Cartoons Wednesday!

Plus Colbert and Kimmel, SNAP decisions, Jesse Welles on "The Poor," Norah Jones, Jason Isbell and Warren Zevon.

Greg Mitchell has authored more than a dozen books (see most of them here) and directed four recent PBS films. Subscribing to this newsletter is still FREE.

Stephen and Jimmy last night, still not shutting up about Trump.

For our other editorial comment today, this time in music, we turn again to our favorite topical songwriter, Jesse Welles, who we started posting here several months ago. He hails from Ozark, Ark. Like my old friend Phil Ochs, he is sometimes praised or accused of “singing the news.” Here’s his recent song “The Poor” performed live on Kimmel, which fits the SNAP crisis this week, a few of the lyrics below.

If you worked a little harder
Then you’d have a lot more
So the blame and the shame’s on you
For being so damn poor

I had that reduced lunch
I had the benefit cards
Never occurred to me to blame my family
For life being so damn hard

I was memorizing capitols
I was in the spelling bee
I must’ve missed the part
Where they taught the art of private equity

It ain’t the banks
And it ain’t the taxes
It ain’t the pay day loans and the high rent homes
And predatory fees and practices

Wave your dumb flag
Whatever it means
But you should ask yourself
When it comes to health
Are the poor really all that free?

If you worked a little harder
If you worked a little harder, ah-ah
If you worked a little harder
Then you’d have a lot more
So the blame and the shame’s on you
For being so damn poor, yeah

NY Times headline today:

Israeli Strikes in Gaza Kill at Least 100, Local Health Officials Say

After what appeared to be the deadliest day since a truce deal was agreed on this month, Israel said the cease-fire had resumed.

Norah Jones has a regular podcast in which she “plays along” with visiting musical guests. Here’s this week’s with Jason Isbell.

A full piece at The New York Times today on Warren Zevon finally getting his due, with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction nearing. Mainly it reviews the Zevon tribute/benefit over the weekend, from which we posted Jackson Browne a few days back. Here’s Shooter (son of Waylon) Jennings at that concert with “Excitable Boy.”

From Tunes to Toons

Barry Blitt, of course:

Mike Luckovich:

Adam Zyglis:

Jack Ohman:

Ann Telnaes:

Bill Bramhall:

Matt Davies:

Steve Brodner: