Today’s April 29 report really amounts to “zip.” A small village northeast of Kharkiv liberated by Ukraine was the only territory to change hands. On the main Donbas front, Ukraine General Staff reported repelling 14 attacks, none gained purchase. And yet again, we see Russia incapable of organizing a single, massive, coordinated push to crack Ukrainian defensive lines. It’s just more of the same we’ve seen all war—a slow grinding effort to erode Ukraine defenses by sending wave after wave of small, under-resourced attacks, except with more artillery prep. The tactic has had some successes! But at severe cost to the invaders.
And it’s slooooow going. Russia captured Izyum on April 1, and yet four weeks later, it has only managed to push out 30 kilometers (~19 miles). That’s about a kilometer a day. Only 5,000 more square miles to go! It doesn’t help that Russia is pushing in four different directions, as usual failing to concentrate its efforts in a single axis.
Russia’s scattered attacks have had some local successes, at a cost of broader strategic advance.
Russia’s wanted to parade Ukrainian victories at its May 9 victory, er, parade. Oh well, they can’t even claim the carcass of Mariupol, as Ukrainian resistance continues at the massive Azovstal steel factory and its surroundings:
Graphic video that shows a Russian naval infantryman shot while running to a building in Mariupol, severing an artery. A BTR-82 arrives at the end to help with the evacuation. According to the Russian source, the serviceman did not survive. https://t.co/g8eflW8l3Ipic.twitter.com/ADXfB9fUOX
(Note, you don’t actually see any of the injury, as it’s far from the camera. You do see Russians trying to help their fallen comrades, which might be a first and I found it strangely life affirming.)
Ukraine, aside from some tactical pickups here and there, seems content to chip away at Russian forces with artillery, guerrilla ambushes, and drones, trading ground for blood when absolutely necessary, but mostly holding firm in their extensive prepared defenses along the entire Donbas front. They just need to hold out a couple more months, to allow all that sweet new Western gear to arrive—drones, armored, and artillery, of course, but also body armor and helmets that will allow reservists to join the fight, and medical supplies that will save many lives. Also, lots and lots of armor.
.@usairforce airmen load 155mm Howitzer ammunition bound for Ukraine into a C-17 Globemaster III at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. pic.twitter.com/hUJc8BlPqY
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) April 29, 2022
The US has already committed to sending 170,000 155mm shells. That’s a lot of shipments from California and elsewhere. And now, with lend-lease authority granted by Congress, the US will keep supplying as many of these as Ukraine needs. The spigot is wide open to anything the Pentagon thinks will help push Russia entirely out of Ukraine. Russia’s defeat is official U.S. policy.
#Ukraine: Remarkable video from the Ukrainian 30th Mechanized Brigade showing a BM-27 Uragan MRL resupply point of the Russian Army struck by artillery in Irmino, #Luhansk. 3x 9P140 launchers, 2x 9T452 transloaders & 5x trucks full of rockets are seen- almost entirely destroyed. pic.twitter.com/vcGCkPzyaK
— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 29, 2022
Ukraine has a near unlimited supply of soldiers and potential soldiers. Unlike Russia, their bottleneck isn’t willing volunteers, it’s equipment. With the U.S. fully committed to the war effort, the new bottleneck is training Ukrainians and shipping the equipment. That’s why the stalemate out east is such a blessing for Ukraine.
While Ukraine’s forces grow, Russia’s are a finite resource and attriting rapidly. They’ve run out of Donbas separatist cannon fodder, Syria never sent its promised 15,000 soldiers, none of Russia’s allies like Belarus are lending a hand, and Wagner mercenaries can’t fill the void. So Vladimir Putin has a difficult choice: whether to announce a general mobilization.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace says he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin will officially declare war on Ukraine during the May 9th parade – a move that would bring in more reservists or “cannon fodder.” pic.twitter.com/h8lrF0OYOQ
Many conscripts and contract soldiers have used Russia’s kafkaesque bureaucracy to get themselves out of deployment to Ukraine. All of that reportedly disappears with a declaration of war and mobilization. With 135,000 conscripts currently mobilizing, that alone would more than double Russia’s forces in Ukraine.
It’s curious that Russia hasn’t blamed Ukraine for the spate of attacks on fuel depots and other military infrastructure on Russian territory. Russia even pretends the sinking of their Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva was an accident. That doesn’t speak to a government whipping its populace up into a war fervor.
On the other hand, Russian state propaganda has been all about whipping up war fervor. Check out Julia Davis’ entire Twitter feed, but this is a taste:
I’ve seen Russian propagandists contort themselves into pretzels, but this really takes the cake. Former military spy on state TV claimed that Americans are responsible for the genocide of Russians, because they’re arming Ukrainians in order to exterminate the Russian genotype. pic.twitter.com/5o0j0H6H3C
The disconnect between state propaganda and the Russian government is stark, and creates genuine uncertainty about Putin’s direction. Yet his reluctance to mobilize thus far, despite Russia’s difficulties in Ukraine, signal fear of … something. Is Russia’s support for the war, supposedly in the 70-80% range, just skin deep—as long as it’s someone else’s skin in the game?
