“Bonefish off the coast of Florida have tested positive for a cocktail of pharmaceutical drugs, including anti-depressants and blood pressure medications,” CNN reports.
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 187
Bad Instincts
Trial Balloon · Ep. 187: Bad Instincts
Mo Brooks Hints at Armed Insurrection
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) told Fox News that he is opposed to any new restrictions on guns — even regarding military-style assault weapons — because we need them to “take back” our government.
Brooks exploded at the Fox News host when she insisted there was no evidence that the 2020 election was rigged.
Trump ‘Stunned’ by Brad Raffensperger’s Win
Donald Trump was “stunned” that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger handily won his GOP primary last week despite the former president’s best efforts to drive him out of office, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
The secretary of state is scheduled to testify later this week before a special grand jury investigating Trump’s interference in Georgia’s election results.
Zelensky Fires Top Security Official
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he fired a top Ukrainian Security Service official for “thinking only of himself” as Russian forces tried to seize Kharkiv, Insider reports.
Australian PM’s Labor Party Gets Parliament Majority
“Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party clinched a parliamentary majority after day of ballots getting counted in tightly contested seats, giving his government the heft to push through bills on issues ranging from climate change to anti-corruption measures,” Bloomberg reports.
Merrick Garland Warns of Democracy Under Threat
Attorney General Merrick Garland warned about threats to democracy in the U.S. and abroad in a commencement speech at Harvard University on Sunday, Axios reports.
Trump Calls January 6 Insurrection a ‘Hoax’
Former President Donald Trump called the insurrection on January 6, 2021, a hoax, The Guardian reports.
Said Trump: “As one of the nation’s leading proponents of the insurrection hoax, Liz Cheney has pushed a grotesquely false, fabricated, hysterical partisan narrative.”
He added: “Look at the so-called word insurrection, January 6 – what a lot of crap.”
Greg Abbott Booed at Memorial for School Shooting
The crowd booed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as he arrived at the memorial outside of Uvalde Elementary School where 21 people were gunned down last week.
In contrast, the crowd cheered for President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
Pelosi’s Husband Arrested for Drunk Driving
The husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was arrested late Saturday night for driving under the influence, TMZ reports.
Trump’s New Focus for Attacks Is Transgender People
Playbook: “Trump is like a standup comedian. He uses rallies, especially in the offseason, to work on material. He tests the reaction among his diehard fans and watches the mainstream media’s coverage. He then rewrites the lines, calibrating them for maximum effect inside the arena and minimal blowback outside of it. You can tell he believes he’s onto something with his mocking of trans people.”
“There is a cynical strategy at work here. Targeting marginalized groups for ridicule forces more responsible actors to stand up for them. As Democrats have learned, Trump’s goal is to get them to spend their time outraged and defending the targets of his attacks rather than talking about their own message.”
“This dynamic creates a built-in political advantage to any party that no longer sees it as taboo to scapegoat certain groups. Trump, of course, knows this and he has found a new target for 2022 — and perhaps beyond.”
J.D. Vance Wants to Ban Pornography
Ohio U.S. Senate candidate J.D. Vance (R) told Crisis magazine that pornography should be banned because it’s stopping Americans from getting married and starting families.
Said Vance: “I think the combination of porn, abortion have basically created a lonely, isolated generation that isn’t getting married, they’re not having families, and they’re actually not even totally sure how to interact with each other.”
Christian Nationalism on the Rise
Associated Press: “Christian nationalism is often accompanied by a belief that God has destined America, like the biblical Israel, for a special role in history, and that it will receive divine blessing or judgment depending on its obedience.”
“That often overlaps with the conservative Christian political agenda, including opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and transgender rights. Researchers say Christian nationalism is often also associated with mistrust of immigrants and Muslims. Many Christian nationalists see former President Donald Trump as a champion despite his crude sexual boasts and lack of public piety.”
“Candidates seen as Christian nationalists have had mixed success in this year’s Republican primaries, which typically pitted staunch conservatives against opponents even further to the right.”
Mo Brooks Blames Decline in Moral Values for Shootings
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) blamed the decline of “moral values” in the U.S. for mass shootings that have devastated the country, The Hill reports.
Said Brooks: “If we teach proper moral values and if we teach respect for human life, then that is the way to fix the problem.”
Quote of the Day
“Wyoming, all of America is counting on you. So important. We all know how great of a state you are, how beautiful you are. But you’ve become, politically speaking, you’re at the top of the list. We have a lot of elections coming up… I think this is the most important election that we have, right here.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by the Casper Star Tribune, at a rally for Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-WY) primary challenger, Harriet Hageman (R).
Borgen Returns
Borgen, in my view the best political show ever made for television, is returning for its fourth season, the New York Times reports.
“In its fundamentals, the show is unchanged: It still navigates a surprisingly engaging path through politics’ thicket, and it still focuses on the double bind that women in positions of power face in their public and private lives.”
“But now the stakes are higher: instead of episodic stories of interparty sparring, this Borgen follows a single plotline across the entire season: Large reserves of oil are discovered in Greenland, and geopolitical tensions erupt around issues of sovereignty, climate change and decolonization. And all this among characters who themselves have grown not merely older, but darker: less West Wing, more House of Cards.”
Proud Boys Leader Denied Release from Jail
“A judge has denied the latest request by Enrique Tarrio, the former top leader of the right-wing group the Proud Boys, for release from jail while he awaits trial on criminal charges relating to last year’s attack on the U.S. Capitol,” Reuters reports.
McCarthy Booed at Trump Rally
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was booed Saturday afternoon in Casper, Wyoming, during a Donald Trump rally.
Bettors Favor Trump in 2024
“Donald Trump’s chances to be elected president again in 2024 are the best since he left the White House in January 2021,” the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.
“Trump is the clear betting favorite to win the 2024 U.S. presidential election. He leads the field of candidates with a 26.3 percent likelihood of winning, which equates to +280, on the Smarkets betting exchange, based in the United Kingdom.”
“President Joe Biden is given only a 15.1 percent chance of re-election, which equates to +560.”
