I feel represented

Two quick things.

1) The notion that Trump would suffer some momentary discomfort to help anyone is laughable.

2) If you believe Trump when he says,  “They aren’t really coming after me for my $130,000 hush money payments to a porn star who I fucked in Reno while my wife was home with our newborn baby, they are coming after you for your $130,000 hush money  payments to a porn star who you fucked in Reno while your wife was home with your newborn baby.”   Well, you are really asking to be abused, aren’t you?

If Fox News spends the rest of its miserable life bleeding out in a Delaware courtroom, America wins.

Who did you expect them to throw under a bus?  Some white guy?

A Fox News producer who has worked with the hosts Maria Bartiromo and Tucker Carlson filed lawsuits against the company in New York and Delaware on Monday, accusing Fox lawyers of coercing her into giving misleading testimony in the continuing legal battle around the network’s coverage of unfounded claims about election fraud.

The producer, Abby Grossberg, said Fox lawyers had tried to position her and Ms. Bartiromo to take the blame for Fox’s repeated airing of conspiracy theories about Dominion Voting Systems and its supposed role in manipulating the results of the 2020 presidential election. Dominion has filed a $1.6 billion defamation suit against Fox. Ms. Grossberg said the effort to place blame on her and Ms. Bartiromo was rooted in rampant misogyny and discrimination at the network.

The new lawsuits, coupled with revelations from the Dominion legal fight, shed light on the rivalries and turf battles that raged at Fox News in the wake of the 2020 election, as network executives fought to hold on to viewers furious at the top-rated network for accurately reporting on President Donald J. Trump’s defeat in Arizona, a crucial swing state.

Yellen Says Bank Situation Stabilizing

Heck of a job, Coonsie!

Nice prep work!

Trump called in to ‘Pastor’s for Trump’ for a National Prayer on the eve of his possible indictment. When the host asked him to name a specific prayer that he would like to request, he suddenly had technical difficulties with his phone. (Audio)

I wrote a couple of post yesterday that I should have banked up for this open thread.   But I was taken in all of the indictment talk.   Anyway, here you go:

Delaware GOP asked “12 business leaders” ?

Tennessee to make drag performers register and wear pink triangles

Heck of a job, Coonsie!

https://www.barrons.com/articles/first-republic-stock-jamie-dimon-jpmorgan-d4dc904

Ok. No pink triangles yet.  But this makes it seem inevitable.

Delaware GOP asked “12 business leaders” for their thoughts on how the state can “support economic growth and improve the lives of workers”

That’s great. Whatever.   But just check out the failsons and professional grifters that pass for a “business leader” for the DEGOP:

1. “Delaware is an extraordinary place, but the state can do a better job of attracting employers and entrepreneurs. If we care about great jobs, we have to care about better schools and safer communities.”  Ben duPont, Founder of Yet2.Com

Deep thoughts.  Much better than Ben’s first draft that read “Delaware is an extraordinary place, where any great, great, great, great, great grandson of Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours with a measly 20 million bucks in his pocket can make it big!”

2. “The Permitting Processes must be strengthened through streamlined communication between state agencies, transparency, cost predictability, and a fast-track approval program for major projects… as a start.  The Ready in 6 Coalition  of the Delaware business permitting process needs to be efficient enough to draw those projects looking in, and it’s the critical piece to this.” Bob Perkins, Executive Director of the Delaware Business Round Table

The former Vice President of Global Public Policy at AstraZeneca, thinks we need to make it much easier to funnel tax money to Fortune 500 companies.   Awesome!

3. “Demand more of the basics from our public schools.  Require Public School Graduates can Read and Do Math at 10th Grade Level.  Workforce readiness is a minimum requirement of a Public School System and we are failing.” Tanya Hettler, Director of  the Center for Education Excellence

“We are failing” but the checks from the right wing State Policy Network.^[5] SPN keep rolling in.  Sourcewatch.com notes that the SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party.

4. “Reduce State Sponsored Incentives for Capable People not to work.  Jobs in Delaware are simply NOT enticing enough or have such low pay that an increasing number of  Delaware’s working-age population would rather stay at home collecting government benefits than hold a job.” Charlie Copeland, Director, Center for Analysis of Delaware’s Economy & Government Spending

Say’s a guy who never worked an honest day in his life and who’s toughest job was getting to the bank to deposit his quarterly dividend checks.

5. “Stop the ‘Delaware Climate Change Solutions Act’ that centralizes control of the Economy inside State Government.  SB 305 establishes a statutory requirement of greenhouse gas emissions reductions over the medium and long term. SB 305 failed to clear the committee at the end of this term, but sponsors promised to return with “stronger legislation next year.” David Legates, Economist – University of   Delaware – retired

OMG, this fucking chud again?   The DEGOP really loves this fraud.

6.  “The state government needs to be more small-business friendly and develop a program for start-up businesses – our fastest growing segment. We also need to retract the “temporary” tax increases that businesses are paying, including the Gross Receipts Tax.”   Bob Older, President,  Delaware Small Business Chamber

He had me and then lost me.  Tax cuts.  That’s some bold “outside the box” strategy right there.

7. “The Governor and legislature need to create a state “ecosystem” to attract those tech businesses leaving other states, to Delaware. We have very solid tech training programs and extremely capable graduates ready to excel in the tech industry right here in Delaware.”  Brandon Brice,       Partner, Sarenga Group

“Brice hosts Straight Talk on WDTK The Patriot,^[12] where he talks about conservative politics and current affairs.^[13]He regularly contributes to local media as a columnist discussing Republican news ^[14] and was a writer for Hip Hop Republican in 2013, a Conservative-leaning blog site”.   