[Russian political scientist Sergei] Sazonov argued that Putin may be afraid of mobilization because it is difficult to organize logistics for a much larger Russian army. He may be also afraid of provoking a political disaster, with a majority of conscripts trying to evade the draft, Sazonov added.
Putin is reluctant to begin mobilization because people will be disappointed with their relatives’ deaths in Ukraine, [Russian political analyst Dmitry] Oreshkin said.
“Mobilization is like pension reform – it concerns everyone,” he said. “It would be bizarre if Putin resorted to mobilization for something he calls a special operation. It would mean he has admitted his failure in Ukraine. It would be his last resort.”
We may already be seeing anti-mobilization panic.
Belgorod, Russia. Local people share panic in telegram. Why? Are they preparing for something? Mobilisation? What’s going on? We will soon see. pic.twitter.com/70G5OrPm4T
Even if Russia corrals more of its youth, then what? This is a great thread on the challenges: How will Russia train hundreds of thousands of new conscripts, when they’re already maxed out training the spring class of 135,000? How will these new soldiers be equipped given Russia is already scraping the bottom of the barrel in Ukraine, their reserves looted by rampant grift, and sanctions hindering the manufacture of new gear.
And will Putin really admit they are losing the war. Winners in a “special military operation” don’t need more troops. Sure, he’ll blame NATO, but “we’re losing, send me your sons” will be a tough sell.
Thus, Putin is damned if he calls a general mobilization and damned if he doesn’t. A week before the war I wrote what ended up being a war preview titled, “Putin has backed himself into a lose-lose corner. How much will the world have to pay as a result?” The story has held up surprisingly well, but the headline? Even better.
And on a completely different subject, but holy shit, this is our dystopian climate change future:
No relief in sight. Day after day in range 45-50C, even 10 days out. That’s 113-122F. These are temperatures that kill. Pakistan and NW India are being hit hardest, but it is brutal throughout most of India. Although there is little reporting, the death toll must be staggering. pic.twitter.com/4yzrp3QwlH
Western tanks are a logistical nightmare, far more complex to maintain and repair than artillery. Using more of the same tanks they’re already familiar with, with some on-the-fly upgrades to optics, will match nicely with Western armored personnel carriers, artillery, and infantry mobility vehicles.
Welcome Friday folks! The word on the street is that after freely giving billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine in their battle against Russian invasion, the Biden administration may honestly have a meaningful conversation about federal student debt relief. There is also a continued drumbeat for the Democratic Party to work to pass sections of their Build Back Better bill while they still have a slim majority, and much of that still depends on how much they can finesse the abjectly corrupt Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. But with relief for many people on programs like Medicaid “sunsetting” soon, the Democratic Party will have to act cohesively if they want to really help Americans in need.
All of this talk about what is actually happening behind the scenes is driving media outlets like Politico bananas as they have invested heavily in the concept of news as sensationalism and are finding that having a less outrageous person as president is less fun and more work. Maybe the folks over at Politico will just have to cover the GOP’s war on children and the moves being made to attack the most marginalized amongst us. Maybe they will be happy to hear that some of the Jan. 6 committee hearings might hit prime time television coverage.
The entire Republican brand has been built on a wobbly foundation of vile lies and exaggerations. It has to be. How else do you convince people that cruelly suppressing flows of immigrants to a country that faces both short- and long-term labor shortages is a good idea? Or that harassing gay and trans kids and the companies that support them somehow makes up for scuttling a child tax credit that would vastly improve the lives of tens of millions of parents in this country?
Without Russian lies and misinformation, it’s a safe bet Donald Trump would have spent recent years snorting Adderall out of his carpet until his brain bled, repeatedly bragging about passing dementia tests, and tweeting incomprehensible nonsense from his toilet. Which is pretty much what he did anyway, of course—but he would have been doing it on his own time, and in his own home, not forcing us to observe every lurid plot twist in his profane horror show. And his toilet would likely have been powerful enough to completely flush all his embarrassing errors and revolting secrets, up to and including Eric.
So it stands to reason that conservatives would freak about a new initiative to counter the disinformation upon which they rely.
The Department of Homeland Security is stepping up an effort to counter disinformation coming from Russia as well as misleading information that human smugglers circulate to target migrants hoping to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border.
“The spread of disinformation can affect border security, Americans’ safety during disasters, and public trust in our democratic institutions,” the department said in a statement Wednesday.
