Archives

Malcolm Nance: FREEDOM! The Syrian Dictator Falls and Takes Iran & Tulsi Gabbard with Him

“Freedom! We are free of the Dictator!” said a released prisoner from Bashar al-Assad’s Saydnya Prison, a house of horrors that was the last stop for tens of thousands including many of the corpses discovered on the site. What happened in Syria is nothing less than the final leg of a revolution that started in […]

Abundant Life Christian School shooting latest: Local schools report ‘false threats’

Police are investigating the online footprint of 15-year-old Abundant Life Christian School shooting suspect Natalie Rupnow — who went by Samantha — as they piece together the course of events that left three people dead, Rupnow among them. Meanwhile, numerous schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District “were targeted by false threats often known as […]

Donald Trump Sues Iowa Newspaper, Veteran Pollster Over ‘Deceptive’ Poll

President-elect Donald Trump filed suit Monday night against the Des Moines Register newspaper and veteran Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer over a pre-election poll that showed Vice President Kamala Harris beating Trump in a state he easily carried just days later. Trump is alleging the Nov. 2 poll that had Harris 3 percentage points ahead […]

Luigi Mangione indicted on first-degree murder charge in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing

Luigi Mangione was indicted on first-degree murder and other charges in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson this month, the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced Tuesday. The indictment on first-murder degree in furtherance of terrorism elevates the case against Mangione, 26, in Thompson’s killing outside a Manhattan hotel on Dec. 4. The New […]

Congress releases short-term funding bill as deadline nears to avert a holiday shutdown

Congressional leaders on Tuesday evening released the text of a short-term bill to keep the federal government open until March 14, rolling it out just days ahead of a key deadline to prevent a shutdown and after numerous delays. Funding expires at the end of Friday, when the House and the Senate hope to adjourn […]

StephCast T 12-17-24

In his first postelection news conference, Trump boasts of his popularity with CEOs

President-elect Donald Trump was upbeat at his first postelection news conference Monday, saying there was a big difference from when he took office in 2016: Some of his former adversaries are now being nice to him. “Everybody wants to be my friend,” he said about how he’s being treated by CEOs of major technology companies, […]

Judge in Trump’s hush money case denies bid to toss out guilty verdict

The New York judge who presided over Donald Trump’s hush money trial denied the president-elect’s bid to vacate his guilty verdict on presidential immunity grounds. “Defendant’s motion to dismiss the indictment and verdict is denied,” Judge Juan Merchan wrote in a ruling Monday. Merchan handed down the decision after he also denied Trump’s argument that he’s […]

‘Something strange is going on’: Trump calls for more information about N.J. drone sightings

President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that the government should disclose more information about the recent drone sightings in New Jersey. At his first press conference since winning the presidency, Trump criticized the Biden administration for not sharing more information on the drones, which were first spotted in New Jersey in November and have since become […]

What we know so far about the Abundant Life Christian School shooting in Wisconsin

A teacher and a student were killed at a private school in Wisconsin on Monday after a person authorities identified as a teenage student at Abundant Life Christian School opened fire. Six people were injured, and the suspected shooter, a 15-year-old female student, was killed, Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes told reporters. Here’s what we […]

Charlie Pierce: The Curious Case of Trump And ABC News

That stirring in the earth that you felt over the weekend was the result of a man named Robert Goodloe Harper spinning at a velocity that may have rendered him invisible. Harper volunteered in a cavalry unit of the Continental Army when he was 15, and he also served in the War of 1812. In […]

StephCast M 12-16-24

Chuck Schumer requests drone detection system for New York, New Jersey as mysterious devices litter the skies

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has requested that a drone detection system be sent to New York and New Jersey after a series of mysterious drones disrupted the skies in recent weeks, even prompting a temporary shutdown at an airport over the weekend. Schumer made the request to the Department of Homeland Security on Sunday, […]

ABC News agrees to contribute $15 million to Trump presidential foundation to settle defamation suit

ABC News agreed to contribute $15 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s presidential foundation and museum to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump against the network, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court on Saturday.  Trump had accused ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos of acting “with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for […]

RFK Jr. heading to Capitol Hill today for meetings ahead of confirmation hearings

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is set to head to Capitol Hill next week for meetings with multiple senators, Kennedy’s spokesperson says. Kennedy transition spokesperson Katie Miller told ABC News that Kennedy will be on the Hill for four consecutive days for marathon […]

Nancy Pelosi ‘On The Mend’ After Hip Replacement

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had a hip replacement after sustaining an injury while travelingearlier this week, according to a statement from her office. “Earlier this morning, Speaker Emerita Pelosi underwent a successful hip replacement and is well on the mend,” spokesperson Ian Krager said in a statement sent to HuffPost on Saturday. The statement added […]

The Rude Pundit: Sorry, CNN and MSNBC, But It’s Not Us. It’s You

I haven’t watched CNN or MSNBC for a single second in the month since the 2024 presidential election. I’ve been a loyal viewer of CNN pretty much since it started, through the bullshit times of enforced patriotism, like the first Gulf War or after 9/11, and through the transition from being a news channel to […]

StephCast F 12-13-24

SMHH VideoCast with Harry Litman & Frank Figliuzzi – F 12-13-24

Biden Commutes 1,500 Sentences, Pardons 39 People In Biggest Single-Day Act Of Clemency

President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The commutations announced Thursday are for people who have served out […]

Suspect in CEO’s killing wasn’t insured by UnitedHealthcare, company says

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the ambush killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, was not insured by the company, the overarching business that owns it said. There is no record that Mangione, 26, was ever insured by the company, UnitedHealth Group said. Mangione is the suspect in the fatal shooting of CEO Brian Thompson on a New […]

Meta donates $1M to Trump’s inaugural fund after Zuckerberg Mar-a-Lago meeting

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, said Thursday it had donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.  A spokesperson for the company confirmed the donation, which The Wall Street Journal reported late Wednesday.  The donation is the latest swing in the up-and-down relationship between Trump and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s company. […]

Trump says it will be ‘hard’ to bring down grocery prices, pins hopes on lower energy costs and better supply chains

President-elect Donald Trump is acknowledging it may be difficult to bring down grocery prices, despite making it a key tenet of his presidential campaign. In an interview with Time magazine, which named him person of the year for 2024, Trump said he nevertheless believes it’ll happen through lower energy costs and supply chain improvements. Asked […]

StephCast Th 12-12-24

Mitch McConnell Says Trump Win Puts Americans In A ‘Very Dangerous World’

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly said that President-elect Donald Trump’s victory puts Americans in “a very, very dangerous world,” stressing that he plans to spend his final two years in the Senate pushing back against the growing Trump-fueled isolationism within the GOP. The 82-year-old Kentucky Republican, who last month stepped down from his role as […]

On Reddit account linked to Luigi Mangione, posts describe back pain and spinal surgery

The man charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson posted online in recent years about undergoing spinal surgery and struggling with chronic back pain, numbness and restless sleep, according to what appears to be an archived version of his deleted Reddit account. Luigi Mangione, 26, was charged Monday in New York with one count of […]

Iranian ‘mothership’ isn’t behind drone sightings over New Jersey, Pentagon says

Federal officials Wednesday rejected claims the mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey are coming from an Iranian “mothership.” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said Wednesday on Fox News that the unidentified flying objects in his state’s skies are coming from an Iranian vessel off the East Coast — a claim the Defense Department flatly denied. […]

FBI Director Christopher Wray says he’ll resign as Donald Trump takes office

FBI Director Christopher Wray plans to resign at the end of the Biden administration, as President-elect Donald Trump takes office, Wray told bureau employees on Wednesday. “After weeks of careful thought, I’ve decided the right thing for the Bureau is for me to serve until the end of the current Administration in January and then […]

StephCast W 12-11-24

Bob Cesca: No Political Capital For Donald

As I write this, Pete Hegseth’s Mom is calling aroundtrying to convince U.S. senators to let him run the Pentagon. You know, like all alpha males. By the time you read this, it’s quite possible Hegseth will have withdrawn his nomination. Set aside his alleged sexual abuse, serial cheating… Read the rest of Bob Cesca’s […]

Pete Hegseth, Trump’s embattled Pentagon pick, appears to be gaining GOP support

President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks were back on Capitol Hill on Tuesday looking to shore up support among Republican senators, including Pete Hegseth, his embattled choice for defense secretary. Hegseth last week faced significant headwinds after new allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety and other disqualifying behavior were reported by the New Yorker. ABC News […]

Sen. Mitch McConnell says he’s ‘feeling good’ after falling and spraining his wrist

Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, is recovering from minor injuries after he fell following Senate Republicans’ weekly lunch Tuesday, his office said. “Leader McConnell tripped following lunch. He sustained a minor cut to the face and sprained his wrist. He has been cleared to resume his schedule,” a spokesperson said in a statement. […]

Bankruptcy judge rejects The Onion’s bid to buy Alex Jones’ Infowars

A bankruptcy judge on Tuesday rejected a bid by The Onion’s parent company to buy Alex Jones’ far-right media empire, including the website Infowars, ruling that the auction process was unfair.  U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez said after a two-day hearing that The Onion’s parent company, Global Tetrahedron, had not submitted the best bid and […]

UnitedHealthcare Shooting Suspect Has Outburst Before Hearing On Move To New York

The suspect charged with killing a health insurance executive had a brief on-camera outburst ahead of a hearing Tuesday. Luigi Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan. The 26-year-old appeared at the Blair County courthouse for a hearing on his extradition […]

StephCast T 12-10-24

What We Know About The Suspect In The UnitedHealthcare CEO Shooting

The man arrested as a person of interest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson appears to have left a digital footprint that showed scattered political beliefs and an embrace of extreme measures — including a comment about Ted Kaczynski, the domestic terrorist known as the “Unabomber.” Authorities have identified the arrested man as […]

