spring, then listen to the people who have lined up to see his live shows this month. Ask those in Phoenix who braved 108 degrees to see him banter with Russell Brand,the comic actor turned podcaster who says he’s found Jesus. Or the people in Hershey, Pa., who got drenched by rain whilewaiting to get into Carlson’s event with vice-presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio). If anything, they say, Tucker has gotten stronger now that he’s on his own, loosed from the strictures (and paycheck) of corporate media and now sovereign of his own digital channel.
Trump is getting angrier and angrier on the stump (in addition to his depraved lies and idiocy.) Lindbergh landed in Paris. But Donald Trump is historically illiterate so he doesn’t know that. But then he thinks his followers are idiots too: And no there are not 50,000 outside and they aren’t inside because Harris won’t give them protection. Trump’s a billionaire. Why doesn’t he hire thousands of bodyguards to protect him? And WTF is this? I guess this is supposed to be funny? And then there’s this: He’s one rally away from calling Harris a dumb bitch in public: This is just creepy: He’s very, very pissed. Why???
He’s going to prosecute Google because there are too many negative stories on the page? He’s out of his friggin’ mind. What an infantile moron.
Trump’s tariff obsession came up in conversation this morning and I realized that many people may not have seen this great documentary about Trump and trade. If you’re curious about why he is so stuck on it, this explains it: As FRONTLINE and NPR explore in the new documentary Trump’s Trade War, Trump has taken an aggressive stance on trade for decades. He has pushed a tariff strategy since he first toyed with the idea of running for president in the late 1980s — a message that bore notable similarities to the one that helped propel his 2016 campaign. As the film recounts, Trump’s ire was then directed at Japan’s trade practices. “The fact is, you don’t have free trade. We think of it as free trade, but you right now don’t have free trade,” Trump said in a 1987 episode of Larry King Live that’s excerpted in Trump’s Trade War. “A lot of people are tired of watching the other countries ripping off the United States. This is a great country.” He shared similar sentiments in an interview with Oprah.
Tom lives in Asheville, North Carolina which is currently under water from Hurricane Helene. He told me yesterday that he didn’t have power or wifi and cell service was spotty so I assume that he will be out of commission for a while. Keep a good thought for him and his neighbors. Asheville is a lovely city full of very cool people. This is a major disaster and it’s going to take a huge effort to recover.
A very big baby penguin! The Smithsonian Magazine wrote it up: In late January, caretakers at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium in Australia were ecstatic when a king penguin chick successfully emerged from his shell. The baby, which they named Pesto, was the only king penguin born at the aquarium in the last two years. He weighed less than a pound. They’ve since watched as the youngster grew—and kept growing. As of Wednesday, Pesto weighs a whopping 51.8 pounds, according to the aquarium. His fame took off when the aquarium threw a gender reveal party (they can’t tell through a blood test.) Now he’s an internet superstar. But why is Pesto such a big boy? Caretakers chalk up his unusual size to a “hearty appetite”—he eats more than 25 fish a day—and good genes. His biological father, a king penguin named Blake, is one of the biggest and oldest penguins at the facility, weighing in at around 39 pounds, per New Atlas’ Bronwyn Thompson. However, Pesto is being raised by a younger couple, Tango and Hudson, who have been taking good care of him, according to the aquarium.
Timothy Snyder on Trump’s “negotiating” skills as reflected in his meeting with Zelensky yesterday: This piece by Will Saletan in the Bulwark is quite good as well: TRUMP’S FOREIGN POLICY, like his views on everything else, is about loyalty to Trump. He prefers a dictator who likes him to a freely elected leader who doesn’t. As Trump put it at a rally on Monday: “I don’t like anybody that doesn’t like me.” That’s why Trump likes Vladimir Putin. He knows Putin is trying to help him recapture the White House. On September 7, three days after the Justice Department exposed a Russian disinformation campaign designed to help Trump in this year’s election, Trump rebuked DOJ officials for the announcement. “They don’t look at China, and they don’t look at Iran,” he complained, falsely, at a rally in Wisconsin. “They look at Russia. I don’t know what it is with poor Russia.” Trump made it clear that he appreciated Putin’s help. With a wry smile, he noted: It’s not great for Ukraine that Trump sees Putin as his friend.
Peter Wehner at The Atlantic (gift link) gives the full rundown on North Carolina Governor Mark Robinson and it’s just so … much. As he points out, most of this was known before he became Lt Gov., so apparently the Republicans of North Carolina think it’s all just fine: Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, has described himself as a “devout Christian.” But a recent CNN story reported that several years ago, he was a porn-site user who enjoyed watching transgender pornography (despite a history of an anti-transgender rhetoric), referred to himself as a “Black Nazi,” and supported the return of slavery. According to CNN, commenters on the website discussed whether to believe the story of a woman who said she was raped by her taxi driver while intoxicated. Robinson wrote in response, “And the moral of this story….. Don’t f**k a white b*tch!” Politico reports that Robinson’s email address was also registered on Ashley Madison, a website for married people seeking affairs.