Okay, that’s brutally unfair. Countering lies about immigration with the truth? How are Republicans supposed to demagogue the issue? This is like stealing Thor’s hammer. Or Captain America’s shield. Or Trump’s steam-powered hydraulic girdle. And since Russian disinformation is now the lifeblood of the GOP, if they take that away, Trump is just a garden-variety traitor with 24/7 Secret Service protection.
The board will be headed by Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation expert who has researched online Russian misinformation campaigns. Sounds reasonable, right? I mean, no self-respecting American wants notorious war criminal Vladimir Putin sowing chaos among our citizens and tilting the playing field in favor of candidates he can more easily manipulate into supporting his diabolical plans, right?
Hmm, that video, originally posted in February, was actually kind of great. But Jankowicz parodied Mary Poppins, and Mary Poppins is a “groomer” now, so …
Historically, was there ever a despotic regime that didn’t have the equivalent of a Ministry Of Truth?
Despotic regime. That’s rich from Junior. Pot meet every other pot and kettle on the fucking planet.
“Ministry of Truth” is trending because Biden admin appointed a radical leftist to run a censorship board in the Department of Homeland Security a few days after @ElonMusk purchase of @Twitter announced.
I would be just as upset as Tom here is if, to Republicans, “radical leftist” didn’t simply mean any American who has yet to experience a horse-paste enema.
Of course, new Twitter Daddy Elon Musk felt compelled to get in on the act as well.
What’s next? Space lasers, of course. It’s what Goebbels would have done if the technology hadn’t been monopolized by the Jews.
And in case the irony isn’t rich enough for you yet, Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad apologist Tulsi Gabbard got in on the act.
Every dictatorship has a propaganda arm—a “Ministry of Truth.” The Biden Administration has now formally joined the ranks of such dictatorships with their creation of the so-called “Disinformation Governance Board.” pic.twitter.com/iMnrqksaJJ
Of course, countering Russian disinformation is something all Western liberal democracies should be doing. It’s something Trump should have done while he could have done it. Instead, Trump stood onstage with Putin in Helsinki and gave him the green light to misinform all he wanted.
Trump was both the primary beneficiary and most eager domestic proponent of Russian disinformation. So if you’re in the Trump cult, you’ll naturally regard any attempt to stanch Russia’s dangerous, anti-democratic lies as an existential threat.
It’s obvious by now that they’ll just keep saying “Ministry of Truth” until it means something to their followers, even though it’s a safe bet very few of these philistines have actually read George Orwell’s1984 or even understand the reference. But the problem with the comparison is that the Ministry of Truth did nothing but tell lies. In other words, it was the 1940s version of Fox News’ “Fair and Balanced.”
Today’s conservatives aren’t about spreading the facts. They just want to spread manipulative (and manipulated) versions—and they own and operate the vast majority of this country’s manure spreaders. They like the current political landscape—with its endless hillocks of bullshit—just the way it is. So now they’ll ramp up their lies in order to keep the Russian lie pipeline open in the face of efforts to shut it down.
Educator and activist Constanza Eliana Chinea explains that her decolonization lessons aren’t designed with white people in mind. Rather, the classes are for people of color; those who “have been colonized” and are “trying to move away from assimilation.”
Chinea was born in New York, then moved to her parent’s birthplace in Puerto Rico at around 8 years old. The family moved to Chicago when Chinea was a teenager, which she says helped her to understand the immigrant experience and the experience of “otherness.”
She says that she uses the Caribbean and Puerto Rico in her work as a kind of “landing path” to show her students the systemic ways in which colonization exists.
“I think a lot of people think we live in a postcolonial society, which isn’t true. Once we start to dismantle what colonization is and how it exists in ourselves and how we perpetuate it, then we can really start to talk about how we break it down systemically,” Chinea says.
Chinea says that when it comes to the theory of decolonization, it starts with the self, and with the mentality of colonization. Then it moves toward the action.
“I think a lot of times we think we have to become an activist. Anyone can be an activist because they’re taking action in the streets or they’re signing bills or they’re protesting. But it doesn’t mean they’re doing it in a decolonial way,” she says.
She explains that she starts with decolonial literacy and then begins the conversation about the systemic structure and how to change it and evolve from it.
“I’m working with people of color to really help them to understand what that means. Decolonization has really turned into a marketing tactic at this point. So I’m really trying to help people understand that it’s not about marketing. It’s not about just using the phrase as a throwaway phrase. It really is an actionable journey that you have to go through. And it’s very personal,” Chinea says.
Her clients are those who are on a journey. “They’re mixed folks who have been raised by white parents or have been adopted into white families … visibly Black and brown people who come to me wanting to reclaim Indigenous practices, but not sure how to start.” She adds it’s also for those looking to “unpack white supremacy and how that has affected them.”
She says colonial mentality is something that people of color absorb as adopting the practices of the oppressor, turning it into culture, turning into lifestyle by way of capitalism. “I think it really comes from a place of they’ve been traumatized, and they want to figure out how does that trauma manifest.”