Sen. Joni Ernst, Under MAGA Pressure, Signals Backing for Hegseth’s Pentagon Bid

Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, signaled on Monday that she would not oppose Pete Hegseth’s bid for defense secretary, hinting at a turnabout after days of hectoring and threats by President-elect Donald J. Trump’s hard-right supporters who threatened political retribution if she failed to fall into line. Only days after emerging from a private […]

Trump picks for FBI director, defense secretary and more face pointed questions on Capitol Hill

President-elect Donald Trump‘s picks for top jobs in his administration were making the rounds on Capitol Hill on Monday ahead of potential confirmation hearings next month. Some of the choices come with controversy and face pointed questions from Republican senators. Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth has had to deal with multiple allegations of misconduct and sexual […]

Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Luigi Mangione faces a second-degree murder charge in New York in connection with the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, according to an online court docket filed Monday. The 26-year-old was also charged with possession of a loaded firearm, possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of a weapon, according to the docket. The […]

Charlie Pierce: RFK Jr.’s Nomination is Growing More Worrisome

I continue to be fascinated by speculation of what Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. may do when he’s in charge of the country’s public health systems-if, by “fascinated”, you mean running down the middle of the street, screaming like Kevin McCarthy in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. And this story, from Forbes, prompted several city blocks […]

StephCast M 12-9-24

Lara Trump Steps Down As RNC Co-Chair, Considers Bid For Florida Senate Seat

Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House. Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is […]

Tulsi Gabbard Trolled by Critics After Assad’s Regime Collapses in Syria

Former U.S. Representative Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Donald Trump‘s pick for the director of national intelligence (DNI), was trolled by critics online after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad‘s regime collapsed Sunday. Gabbard, a Democratic 2020 presidential candidate turned Republican Trump ally, advocates for anti-interventionist foreign policy and has been criticized for her seemingly warm view of dictators. […]

Syrian rebels capture Damascus as President Assad flees the country

The Assad family’s decadeslong reign in Syria came to an abrupt end Sunday when rebel forces captured Damascus after a stunning lightning-strike rout across the country. Hassan Abdul-Ghani, senior commander of the militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), claimed victory for the rebel forces that stormed across Syria in a matter of days and entered […]

Trump will ‘most likely’ pardon Capitol rioters on day one and says Jan. 6 committee members should be jailed

President-elect Donald Trump said he is looking to pardon his supporters involved in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as soon as his first day in office, saying those incarcerated are “living in hell.”  Trump made the comments, his most sweeping since he won the election, in an exclusive interview with […]

The Rude Pundit: Note to Democrats… We Have to See You Fight, Even If It’s a Losing Cause

Since the (re)election of Donald Trump, it’s natural that Democrats would engage in some self-reflection. Of course, it’s not like Republicans did that after Trump lost in 2020 and then tried to overthrow the election. But, you know, if you’re a rational group of humans, you reassess after you lost and think about what you […]

SMHH VideoCast with Brian Tyler Cohen & Greg Proops – F 12-6-24

StephCast F 12-6-24

Secret Service chief and GOP lawmaker get into screaming match at hearing

The final hearing of the House task force that investigated the assassination attempts against Donald Trump devolved into an explosive moment Thursday as the acting U.S. Secret Service director engaged in a screaming match with a GOP congressman. During the hearing on Capitol Hill, Rep. Pat Fallon, of Texas, began his line of questioning by […]

‘Deny,’ ‘defend,’ ‘depose’ written on shell casings where UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed, official says

Shell casings found at the scene where the UnitedHealthcare CEO was shot dead by a masked gunman in front of a busy New York City hotel had “deny,” “defend” and “depose” written on them, a senior New York City law enforcement official briefed on the investigation confirmed to NBC News on Thursday. Brian Thompson, 50, […]

Biden considering blanket preemptive pardons for perceived enemies of Trump

President Biden is considering blanket preemptive pardons for prominent critics of President-elect Donald Trump in both parties to shield them from possible “retribution” or legal prosecution by the incoming administration. Multiple people familiar with the ongoing discussions tell CBS News the president has debated with senior White House aides the possibility of issuing the preemptive […]

Key GOP Sen. Joni Ernst says she’s not ready to support Hegseth for defense secretary

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst said Thursday she isn’t ready to support Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary. “Well, I did have a very long, lengthy discussion with Pete yesterday, and I do appreciate his service to the nation. I also am a combat veteran. So, we talked about a number of […]

StephCast Th 12-5-24

French government collapsed after no-confidence vote. What happens now?

A no-confidence vote in the French Parliament on Wednesday triggered the collapse of the government, plunging the country into political chaos and stoking anxiety about the euro zone’s second-biggest economy. Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s administration becomes the shortest-serving government in the modern French republic and the first in six decades to be toppled by a […]

Hegseth’s history with alcohol shadows Pentagon selection

By Pete Hegseth’s account, his heavy drinking began after a brush with death when an RPG ricocheted off his vehicle but didn’t explode while serving in Iraq with an Army infantry unit. When he returned home to a Manhattan apartment after the deployment ended in 2006, disconnected from the people he served with while his […]

Supreme Court skeptical of challenge to Tennessee ban on transgender youth treatments

The conservative-majority Supreme Court on Wednesday leaned toward upholding a Tennessee law that restricts gender transition treatments for minors in a significant case about transgender rights. It did not appear based on a lengthy oral argument that conservative justices believed the law constitutes a form of sex discrimination that would mean courts have to give […]

UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot outside NYC hotel in ‘premeditated, preplanned targeted attack’

The CEO of UnitedHealthcare was fatally shot in what police said appears to be a “premeditated, preplanned targeted attack” outside the New York Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning. Brian Thompson, 50, was on his way to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference when the gunman approached from behind and “fired several rounds,” […]

StephCast W 12-4-24

South Korean lawmakers seek president’s impeachment after 6-hour martial law declaration

Opposition lawmakers in South Korea moved to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday after he shocked the East Asian democracy by declaring martial law only to lift the order hours later under intense pressure. Six opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party that controls the parliament, submitted articles of impeachment against Yoon on Wednesday […]

Trump urges judge to toss hush money case, citing Hunter Biden pardon

Lawyers for President-elect Donald Trump urged the judge who presided over his conviction for falsifying business records to dismiss the indictment against him, citing the language President Joe Biden used when he announced he had pardoned his son. “Yesterday, in issuing a 10-year pardon to Hunter Biden that covers any and all crimes whether charged […]

Trump’s pick to lead the DEA withdraws from consideration

Chad Chronister, President-elect Donald Trump’s selection to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday that he would withdraw from consideration. Chronister, who is the sheriff in Hillsborough County, Florida, said he would turn down Trump’s planned nomination to be the next DEA administrator just three days after Trump announced it. He is the second of […]

Trump considers replacing Hegseth with DeSantis to run Pentagon, WSJ reports

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is considering dropping his nominee to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, and nominating Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in his place, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the discussions. Hegseth’s nomination has run into trouble on Capitol Hill over allegations about his personal and professional life and […]

Malcolm Nance: Five Steps To Resist The Coming Tyranny

As you know, I have been a practitioner of intelligence collection and secret activities for over thirty years. But I have also been an ardent student of the World War Two French resistance in Nazi-occupied France. The American people can learn lessons from how French society stood firm in the face of tyranny. Why France […]

StephCast T 12-3-24

Michael Tomasky: Why Does No One Understand the Real Reason Trump Won?

I’ve had a lot of conversations since Tuesday revolving around the question of why Donald Trump won. The economy and inflation. Kamala Harris didn’t do this or that. Sexism and racism. The border. That trans-inmate ad that ran a jillion times. And so on. These conversations have usually proceeded along lines where people ask incredulously […]

Biden surges arms to Ukraine, fearing Trump will halt U.S. aid

The Biden administration is engaged in an 11th-hour scramble to provide Ukraine with billions of dollars in additional weaponry, a massive effort that is generating concerns internally about its potential to erode U.S. stockpiles and sap resources from other flash points, officials said. The lame-duck initiative was spurred in part by Russia’s battlefield momentum and […]

How Biden Changed His Mind on Pardoning Hunter: ‘Time to End All of This’

A dark sky had fallen over Nantucket, Mass., on Saturday evening when President Biden left church alongside his family after his final Thanksgiving as president. Inside a borrowed vacation compound earlier in the week, with its views of the Nantucket Harbor, Mr. Biden had met with his wife, Jill Biden, and his son Hunter Biden […]

Kash Patel Has Plan to Remake the F.B.I. Into a Tool of Trump

“Fire the top ranks of the F.B.I.” Encourage Congress to demand testimony exposing “every single bit of filth and corruption” at the agency, and withhold its funding “until the documents come in.” Prosecute leakers and journalists. Replace the national security work force with “people who won’t undermine the president’s agenda.” These are among a long […]

Hegseth Faces Allegations Of Boozing, Partying And Mismanagement Helming Veterans Groups

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host who’s President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to oversee the Pentagon, was forced out of top roles at two veterans groups, according to a new bombshell report from The New Yorker. Hegseth was forced to resign his roles at both Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America due to […]

Charlie Pierce: Pete Hegseth’s Mom Ratting Him Out Was Not Yet (!) Rock Bottom for the TV Host

National treasure Jane Mayer has the grotesque skinny on Pete Hegseth, to whom the incoming administration is planning to hand the most powerful military in the history of the world. You might have figured we touched bottom on this guy’s nomination when his mom gave him up. But you would be wrong. From TheNew Yorker: […]

StephCast M 12-2-24

Trump calls Biden pardoning son Hunter a ‘miscarriage of justice’

President-elect Donald Trump has reacted to President Joe Biden issuing a pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, from a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions. Trump called the president’s decision a “miscarriage of justice” while pointing to those imprisoned for the Jan. 6 riots on the Capitol in his post to […]

Arctic blast continues to hammer Northern U.S., disrupting post-Thanksgiving travel

