A Very Odd Day--With Nukes

Dear Everybody:

It was a very odd day today, with all sorts of stories you probably didn’t have on your bingo card:

--The Mirror: "Trump was denied access to his nation’s nuclear codes by General Dan Caine, who invoked his privilege as the head of the military." The article stated that Caine invoked his authority as a senior military leader to refuse the order, resulting in a significant blow up."

--The article quoted retired CIA analyst Larry Johnson, who had said this on the youtube program, Judging Freedom. Johnson said, "It was apparently quite a blow up. There’s some very bizarre things going on in DC." He said the general walked out of the situation room during the discussion, thus denying Trump access to nuclear codes."

--The Mirror: "It’s unclear what the nuclear codes would be used for." (You’re kidding, right?)

--MSN: "If accurate, a general blocking a president’s nuclear order would be a rare and consequential assertion of military judgment over civilian command. Such an act raises constitutional questions about the limits of presidential war powers and the safeguards against impulsive nuclear use. It also represents broader anxieties about decision-making stability during high-stakes geopolitical crises."

--A White House spokesman said the claim was false.

--GOP Senator Thom Tillis: "I just don’t. I can’t imagine. You know the President. I just can’t imagine that it was ever a serious consideration." (You’re kidding, right?)

--Dill Bagner: "While likely untrue because of the source, I think the fact it sounds plausible alone should have everybody questioning if we have the right people in charge."

--Broad Lobster: "Don’t doubt it. This guy is a real world-class imbecile with zero concept of consequences."

--Meche Coqui: "Funny how many in the comments are trying to either downplay this or discredit despite how in his previous administration, he talked about using nukes on hurricanes as well as was also talked out of using nukes to strike a country. The guy is drunk on power and no consequences, of course he would want to use a nuke."

--(My personal takes are 1) whether people believe in the credibility of the story, no one thinks Trump isn’t itching to use nukes, especially after his "an entire civilization will die tonight" statement, and 2) this would explain the vague references of a "blowup" in the articles about the fight in the Situation Room and the more-serious-than-usual attention being given to those articles.)

--Trump announced yesterday that JD Vance had already left for Pakistan for negotiations, then the White House announced that no, he hadn’t left.

--Then there was reporting that the US delegation was in Islamabad, waiting for the Iranians, but the Iranians said they weren’t coming.

--Then this morning, Trump said Vance was heading over right now, and then CNN saw his motorcade at the White House Tuesday afternoon.

--Iran refused to participate in the second round of peace talks today in Pakistan. They had never agreed to participate and stated repeatedly that they would not participate until the US naval blockage of the Strait of Hormuz was lifted.

--Iran’s Foreign Ministry: "No more negotiations until the US lifts its blockade and stops issuing ultimatums. Transfer of enriched uranium to the US is off the table entirely."

--Adam Cochran: "Vance, Witkoff, and Kushner were all set to depart for Islamabad. We later find out Trump is hosting an emergency meeting at the White House, where Vance’s motorcade is seen. And the plane carrying Witkoff and Kushner departing Miami is now en route to Washington, DC, instead of Islamabad. Something fell apart."

--In the midst of all this, Trump told the New York Post he might personally fly to Islamabad to do the negotiations himself. (What could possibly go wrong?)

--Yesterday Trump posted that if the ceasefire expires this evening, "then lots of bombs start going on."

--But just now he posted that the Iranians had asked the US to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal. I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted and discussions are concluded one way or the other."

--Ron Filipkowski: "I’m glad that the Mad King isn’t going to commit war crimes right now, while once again it is obvious this bumbling fool has no idea what he’s doing."

--MuellerSheWrote: "BREAKING: TACO TUESDAY: Donald Trump delays ethnic cleansing and war crimes again by extending the ceasefire indefinitely."

--oddemediapro: "There is no plan, only madness."

--Tammy E: "Stay tuned till Friday when market manipulation starts again.’

--Carlson said to his brother, who was also on the show: "You and I and everyone else who supported him--you wrote speeches for him, I campaigned for him--we’re implicated in this for sure...it’s like in very small ways, but in real ways, you and me and millions of people are the reason this is happening right now."

