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“Death To America.”

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The net result of one political party which lost big and finds itself leaderless, coupled with another political party which finds its leader lost, is mayhem and chaos, which spirals into hate and villianization. And, possibly, violence.

Welcome to what’s left of the red-state white-hot summer of hate, homophobia, racism, bigotry, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and any other “-ism,” “-ia,” and “-y,” you can place atop your particular personal prejudices, or, “theirs.”

Today, the nine-year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, America finds itself more polarized, divided, angry, and on the brink of a national nervous breakdown than we were when the twin towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania all fell victim to the worst attack on U.S. soil — that wasn’t self-inflicted during our civil war. Or, from the British during our Revolutionary War.

How did we get here?

Well, here are the Cliff notes.

Decades ago, conservatives forgot what being a conservative was really about.

They abused their power and spent our money like it was, well, our money. And not theirs.

The Democrats were born without a spine and spent far too many of the Bush 43 years pretending what Republicans were saying was true. Especially about Democrats. And, you know Saddam Hussein. And WMD. And deregulation. And housing. And Iran. And oil.

George W. Bush sucked.

America let him.

(Probably because they all wanted to have a beer with him. Go figure.)

The mainstream media helped.

The economy melted down.

A lot of people saw their savings, 401k’s, and jobs go up in smoke, thanks to the unmitigated greed of a few people called “bankers,” “financial analysts,” “brokers,” and “money managers.”

Some of those people who saw their savings, 401k’s, and jobs go up in smoke realized they shared the blame for allowing politicians to let all this happen. But a few didn’t want to take the blame, so they got angry and formed a “Tea Party” because it’s really easy to blame some young black guy who has more smarts in his pinky finger than they do in their, um, pinky fingers. Collectively.

The Tea Party bosses got lots of money from scary capitalists like the Koch Brothers, even though the Tea Party members didn’t know it.

Because stupid people think it’s OK to say and do stupid things, the Tea Party started to say and do stupid things, like calling the president names, like “socialist,” “marxist,” “communist,” using the “N” word, making really bad signs, carrying guns, and getting together at rallies with folding picnic chairs, and yelling racial and sexual slurs. A lot.

Then, almost a year after it was front page news, the Tea Party realized a group of peaceful Muslims wanted to live the American dream of owning real estate and putting a really big building on a really small piece of land, which they owned and were in the process of adding on to, and this got the Tea Party people really scared, because it happened to be in “New York City,” two blocks from where “those people” bombed us nine years ago. (Never mind the fact that “New York City” isn’t part of the “real America.”) And those Tea Party folks thought it felt good to blame innocent people with names they didn’t like but sounded like their president’s name, (“Barack HUSSEIN Obama!”) whom they also didn’t like, and, well, everybody else in their klan was doing it so, hey, why not?

Deposition of Pastor Terry Jones

While all this was happening, Terry Jones, a so-called “preacher” with an eBay furniture business he operates out of his church, who uses members of his congregation for unpaid labor, who preaches family values yet won’t talk to his own daughter, decided it would be cool to be on the T.V. like those other big ministers, and so his god “told” him that Florida sounded like a great place to hold an international event. Since he didn’t like Muslims he decided their holy book was an easy target and he could make some money and become famous by burning books, and even though he had never even read the Koran, it must be “of the devil,” just like that old-time religion of 1.5 billion Muslims. He thought he heard his god say this to him, so he decided to throw a book-burning party and name it, “International Burn A Koran Day.”

And, what better day to use than 9/11?

So, that’s how we got here.

Any questions?

Oh, yeah, as to “Death To America?”

Deposition of Pastor Terry Jones

It’s what the radical folks in the Middle East say, because they hear megalomaniacs like some Florida preacher say he’s going to burn their holyist of holy books. It’s what the radical folks in the Middle East say, because we invade their countries, kill their families and rape their women and children, claim they have weapons of mass destruction, torture them, say their religion is “of the devil,” yet we claim we are civilized, but show no regard for them as human beings.