Chinea’s students find her most easily via her website, her Patreon, and her free content on YouTube. She does offer paid private one-on-one consultation sessions.
Chinea warns that this work isn’t easy. Divesting from colonization means actively and thoughtfully putting your money, your vote, and your energy where your mouth is. Doing the research on the companies where you spend, where you travel, and what spaces you inhabit that support or deny colonization.
“This is the de-glamorized view of decolonization. … Divesting actually takes effort and it’s very uncomfortable. If we’re still looking at success through Western supremacist view, divesting is always going to be the last resort, because people don’t want that. [What] they want is to look like they’re successful; to have money, the big house, and be able to travel,” she says.
She explains that what people don’t understand is that you can get to a place of financial freedom through divesting.
“But it’s very uncomfortable at first because you have to divest. Even your thinking around, ‘How do I get financial freedom without investing in all of these colonized and capitalist ways?’”
One of the small ways Chinea suggests people can divest from our colonized society is to leave traditional social media platforms—although she herself has had to keep a presence on Instagram. But she did create a platform similar to Instagram called the Anti-Oppression Social Club.
“It’s a place for people, for myself to share decolonized news and politics and pop culture and kind of dismantle all of those things. It’s also a place for other activists and educators to post whatever it is that they want to post without fear of being censored or blacklisted or anything like that,” she says.
The Good Fight is a series spotlighting progressive activists around the nation: Those who are battling injustice in underserved communities and the folks fighting for democracy everywhere.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finally did something right: Of the nearly dozen bills that came across his desk this week, DeSantis vetoed the net metering bill that would have essentially gutted incentives for homeowners interested in using solar panels. HB741 would’ve drastically slashed the funds solar panel leasers and owners receive for the energy their panels generate, known as “net metering.” I even thought DeSantis, who received more than $30,000 from Florida Power & Light, would sign the bill the company’s lobbyists helped create. DeSantis refusing to adopt the bill actually goes against his own record, as he’s publicly said he’s against solar subsidies and even signed a law last year that prevents Florida cities from getting 100% of their power from renewables.
According to a veto letter obtained by the Miami Herald, DeSantis came to his senses because the bill would’ve been wildly unpopular for him as a politician. ““Given that the United States is experiencing the worst inflation in 40 years and that customers have seen steep increases in the price of gas and groceries, as well as escalating bills, the state of Florida should not contribute to the financial crunch that our citizens are experiencing,’’ DeSantis wrote in a statement about his decision. It’s been abundantly clear that a majority of Floridians support the practice of net metering. Nearly half of Floridians polled in February said they’d be less likely to reelect a lawmaker who stood in the way of those incentives and when it came down to it, DeSantis didn’t want to be that lawmaker his constituents turned away from.
ADVOCACY MATTERS! This is a clear victory for everyone who spoke out against this legislation and in favor of consumer choice and clean energy alternatives! Stay vigilant– No doubt FPL will be back to try to use their influence to screw over Floridians. https://t.co/d65MMxi6iX
There has been plenty that DeSantis has done wrong, especially as of late: the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” his weird fixation with “Let’s Go Brandon” bullshit, his COVID policies—the list goes on and on. But listening, at least in this case, appears to be one of the few things the stubborn Republican actually got right. Industry advocates, fellow lawmakers, citizens, and pretty much anyone invested in a greener future spoke out in droves against HB741 and their constant pressure worked. Rep. Carlos Smith even noted it on Twitter when celebrating the veto, tweeting that “advocacy matters.” It’s worth noting that, of the 10 bills that did pass, two involved energy: HB481, which affects temporary underground power panels, and HB1411, which actually allows more places in Florida to host floating solar facilities that take underused bodies of water and generate power from them while also decreasing evaporation rates for those waters
“A judge in New York is holding former president Trump in contempt of court for failing to turn over documents, and he’s being fined $10,000 until he does. Trump’s actually trying to locate the documents right now. He’s going through his filing system of Buried, Shredded or Flushed.” —Jimmy Fallon
“When Perjury…I mean Marjorie [Taylor Greene] was asked if she considered participating in the [Jan. 6] riot herself, she said it was on her calendar but she was too busy preparing her case against the electoral college vote totals. Which is like saying, I would’ve been at the wedding but I was too busy burning down the church.” —Jimmy Kimmel, on the “Green Goblin’s” court testimony
So, are tweets self-driving now? —Stephen Colbert via Twitter
Continued…
You are now below the fold. Beware—there be fruit here.