--Carlson: "I’m sorry for misleading people and it was not intentional, okay?" (Oh, I don’t know about that.)

--Tucker Carlson is a snake and a shill for Russia, but this is still good news. It means one more break with Trump from someone who has a huge audience on the right. The more cracks in the dam the better.

--Warsh was being asked by Dem Senator Elizabeth Warren about Warsh’s connections to Epstein after his name turned up in the files, and Warren asked Warsh if he had invested money with Epstein, particularly $100 million dollars in financial investments.

--Warren: "Do the Juggernaut Fund or the THSDFS LLC invest in any companies affiliated with President Trump or his family, companies that have facilitated money laundering, Chinese-controlled companies, or financing vehicles established by Jeffrey Epstein?"

--Warsh refused to answer the question, but said he would divest himself of the investments if he were confirmed as Fed Chair.

--Elizabeth Warren: "Mr. Warsh, are you refusing to tell us if you have investments in, for example, vehicles set up to advance Jeffrey Epstein? Is that what you’re telling us? You just won’t answer?" Warsh: "Senator, what I’m telling you is that those assets that you represent as Juggernaut will be sold If I’m confirmed before I take office and sign the oath of office." Warren: "That’s not my question. Are you refusing to tell us if you have investments in vehicles set up by Jeffrey Epstein?" Warsh: "Those assets will be sold if I’m confirmed."

--Dr. Penguin: "Oh, so he does have those investments. I’m guessing he’s in the files. Ewww."

--Pat Bagley: "Epsein wasn’t a financial consultant. He trafficked in young girls and used compromising information to extort money."

--In other connections to Epstein, Warsh and his wife were invited to a number of Epstein-hosted events, including a St. Bart’s 2010 Christmas along with Ghislaine Maxwell.

--Jeff Norman: "This is a bit rhetorical but, is an Epstein connection a prerequisite to being in this administration?"

--StevenErick: "What would be really cool is if someone could find out why so many men, mostly straight and mostly ‘family’ men and mostly rich men are into Epstein-related gross stuff. Interesting how conservative now means rape culture."

--Vmac14: "Yeah, at this point any man that has a net worth over $100 million is a pedo. You can only change my mind by looking in the index of the Epstein files and not finding their name."

In other odd stories:

--Trump’s Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is now talking about bringing the SSTs back and having them do cross-country flights after the cross-oceanic flights were abandoned years ago, in part because they were too noisy.

--Texas’s AG (and nominee for Senator) Ken Paxton admitted under oath that he violated attorney-client privilege by handing over data from a former client to a plaintiff suing them when he had an ethical obligation to keep the information confidential. (Note: This is just one of MANY problems Paxton has, including a wife who is divorcing him for "biblical reasons" and who is spilling the beans on his multiple affairs with married women.

--The Onion (yes, that Onion) has taken over Infowars as part of a bankruptcy deal with Alex Jones and the Sandy Hook parents. The parents are in full support of the move. So now a site that was filled with right-wing conspiracy theories will now be the site for one of the best satirical papers in the country.

--Hannity, after posting that he was no longer a Catholic because the Pope had the audacity to criticize Trump, had a segment on this little gem about the new Muslim Mayor of New York: "The New York Mets are on an 11 game losing streak right after Mamdani hugged the mascot. It’s kind of hard to lose 11 games in a row in baseball, but he pulled it off."

--Tim Miller: "Hannity segment right now is about how the Mets have lost 10 straight games since Mamdani hugged the mascot. He’s calling it the Mamdani curse. Things must be going great with the war."

--In another baseball-related story, a Canadian goose wandered onto the field during a baseball game at Wrigley Field yesterday and walked around while play continued, finally flapping away when a ball came too near him. (A good thing. Remember the time a Hall of Fame Pitcher hit a dove during a spring training game and blew it to pieces?)

Yesterday, I told you some of the reasons why Labor Secretary Lori-Chavez Romer got fired ("resigned") but I didn’t know them all.