An Arctic blast brought snow, frost and dangerously cold winds to the northern Plains, the Midwest and the Great Lakes, creating “very difficult to impossible” travel conditions on one of the busiest days of the year, as millions of people head home from their Thanksgiving destinations. About 9 million people are under winter alerts across […]

Trump taps loyalist Kash Patel as choice for FBI director

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he would pick Kashyap “Kash” Patel, a 44-year-old loyalist with little management experience in federal law enforcement, to serve as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and ‘America First’ fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American […]

President Biden pardons his son Hunter Biden

Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter Sunday night, a reversal for the president, who repeatedly said he would not use his executive authority to pardon his son or commute his sentence. “I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it […]

The Rude Pundit: A Thanksgiving Poem from Indigenous America

“after Sacred Water” by Kinsale Drake, a Dine’ and a member of the Navajo nation I. we inherit: every gathering pool a blessing formed by careful hands each monsoon a heartbeat turquoise vein the sound of underwater brimmed with mosses here laps the quiet tide of love   Read the rest of the poem at The […]

StephCast W 11-27-24

Trump names COVID lockdown critic Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as pick for NIH director

President-elect Donald Trump is nominating a critic of COVID-19 lockdown policies to serve as the head of the National Institutes of Health. In a statement, Trump said he has picked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to serve as NIH director to work in cooperation with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — whom Trump named as his pick for […]

Trump transition signs White House agreement after delay

After a lengthy delay, President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has signed a memorandum of understanding with the White House, allowing the next administration to coordinate with federal agencies. Trump’s incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said in a statement the memo’s signing allows for “critical preparations” to begin. “After completing the selection process […]

Biden announced Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire begins, halting war in Lebanon

A U.S.-backed cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday, halting the deadliest war in Lebanon in decades. Fighting continued up to the 11th hour, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that Israel would strike again if the Lebanese militant group violated the deal. Both sides warned […]

‘I Can’t Pay My Bills’: Rudy Giuliani Rants At Judge Over $148 Million Defamation Judgment

Rudy Giuliani interrupted a routine court hearing Tuesday with a bizarre rant about his dire financial straits as the former New York City mayor faces the ramifications of defaming two Georgia election workers. Giuliani blurted out “I don’t have a credit card” and “I can’t pay my bills” when questioned about why he had not […]

StephCast T 11-26-24

Biden pardons the last turkeys of his presidency

President Joe Biden might be a lame-duck president, but he spent Monday sparing the lives of two birds. Carrying out an annual White House tradition for his last time, Biden pardoned two lucky turkeys: Peach and Blossom, who hail from Minnesota and are roughly 17 weeks old, according to a National Turkey Federation press conference […]

Trump Plans Tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China That Could Cripple Trade

President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Monday that he would impose tariffs on all products coming into the United States from Canada, Mexico and China on his first day in office, a move that would scramble global supply chains and impose heavy costs on companies that rely on doing business with some of the world’s […]

Top Trump Aide Boris Epshteyn Accused of Asking for Money to ‘Promote’ Potential Appointees

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s legal team found evidence that a top adviser asked for retainer fees from potential appointees in order to promote them for jobs in the new administration, five people briefed on the matter said on Monday. Mr. Trump directed his team to carry out the review of the adviser, Boris Epshteyn, who […]

Jack Smith Seeks Dismissal of Two Federal Cases Against Trump

The special counsel Jack Smith asked two courts on Monday to effectively shut down the federal criminal cases he brought against President-elect Donald J. Trump last year, bowing to a Justice Department policy that says it is unconstitutional to pursue prosecutions against sitting presidents. The twin requests by Mr. Smith — made to judges in […]

Charlie Pierce: Now the Extreme Right Is Coming After the New Deal

In case you were wondering, they’re coming after the New Deal next. Last Friday, Robert Taft, leaving a trail of sod from his political grave, walked grimly toward Capitol Hill again. From The Washington Post: “The Supreme Court announced Friday it will hear a pair of cases that will examine how far Congress can go […]

StephCast M 11-25-24

Sen. Duckworth says Trump defense secretary pick is “flat-out wrong” about women in combat roles

Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Sunday that Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary is “flat-out wrong” in his view that women should not serve in the military in combat roles.  “Our military could not go to war without the women who wear this uniform,” Duckworth said on “Face the Nation with Margaret […]

Since the election, some disappointed in the results are tuning out the news

Andrew DelPonte, a teenager in Maryland, started his days listening to NPR. Brandon Wilson, a professor in California, drove his long commute home blaring MSNBC on SiriusXM. And Michelle Mullins, who works on corporate food loss and waste in Arkansas, fell asleep most nights watching CNN’s Anderson Cooper. That is, until Nov. 6. Since the […]

Adam Schiff Stays Steadfast In Face Of Trump’s Tyranny Talk

Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) isn’t going to let President-elect Donald Trump discourage him from doing his job in Congress. During a Sunday appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Schiff appeared unwavering when asked if he was worried about being targeted by Trump and his vows to retaliate against his political opponents. After host Kristen Welker […]

Trump Is Running His Transition Team on Secret Money

President-elect Donald J. Trump is keeping secret the names of the donors who are funding his transition effort, a break from tradition that could make it impossible to see what interest groups, businesses or wealthy people are helping launch his second term. Mr. Trump has so far declined to sign an agreement with the Biden […]

The Rude Pundit: Democrats Must Stand Up for the Rights of Transgender People, Including Trans Youths

It wasn’t that long ago, less than ten years, in fact, where, in a confirmation hearing for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was a prick even before his mouth became Donald Trump’s penis koozie, wailed and gnashed about the growing passage of laws in the states allowing same-sex couples to marry, […]

SMHH Videocast with Randi Weingarten & Rena Shah – 11-22-24

StephCast F 11-22-24

Pete Hegseth Falsely Claims He Was ‘Completely Cleared’ On Sex Assault Allegation

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to oversee the entire U.S. military, former Fox Newspersonality Pete Hegseth, was confronted Thursday by a reporter who asked point-blank whether he raped a woman in 2017, as described in a police report. “As far as the media is concerned, it’s very simple,” said Hegseth, who was on Capitol Hill to […]

Trump’s Team Threatening GOP Senators With Elon Musk-Funded Primaries If They Vote Against Cabinet Picks, Reports ABC

ABC News’s Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang reported on Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump’s team has been threatening Republican Senators with Elon Musk-funded primaries if they vote against his cabinet nominees. “Well, Trump has been working the phones. He’s been upping the pressure on Senate Republicans, even calling some of them directly. This is […]

Could Matt Gaetz decide to keep his House seat? It’s complicated.

Ever since Matt Gaetz resigned from the House — and subsequently withdrew his name from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general — questions have swirled about his political fate. While Gaetz resigned last week from the current Congress, he was re-elected this month to represent his Florida district when the next […]

Trump names longtime ally Pam Bondi as his new attorney general pick after Matt Gaetz withdraws

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named longtime ally Pam Bondi as his new choice for attorney general, capping a tumultuous week for previous pick Matt Gaetz. Bondi’s elevation came just hours after Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration following increased scrutiny over allegations of sexual misconduct. If confirmed, Bondi would lead the Justice Department and […]

StephCast Th 11-21-24

4 Trump administration picks have sexual misconduct allegations in their past

Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Elon Musk are all in line to serve as top government leaders. All have faced varying degrees of sexual misconduct allegations.  The president’s picks to carry out his agenda reflect an incoming administration hostile to the norms of the “Me Too” movement. Behavior that might have gotten […]

Leaders at Walmart And Lowe’s Warn That Trump’s Tariffs May Cause Price Hikes

The vast tariffs President-elect Donald Trump has promised to implement will likely lead to price increases at major American retailers like Walmart and Lowe’s, the companies’ chief financial officers said this week. Walmart CFO John David Rainey told CNBC it is not yet clear which items would be affected. “We never want to raise prices,” […]

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he supports banning transgender women from using women’s bathrooms

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday he supports restricting “single-sex facilities” in the Capitol, including restrooms, to “individuals of that biological sex”— which would effectively ban the first transgender congresswoman from using women’s bathrooms in the next Congress. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., introduced a resolution this week that would ban transgender women from using women’s bathrooms […]

Democrats try to force a full House vote to release Matt Gaetz report as House Ethics panel has ‘no agreement’

Members of the House Ethics Committee met behind closed doors Wednesday but did not reach an agreement on whether to publicly release a report detailing their sweeping investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general. Several Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have said they want to review the House […]

StephCast W 11-20-24

Dean Obeidallah: Donald Trump, Matt Gaetz are Pete Hegseth are the worst versions of men

Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth are the worst version of men. But then again so is adjudicated rapist Donald Trump—which explains why he picked these two despicable, unqualified white men to be his Attorney General and Secretary of Defense. The red flags about Gaetz and Hegseth ranging from sexual misconduct to bigotry would deem them […]

Republicans Are Mad That Democrats Are Confirming Lots Of Biden’s Judges

Senate Republicans are acting pretty mad that Democrats are using the lame duck to confirm lots of President Joe Biden’s judges. “I’m a bit frustrated,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told reporters Tuesday. “After last night’s voting extravaganza, I wonder what we are doing.” Capito was referring to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) scheduling […]

What to know about Dr. Oz as Trump picks him to lead Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that heart surgeon-turned-TV-host Dr. Mehmet Oz would lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). “America is facing a Healthcare Crisis, and there may be no Physician more qualified and capable than Dr. Oz to Make America Healthy Again,” Trump said in a statement. “He is an eminent Physician, […]

Tracking Trump’s picks to serve in his Cabinet, administration

President-elect Donald Trump, ahead of his return to power in January, is announcing who he wants to fill Cabinet positions and other key roles inside his administration, including names like Marco Rubio, Tulsi Gabbard and Matt Gaetz. Trump began to roll out his nominees and appointees just days after his election victory over Vice President […]

Gaetz sent over $10K in Venmo payments to 2 women who testified in House probe, records suggest