“Republicans are sounding the alarm because masculinity isin danger! And taking the lead on this non-issue is Tucker Carlson. Tucker’s new documentary apparently claims that men are physically weaker than they used to be, which translates to weaker political leadership. Clearly he hasn’t seen Nancy Pelosi doing reps at Gold’s Gym. She can bench-press a McConnell and a half.” —Samantha Bee
“Comedy doesn’t change the world, but it’s the bellwether. We’re the banana peel in the coal mine. When society is under threat, comedians are the ones who get sent away first. It’s not the ‘woke police’ that are going to be an existential threat to comedy. … It’s not the fragility of audiences. It’s the fragility of leaders. … Authoritarians are the threat to comedy, to art, to music, to thought, to poetry, to progress.” —Jon Stewart, accepting his Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
— Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (@FullFrontalSamB) April 14, 2022
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“Look, gas prices are a real concern. But Dr. Oz is worth over a hundred-million dollars. So it’s a little weird for him to act like it’s specifically straining his budget. He’s fucking rich. What he doesn’t get to do is stand in front of gas pumps and pretend like he’s personally affected by those numbers.” —John Oliver, after posting a clip of cultist PA-Sen candidate Dr. Oz at a gas pump complaining about the “almost five bucks” price of gas
“House minority leader Kevin McCarthy led a group of Republicans on a visit to the US-Mexico border. But Ted Cruz wasn’t with them because he has no interest in only going halfway to Cancun.” —Seth Meyers
And now, our feature presentation…
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Cheers and Jeers for Friday, April 29, 2022
Note: C&J’s designated NSA tracker Bart will be monitoring us for the next 48 hours from inside the Maypole we set up next to the kiddie pool. He politely asks that you not bang on it with something large like a monkey wrench. We politely ask that you do. —Mgt.
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By the Numbers:
7 days!!!
Days ’til the start of the Memorial Day weekend: 28
Percent of Americans nationally who have been infected with Covid-19: 58%
Percent of Mainers who have been infected: 35%
Age of Lucile Randon, a French nun who is the oldest Covid-19 survivor and also the new oldest living person in the world: 118
Number of individual parts and tools offered by the new Apple online shop, which allows users to finally repair their own iPhones if they want: 200
Amount Boeing lost on their deal with the Trump White House for a pair of new 747 Air Force Ones because Boeing management apparently consists of big dumb MAGA suckers: $1.1 billion
CHEERS to soaking the rich. Where once they chugged the finest cognac and screwed the most expensive whores in the most opulent of palaces and on the most palatial of yachts, today the Russian oligarchs are chugging Alka Seltzer and popping Prozac as they watch their toys and fortunes get seized by governments not happy with their master’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s so unfair!!!And it’s about to get worse:
The White House released the outlines of what it calls a new comprehensive legislative package around Ukraine that includes provisions to “streamline the process for seizure of oligarch assets, expand the assets subject to seizure, and enable the proceeds to flow to Ukraine,” the White House said. […]
Bid early, bid often. All proceeds go directly to the Kick Putin’s Ass Fund.
In recent weeks, a range of lawmakers have been pushing plans to sell the yachts, apartments, art, and estates of Putin’s allies and give the money to Ukraine as it tries to defend itself in a war waged by Russia since February. The idea has been gaining momentum and took a major step forward this week, in addition to the White House’s announcement.
On Wednesday night, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill called the Asset Seizure for Ukraine Reconstruction Act aiming to send seized assets to the former member of the Soviet Bloc. “Under these extraordinary circumstances, the international community should be prepared to use Russia’s frozen assets to rebuild the country Russia is destroying,” co-sponsor Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) said in a statement.
According to some CIA guy whose name I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you, 16 yachts have been seized. I believe I speak on behalf of the entire planet when I say we should give the proceeds to Ukraine for the sale of each and every one of them except the one we keep as Daily Kos’s new floating pleasure palace. (Hey…we deserve something for being right about everything for twenty years. I mean…right???)
JEERS to Superman’s Achilles peel. Has ever there existed a mightier warrior against the doers of evil than Donald J. Trump? I think not, sir or madam! After all, who can forget this bit of derring-do circa 2018?
President Donald Trump says he would have rushed, unarmed, into the Florida high school where a mass shooting was happening, if he had been there.
Our hero! Nothing can stop America from being great again as long as Superman is looking out for us and…..oh crap, it turns out his arch-enemies found his kryptonite:
In a deposition for an upcoming New York trial over allegations that he sicced his security team on protesters outside Trump Tower in 2015, Trump revealed that he is afraid of demonstrators throwing fruit at him. “It’s very dangerous stuff,” Trump said in reference to the foodstuffs, according to Insider. “You can get killed with those things. … a tomato, a pineapple, a lot of other things they throw.”
Well phooey. This is a fig deal. So much for our hero being pearfect. Orange you berry disappointed? I’m feeling downright meloncholy. I say he should be retro-impeached.