--In addition to her drinking on the job and having an affair with a member of her security detail, there were charges against her husband and father.

--Her husband sexually assaulted multiple female employees of the department, was banned from the building, sent multiple text messages to employees, and is under investigation by the police for sexual assault.

--Her father also sent text messages to female employees and tried to get them to go out with him, like, "Hearing u r in town. Wishing you would let me know. I could have made some excuses to get out and show U around. Please keep this private."

--Lori and her assistant deputy of staff told the staff to "pay attention to the men."

In Trump as Jesus and War with the Pope news:

--GOP Rep Troy Nehls: "I believe that Donald Trump is better than sliced bread. I think he’s about a Second Coming, in my humble opinion.’

--Besides Trump, the following people are going to be reading Bible verses during the marathon reading this week at the Museum of the Bible: Susie Wiles, Mike Huckabee, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, Sean Duffy, Brooke Rollins, Kevin Hassett, Ted Cruz, Texas Governor Greg Abbot, Ron DeSantis, and (previously convicted) Jenna Ellis. (What a godly group!)

--Trump’s White House faith leader Paula White: "Opposing Trump is like opposing God. Trump has been raised up by God because God says that he raises up people and places them in positions of authority. It is God that raises up a king. When you fight against the plan of God you’re fighting against the hand of God."

--Spike Lee was spotted courtside at the Knicks game wearing a Knicks jersey with "Pope Leo" on the back.

--White House Faith director Jenny Korn on Trump’s posting the picture of himself as Jesus: "The president honored Jesus Christ, which was amazing."

--Frank Bruni of the NY Times on Pete Hegseth: "I guess a zealot, by nature, can’t hide--too extreme are his convictions,too grand his designs, too consuming his arrogance, and so over recent weeks, Pete Hegseth has fully revealed himself. He brandishes assertions about God’s will with the exaggerated brio of an electronics merchant pressing flyers on people passing by his new megastore: ‘Have I got a holy war for you!’ Embrace the death. Exult over the destruction. What only looks like hell is a ticket to heaven."

--Frank Bruni talked about a government video that Hegseth distributed last year which wedded a montage of our military arsenal to a soundtrack of Hegseth’s voice reciting the Lord’s Prayer. It didn’t merely imply that ours was an army of God. It trumpeted that--with unsettling fervor, with chilling grandiosity. Hegseth’s is a gospel of carnage."

--Not all of MAGA is on board with the whole religion in government thing. Megyn Kelly: "I’m not a fan of (Pete Hegseth’s) praying and the constant references to God, Jesus, and the Bible from the Pentagon while he’s announcing war plans. It makes me very uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable."

In other news:

--The much-respected civil rights group, the Southern Poverty Law Center, has just been indicted by Trump’s DOJ on 11 counts of fraud conspiracy, bank faud, and money laundering. This is clear persecution--the Southern Poverty Law Center has been around for 55 years and has done stellar work fighting discrimination and providing valuable information about extremists and white supremacist groups that entire time. (Those bastards at the DOJ!)

--Trump’s Department of Agriculture canceled a program called Hope for Small Farm Sustainability, which instructed farmers in how to plant crops and grow vegetables because it was DEI. (No other explanation given, so my guess is some of the farmers were Hispanic.)

--Trans person and big Trump supporter Caitlyn Jenner is now complaining to Trump that she can’t travel after her passport gender was changed to male.

In good news:

--Trump’s approval rating just dropped to 33% in a new AP-NORC poll. His approval on Iran is 32%, his approval on the economy is 30%.

--When mothers were given the RSV vaccine while pregnant, there was an 80% reduction in babies being hospitalized for RSV.

--The Supreme Court of Montana ruled trans residents have a right to update their legal documents to reflect their gender.

Best comment of the day, from Daily Kos: "The Trump regime is in trouble. They know time is running out after running hog wild in 2025. More and more people are catching on to the scams, grift, and general scum affiliated with the regime. They are resisting any way they know in ways large and small. Soon enough, the regime will have its end, and we will have a chance to rebuild what has been destroyed."

Keep calm and carry on,

Connie Willis