The House Ethics Committee obtained records, including a check and records of Venmo payments, that appear to show that then-Rep. Matt Gaetz paid more than $10,000 to two women who were later witnesses in sexual misconduct probes conducted by both the House and the Justice Department, according to documents obtained by ABC News. The Venmo […]

StephCast T 11-19-24

Trump Praises ‘Extremely Cordial’ Meeting With MSNBC’s Joe and Mika: Congratulated Me On a ‘Great and Flawless Campaign’

President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Fox News Digital on Monday about his recent meeting with MSNBC morning show hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, praising the discussion as ‘“very cordial” and something that should have happened “long ago.” “I received a call from Joe Scarborough requesting a meeting for him and Mika, and I agreed […]

House Ethics Committee to meet Wednesday amid growing pressure to release Gaetz report

The House Ethics Committee is set to meet Wednesday as it faces increasing pressure to release a potentially damaging report detailing its investigation into allegations former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, two sources told CBS News.  The movements of the Ethics panel have been under heightened scrutiny since […]

Trump picks a second Fox host to join his Cabinet, with Sean Duffy for Transportation

President-elect Donald Trump on Monday named former congressman and Fox Business host Sean Duffy as his pick for transportation secretary in the next administration. Duffy is the second Fox host Trump has tapped for a Cabinet post after he said last week that he would nominate Fox News personality Pete Hegseth to lead the Defense […]

Gaetz allegedly flew 2 women to New York, paid them for sex: Attorney

Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, allegedly paid for two women in 2019 to travel to New York to have sex, watch his appearance on Fox News, and attend the Broadway show “Pretty Woman,” an attorney for the women told ABC News. In an interview with ABC News’ Juju Chang, Florida […]

Charlie Pierce: The Democrats Need to Stop Giving Such a Damn

It is a very, very bad day when I have to wonder about Sherrod Brown, whose loss two weeks ago is incalculable. But he gave an interview to Tiger Beat on the Potomac and, well, his analysis was acute and —thank you, Jesus—he avoided TBOTP’s Eugene Daniels’s attempts to blame the Democratic party’s commitment to […]

StephCast M 11-18-24

J. Ann Selzer Is Ending Her Election Polling Career Following Iowa Fail

J. Ann Selzer, who wrongly predicted Iowa would turn blue and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in this year’s election, is ending her polling career to take on new opportunities. “Would I have liked to make this announcement after a final poll aligned with Election Day results? Of course,” Selzer wrote Sunday in a […]

GOP Senator Says Chamber Should ‘Absolutely’ Have Access To Matt Gaetz Ethics Report

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin (Okla.) said Sunday the Senate should “absolutely” have access to the findings from a House Ethics Committee investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz. “I believe the Senate should have access to that,” Mullin told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “Now should it be released to the public or not? I […]

Biden authorizes Ukraine to strike Russia with U.S.-supplied long-range missiles

President Joe Biden has authorized Ukraine to use U.S.-provided long-range weapons inside Russia for limited strikes, according to two U.S. officials. Longtime restrictions are being eased as North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to the Kursk region of Russia to support Russian troops fighting Ukrainian forces. The new authority applies to Army Tactical Missile […]

Trump defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth denies sexual assault allegation, acknowledges payment to accuser

Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth’s attorney on Sunday confirmed to NBC News that Hegseth, whom President-elect Donald Trump has named as his candidate for defense secretary, paid a woman an undisclosed amount after she accused him of sexual assault. “In 2023, Hegseth paid the complainant as part of a civil confidential settlement agreement and […]

The Rude Pundit: Biden Will Be Remembered More for What He Didn’t Do Than What He Did

Other than the election and everything related to it, one thing stuck in my craw this past week, and it stuck there hard, so much so that I can’t cough it up. At her daily briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if President Joe Biden would pardon his son Hunter, who is […]

StephCast F 11-15-24

SMHH VideoCast with Heather Cox Richardson & JoJo From Jerz – F 11-17-24

The Onion buys InfoWars in bankruptcy auction

The satirical website The Onion purchased InfoWars on Thursday, a capstone on years of litigation and bankruptcy proceedings following InfoWars founder Alex Jones’ defamation of families associated with the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. Those families backed The Onion’s bid to purchase InfoWars’ intellectual property, including its website, customer lists and inventory, certain social media […]

Elon Musk’s new ‘department’ seeks ‘super high-IQ’ staff for unpaid jobs

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new commission to slash government spending began soliciting applications for staff jobs Thursday, saying it wants to hire “revolutionaries” who score highly on IQ tests. “We need super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries willing to work 80+ hours per week on unglamorous cost-cutting,” the so-called Department of Government Efficiency said on X.  […]

Senators want details of Matt Gaetz ethics probe before his confirmation vote for attorney general

Republican senators are preparing for a robust vetting of Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department, with a keen interest in details from a House Ethics Committee investigation into the former congressman from Florida. The ethics panel has been investigating Gaetz off and on since 2021, most recently focusing on alleged […]

Trump picks RFK Jr., anti-vaccine activist, for health and human services secretary

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist who dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Trump, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Trump made the announcement on his social media platform, Truth Social. “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States […]

StephCast Th 11-14-24

Malcolm Nance: My Family Died For The Republic We Have Just Lost

William Henry Nance, was an African-American man aged 37. He was sweating profusely in a US Army Hospital bed in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. At that time, the fort was one of the last major government outposts protecting what would be known as Indian country. Wagon trains and lone riders were heading west to populate land […]

Trump thanks Biden for ‘smooth transition’ in White House meeting

President-elect Donald Trump returned to Washington on Wednesday — entering the White House for the first time since he was voted out of office — to meet with President Joe Biden for a ceremony meant to signal the peaceful transfer of power. The two men appeared briefly for photos, with Biden speaking first and calling […]

Republicans win the House, NBC News projects, as Trump’s party takes full control of Washington

Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives by the thinnest of margins, NBC News projected Wednesday, handing President-elect Donald Trump and his party all the levers of power in Washington. A Republican-controlled Congress will allow Trump to quickly fill out his Cabinet and other top administration roles and advance his agenda for at […]

Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for top intel job, has been accused of ‘traitorous’ parroting of Russian propaganda

President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, former Democratic lawmaker Tulsi Gabbard, has been accused of amplifying Russian propaganda and would come to the job having never worked in the intelligence world or served on a congressional intelligence committee. Gabbard, who served in the Hawaii Army National Guard and was deployed to Iraq […]

Trump announces Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general

President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., to be the 87th attorney general of the United States in a move that could fill the nation’s top law enforcement position with an ardent supporter who was once criminally investigated by the department he would oversee. No charges were filed in […]

StephCast W 11-13-24

Mike Johnson Pleased To Report Election Not Tainted By Fraud This Time

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that the widespread voter fraud he’d warned about all year turned out not to be a problem in last week’s elections that Republicans happened to win. “I’m happy to report to you that because of all the emphasis we placed on that, and because of all the attention […]

Trump says he will nominate Kristi Noem for homeland security secretary

President-elect Donald Trump plans to nominate South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem to be the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, four sources familiar with the decision confirmed Tuesday morning. “Kristi has been very strong on Border Security,” Trump said in a statement announcing he will make the nomination. “I  have known Kristi for […]

Trump picks Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday named Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host and military veteran, as his pick for defense secretary. In a statement, Trump described Hegseth as “tough, smart and a true believer in America First.” “With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will […]

Trump says Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’

President-elect Donald Trump named tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday to head up a new Department of Government Efficiency, fulfilling a campaign pledge to give Musk sweeping oversight of government spending. Trump said in a statement on to social media that the department will help “dismantle Government Bureaucracy” and slash […]

StephCast Tu 11-12-24

StephCast M 11-11-24

StephCast F 11-8-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Malcolm Nance & Glenn Kirschner – F 11-8-24

StephCast Th 11-7-24

StephCast W 11-6-24

StephCast T 11-5-24

StephCast M 11-4-24

StephCast F 11-1-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Jen Kirkman & Ernie Hudson – 11-1-24

Trump Transition Co-Chair Floats Plan To ‘Yank’ Vaccines ‘Off The Market’

The co-chair of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s transition team promoted the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism in a CNN interview Wednesday. He also said Trump ally Robert F. Kennedy Jr., hopes to get “data” through a Trump administration to have vaccines pulled “off the market.” Howard Lutnick, the billionaire CEO of investment bank […]

Harris rebukes Trump for saying he will protect women whether they ‘like it or not’

Vice President Kamala Harris chastised Donald Trump on Thursday after the former president said he would protect women whether they “like it or not,” calling the comments “very offensive” and reflective of an individual who doesn’t understand women. Harris told reporters that the remarks revealed how Trump sees women and showed a disregard for their […]

Polls show Harris with big early-vote lead — despite GOP gains

The 2024 election has set records for pre-Election Day votes. And Republicans are increasingly excited about numbers that show their side has embraced early voting much more than they did in 2020. Elon Musk has gone so far as to predict that these numbers spell victory for Donald Trump. But there are plenty of reasons […]

Trump and Vance Escalate Efforts to Sow Doubts on Pennsylvania Voting

Former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, escalated their false attacks about the security of the Pennsylvania elections on Thursday, ramping up baseless accusations about voter fraud that could erode confidence of the results in one of the most critical battleground states. On Thursday Mr. Trump posted on […]

StephCast Th 10-31-24

Trump Nearly Face-Plants On A Garbage Truck During A Trashy Photo-Op

Donald Trump’s photo-op with a garbage truck on Wednesday almost got off to a disastrous start as the former president appeared to miss the door handle and almost slipped on the wet ground. Trump also briefly grabbed his right thigh, then ultimately made it into the truck with some visible effort. Trump later in the […]

More than 55 million people have voted early in run-up to Election Day

More than 55 million people have cast their ballots either in person or by mail during early voting, according to recent figures, weighing in on the presidential contest and down-ballot races ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5. Data compiled by the University of Florida Election Lab shows that more than 29 million early votes […]

Los Angeles Dodgers defeat New York Yankees in five games to win World Series

The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees 7-6 in Game 5 on Wednesday to win the World Series four games to one. The Dodgers were trailing 5-0 before they scored five runs in the fifth inning — all of which came in the wake of three fielding miscues by the Yankees. New York […]

Supreme Court allows Virginia to purge voter rolls ahead of the election

The Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed Republican officials in Virginia to revive a plan aimed at removing noncitizen voters from the rolls ahead of next week’s election. The justices blocked a federal judge’s ruling that put the program on hold and required the state to restore 1,600 voters to the rolls. The brief order noted […]

StephCast W 10-30-24

Malcolm Nance: Kneel. Pray. Win. We Have Orders from General George Washington.