It’s what the radical folks in the Middle East say. Just like what a radical preacher in a tiny Florida town says about them. Just like what radical American politicians, like Michele Bachmann, who, about Islam, say, “Not all cultures are equal. Not all values are equal.” Or radical American politicians, like John McCain, who say, “Bomb, bomb Iran.”

“Bomb, bomb Iran.”

“Death to America.”

What’s the difference?

“Death To America,” if it comes, will be self-inflicted. It will come not at the hands of those outside America, but at the hands of all those in America, who claim to love their country, yet hate most everyone in it.

The people who attacked America on 9/11 will have won when we have become hateful and scared. But ask yourself, when we threaten to burn Korans, have we become hateful and scared? When we try to stop a religious community center from being built because it’s Islamic, yet welcoming of all faiths, have we become hateful and scared? When a radical Christian church that explicitly hates Muslims, Mormons and gays is launched, also two blocks from Ground Zero, yet goes unnoticed, have we become hateful and scared?

This is an old, old story. We are merely the latest players in this war as old as “our” Bible — and we will never be able to end it if we don’t stop threatening to burn theirs. We are never going to end it if we continue to invade and occupy other countries, treat Islam as if it’s “of the devil,” and treat Muslims as if they are “of the devil.” We are never going to end it if we protest their right to build a mosque, or a community. We are never going to end it if we don’t stop acting like Americans, and start acting like America.

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News

Trump Finally Found a CNN Analyst He Likes

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21 minutes ago

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May 19, 2026

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President Donald Trump praised a CNN analyst who has repeatedly highlighted his sinking poll numbers — a striking turn given his long battle with the network.

On the same day that CNN data analyst Harry Enten asked of the president’s poll numbers, “How low can you go?” Trump called him an “honorable guy” who gives “the good and the bad,” as The Daily Beast reported.

“Mr. President,” a reporter asked on Tuesday, “why is the establishment media claiming so desperately that MAGA is divided?”

“Well, I think it’s the strongest it’s ever been,” Trump replied. “I think MAGA’s never been more together, actually.”

Noting that Enten has called Trump’s poll numbers “downright atrocious” and some of “the ugliest numbers” he has ever seen, The Daily Beast reported that Trump “proceeded to launch into a rave review of Enten.”

“I mean, I appreciate the question because even CNN, they did a poll two, three weeks ago,” Trump continued. “They said Trump is at 100 percent.”

“That’s Harry Enten,” Trump said. “I like Harry Enten. You know, he’s got a lot of energy. I like him. But he did a poll and he’s a good pro. And he gives the good and the bad, but I think he’s an honorable guy. He did a lot of good.”

Back in March, Enten had declared Trump had unanimous approval among his MAGA base — even if he was falling among some conservatives.

“You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to know you can’t go higher than 100 percent,” Enten said. “The bottom line is this: if you are a member of MAGA, you approve of Donald Trump.”

Clearly that had stuck with the president.

“MAGA is most of the Republican Party,” Trump said on Tuesday. “The RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) are gone to a large extent.”

Last week, Enten also had bad news for the president.

“The bottom has completely fallen out when it comes to Donald Trump and Latino voters,” he said on Friday. Latino voters from 2024 “have abandoned him with the utmost, just, dislike of what he is doing so far — just 28 percent, a drop of 18 points.”

“Again, the bottom has just completely fallen out, and, of course, when you look across that political map, there are so many races that will be involving a lot of Latino voters, and when you see numbers like this, I just go, ‘Uh oh,’ if I am a Republican running for Congress,” he said.

 

Image via Reuters 

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‘Supremely Disappointed’: Republicans Furious Over Latest Trump Endorsement

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2 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

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President Donald Trump’s 11th-hour endorsement in the Texas GOP primary went to far-right Attorney General Ken Paxton over establishment Republican U.S. Senator John Cornyn, dealing an severe blow to the lawmaker’s chances, angering some prominent GOP lawmakers, and likely boosting the chances of underdog Democrat James Talarico winning the seat in the red Lone Star State.