CHEERS to Great Moments in Real Estate. On April 30, 1803, Robert Livingston and James Monroe concluded a deal with France that increased the size of the United states by 828,000 square miles. Price tag: $23,000,000. We know it as The Louisiana Purchase. Century 21 agents know it as “The holy grail of commission checks.”
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BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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END BRIEF SANITY BREAK
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CHEERS to exactly the right word. 170 years ago, Roget’s Thesaurus was first published. And for that I am truly—[flip flip flip]—“grateful; thankful; affording pleasure or comfort; fulfilled; appreciative; obliged; down with that; sweet on it; fist bump-ready; engorged with the sweet nectar of gratification in a small cabin in Saskatchewan where the only sound is the bugling of the elk.” Just a hunch, but I think Roget was lonely.
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Ten years ago in C&J: April 29, 2012
JEERS to scopin’ out the bars scene. Well, that was faster than I expected. It only took 38 days for the first media report to emerge on how prison life is treating disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Fair warning: this is not for the squeamish (via CNN):
Blagojevich has been keeping very busy washing pots and pans (it’s what all new inmates do) and he already has big plans for the future: He’s gearing up to teach other inmates about Shakespeare and Greek mythology. … “All things considered, he looked good, he’s still got a headful of hair, it’s gone from black to brown, not gray, as everyone predicted,” Sam Adam, Jr. told WFLD.
Great. Now I hope I can figure out what just got ejected from my brain so that I could absorb that bit of useless data. Judging by the stares I’m getting from people on the street: the part of my cerebellum that tells me to put on pants.
CHEERS to home vegetation. The last weekend of April is here already??? Cheesum crow, this year is flying by, but I hope the weekend takes its sweet time. The boob-tubage starts tonight with the latest news on MSNBC…or Round 2 and 3 of the NFL draft is tonight at 7 on ABC. (Sorry, no Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy! because of it.) On Firing Line (8:30, PBS), Margaret Hoover devotes 30 minute to the most pressing issue of the day: what happens when Queen Elizabeth II kicks the royal bucket? (Spoiler alert: a beefeater retrieves it so she can kick it again.) Oh, and Bill Maher actually has a decent lineup tonight on HBO’s Real Time at 10: MSNBC’s Ali Velshi, Fran Lebowitz, and former Senator Doug Jones (D-AL).
On 60 Minutes: a look at the guy behind the Birds Aren’t Real fake conspiracy theory that makes fun of other conspiracy theorists, and the whys and wherefores of the Eurovision Song Contest. Then Homer becomes a craft beer brewer on The Simpsons and Lois tutors a nefarious piano student on Family Guy. To wrap up the weekend, John Oliver returns to lay a fresh platter of intellectual haggis on our doorstep with a new edition of Last Week Tonight Sunday night at 11 on HBO.
Now here’s your Sunday morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Homeland Security director Alejandro Mayorkas; Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ).
Or you can watch reality-based Sunday morning news.
This Week: Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development Samantha Power; Ukrainian Ambassador to U.S. Oksana Markarova; Rep. Michael McCaul (The Cult-TX).
Face the Nation: Samantha Power; Moderna Chief Medical Officer Dr. Paul Burton; Dr. Deborah Birx (“BUY MY BOOK!”) continues her rehabilitation tour; Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
CNN’s State of the Union: Homeland Security director Alejandro Mayorkas; Gov. Asa Hutchinson (The Cult-AR).
Fox GOP Talking Points Sunday: Alejandro Mayorkas; Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ).
Happy viewing!
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And just one more…
CHEERS to Friday evening Obama blogging. The White House Correspondents Dinner, the late-April schmooze-fest during which the politicians, pundits, reporters, and the one-percenters who fund them gather under the beltway bubble for an evening—hopefully not a super-spreadery evening—of rubbery chicken and jokes from the emcee and the president, returns tomorrow night after a pandemic-related hiatus. Unlike the former guy, who failed to show up because his orange skin is thinner than tissue paper, Joe Biden will be there. And although I’m sure he’ll land some blows, no POTUS will ever hold a candle to the comedic chops of his former boss. A few classic zingers from WHCDs past…
2009 ”Dick Cheney was supposed to be here but he’s very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled: How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People.”
Not many presidents with better comic timing than 44.
2010 “A few weeks ago I was able to throw out the first pitch at the Nationals game. I don’t know if you saw it, but I threw it a little high and a little outside. This is how FOX News covered it: President panders to extreme left-wing of batter box.”
2011 “Where is the National Public Radio table? You guys are still here? I know you were a little tense when the GOP tried to cut your funding, but personally I was looking forward to new programming like No Things Considered or Wait, Wait…Don’t Fund Me.”
2012 “Congress and I have certainly had our differences—yet I’ve tried to be civil, to not take any cheap shots. And that’s why I want to especially thank all the members who took a break from their exhausting schedule of not passing any laws to be here tonight.”
