Week of State of the Union
Speech a bummer, Tariffs outlawed so more tariffs, More Epstein cover up, More Epstein horrors, Bondi blows it, Censorship, ICE cruelty and incompetence

Donald seems to fall long (very long) and flat.

The same analysis is now available in audio format, as Richardson narrates in podcast.

While not unanimous, the semi-consensus, more or less, was that it hurt Republicans more than it helped.

…counting which words are used most by Trump as he harangues Congress.

Journalists are uncovering more instances in which documents mentioning Epstein and Trump were removed, including one especially horrible accusation.

Tommy Christopher notices a clear change in disclaimers CNN uses while discussing Trump and the Epstein files:

Before the change:
We should point out there is no evidence of wrongdoing against President Trump related to Epstein.

After (At :46 in the video):
Now we should note that President Trump has long denied all wrongdoing related to Epstein or any allegation of sexual misconduct.

Visual aid:
… a world map with the nations in question labeled “America” and “Not America.”

Temporary result:
At press time, Trump seemed to finally grasp why he couldn’t pardon Andrew but said he would not rule out running for president of England in 2028.

…all of which leaves U.S. legal scholars baffled.

…and finds two brief exchanges that he seems to regard as telling.
[Note]: Yeah…they are.

He and others are charged with conspiracy to disrupt a worship service.

The prosecution is requesting a series of delays in order to obtain enough evidence to charge the defendants after they charged the defendants.

In most cases, charges are pressed after an investigation, not before.

The main problem seems to be difficulty breaking into cell phones seized during the arrest.

Disaffected and it Feels So Good tells a true story about a remarkable incident, one of many soaring about the Trump administration.

A flight is sent from Texas to Bulgaria, stopping over in Portsmith, New Hampshire, beginning right off with a startling lack of intelligence.

Why were all other planes anywhere near New Hampshire grounded?
[The flight was sent] into the middle of a historic blizzard.

It gets worse:
“Had we been informed in advance of their intent to land at PSM during the blizzard, we would have strongly advised against it and encouraged them to divert to another airport not being impacted by this severe winter storm,” officials said in a statement. “PSM was notified of the flight’s arrival only 15 minutes before it landed this morning at 1:00 a.m.”

What the…
They didn’t let the airport know the plane was coming?

And it gets criminally worse. The plane was loaded with ICE detainees, (detainees) now being sent to Sophia, Bulgaria.

And worse.

The detainees, on their way to being stuck in Bulgaria, now stuck in Portsmouth, are not escorted to safety.

They are left shackled, in the storm, on the plane, on the tarmac, until the storm is over, the runways clear, the plane checked and ready for takeoff.

…after finding a copy of the Constitution on his desk

…as FBI agents who investigated Trump document related crimes are fired by the ever‑loyal Kash Patel.

The Constitution says the President can’t do a tax on Americans without specific, really specific, authorization from Congress. The law that Congress passed, once upon a time long ago, the law Trump said he was following, didn’t give him anything close to that specific authorization.

Trump reacted to the Supreme Court ruling by imposing another tariff on all imports, this time relying on another, even more ridiculous, application of another law.

Economics, even unlawful economics, is dreary and boring. To twist a Mark Twain quote, God can do anything except understand economic professors.

The Peterson Institute for International Economics cuts through some of the argle-bargle.

The new law Trump is pretending to follow allows a temporary tariff when a foreign country is running a financial deficit. That happens when their citizens keep buying stuff they can’t pay for. Tariffs can be imposed to pay for stuff people from those countries have already bought.

So Trump is pretending that private citizens from every other country in the world are buying stuff from the US they can’t afford.

That’s the opposite of what Trump and his lawyers were saying up to now.

It’s dumb, but Trump and his folks don’t care about logic or law.

They want those tariffs, end of story.

Law? We don’t need no stinking law!!

Trump economic advisor Kevin Hassett pushes to punish the researchers.

In theory, the higher prices for foreign products should discourage buying from them, which would encourage buying from us. Protectionism.
M. Bouffant includes another study. It turns out the opposite is resulting from the random Trump impulse charges.

Key headline:
Every Group (Except Republicans) Disapprove Of How Trump Is Doing His Job

…to offices paid for by their constituents.

So they’re changing those policies? Don’t be silly.
They’re restricting voting.

Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson has been pointing out for weeks that the Republican SAVE Act is not designed to prevent fraudulent voting, but rather to make registration and voting difficult, expensive, even arduous for ordinary voters, especially for married women.

You are absolutely right to grieve for your country.

He lists six well considered reasons.

Key subheadline:
If accountability isn’t a central pillar of a post-Trump future, we will doom ourselves.

What accountability has to entail:
That means large-scale investigations and hearings. That means pursuing criminal charges and jail sentences. Yes, that means everyone currently employed by ICE gets a pink slip. And that means doling out punishments to the corporate scofflaws and institutional enablers that allowed Trumpian misrule to flourish.

…devote more to upholding the values of democracy:

At the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Texas, inmates display a banner:
Help…we are not terrorists, S.O.S.

He has a message for Democrats who may be tempted to vote third party or not at all if their candidate is not nominated:

Work hard for your preference, then vote blue no matter what:

Journalist Arturo Dominguez has been looking into the fatalities as a group of 10 people stole a boat, loaded it with weapons, and took off for Cuba. They apparently believed they could incite a revolution and overthrow the Cuban government.

Four are known to have been killed.

While the US was not involved, Arturo Dominguez looks into ties with other groups and allegations that US authorities looked the other way while the proposed insurrection was prepared.

He does generously acknowledge some exceptions:

…Is Jesus really in the midst of our church?

(I would add “ethical” as well. I suspect Infidel is guilty of modesty.)

In an extra bit of inspired genius, and worth the couple minutes to see, Max’s Dad links to this:

You didn’t know RBG could rap?

    You may prefer a complete transcript [PDF]

Dave begins:

The Journal of Improbable Research finds a study conducted by French researchers into how long a drop of coffee takes to evaporate compared with water.

Now I can sleep at night.