8.  “Position Delaware as a Diverse Tech Community building on Tech Impact, ZipCode, and other work readiness programs. “Delaware has a real opportunity to sell the employment base in technology – we have one of the top 5 diverse worforces in the tech industry.  We can, and should, attract companies to our region.  We have a number of strong tech companies providing technical education to a diverse community.” Patrick Callihan,  Executive Director, Tech Impact

What’s Tech Impact?  Good question.  I read this description of it and I still have no idea:

“Tech Impact, a national technology capacity building and workforce development organization.  Dedicated to delivering innovative technology solutions and support to the nonprofit/non-government sector and developing and providing transformational workforce development programs that create a lasting impact on society.”

9. Support Businesses-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.  Back employment opportunities for second chance individuals and help solve outdated barriers to re-entry.  Top Policy Priorities by Delaware State Chamber of Commerce

Wait, what??  How the fuck did this make the list?

10. “We should listen to the business community, both large and small businesses, and hear what they are saying.  Three primary roadblocks to business development in Delaware are energy cost, regulatory burdens, and labor issues.  We need to implement ideas that will make Delaware’s economy stronger.” Rep Ruth Briggs King

The “regulatory burdens” really get me.  I hear it from these robots all the time, but have never heard them mention a single specific regulation that they consider burdensome.

11. “We should emphasize those areas that are the fastest growing sectors such as Technology, healthcare, and logistics, and then focus our academic skills training and business incentive to develop those industries right here in Delaware. ” Mike Harrington, Business Owner/Real Estate      Developer

Breaking news – Mike Harrington is still alive.  (as of the publication of this post anyway.).

12. “Trust the free market!  Enable businesses to compete for workers and reduce interference from the State. Lower taxes, fewer mandates, faster approvals, and a better-educated workforce will spell success.” Jane Brady, Chair of the Delaware GOP

Oh for fuck sake… Jane Brady is a business leader?   I mean I guess, if driving the DEGOP off a cliff is a “business” she is crackerjacks at that.

We have a very exciting week in store for you news nerds. A Trump perp walk? Or a David Koresh style apocalyptic last stand?  Or, more likely, neither?  

Is It Tuesday or No?

by Josh Marshall

I have been assuming that Trump’s unhinged reference to his being “arrested” on Tuesday is based on what Alvin Bragg’s office has told his lawyers (for arranging Trump’s turning himself in to be booked in Manhattan). In other words, the “leak” is from Trump and the information is accurate. But CNN is reporting that Robert Costello, a one time legal advisor to Michael Cohen, has been designated by Trump’s lawyers to testify to the Manhattan grand jury about Cohen’s credibility on Monday. You could still have last-ditch testimony on Monday and an indictment on Tuesday. But that makes me significantly less confident that Tuesday is the day.

Related & Yet Irrelevant:  

McCarthy says Americans should not protest if Trump is indicted

The speaker’s remarks at the House GOP retreat contradict Trump, who called on supporters Saturday to “protest” and “take our nation back” if an indictment is announced.

Russia and China are either the greatest of friends or mortal enemies.  Nobody knows shit, but the headlines must be go on. 

As Xi visits Russia, Putin sees his anti-U.S. world order taking shape

A youth pastor story with a twist.  No, not that.  No drag performances were involved…

Youth pastor proclaims innocence as she gets 12-year sentence for molesting girl

“God is still good… God is strong.”

Those were the words the former youth pastor called out to her family on Wednesday as she was escorted from the Perry County courtroom after being sentenced to six to 12 years in state prison for sexual assault.

Meanwhile, a 26-year-old woman whom prosecutors say Lindsey Melnick molested 11 years ago sat in the back of the small courtroom within earshot. She was 15 when the assaults occurred.

Comrade Newsome says, the workers must control the means of pharmaceutical production.  

California enters a contract to make its own affordable insulin

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new contract with nonprofit drugmaker Civica Rx, a move that brings the state one step closer to creating its own line of insulin to bring down the cost of the drug.

Once the medicines are approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Newsom said at a press conference on Saturday, Civica — under the 10-year agreement with the state worth $50 million — will start making the new CalRx insulins later this year.

All industries that abuse their market position should be nationalized. 

61% of DL lurkers and commenters chose “Fuck No”  when asked, “Do you think Carper or Coons will admit that the votes they lent to Trump’s vandalism of Dodd-Frank were dead wrong?”

Of course that was the correct answer.  The US Senate is the worst, and Coons and Carper are the worst of the worst.  But that raises an interesting question that I’d love for you to weigh in on – thinking about how execrable Coons and Carper are (the only Blue state senators to regularly vote with Joe Manchin) is it possible to discern who is the ABSOLUTE worst?

Related:

The big spike in 2008 was the “GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS.”  Then Dodd-Frank was passed to cut down on gambling by banks.   Then banks got sad about not being able to gamble so much, so Trump & Coons came to the rescue to undo Dodd-Frank and that produced the 2023 huge spike.   That second huge spike hasn’t been named yet.

As Trump threatens violence and every Republican is trying to intimidate Bragg in various ways, one wonders why “obstruction of justice” isn’t on the lips of every reporter. Is a favorite phrase when one of the Clintons is involved.
by Atrios

When Chris Coons voted to support Trump’s vandalism of Dodd-Frank he probably knew he was voting to put taxpayers on the hook for very predictable losses and bank failures. That’s just the risk you have to take in order to make sure banks don’t miss out on huge potential profits.

International court issues war crimes warrant for Putin

The International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Russian president Vladimir Putin and Russian official Maria Lvova-Belova for the abduction of children from Ukraine.

And closer to home…

• Former President Donald Trump will follow the normal procedure in surrendering to face criminal charges if indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, his lawyer said.