2013 “I know CNN has taken some knocks lately. But the fact is I admire their commitment to cover all sides of a story just in case one of them happens to be accurate.”
2014 “I’m feeling sorry, believe it or not, for the Speaker of the House. These days, the House Republicans actually give John Boehner a harder time than they give me, which means orange really is the new black.”
2015 “Just this week, Michele Bachmann predicted I would bring about the biblical end of days. Now that’s a legacy. That’s big. I mean, Lincoln, Washington, they didn’t do that.”
2016 “And then there’s Ted Cruz. Ted had a tough week. He went to Indiana—Hoosier country. Stood on a basketball court and called the hoop a ‘basketball ring.’ What else is in his lexicon? Baseball sticks? Football hats? But sure, I’m the foreign one.”
And yes, Obama tipped his server.
Have a great weekend. Floor’s open…What are you cheering and jeering about today?
The Qronicles is a series that will collect some of the news, videos, and general mis/disinformation roiling around the conspiracy world of QAnon. You can cringe, you can laugh, but these folks are organizing and showing up at the polls!
Elon Musk bought Twitter, if you hadn’t heard. As you might imagine, this has shaQen (pow!) the Q-averse! (Shazam!)
Let me walk that back. Elon Musk may have bought a controlling share of Twitter. He may still step away from it. It’s hard to know. But Queue you know who does?
Musk=44 bought Twitter=444 for $44 billion 4 years 4 months 4 days after originally planting the seed. pic.twitter.com/UIJUPpko7C
Think about it again! How about thinking about it this way?
“It’s a scam.” MAGA pastor/Trump cultist Shane Vaughn (aka “Professor Toto”) claims that Twitter orchestrated its sale to Elon Musk just to “stop Truth Social.” pic.twitter.com/4li1meNXPX
Triple think about it! No, don’t think too much about it. There isn’t much of anything there to think about. However, in defense of conspiracy theories, it’s hard not to feel like we live in a Bond movie these days, with images like this one of the richest man in the world.
Welcome to the future Mr. Bond.
Meanwhile, just to remind you how much a part of the fabric of the GOP the conspiracy theorists are, we’ve got disgraced and twice-impeached Donald Trump promoting some QAnon-level groomer panic.
Some big applause and chants of “SAVE OUR KIDS!” when Trump says “no teacher should ever be allowed to teach transgender (sic) without parental consent.” Makes fun of Lia Thomas’s swim wins: “He went by her so fast, she got wind burn in the pool.”
Ron Watkins, if you don’t know, is the former 8chan administrator who may know (or may even be) the original “Q” that got all of the Anon folks hot and bothered. He’s running for Congress in Arizona’s 1st District. Watkins has the charisma of a broken shoelace. But he is running for Congress, so he is on television … in local debates.
Ron’s biggest mistake: thinking his ability to con Trump supporters into believing he was a secret agent would somehow carry over into the real world. But Ron has the charisma you’d expect from a guy who collects samurai swords & spends all day on 8chan.pic.twitter.com/r2E2IYbWOY
At the same time, here’s a reminder that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green claimed last week that she never said any of the myriad things she has been recorded—frequently recorded by herself—saying. Like this:
MTG, under oath, today: “I did not say I believe in QAnon.” MTG, 2017: “Q is a patriot, we know that for sure.” pic.twitter.com/NFpYR93Krw
Did you say nothing makes sense? Well, it does! Here’s rock-solid logic at work.
The QAnon folks believe Barron is “the real son of Donald J. Trump and Diana,” and is, therefore, a “prince of the United Kingdom.” pic.twitter.com/REmZ9kd0bc
It wouldn’t be a roundup without a nod to the on-the-ground effects of QAnon.
A leader of a parent group that supports Nevada Republican candidates got kicked out of the Clark County School Board meeting after going off topic to imply teachers are having sexual relationships with students during trips to Disneyland. pic.twitter.com/heGojT6u3d
But just in case you need a reminder. There’s a lot of racism in their belief systems.
At the Clark County School Board meeting, an anti-masker parent claimed “Asians are better at math” because of “two parents in the household,” and then suggested this idea can “help improve certain demographics.” pic.twitter.com/8biFeay9Vi
Despite the increased awareness, hate crimes against Asian Americans continue to increase nationwide. These crimes are especially on a rise in states with major cities like New York. It seems like every day in New York an incident of hate has been reported against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
In the most recently reported incident to make headlines, a New York man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly striking a woman with a pool cue and yelling racial slurs, WGRZ reported. Officials noted the incident happened at San-Dees Pub on Grand Island around 4 AM.
According to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, as a result of the attack, the victim received stitches for a cut to her lip and suffered pain and swelling to her nose and mouth. A temporary order of protection was issued on behalf of the victim, the report said.
