BIG WORDS DAY UPDATES
Do You Know Words? Do You Know The ... Biggest Words? (See What I Almost Did There?!)
-At long last, the UltraMAGA House of Representatives did a LOT of work yesterday - not only finally passing the Ukraine aid bill (SLAVA UKRAINI!) but also aid for Israel, aid for Taiwan, and a measure demanding Tik Tok divest itself of its Chinese investors in the United States under penalty of being blocked, for good measure. And that work was clearly done with the MAGAts kicking and screaming - emphasis on the screaming. In the CSPAN feed showing the final Ukraine vote, Matt Gaetz (Hey GiRl, FL, man) was seen pouting and shaking his head, Lauren Boebert (NRA - HANDS UP! - CO) yelling at members who pulled out Ukrainian flags to waive to celebrate, and UltraMAGA Leader Marjorie Taylor Greene (Z-Q-R, GA) loudly booing and giving a lonely but dumbly emphatic thumbs-down sign as the final vote was called.
-Marge has been HUGE ANGRY BOOOOOO! since it became clear she would fail in her mission to help Vladimir Putin and Ex-President Trump (R-apist) LXXXVIII in further blocking the vote, first screeching her ANGERRRRR on Human Canker Sore Steve Bannon's podcast, then finding a post-vote press gaggle to talk about how the vote was "BAHL-SHEET!" outside Congress yesterday while continuing to push Moscow talking points against Ukraine.
-Marge is now playing somewhat coy about whether she will call a vote on her Motion to Vacate to punish the sudden onslaught of conscience that came upon House Speaker-for-Now Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-Zuz!, LA). She has found two fellow insurrectionists to co-sponsor the measure, KY Rep. Thomas Massie and AZ Rep. Paul "My Family Has Disowned Me For My MAGA-Ness - MAGA!" Gosar - and that will make this week somewhat interesting given Democrats and Minority Leader-for-Now Rep. Hakeem Jeffries did the heaviest lifting once the aid packages got to the floor, as it is clear Johnson would need Democratic support to hold the gavel given his one-vote majority is dissipated by the three known co-sponsors of the motion.
-The UltraMAGAts do seem to be a cozy family, though. This morning on CNN, TX Republican Tony Gonzalez went on to speak of his colleagues, warmly noting that "I serve with some real scumbags." Gonzalez talked affectionately about VA Rep. Bob Good, who Gonzalez helpfully noted "endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi," and about Gaetz, who, as Gonzalez cheerfully noted, "paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties." As you can see, things are going swimmingly on the GOPMAGA House side!
-As for the bills, expect the Senate to take them up this week with the Ukraine vote at the front of the line in order to get it passed and signed as soon as possible. All the passed House bills, including the Tik Tok potential ban, are expected to be passed and signed into law. On MEET THE PRESS, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy praised the long-delayed passage of the bill, noting that on the front soldiers were heard cheering as the vote was taken - while the first reaction from Moscow was unsurprisingly dour, warning of "a humiliating fiasco" despite Moscow not making massive gains despite its military advantage that fell into its lap during the six-month aid delay, arguably its most successful counter-offensive since its invasion.
-SLAVA UKRAINI!
-SLAVA UKRAINI!
-SLAVA UKRAINI!!!!!!
-We were prepared to discuss Trump's reaction to the Ukraine vote, as well as other observations after his self-proclaimed "exhausting" four days of sitting in a court watching a jury being selected for his New York trial involving paying to quash the story about his ten-minute sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels ... but, alas, "weather" prompted a cancellation of a campaign appearance/rally set for the now-apparently-in-play North Carolina, again pointing to the actual campaign part of Trump's campaign being hamstrung by a series of funding problems, dwindling crowds, mounting trials, and, well, Trump himself. (Not to mention recalling the incident during his Presidency when Trump refused to attend a Normandy memorial because of drizzle and the lack of a golf cart to tote his fat ass to the ceremony ...)
-Because as has been noted, Trump's 'exhausting' need to be at the trial in New York has been highlighted by at least three instances of Trump clearly nodding off and going to sleep during the proceedings. There have also been massive breaches of etiquette by Trump, from refusing to stand and acknowledge the entrance and exit of prospective jurors when the rest of the courtroom did, to an instance where Trump did stand up to leave - only to be admonished by Judge Juan Merchan to sit down in order for Merchan and his staff to leave first, reportedly leaving Trump "fuming."
-And then, once again, there is ... the smell. A number of reporters noted on Thursday and Friday that Trump, at moments while dozing off, could audibly and clearly be heard to fart in court, leaving an absolute and apparently literal stink in his wake. Witnesses from former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger to former APPRENTICE show runner Noel Casler have noted that Trump is known to literally smell noxious, with Casler claiming that Trump was known to have bowel control issues while shooting the NBC series over a decade ago. It will all make for quite the scene as Trump's first criminal trial is scheduled for opening remarks tomorrow ...
