NATIONAL JOY DAY UPDATES
Celebrate With Cotton Candy Since It's Also Cotton Candy Day!
-The political world continues to fret, kind of, after a Tuesday interview in which Sean Hannity tried to tee up Ex-President Trump XCI to walk back a number of reports promoting Trump's hope to assume and use dictatorial powers in a second Trump Presidency - but when Hannity asked if Trump "really" wanted to be a dictator, Trump said of course not ... "Except on Day One!" On that date, Trump promised to reimpose a Muslim ban and begin installing loyalists throughout the government that would deliver his agenda of punishment and revenge on all who he believes have wronged him - but "only" on Day One! (And when has Trump EVER not kept his word?!)
-That Trump can lay this line down is a result of the GOP primary, which had its last Trumpless debate before the 2024 primary season begins, and it is still widely expected that Trump will wrap up the nomination by Super Tuesday (right as his trial for his role in the January 6 insurrection begins). So there is now speculation on a potential Vice Presidential candidate (what with wanting to hang his previous one and all) - and Axios reports those under consideration include OH Sen. J.D. Vance, frozen food magnate Tucker Carlson (reportedly Melania's favorite), and two female Governors - Kristi Noem of SD and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of AR (with UltraMAGA leader Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene pushing hard as well). All those could be vetted for Axios' reported front-runner for Trump Chief of Staff: human canker sore Steve Bannon.
-But Joe Biden apparently has had a lot of birthdays, so ... BOTHSIDES!
-And if anyone is still thinking Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. may be a viable option despite being financially backed by Republicans and becoming the leading face of anti-vaxxing, an interview by Jesse Waters revealed a relationship discussed further in the New Republic: RFK Jr. flew on pedophile Jeffrey Epstein's private jet "at least" twice, owing to a decades-long relationship between RFK Jr.'s family and the family of Epstein's lead enabler, Ghislaine Maxwell. Charming.
-As for Biden, Democratic Senators are looking to him after a procedural vote has left aid to Ukraine in what some believe is severe doubt. Negotiations tying Ukraine aid (which has bipartisan support) to Republican demands for increased border security have been going on for weeks - but an immigration rule the Biden Administration has been using that is allowing them to manage certain groups of immigrants (like Venezuelans) to keep border processing smooth (which it is, counter to every right-wing report That Uncle Of Yours tells you, is going smoothly) that Republicans want to kill has placed massive uncertainty over passage. Congress does not wrap up for several weeks, so watch this story to see if an attempt to pass aid separately emerges.
-And as always, SLAVA UKRAINI!
-Meanwhile, in the House, the reign of Speaker-of-the-Moment Mike Johnson (R-Jay-EE-zuz!, LA) seems to be going well. The announced resignations of Mike McCarthy, NY Rep. Bill Johnson, and elfin NC Rep. Patrick McHenry - combined with the expulsion of new Cameo superstar "George Santos" - leaves Johnson with the numeric potential to enter next Spring with a one- or two-vote majority and a death or special election or two from potentially flipping the House to Democrats before November 2024. And that's without counting the deep fractures within the Republican caucus as their ultra-MAGA faction continues to have the upper hand there.
-This is likely why Johnson has flip-flopped on his support of an impeachment vote against President Biden and Vice-President Harris, with the still-empty investigations into America's Most Horrible Terrible No Good Very Bad Criming Criminal EVAH - HUNTER BIDEN (dumDUMBdum) and Harris apparently needing punishment for now holding the record for Most Tie-Breaking Votes in Senate History as the reasons for the potential votes. Whether the votes take place - and the vote would open a formal inquiry, not be an actual impeachment vote - remains to be seen.
-Closing with language news, the Oxford English Dictionary has anointed its 2023 Word of the Year: "RIZZ." "Rizz" is a slang term that became popular in social media as shorthand to describe a person who has the "ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner through style, charm, or attractiveness." The word - which was apparently popularized as a way to describe SPIDER-MAN actor Tom Holland - beat out "prompt" (the term used to fill in a topic in ChatGPT), "situationship" (an informal or not-quite-established romantic relationship), and "Swiftie" (really? Do I HAVE to tell you?!?). "Rizz" takes its place with the Merriam-Webster Word of the Year, "Authentic" (and "Rizz" was on the short list for M-W).
-On this date in 1787, Delaware became the first state to approve the U.S. Constitution. On this date in 1917, the United States formally entered World War I. On this date in 1941, Japan launched an attack on American forces in Pearl Harbor, HI, prompting the U.S.'s entry into World War II. On this date in 1972, the final Apollo mission to the moon began. And on this date in 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev visited the United States for the first time.
-Happy Birthday to Willa Cather, Heywood Broun, Louis Prima, Eli Wallach, Ellen Stewart, Ted Knight, Noam Chomsky, Ellen Burstyn, Harry Chapin, Johnny Bench, Tom Waits, Larry Bird, Ravishing Rick Rude, Edd Hall, Jeffrey Wright, C. Thomas Howell, Louise Post, Terrell Owens, Sara Bareilles, Kyle Hendricks, and Nicholas Hoult.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Cicero, Thomas Nast, Rube Goldberg, Thornton Wilder, Bud Carson, Jeane Kirkpatric, Elizabeth Edwards, Harry Morgan, John Bartholomew Tucker, Greg Lake, Chuck Yeager, and Dick Allen.
-Feed the Worms: Captain William Bligh bought it on this date.
-Sen. Susan Collins (ConceRned, ME) was born on this date. You decide if she gets a Happy Birthday or if she Feeds the Worms.