The suspect was identified as 46-year-old Charles Vacanti. He was initially arrested for assault on March 19. According to court records, Vacanti, who is 5’7”, attacked the woman, who is 5 feet tall.
“You can imagine a 5 foot 7, 270-pound defendant striking a 5-foot woman in the head with a pool stick in the head concussed, I’m not sure if she required stitches, but severe enough to charge a felony,” police officials said.
Following further investigation, Vacanti was arrested again on Wednesday, April 20, and charged with one count of felony assault with intent to cause injury with a weapon as a hate crime, as well as one count of criminal possession of a weapon with intent to use.
“They did not know each other. Now how they came about the altercation, that’s something I’d rather not comment on right now. What I could tell you is prior to the defendant striking the victim, he did use some racial slurs and then struck the victim,” said Erie County Sheriff John Garcia.
According to NBC News, at least five witnesses at the bar said they saw Vacanti leave after the attack. Garcia noted that witnesses and employees at the bar helped investigators find and identify Vacanti. Whether there is surveillance footage of the incident is unclear at this time.
Of course, Vacanti claims to have done nothing wrong, despite witnesses confirming they saw the attack. “My client vehemently denies, first of all, any assault or anything of that nature, and certainly any indication or allegation of a hate crime,” said Frank LoTempio, Vacanti’s lawyer.
While xenophobia against the AAPI community is not a new phenomenon, the attack follows an alarming increase in hate crimes across the country. Hate crime data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University-San Bernardino found that hate crimes against Asian Americans surged in 2020 in at least 15 cities, Daily Kos reported. As the cities were further reviewed, a new report indicated that crimes against Asian Americans rose by 169% when comparing the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021.
Additionally, women have been most vulnerable to attacks. According to a recent research report released by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, 74% of AAPI women reported having personally experienced racism or discrimination in the last 12 months.
Starbucks has poured huge amounts of money into its union-busting campaign, deploying extra managers to stores where workers were organizing, keeping an anti-union law firm very busy, and firing union leaders at multiple stores. It hasn’t worked, but the company is still cheerleading its own efforts. And by “it hasn’t worked,” I mean that 41 out of 44 stores to vote have gone union, many by huge margins and several unanimously.
But Starbucks management is committed. In leaked video from an internal anti-union call for store managers, which More Perfect Union obtained and posted clips of, senior corporate management egged on store managers to oppose union efforts more strongly, and some key store managers spoke about how victimized they felt by their workers’ efforts to organize. Poor babies.
One tearful manager described a violent, scary picket line outside her store—even though the protest had been covered by the media, with video showing a very different scene than the manager described. The manager who harassed and fired teenage shift supervisor Laila Dalton in Phoenix, Arizona, spoke at length about what she described as sincere efforts to get Dalton’s work up to standard—except Dalton already posted video of some of the interactions, and the National Labor Relations Board has filed charges against Starbucks for the retaliatory firing of Dalton and other workers in Phoenix. The consistent message from Starbucks upper management to Starbucks store managers is that the pro-union workers are enemies and probably not really Starbucks workers at all.
The union representation votes happening in store after store show exactly how false those claims are. This week saw another flurry of votes counted, with an extremely strong majority ending in union wins—including in places like Augusta, Georgia, where one store went union on Thursday in a 26 to 5 vote. Less than 5% of workers in Georgia are union members.
There are now more than 40 unionized Starbucks stores across the country. This week alone, in addition to the Georgia store, Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Minnesota each got their first corporate-owned unionized Starbucks stores. In Eugene, Oregon, the union won four out of five stores that were counted on Thursday.
Workers are pushing back on management’s attempts to intimidate them or discredit them as real Starbucks workers.
@Starbucks corporate continues to spread untruths about our bargaining sessions. The latest: “There are no partners at the table, just lawyers and union reps.” This is a screen grab from one of Elmwood’s recent sessions. Just partners. We are the union. pic.twitter.com/J75bLbaEKg
When Sen. Bernie Sanders met with a group of workers, one told him about needing to work full-time through chemotherapy in order to afford the health care coverage to pay for the chemotherapy. Workers told Sanders how one of management’s responses to the union effort has been to flood stores with new workers so that the existing workers don’t get enough hours to pay their bills.
Similarly, California Starbucks worker Dulce Duarte told Teen Vogue, “A lot of us would work close to 30 hours a week, but I was [recently] cut [by] 11 hours per week, which did affect me — not only financially, but it also affected the way I’d support my family, as I live with my grandparents and my mom.” Nonetheless, Duarte said, “My advice to any baristas that are considering [organizing] would just be to go for it. Corporate calls us ‘partners,’ yet we’re not treated as such. The only way we’re going to be able to be heard is if we act and not be afraid. It’s definitely a scary thing going into it, but if everyone has each other’s back and everyone stands their ground and doesn’t let management or corporate convince you otherwise, baristas will come out on top.”