“Ton of concern among GOP [senators] about Trump’s endorsement of Paxton,” CNN’s Manu Raju reported. “Fear it will cost them a lot more money to save a seat in a red state.”

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said that Trump’s Paxton endorsement “puts that seat in jeopardy” and asked, “how does that help strengthen the president’s hand when we lose a state like Texas?”

“Supremely disappointed,” is how she characterized her reaction.

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) declared Paxton is “an ethically challenged individual,” reports Semafor congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett.

“John Cornyn is an outstanding senator and deserved, in my judgment, the president’s support,” she said. “Obviously, it’s the president’s call, but I’m disappointed that he did it.”

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a top Trump ally, said, “I think Paxton can win. I think it’d be three times more expensive.”

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson said he was “speechless” and added, “really have no comment.”

Described as “not happy looking,” Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has supported Senator Cornyn, acknowledged it was President Trump’s decision to make.

Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio reported that Thune was “stone-faced” after the endorsement, and appeared “pretty deep” in anger.

“Most GOP senators really want him to endorse Cornyn,” Everett had reported about 90 minutes before the Trump-Paxton endorsement dropped.

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) had said, “I would like to see him support John Cornyn in Texas. I’ve made that clear.”

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) had said, “I am hopeful that he backs Sen. Cornyn. John has been a steadfast ally of the president and I hope the president sees that.”

Congressional reporter Jamie Dupree described U.S. Senator Roger Wicker’s (R-MS) response as “stone cold silent.”

Professor Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, called Trump’s endorsement of Paxton “Great News for Talarico,” “Bad News for GOP money reserves,” and declared, “If ever there’s a year when a D can win statewide in TX, it’s 2026.”

Talarico responded to the Trump endorsement: “As I said on primary night, it doesn’t matter who wins this runoff. We already know who we’re running against: the billionaire mega-donors and their corrupt political system.”

 

Image via Reuters 

 

 

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Trump: $400 Million White House Ballroom Is ‘My Gift to the United States of America’

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4 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

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President Donald Trump took time on Tuesday to share with the press pool precise details about the ballroom he is having built where the East Wing of the White House once stood.

Trump “is currently giving the pool an in-depth presentation on the new ballroom construction, down to the location of the AC units and thickness of the glass,” reported Wall Street Journal White House reporter Meridith McGraw.

The ballroom is “going to be something incredible — you see the quality of it,” he said, standing on the construction site. On the ballroom’s roof “we’re going to have the greatest drone empire that you’ve ever seen, and it’s going to protect Washington.”

“They’re building a hospital,” he added. “It’s a military hospital. They’re building all sorts of research facilities, also meeting rooms and rooms that go hand-in-hand for the military.”

“The ballroom is really a shield and protecting all of the things that are built here.” 

He said the construction goes “six stories deep.”

Trump discussed the two facades the building will have, one facing the Washington Monument, the other, the Lincoln Memorial.

He said, “the roof is a barrier. It’s a shield, because it’s made out of the side walls of steel, impenetrable steel, and also impenetrable glass. The glass is approximately four inches thick. And yet, it’s amazing, you can see through it as though it didn’t exist. It’s amazing. And it can stop just about anything. Just about anything.”

“On the other side of the glass,” he continued, “we have steel and concrete. So that the glass is very powerful, what’s holding the glass is equally as powerful.”

“All of these columns, they go directly right to the roof of the building,” he said. “And again, we call it a drone port. It’s set up for unlimited numbers of drones.”

“When this is finished,” he said, “my term ends shortly after that. This is really for other presidents, this is not for me. This is my gift to the United States of America. I’m going to be able to use it very little.”

“This is all my money and donors’ money,” he said. “This is tax free.”

While Trump said that he and other benefactors will be paying the cost of the ballroom, reportedly $400 million, he has been pushing Congress to spend $1 billion for security enhancements apart from the ballroom itself.

 

Image via Reuters 

 

 

 

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