The morning before I left on a weeklong bus tour of the southern states for National Security Leaders for America (NSL4A), I visited my late wife at Washington Crossing National Cemetery. Even though I go quite regularly, there was something special about this trip. I would share a bus from Florida, Georgia, to North Carolina […]

Nikki Haley pans Trump world for ‘bromance and masculinity stuff’

Former presidential candidate and onetime U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley criticized Trump world on Tuesday for being “overly masculine with this bromance thing” after former President Donald Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The event in New York City drew a massive crowd and featured speakers who were divisive, dark and, at times, offensive.  […]

Steve Bannon released from prison after serving contempt of Congress sentence

The last time Steve Bannon was a free man, Joe Biden was the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. Early Tuesday, Bannon, the right-wing podcast host and former Donald Trump campaign official, was released from federal Bureau of Prisons custody, with exactly one week to go until voters choose between his former boss and Vice President […]

Trump rallies in majority-Latino Pennsylvania city after supporters’ crude and racist remarks

Former President Donald Trump worked Tuesday to tamp down anger over a comedian’s insulting jokes about Latinos and Puerto Rico at his rally at Madison Square Garden, campaigning in a majority-Latino city as the uproar threatens to erode gains he has made with Latino voters. Trump made no mention of the comedian’s remarks in New […]

Kamala Harris pairs anti-Trump attack with economic pitch at packed DC rally

Kamala Harris called on Americans to “turn the page” on the Donald Trump era at a rally Tuesday, rallying thousands of voters at the site where the former president addressed the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. On a chilly fall evening one week before Election Day, the Democratic nominee criticized her Republican […]

StephCast T 10-29-24

Ballot drop box fires in Oregon and Washington are likely connected, officials say

Ballot drop boxes in Portland, Oregon, and neighboring Vancouver, Washington, were set on fire Monday morning in what authorities believe are connected incidents about a week out from Election Day. An identical Volvo was spotted at both scenes, and the use of an “incendiary device” in Portland was “similar in nature” to what occurred in […]

CNN bans conservative guest for telling Muslim journalist ‘I hope your beeper doesn’t go off’

CNN has banned a conservative commentator from appearing on the network again after he told a Muslim journalist “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” an apparent reference to the spate of exploding pagers in Lebanon that killed members of the Hezbollah militant group last month. Ryan Girdusky made the comment during a heated debate […]

Kamala Harris to hold campaign rally in Washington DC tonight

Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to deliver a speech in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, one week before Election Day. Harris’ rally comes as the election hangs on a knife’s edge, with polls in various swing states showing a statistical tie between the Democrat and Republican former President Donald Trump. Trump on Tuesday morning is […]

Vance says ‘we have to stop getting so offended’ when asked about racist jokes at Trump rally

Sen. JD Vance said Monday that while he hadn’t heard the racist jokes made by a comedian at his running mate’s New York City rally the previous night, he thinks Americans need to “stop getting so offended.” “I’m just — I’m so over it,” Vance said after an NBC News reporter asked about the inflammatory remarks […]

Charlie Pierce: Trump’s Madison Square Garden Rally Was a Pageant of Lowbrow Fascism, and It Wasn’t Even Funny

And at the end of the day, all that was proven was that these people can’t even be fascists with any kind of dignity. In February 1939, with World War II having already begun at the Marco Polo Bridge two years earlier (although nobody knew it at the time) and seven months before the Wehrmacht […]

StephCast M 10-28-24

The Rude Pundit: We Need to Be Done With Donald Trump

One of the most stunning things about the last near-decade now is how much the country has been contorted by one man. We’re in this fucked beyond fucked moment, teetering on the brink of totally and irrevocably fucked, because of Donald Trump. Yes, it’s also everyone who voted for him, everyone who elevated him, everyone […]

Far-Right Figures Escalate Talk of Retribution and Election Subversion

In the weeks after the 2020 election, retired Gen. Michael T. Flynn, Donald J. Trump’s former national security adviser, was a key figure in efforts to subvert the election outcome. In recent interviews and speeches, he and an associate are warning that this year’s election will be stolen from Mr. Trump, advising supporters to take […]

In the heart of Philadelphia, Harris argues Trump is about ‘retribution and revenge’

Vice President Kamala Harris, campaigning in Philadelphia on Sunday, described a stark choice voters face in the presidential election, inviting them to visualize either her in the Oval Office or her opponent, Donald Trump, “stewing over his enemies list.” Speaking to reporters after an appearance at a Black church in West Philadelphia, Harris reiterated an […]

Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally overshadowed by his allies’ crude and racist remarks

Former President Donald Trump delivered his standard lines on topics from immigration to the economy Sunday at a packed rally at Madison Square Garden, an event that was designed to be the start of his closing argument nine days out from Election Day at a venue off the battleground map that he has wanted to […]

Harris regains slight lead nationally yet Electoral College holds the cards: POLL

Vice President Kamala Harris has regained a slight lead among likely voters nationally in the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll, albeit with the race close enough to leave the outcome of the 2024 presidential election to the uncertainties of the Electoral College.   Turnout is key. Just 2 percentage points divide Harris and Donald Trump among […]

StephCast F 10-25-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Brooklyn Dad Defiant & Tristan Snell – F 10-25-24

Elon Musk ‘Has Been in Regular Contact’ with Putin Since 2022, WSJ Reports

Billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk has had “regular contact” with Russian President Vladimir Putin since 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night. According to the newspaper, Musk has regularly communicated with Putin, who asked him not to activate his Starlink internet in Taiwan as a “favor” to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Journal reported: […]

‘Y.M.C.A.’ vs. The Boss: Kamala Harris Answers Trump With A Rocking Rally Of Her Own

A DJ spun banger after banger. President Barack Obama warmed up the crowd. Rock legend Bruce Springsteen sang and played guitar. And Kamala Harris played lead vocals at a packed college football field in the Atlanta suburbs on Thursday, firing up thousands of people into a joyous frenzy just days before the November presidential election […]

Trump denies ever saying he wanted generals like Hitler’s or that the Nazi leader ‘did some good things’

Former President Donald Trump on Thursday denied ever having said positive things about Hitler during his time in office, including that he needed “the kind of generals that Hitler had.” “I never said that,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question about an article this week in The Atlantic. “I would never say that,” […]

Trump says the U.S. is ‘like a garbage can for the world’ as he dials up immigration rhetoric

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday the U.S. is “like a garbage can” for the rest of the world because of its border policies during an immigration-focused rally in Tempe, Arizona, less than two weeks out from Election Day. “They unleashed an army of migrant gangs waging a campaign of violence,” said Trump, who regularly […]

StephCast Th 10-24-24

Man arrested in Arizona DNC office shootings: Police

A suspect has been arrested in connection to three separate shooting attacks on a Democratic National Committee office in Arizona, according to the Tempe Police Department. Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, faces multiple charges that include unlawful discharge, shooting at a non-residential structure, terrorism and criminal damage. Kelly is also accused of “hanging suspicious bags of […]

Former Model Says Trump Groped Her During Encounter Facilitated By Epstein: Report

Less than two weeks before the presidential election, a former model has gone public with accusations that Donald Trump groped her in a 1993 encounter facilitated by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Stacey Williams, now 56, shared the incident with the Guardian on Wednesday, saying she felt Trump’s actions were part of a “twisted […]

Justice Department warns Musk’s PAC that $1M voter giveaway could be illegal

The Justice Department has sent a letter to tech billionaire Elon Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, warning that its $1 million daily giveaway in battleground states may run afoul of federal law, a source familiar with the matter said.  The letter, which was reported earlier by CNN, came from the department’s Public Integrity Section, the […]

Kamala Harris calls Trump a ‘fascist’ as she argues he’s ‘dangerous’ and unfit for office

Vice President Kamala Harris called former President Donald Trump a “fascist” at a CNN town hall Wednesday in Pennsylvania — echoing his onetime chief of staff’s criticism as she makes a more vocal pitch to voters that he is unfit for office. John Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general who was Trump’s longest-serving White House […]

StephCast W 10-23-24

Bob Cesca: Yes, Joe Biden Really Did Prevent World War III

Caught in the constant undertow of the Donald Trump tsunami, it’s easy to lose touch with qualities we ought to prioritize in our political leadership. It’s understandable given decades of misguided hack punditry and horserace election coverage that too often misleads us into believing that whoever had the most recent zinger… Read the rest of […]

Kamala Harris Says She’s Ready If Trump Goes Back To 2020 Ploys

Vice President Kamala Harris said her team is prepared to counter former President Donald Trump if he prematurely declares victory in the 2024 election. Harris spoke with NBC News’ Hallie Jackson on Tuesday, with just two weeks to go until voters head to the polls. Harris has been on a nonstop tour of swing states […]

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries arrested on sex trafficking charges

Mike Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, has been arrested on sex trafficking and interstate prostitution charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday. Jeffries was arrested in West Palm Beach, Florida. Two associates, Matthew Smith of West Palm Beach and James Jacobson of Wisconsin, were also arrested in connection with sex trafficking charges. Jeffries and Smith […]

