Sunday Talk: Battle Royale

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Saturday October 20, 2018 · 9:29 PM PDT

2018/10/20 · 21:29

Seventeen days after U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, never to be seen or heard from again, Saudi Arabia finally admitted what the rest of the world—with the notable exception of President @realDonaldTrump—had known, or at least suspected, all along—he is no more.

According to the Saudis' cover story, after entering the consulate, the 59-year-old journalist got in a fist fight with the 15-man hit squad that had, purely by coincidence, arrived in Turkey that very same day with a bone saw—ultimately resulting in his death and dismemberment.

It's a tale so ridiculous that you'd have to be a complete idiot to believe it.

Fortunately for the Saudis, Trump just so happens to be a complete idiot.

And, the fact that that Trump has a soft spot for authoritarian strongmen certainly doesn't hurt the Saudis' case.

Trix

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Saturday October 13, 2018 · 9:29 PM PDT

2018/10/13 · 21:29

This week, a new front opened in the culture wars, when Taylor Swift jumped into the political arena for the first time.

Taking to social media, Ms. Swift urged her fans and followers—who far outnumber those of President @realDonaldTrump, but not of former President Obama—to vote in the midterm elections, and to vote for Democrats.

The move sent shockwaves throughout the far-right—where Swift had long been seen as an "Aryan goddess"—and caused her stock to drop around 25% with Trump.

Meanwhile, Swift's nemesis, Kanye West, saw his stock rise with Trump this week.

During a televised Oval Office meeting, the rapper delivered a 10 minute soliloquy on everything from mental illness (his own), to hydrogen planes, to the 13th Amendment, to masculinity, and more.

It was really quite... something.

We'll just have to wait and see how many jobs this hip-hop BBQ created.

Trix

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Saturday September 29, 2018 · 9:29 PM PDT

2018/09/29 · 21:29

This week, perhaps more than any other during the presidency of @realDonaldTrump, could best be described as manic.

First came the laughter—lots and lots of raucous laughter—from the United Nations General Assembly directed at (not with) Trump. #Respect

That was followed by a widespread sense of confusion and bewilderment over Trump's 81-minute freewheeling press conference. #WTAF

Next came the tears, as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford publicly recounted her allegations of being sexually assaulted by SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh during the summer of 1982. #IBelieveHer

Kavanaugh responded to Ford's highly-credible testimony with some (crocodile) tears of his own, along with plenty of belligerence, entitlement and contempt—as well as a healthy dose of perjury for good measure. #Beer

When all was said and done, despite numerous serious questions being raised about Kavanaugh's honesty (read: lack thereof), judicial temperament and fitness, it seemed like he was on track to be confirmed.

But then a funny thing happened on the way to a floor vote—Jeff Flake discovered the remnants of his spine, and suddenly Kavanaugh's ascension was put on hold pending a (severely limited ?) FBI investigation.

Womp womp.

Trix

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Saturday September 22, 2018 · 9:29 PM PDT

2018/09/22 · 21:29

This was arguably one of the wettest weeks we've seen during @realDonaldTrump's presidency, at least from the standpoint of water that Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination took on.

Kavanaugh's troubles began late last week, when word got around that Sen. Dianne Feinstein was in possession of a confidential letter accusing him of attempted rape as a high school student.

Then, on Sunday morning, Kavanaugh's accuser—Dr. Christine Blasey Ford—identified herself in the Washington Post and called upon the FBI to conduct an investigation into her claims, creating a public relations nightmare for the GOP.

Rather than accede to Dr. Ford's requests, Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans (11 white men) dug in their heels and demanded that she agree to testify toot sweet.

Meanwhile, Kavanaugh's acquaintances, allies, and ex-girlfriends sought to discredit Dr. Ford by suggesting that she might be mixing him up with his doppelgänger—or, alternatively, arguing that attempted rape isn't really rape.

And besides, it all (allegedly) happened so long ago, and boys will be boys.

In the White House, Trump's aides were reportedly stunned that—until Friday—he had refrained from directly attacking Dr. Ford; after all, when you're a star, they let you do it—you can do anything.

Trix

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Saturday September 15, 2018 · 9:29 PM PDT

2018/09/15 · 21:29

This week, America observed the 17th (!) anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and saw a president totally out of his element.

Constitutionally incapable of filling the role of "consoler-in-chief," @realDonaldTrump instead spent a good part of the solemn day attacking the FBI/DOJ and Bob Woodward.

It was a performance that the country will likely #NeverForget, regardless of how much historical revisionism Trump engages in.

Speaking of which, Trump's superlative efforts to gaslight the public into believing that his response to Hurricane Maria was an "unsung success"—and the official death toll of nearly 3,000 Americans is a Democratic conspiracy to make him look bad—fell flat with just about everyone except Lou Dobbs.

Perhaps Trump will have better luck convincing people that his campaign chairman's guilty plea and cooperation agreement aren't bad news for him—but I wouldn't count on it.

Trix

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Saturday September 08, 2018 · 9:29 PM PDT

2018/09/08 · 21:29

This week, the White House (once again) found itself in a state of crisis, as President @realDonaldTrump's fitness for office was repeatedly called into question.

What differentiated this from previous episodes is that the calls all came from inside the White House.

On Tuesday, the Washington Post published the first excerpts of Watergate scribe Bob Woodward's new book, which quotes various cabinet members, as well as current and former White House officials, casting doubt on Trump's intelligence, grip on reality, and truthfulness, among other things.

The next day, the New York Times published an anonymously (amomanously) written op-ed by a senior administration official which echoed many of the same sentiments expressed in Woodward's book, and added to the picture of a White House at war with itself.

Trump responded with his usual lack of restraint—calling the author a traitor, accusing the Times of endangering national security, and launching a full-scale witch hunt.