DL Open Thread: Tuesday, December 16, 2025
You’ve all seen Trump’s response to the Reiner murders. I will say that Trump is the only person in America with Trump Derangement Syndrome.
With just days remaining until millions of Americans will have to pay dramatically increased health care insurance costs unless Congress and the White House can agree on extending Covid-era tax credits, President Donald Trump says his top domestic policy aide has been tasked with something far more important.
The president told attendees at a Sunday White House Christmas reception that Domestic Policy Council boss Vince Haley’s “primary thing” is the construction of a massive triumphal arch to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary — not lowering healthcare costs or addressing the affordability issues that have driven a string of Democratic victories in off-year elections this year.
“It’s something that is so special. Uh, it will be like the one in, in Paris, but to be honest with you, it blows it away. Blows it away in every way,” he said. “And Vince came in one day and his eyes were teeming. I mean, he couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. He saw it and he wanted to do that.”
I have no words. Here are Rob Reiner’s words after the killing of Charlie Kirk:
“That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems. And I felt like what his wife said at the service, at the memorial they had, was exactly right. And, totally, I believe — you know, I’m Jewish — but I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in ‘Do unto others.’ And I believe in forgiveness. And what she said [Erika Kirk], to me, was beautiful and absolutely — you know — she forgave his assassin. And I think that that is admirable.”
Whoa. Susie Wiles speaks the truth. Or an approximation thereof:
Ms. Wiles made the comments in a series of extraordinarily unguarded interviews over the first year of Mr. Trump’s second term with the author Chris Whipple that are being published Tuesday and Wednesday by Vanity Fair. Not only did she confirm that Mr. Trump is using criminal prosecution to retaliate against adversaries, she also acknowledged that he was not telling the truth when he accused former President Bill Clinton of visiting the private island of the sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.
Over the course of 11 interviews, Ms. Wiles offered pungent assessments of the president and his team: Mr. Trump “has an alcoholic’s personality.” Vice President JD Vance has “been a conspiracy theorist for a decade” and his conversion from Trump critic to ally was based not on principle but was “sort of political” because he was running for Senate. Elon Musk is “an avowed ketamine” user and “an odd, odd duck,” whose actions were not always “rational” and left her “aghast.” Russell T. Vought, the budget director, is “a right-wing absolute zealot.” And Attorney General Pam Bondi “completely whiffed” in handling the Epstein files.
I, uh, think these interviews will have a shelf-life. Starting today. Along with the beginning of Wiles’ “Damage Control Tour”.
Kash Patel Brags About How FBI Helped Arrest The-um-Wrong Guy Again. What a maroon:
Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, is once again facing criticism for rushing to social media to tout his agency’s work on tracking down a person of interest in a shooting prematurely.
After a shooter killed two and injured nine at Brown University on Saturday, Patel, a lawyer and rightwing commentator before his job in the administration, posted on X that his agency had helped detain a “person of interest in a hotel room” in Coventry, Rhode Island, acting off a lead from the Providence police.
But the person of interest was later released from custody hours later, and the shooter is still at large.
Guess Which Delaware Serial Polluter Hid Its Latest Violation From DNREC. You’re correct:
The Delaware City Refinery must install fenceline air quality sensors after it failed to accurately report recent emissions of a hazardous chemical.
The refinery released unpermitted levels of butane, a flammable gas, following a mechanical failure last month.
The Delaware City Refinery originally reported that the incident lasted fewer than two hours during the afternoon of Nov. 27. However, the company later informed environmental regulators that the butane release lasted for about 19 hours, beginning the night of Nov. 26.
A mere 17 hour discrepancy:
The agency said that because last month’s butane emissions weren’t reported in a timely and accurate fashion, regulators had no opportunity to evaluate the impacts in real-time.
“Unfortunately, the refinery has had three significant environmental incidents this year,” DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson said in a statement.
The escalating fees enacted in Larry Lambert’s bill can’t take effect soon enough.
Stealth Plans For More Data Centers In New Castle County? Sure looks like it:
Developers behind two proposed industrial projects in New Castle County have indicated in recent planning documents that their developments may become data centers, which could raise the temperature on an already heated over regulation of the growing industry.
While documents don’t state definitively that the developments will become data centers, the engineering firm for both projects asserted in letters to the county that data centers do not require the same number of parking spaces as other types of industrial developments.
The developments are planned for sites off Route 273 near Newark and near the southern approach to the St. Georges Bridge off U.S. Route 13, including the land that hosts the popular Halloween attraction Frightland.
The engineering firm, Verdantas, also said in one letter that zoning for the St. Georges property allows “distribution centers, fulfillment centers, truck terminals, warehouses, and (oh, by the way) data centers.”
What do you want to talk about?
Michael Smith just announced he raised $80,000 in 24 hours. This dude comes off as majorly douche-y. Will a third candidate run against him and Lauzen?
I guess somebody wants to be the next Chip Flowers.
The only reason to run for treasurer is to get your name recognized when you run for an office that means something.
Was he helping his mentor Valerie Longhurst run the books at PAL?
I’m not excited by Lauzen at all but I’d vote for him over this Smith guy. He comes across as a creep. He’s currently my least favorite Mike Smith and the other one is a Republican.
So he’s the Mike Smith of Mike Smiths?
He’s not just majorly douche-y. He’s a majorly POS. Lots more on him in the Political Weekly.
He ran what can only be described as a dirty campaign against Frank Burns in 2024.
We now have two alleged D’s that I can’t vote for. Yes, nunya, there’s a pretty good chance that we’ll have at least three candidates in the primary. At least I hope so.
In all seriousness how does a 20 year old something kid from Alabama raise 80k in 24 hours? Seems bizarre to me
Yup. Looking forward to that campaign finance report.
I’m betting on some sort of ‘loan’ from mumsy and daddy.
For a guy running for Treasurer, his finances were real hinky back in 2024. Think I’m gonna dig up an article about that for tomorrow.
Verdantas bought a local engineering firm (duffield) a few years ago. They ostensibly are “environmental” but they are a corporate fig-leaf. I would blackball any firm that supports or builds these ecological monstrosities (that includes the trade unionists that put a one-time paycheck over the greater good).
Nicely said.
47 cut Veterans down to the bone. 36% Doctors Nurses & other professionals. That’s a very large voting group across the country and they will be looking for revenge in midterms. Put the united states Senate in the Democratic column.
Especially since anyone who pays significantly more for health insurance will also be out for blood.
47 got 61% Harris = 37%.
Double negative for Republicans in midterms. Trump screwed Veterans and he won’t be on the ballot millions will stay home or come out to screw Trump’s enablers.