Biden says ‘Lock him up — politically lock him up’ in remarks about Trump

President Joe Biden on Tuesday echoed language former President Donald Trump has used in the past, saying of the former president that “we gotta lock him up.” Speaking at a campaign event in New Hampshire, Biden said Trump’s policies are so “bizarre” and dangerous that if he’d warned about them five years ago “you’d lock […]

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly says Trump meets the definition of a ‘fascist’

John Kelly, who was White House chief of staff during the Trump administration, said in a series of recent interviews that former President Donald Trump meets the definition of a fascist. The remark, published Tuesday, was made in one of Kelly’s interviews with The New York Times. Audio of his comments was made available online. […]

StephCast T 10-22-24

Kamala Harris’ Record Campaign Money Haul Laps Donald Trump In Final Weeks

Vice President Kamala Harris has lapped former President Donald Trump in fundraising after pulling in a record $1.6 billion across various campaign committees compared to $700 million for Trump. In total, Harris has raised $928 million for her official campaign, $364 million for the Democratic National Committee and another $307 million for a joint fundraising […]

Fox News Decision Desk Chief Predicts When We’ll Know The 2024 Election Winner

Arnon Mishkin, who runs the Fox News Decision Desk, said he thinks the winner of the 2024 presidential election won’t be known for at least several days after the final ballots are cast on Nov. 5. “It is dependent on a number of states, like Pennsylvania, that we believe are going to be reporting in […]

Tim Walz says Trump is ‘spiraling down,’ pitches Harris’ message of change

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, appearing on ABC’s “The View” on Monday, gave a more definitive answer to a question his running mate Vice President Kamala Harris did not have an answer to at first: What policy would he have handled differently from President Joe Biden over the past four years. Maybe better prepared as a […]

Harris holding moderated conversations with Liz Cheney in 3 battleground states

Vice President Kamala Harris is doing a series of moderated conversations with former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney in suburban cities in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin on Monday — the day before in-person voting begins in Wisconsin. With roughly two weeks until Election Day, the effort is part of the Harris […]

Charlie Pierce: Trump Looked Like an Adorable Lil’ Cutie Pie at His McDonald’s Campaign Visit

Golf is a game of long shafts and balls, and what say we leave it there, okay? Also, El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago looks adorable in a full-body apron. Semi-seriously, I’m not sure why everybody is making a big deal about this McDonald’s stunt. It was fake? Color me not astonished. It’s an example of what […]

StephCast M 10-21-24

U.S. investigating apparent leak of ‘top secret’ U.S. documents about Israel

U.S. officials are investigating the apparent leak of two top-secret U.S. documents that show American spy agencies tracking possible Israeli preparations for conducting an attack on Iran, three U.S. officials said. The region has been on edge awaiting Israel’s response to an Iranian missile barrage launched on Oct. 1, which Iran said was in response […]

Trump attempts to troll Harris by serving french fries at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s

Former President Donald Trump served up french fries Sunday at a Philadelphia-area McDonald’s, oversalting spuds and peppering in some jabs at Vice President Kamala Harris. The franchise in Feasterville was closed for normal business during Sunday’s photo op. The customers who went through the drive thru were pre-selected by the franchise and the local Trump […]

Harris Rallies Georgia’s Black Churchgoers With Help Of Stevie Wonder

Kamala Harris on Sunday summoned Black churchgoers to turn out at the polls and got a big assist from music legend Stevie Wonder, who rallied congregants with a rendition of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Harris visited two Atlanta area churches as part of a nationwide push known as “souls to the polls.” It’s a mobilization […]

Trump makes vulgar comments about Arnold Palmer at Pennsylvania rally

Former President Donald Trump delivered unusual and vulgar remarks Saturday about the late golf legend Arnold Palmer while campaigning in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, as the campaign enters the final stretch to Election Day.  The former president spoke for more than 10 minutes about Palmer, who was born in Latrobe, at a rally at the local airport named […]

The Rude Pundit: It Really Matters That We Don’t Know a Great Deal About Donald Trump

The louche punditocracy of the corporate media made a huge deal about “what we know” when President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and was replaced with Vice President Kamala Harris. Story after story was all about how voters didn’t “know” Harris and how that would impact her election chances. And it […]

StephCast F 10-18-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Noel Casler & Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) – 10-18-24

Battle of the billionaires: Harris deploys Mark Cuban as Elon Musk stumps for Trump

As Elon Musk steps up his work on behalf of former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris is calling in her own billionaire, Mark Cuban, to reprise the role he played for Hillary Clinton in 2016 by holding a series of high-profile appearances alongside her and her husband this week. Cuban appeared with Harris […]

Jan. 6 rioter who attacked multiple officers sentenced to 17 months in prison

A Texas woman who pleaded guilty to assaulting police during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to 17 months in prison on Thursday. Dana Jean Bell’s sentencing is just one among scores of other defendants set to face accountability for their roles in the attack on the U.S. Capitol in the […]

Harris jabs at Trump with help from Molly Shannon in Al Smith dinner video

Vice President Harris on Thursday swiped at former President Trump with jokes about his election denialism and his criticism of Detroit during a pre-recorded video address to the Al Smith charity dinner in New York City. Harris did not attend the dinner in person as she campaigned in Wisconsin. Instead, she addressed the event via […]

Biden, Harris say Yahya Sinwar’s death offers chance to end Israel-Hamas war in Gaza

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris described Thursday as a good day for the world after the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar, considered the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel that prompted war in Gaza and wider regional conflict, was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza […]

StephCast Th 10-17-24

‘Visibly Showing Disgust’: Trump Town Hall Audience Wasn’t Buying His ‘Stream Of Lies’

Donald Trump faced a rare non-MAGA audience on Wednesday during a Univision town hall event featuring undecided Latino voters. And it didn’t go well for the ex-president. One former Republican offered Trump the “opportunity” to win back his vote ― then confronted Trump directly over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection, his botched response […]

Liam Payne, member of One Direction, dies after falling at hotel in Argentina, officials say

Liam Payne, a member of the British pop band One Direction, died Wednesday at age 31 after he fell from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina, local authorities said. Sistema de Atencion Medica de Emergencia, the emergency health service, said in a statement to Telemundo, NBC News’ Spanish-language sister network, that Payne fell […]

Harris slams Trump for claiming to be ‘the father of IVF’

Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday slammed former President Donald Trump’s recent comments about in vitro fertilization, pointing to his administration’s impact on abortion restrictions across the country. Harris told reporters that she “found it to be quite bizarre” when Trump said at an all-women Fox News town hall that aired Wednesday morning, “I’m the […]

Harris spars with Fox News host and says she wouldn’t be a ‘continuation’ of Biden

In a combative interview with Fox News, Kamala Harris said in the most emphatic terms to date that, if she wins the election, she would pursue an independent presidency that wouldn’t be a repeat of President Joe Biden’s nearly four years in office. “My presidency would not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency,” Harris […]

StephCast W 10-16-24

Ted Cruz Dodges Abortion Question In Senate Campaign Debate With Colin Allred

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) repeatedly avoided giving a direct answer to questions about his position on abortion rights during a debate with Rep. Colin Allred, the Democrat hoping to spoil his bid for a third term. Debate moderator Gromer Jeffers asked Cruz whether he would support exceptions to abortion bans for cases for rape and […]

Kamala Harris is set for her first Fox News interview today. What to know.

Vice President Kamala Harris will sit for an interview with Fox News on Wednesday — her first formal appearance on the network — as she continues her media blitz with Election Day fast approaching. The network’s chief political anchor, Bret Baier, will conduct the interview in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Harris is currently […]

Trump’s erratic endgame: Dark threats, personal insults and some dancing

Donald Trump went online after midnight Tuesday to brag about acing cognitive exams he never released and his cholesterol, then misleadingly called Vice President Kamala Harris’s allergies a “dangerous situation.” By midday he was meandering through an interview in which he would not directly say whether he would allow a peaceful transfer of power after […]

Kamala Harris urges Black Americans not to be fooled into sitting out the race

Looking to shore up her support with the critical demographic of Black men, Kamala Harris charged during a town hall Tuesday night that Donald Trump had no plans to help them and exhorted those voters not to be fooled by Trump or anyone who would “take you out of the game by not voting.” “The […]

StephCast T 10-15-24

Armed Man Arrested After Reportedly Threatening FEMA Workers In North Carolina

A North Carolina man was arrested on Saturday and accused of threatening federal emergency responders who have been administering aid since Hurricane Helene ravaged parts of the state last month. The man, William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, N.C., was charged under a law that makes it illegal to carry a weapon in a way […]

Harris calls Trump ‘increasingly unstable and unhinged’ during Pennsylvania rally

Vice President Kamala Harris deployed a new show-and-tell approach to lambasting former President Donald Trump at her Monday night rally, playing clips of him calling his opponents the “enemy within” and saying that it signaled that he was “increasingly unstable and unhinged.” “After all these years, we know who Donald Trump is: He is someone […]

Kamala Harris Agrees To Fox News Interview

Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to a sit-down interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, the network announced Monday. The interview will be taped in Pennsylvania and is expected to consist of 25 to 30 minutes of questions. It’s scheduled to air on Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. EST, on Baier’s show, “Special Report with […]

Trump’s Bizarre Turn At Town Hall Has Critics Asking New Questions About His Health

Donald Trump’s critics say the former president’s strange town hall event on Monday is raising new questions about his health and mental stamina. The Q&A event was paused when someone in the crowd fainted, then paused again when someone else fainted in the room, which Trump complained was too hot. “Personally, I enjoy this. We […]

Charlie Pierce: Another Nutcase with a Gun Tried to Show Up to a Trump Rally, This Time in Coachella Valley

Apparently, another right-wing gun fondler showed up at the former president*’s Coachella fiasco this weekend. (Oh, to bask in the aroma of the breezes at a manure farm near the Salton Sea, especially when the temperature clears 100 degrees.) This guy never got within shouting distance of the president, who was yelling some out-and-out fascism […]

StephCast M 10-14-24

Harris releases her medical report to give Trump’s health and advanced age new scrutiny

Vice President Kamala Harris released a report with details about her health and medical history on Saturday, as the Harris team tries to place former President Donald Trump‘s health and advanced age under new scrutiny. Harris “remains in excellent health,” her physician, Dr. Joshua Simmons, said in a letter on Saturday. “She possesses the physical […]

Biden, surveying Milton’s aftermath, announces $600M for rebuilding in Florida and other states

President Joe Biden announced while surveying storm-damaged Florida on Sunday that over $600 million will flow to states affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton, which ravaged Georgia and North Carolina as well. During remarks in St. Pete Beach, a barrier island city off of St. Petersburg, Biden said nearly $100 million of the money would […]

Trump wasn’t in danger from armed man at California rally, officials say

A Las Vegas man was charged with possession of a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine on Saturday after deputies assigned to a rally by former President Donald Trump in southern California’s Coachella Valley stopped him at a checkpoint. Federal law enforcement said Trump was not in danger. The suspect, 49-year-old Vem Miller of Las […]

The Rude Pundit: Unfucking What You Can… A Case for Voting for Harris Even If You’re Pissed About Israel

I’m going to try to be as clear as possible here in where I’m coming from. I’m not going to make this about Israel’s war with Gaza and Lebanon except to say that I stand with the large number of Israelisand Palestinians and the Lebanese people who want a ceasefire and the hostages and prisoners brought […]

SM Happy Hour Videocast with Brian Tyler Cohen & Fernand Amandi – 10-11-24

StephCast F 10-11-24

Trump says big companies have ‘raped our country’ in economic speech

Former President Donald Trump said in an economic address Thursday that the U.S. has allowed “big companies” to “come in and raid and rape our country.” “‘Oh, he used the word ‘rape.’ That’s right. I used the word ‘rape,’” Trump said at the Detroit Economic Club after his remarks were met with what sounded like […]

Biden calls on Congress to “move as rapidly as they can” on emergency funding after hurricanes

President Biden gave an update Thursday on the government’s aid efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, urging Americans affected by the hurricane to continue to exercise caution and follow the directions of local authorities as dangerous conditions persist.  “We’ve had search and rescue teams at the ready for any calls for help this morning,” […]

Obama rips Trump, chides Black men over ‘excuses’ for not voting for Harris

Former President Barack Obama sternly chided Black men over “excuses” to not vote for Vice President Kamala Harris during a stop at a campaign field office on Thursday in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood ahead of his rally, saying he finds them sitting out or voting for former President Donald Trump “not acceptable.” The event kicked […]

StephCast Th 10-10-24

Steven Beschloss: Snapshot… The Appeal of Kamala Harris

I thought about holding off for a couple of days and sharing these data points as part of a broader discussion, but they are so interesting and uplifting that I’m spotlighting them now. I’m not talking about the overall polling by New York Times/Sienna College that currently has Kamala Harris edging out Donald Trump 49 […]

‘It’s so stupid’: Biden shoots down Marjorie Taylor Greene’s conspiracy theory about controlling the weather

As President Joe Biden delivered a stark warning Wednesday about the dangerous hurricane barreling toward Florida, he shot down misinformation about the storm, including one particular conspiracy theory propagated by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. “Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman from Georgia, is now saying the federal government is literally controlling the weather, we’re controlling […]

Biden, Netanyahu speak for 1st time in months as Israel plans response to Iran attack

President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on Wednesday, according to the White House. Vice President Kamala Harris also joined the call, the White House said. It marked the first phone call between the two leaders in months, and since fighting has intensified in the Middle East as Israel continues its war […]

Harris’ political operation crosses $1 billion raised for the 2024 election

Vice President Kamala Harris‘ presidential campaign operation crossed the $1 billion fundraising threshold in September, two months after she took over as the Democratic Party’s standard-bearer, according to two people familiar with the numbers. The figure includes money raised by the campaign committee itself and by a campaign-affiliated joint fundraising committee that also collects cash […]

Milton Slices Across Central Florida as Powerful Hurricane

Milton carved a path of destruction after crashing ashore Wednesday evening on Florida’s Gulf Coast, making landfall near Sarasota and making its way across the state overnight with ferocious winds and heavy rains. The storm had already soaked and battered the state for much of Wednesday and unleashed a spate of tornadoes that caused even […]

StephCast W 10-9-24

Malcolm Nance: A Horrible Anniversary… October 7 One Year Later

On this first anniversary of the 10–7 massacre, I made a special video where I visited the sites of the massacres and heard the voices of the dead. Listen to the story carefully because it is heartbreaking. I find it very hard to watch, but we must witness how old this horrific cycle of violence […]

FBI foils alleged ISIS-inspired Election Day terror plot by Afghan national

The Justice Department announced the arrest Tuesday of an Afghan national living in Oklahoma and accused him of plotting to kill Americans on Election Day on behalf of the terror group ISIS. Nasir Tawhedi, 27, is alleged to have sought to purchase semiautomatic firearms and ammunition to further his alleged plans to carry out the […]

Trump disputes report that, as president, he secretly sent Putin COVID-19 testing kit

Former President Donald Trump is disputing a report that he has had “as many as seven” phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin since he left the White House, and that, back when he was in office, Trump secretly sent Putin a COVID-19 testing kit for his personal use. Journalist Bob Woodward wrote about the […]

Kamala Harris kept up a media blitz while Donald Trump postponed a virtual town-hall event.

Vice President Kamala Harris, in a blitz of interviews on Tuesday, pitched a proposal to help people raising children while also caring for aging parents and denounced former President Donald J. Trump, calling some of his statements “surreal” and saying he was too friendly with Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin. On “The View,” Ms. Harris […]

Fearful Residents Flee Tampa Bay Region As Hurricane Milton Takes Aim At Florida Coast

Fearful Florida residents streamed out of the Tampa Bay region Tuesday ahead of what could be a once-in-a-century direct hit from Hurricane Milton, as crews worked furiously to prevent furniture, appliances and other waterlogged wreckage from the last big storm from becoming deadly projectiles in this one. Tuesday marked the last chance for millions of […]

StephCast T 10-8-24

Gov. Ron DeSantis Refused To Answer Hurricane Relief Calls From The White House

The White House called out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a Monday afternoon press briefing in response to reports that the Republican has refused to answer phone calls from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris about hurricane relief efforts. “It’s up to him if he wants to respond to us or not,” White […]

’60 Minutes’ Kicks Off With Detailed Damning Explanation About Why Donald Trump ‘Backed Out’

CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Monday opened with a detailed account from correspondent Scott Pelley on the lead up to former President Donald Trump bailing on the show’s customary interview with presidential candidates before the election. “It’s been a tradition for more than half a century that the major party candidates for president sit down […]

Harris undergoes a ’60 Minutes’ grilling as Trump sits it out

Vice President Kamala Harris for weeks was criticized for avoiding tough questions that came with long-form traditional media interviews. In an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” that aired Monday evening, she faced many of them all at once.   Chief among them was whether she regretted the initial border policy during the Biden administration that […]

Foreign adversaries will try to cast doubt on election results after Nov. 5, U.S. intel officials say

Foreign adversaries will try to shake Americans’ confidence in the legitimacy of election results in November by giving voice to false claims or spreading their own disinformation about ballot counting, U.S. intelligence officials said Tuesday. “As we approach Election Day, the intelligence community is also stressing that foreign efforts to undermine America’s democracywon’t end on […]

Charlie Pierce: Trump’s Comments About Undocumented People’s ‘Genes’ Is One Of The Worst Things He’s Ever Said

I don’t want to alarm anyone unduly, but the Republican candidate for president of the United States has said something in public that hits the trifecta of being a lie, insane, and historically vile. It is a parlay beyond the reach of most politicians, and of all decent humans everywhere. He was in conversation with […]

StephCast M 10-7-24

One-year mark of Oct. 7 attack prompts U.S. intelligence warning of violent extremism

A joint federal intelligence bulletin obtained by CBS News warns of potential violent extremism and hate crimes committed in response to the one-year mark of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by the militant group Hamas and the resulting conflict in Gaza. The bulletin, authored by FBI, Department of Homeland Security and National Counterterrorism Center, […]

Vance says a future Trump administration would defund Planned Parenthood

Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, confirmed to reporters Saturday that former President Donald Trump is “consistent” in his views on defunding Planned Parenthood. A journalist asked Vance, R-Ohio, whether a future Trump administration would defund Planned Parenthood, the reproductive health care group that has garnered opposition from many conservatives for its pro-abortion-rights […]

Harris and Walz embark on massive media blitz

With 30 days to Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are launching a media blitz that began on Sunday, with the two set to appear in a handful of interviews with traditional and new media figures, a senior Harris campaign official told NBC News. The two sat […]

Mike Johnson won’t commit to bringing House back before the election for more hurricane relief

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday did not commit to calling Congress back into session before the election after President Joe Biden pressed congressional leaders about potential funding shortfalls in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Johnson was asked about Biden’s letter to congressional leaders on Friday requesting more […]

The Rude Pundit: Three Things That Matter from The Vice-Presidential Polite-Off

My quick take on the vice-presidential debate last night between Peter Thiel’s gimp and Governor Care Bear is that it doesn’t matter who “won.” If you give a shit about reality, Walz won. If you prefer your political leaders to be smooth-talking sociopaths spewing bullshit, Vance won. Otherwise, beyond a surprise line or two (like […]

StephCast F 10-4-24

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Lucas Kunce and Russ Buettner & Suzanne Craig – 10-4-24

Los Angeles District Attorney Says He Is Reviewing Menendez Case

George Gascón, the Los Angeles district attorney, said on Thursday that his office was reviewing a decades-old case involving the brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who killed their parents in their Beverly Hills home and were sentenced to life in prison. The case in the 1990s was one of the first to draw a daily […]