-... which will now not be the only court proceeding he or his team will need to cover this week. Late Friday, NY Attorney General Tish James asked for a hearing to review the $175M bond posted on behalf of Trump by a California-based auto insurer with a way-too-well-named CEO of Tom Hankey (HI-de-HO!) in connection with the Trump Organization fraud trial. The strong implication is that Hankey's proffer to cover the bond - itself reduced from $454 billion - is insufficient and could be rejected, which in turn could mean James would then be able to seize Trump property to cover the bond as soon as this week. Team Trump insisted that they should be able to cover the bill, but their claim may not pass wind. (Too soon?)
-It may also explain a new missive passed down from the also-needing-money Republican National Committee, now being run by wife of Trump failson Eric "Eric" Trump, Lara Trump. The missive is demanding any Republican candidate who uses the Trump name, logo, or visual of Trump's scowl to raise money for their campaign must give Trump and the RNC a 5% kickback - er, "donation" - to the Trump Defense Payment Committee - er, "re-election committee." The demand comes as larger donors are attempting to help Trump and the RNC recover from what is a massive fundraising advantage for President Biden and the Democratic National Committee, who are opening satellite offices nationally and recruiting volunteers now for the upcoming campaign. Whether or how this all shakes out will remain to be seen, and as we all should know by now, fund raising alone does not automatically mean more votes ... but it doesn't necessarily hurt.
-The courts will be hella busy this week - remember the Supreme Court case about Trump's claim of God-like powers? That finally gets heard on Thursday! - so we'll close this week with Theatre News, as a new Broadway premiere has brought some of the most rapturous reviews since AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY about a decade ago. The play is called STEREOPHONIC, and in it, playwright David Adjmi takes the now-well-worn tropes surrounding the making of Fleetwood Mac's RUMORS album and transposes them into a meditation about how large a price creators will pay and endure in order to create a true work of art to be enjoyed by the masses.
-Using a dual set of a recording studio and control room and both the fictional band and recording engineers as the players, Adjmi also gets an assist with songs written by Arcade Fire's Win Butler (which are 'seen' as being assembled as part of the play) to stunning reviews, and this playwright a hunger to see it once it is produced here in Chicago.
-With the theatre 'industry' still trying to fully recover from the Covid shutdowns, it needs more works to get excited about, and STEREOPHONIC just may help make that happen - not that theatre will ever go away, because it's theatre ... but it's never a bad thing to get it back into mainstream cultural discussion. (After all, Lin-Manuel Miranda can only do so much ...)
-On this date in 1856, Sam Houston defeated the Mexican Army in the Battle of San Jacinto, 'freeing' Texas from Mexico. On this date in 1967, General Motors built the 100 millionth American-made car. On this date in 1980, Rosie Ruiz snuck on the Boston Marathon course to falsely claim a win (it was taken away eight days later). And on this date in 1986, Geraldo Rivera was humiliated when a vault reportedly belonging to Al Capone was opened to reveal ... an empty vault.
-Debuts on this date: Rome (753), King Henry VIII (1509), the movie projector (1895), ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930), an alleged photo of the Loch Ness Monster (1934), Earth Day (1970), ANNIE (1977), student protests in Tiananmen Square (1989).
-Happy Birthday to Catherine the Great, Charlotte Bronte, Joe McCarthy, Pat Brown, Anthony Quinn, Queen Elizabeth II, Robert Brustein, Elaine May, Charles Grodin, Sister Helen Prejean, Iggy Pop, Patti LuPone, Tony Danza, Jesse Orosco, Robert Smith, Les Lancaster, Ed Belfour, Michael Franti, Glen Hansard, Rob Riggle, James McAvoy, and Tony Romo.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Jean Racine, Mark Twain, John Maynard Keynes, Marian C. Cooper, Gummo Marx, Sandy Denny, Walter Slezak, I.A.L. Diamond, James Kirkwood, Nina Simone, Juan Antonio Samaranch, Prince, Verne Troyer, Florian Schneider, and Daryle Lamonica.
-Feed the Worms: Evangelist James Dobson entered Earth on this date. Baron von Richthofen, aka the "Red Baron," lost his last dogfight on this date. Haiti dictator Francois Duvalier, oddsmaking racist Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, and Nixon apologist Charles Colson also bought it on this date.
-Tyson Foods founder Don Tyson was born on this date. You decide if he gets a Happy Birthday/Rest in Peace or Power or if he Feeds the Worms.
-The Number One Song In America on this date ... in 2024, "Like That" by Future, Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar ... in 2014, "Happy" by Pharrell Williams ... in 2004, "Yeah!" by Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris ... in 1994, "Bump n' Grind" by R. Kelly ... in 1984, "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" by Phil Collins ... and in 1974, "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" aka "The Soul Train Theme," by MFSB and The Three Degrees.