Dockworkers strike suspended, tentative agreement includes 62% pay raise over 6 years

A historic United States port strike has been suspended and a tentative agreement was reached “on wages,” according to the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance. “Effective immediately, all current job actions will cease and all work covered by the Master Contract will resume,” the ILA and USMX said in a joint statement […]

Tim Walz makes direct appeal to conflicted Muslim voters

Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz addressed a Democratic Muslim voter group Thursday night as the Harris campaign works to engage a group of voters who threaten to defect in large numbers over the Biden administration’s handling of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. The virtual event, organized by Emgage Action, which endorsed Vice President […]

Liz Cheney campaigns with Kamala Harris for first time, as campaign continues GOP outreach

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, the highest-profile Republican to announce her support for Vice President Kamala Harris, joined her on the campaign trail at an event at Ripon, Wisconsin, the birthplace of the Republican Party. “I am proudly casting my vote for Vice President Kamala Harris,” Cheney said Thursday.  Cheney, along with her father, former Vice […]

StephCast Th 10-3-24

Trump Goes off in First Interview Since Latest Jack Smith Filing: ‘They Rigged the Election’

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed the motion, which contained several new revelations. Hours later, the former president attended a fundraiser in Houston, where Ali Bradley of NewsNation caught up with him. “We know that Special Counsel Jack Smith had filed court documents calling her actions in the aftermath of the 2020 election, […]

WORLD Israel says 8 soldiers killed in Lebanon amid “intense fighting” on the ground with Hezbollah

Israel’s military said Wednesday that eight soldiers had been killed in “intense fighting” with Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, three days after it launched ground operations in the country. The update on the ongoing ground raids came almost a year after Israel launched its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for that […]

Biden visits Carolinas, Harris goes to Georgia to view Hurricane Helene damage

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took separate tours on Wednesday of the catastrophic damage resulting from Hurricane Helene, from which at least 183 people have died. Biden visited North Carolina and South Carolina days after the storm swept through Florida and traveled north, causing damage as far north as Tennessee and Virginia. […]

Trump ‘resorted to crimes’ to stay in office after 2020 loss, Jack Smith’s team says

Former President Donald Trump was “fundamentally” acting as a private candidate for office and not as president of the United States when he sought to overturn his 2020 election loss, special counsel Jack Smith’s team argued in a filing Wednesday that revealed new details of the scheme at the heart of Trump’s federal election interference […]

StephCast W 10-2-24

‘That Is a Damning Non-Answer’: Walz Hammers Vance for Refusing To Admit Trump Lost Election

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz scolded Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance for refusing to say whether former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election on Tuesday. During CBS’ vice presidential debate, Walz criticized Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 election and the subsequent January 6 Capitol riots, declaring, “He was very clear. I […]

What products could be affected by the port strike?

The first dockworkers strike at major East and Gulf coast ports in almost half a century could soon mean shortages of bananas and pricier imported cherries at U.S. grocery stores. That’s because both fruits are among the more than 100 categories of food that depend on the now-shuttered operations, with the labor dispute also expected […]

Iran has launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel

Iran launched ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, causing sirens to sound all over the country, the Israel Defense Forces said. Orange fire illuminated the sky over Israel as NBC News crews in both Tel Aviv and across the border in Tyre, Lebanon, viewed the apparent missiles being fired. Smaller streaks of light were also […]

5 key takeaways from the VP debate between JD Vance and Tim Walz

Republican Sen. JD Vance and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz clashed Tuesday on everything from economic and gun policy to immigration and school shootings in the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 election. The Ohio senator and Minnesota governor largely kept things cordial personally, even appearing chummy at times and saying they could work with […]

StephCast T 10-1-24

‘He’s lying’: Biden hits back at Trump on storm Helene as he announces plans for surveying damage

President Joe Biden angrily hit back at Donald Trump’s false accusations after the former president and Republican presidential nominee leveled a baseless claim about the federal response to Hurricane Helene on his social media platform. Earlier on Monday, Trump suggested that Biden and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper were ignoring the devastation wrought by the […]

Port strike called at East and Gulf Coast cargo facilities as dockworkers walk off the job

Thousands of dockworkers at ports from New England to Texas went on strike just after midnight on Tuesday as they rally for higher pay and more job security. The work stoppage, the first at East and Gulf Coast ports since 1977, follows a lengthy impasse in labor talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and […]

Israeli military says “targeted” ground operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah has begun

The Israeli military says it has begun a “limited, localized” ground operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. In posts shared on social media, the Israeli military said it was carrying out “targeted” ground raids in villages close to the Israeli border.  “A few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids […]

Tim Walz and JD Vance’s 2024 VP debate is Tuesday. Here’s what to know.

Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — both relative newcomers to the national political spotlight — face off Tuesday in the only scheduled vice presidential debate before the November election. The debate is being held three weeks after former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris had their only scheduled […]

Dean Obeidallah: Long time CNN anchor shares that if hosts slam MAGA guests you could be fired

We all watched in disbelief as the CNN moderators failed to fact check Donald Trump during the June presidential debate as he unleashed a firehose of lies. Beyond that we’ve seen other CNN anchors remain silent when MAGA representatives are on air peddling misinformation. Why? Well as former long time CNN anchor Don Lemon candidly […]

Charlie Pierce: Trump Ranted and Raved About Immigration, ‘The Purge,’ Movie Casting at a Rally In Pennsylvania

The former president* of the United States, who is also the current Republican nominee for president, got up onstage in Pennsylvania on Sunday and said a great deal that was insane. I just thought I’d take note of that. He said of undocumented people: They don’t even think about it….These are rough, vicious, rougher than […]

StephCast M 9-30-24

Hassan Nasrallah, Who Led Hezbollah for Decades, Killed By Israeli Airstrike Into Lebanon

Hassan Nasrallah, who led the militant Hezbollah organization in Lebanon for more than three decades and built it into a domestic political force and potent regional military power with ballistic missiles that could threaten Tel Aviv, was killed on Friday in heavy Israeli airstrikes just south of Beirut. He was 64. Both Hezbollah and Israel […]

Harris vows to keep Biden’s border crackdown: “The United States is a sovereign nation”

During a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to keep President Biden’s asylum crackdown in place if elected, solidifying Democrats’ embrace of more stringent immigration rules. Harris used her visit to Douglas, Arizona, to address one of the most pressing political vulnerabilities faced by her presidential campaign: illegal immigration. It’s an […]

Trump calls for Harris to be ‘impeached and prosecuted’ at Pennsylvania rally

With less than 40 days left until November’s election, former President Donald Trump continues to escalate his personal attacks against Kamala Harris, calling for the vice president to be “impeached and prosecuted.” Throughout his campaign rally speech in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Trump said Harris should be disqualified from running for president, resign from office […]

Death toll rises to 30 in Buncombe County, North Carolina, after Helene: Sheriff

Thirty people have been confirmed dead after Tropical Storm Helene ripped through Buncombe County, North Carolina, Sheriff Quentin Miller said early Sunday evening. “We’re still conducting search operations, and we know that those also may include recovery operations,” he said at a news conference. The county remains under a state of emergency, with officials saying […]

The Rude Pundit: The Climate Crisis Should Be a Bigger Issue in 2024

I was finally able to reach my friends in Boone, North Carolina and Damascus, Virginia by text today. They said that they are physically fine, but they have no power, no internet, no water, scant cell service, and no way out, really, right now. Both towns are flooded, mud-covered, devastated. One texted that he’s “emotionally […]

SM Happy Hour VideoCast with Maya Wiley & Hal Sparks – 9-27-24

StephCast F 9-27-24

Harris met with Zelenskyy; Trump set to meet with the Ukrainian president Friday

Harris reiterated her support for Ukraine in remarks at the White House after her meeting with Zelenskyy, telling reporters, “I’ve been proud to stand with Ukraine, I’ll continue to stand with Ukraine, and I will work to ensure Ukraine prevails in this war.” Harris framed Ukraine’s fight against Russia as reflecting American values, saying: “The […]

Here Are The Wildest Parts Of New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ Federal Indictment

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) is fond of responding to his detractors with a bit of advice: “Let your haters be your waiters when you sit down at the table of success.” The Department of Justice now seems to have a few things to say about Adams’ success. In a 57-page, five-count indictment […]

Harris to visit U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona to tout toughness on immigration

Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to visit the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona on Friday as her campaign attempts to show she is the best-prepared candidate to tackle the simmering issue of immigration. Why it matters: Harris has faced relentless attacks from former President Trump and Republicans who claim she’s ill-equipped to handle what they’ve […]

StephCast Th 9-26-24

John Fugelsang talks to NPR about the Sexy Liberal Tour

Our very own John Fugelsang spoke to NPR Phoenix. John talks about his a way of cutting through the noise with humor that makes you think. Whether you’re laughing at his punchlines or nodding at his insights, his comedic take on politics is as relevant as ever. Check out this KJZZ feature: https://www.kjzz.org/the-show/2024-09-25/politicians-come-and-go-but-john-fugelsangs-approach-to-comedy-remains-the-same

Zelensky to make urgent in-person plea to Biden and Harris at the White House

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to the White House on Thursday could be his final chance to convince a receptive American president of his country’s war aims. The precise details of the “victory plan” Zelensky plans to present in separate meetings to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are unknown, having been closely […]

New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted by federal grand jury: Sources

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted by a federal grand jury, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. In a speech addressed to New Yorkers on Wednesday, Adams vowed to fight what he called the “entirely false” indictment with “every ounce of my strength and my spirit.” “I always knew that […]

Harris outlines $100 billion manufacturing plan, vowing pragmatism over ideology

Kamala Harris vowed to govern as a pragmatist who wouldn’t be captive to ideology in an economic speech Wednesday while outlining $100 billion in new investments in manufacturing, a major issue in this battleground state. Harris proposed an “America Forward” agenda that calls for tax credits to boost investment and create industrial jobs, along with investments […]