Cartoons Wednesday, Plus Two Jeffs (Tweedy and Buckley)
As Trump tries to sink PBS and NPR.
Still pressed for time this week as my “Atomic Bowl” film started to stream via PBS over the weekend (you can now watch here everywhere), and was published as a companion book, and see major piece at Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. Much more to come as the film airs over PBS stations through mid-August.
But first, here’s Stephen last night:
Speaking of PBS, there’s this today:
Trump’s victory over PBS and NPR ‘bias’
Brian Stelter comments:
The rescission bill has passed the Senate. Once it passes the House, as expected, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget will be zeroed out for the first time since 1967, back when TV stations still broadcast in black and white. This is a long-sought victory for President Trump, who has harshly accused PBS and NPR newscasts of being "biased," and a long-dreaded disruption for local stations that bank on taxpayer support.
And re: Epstein, I will say that my fear is that Bondi will release "the files," claim complete, but be heavily laundered (although MAGA cult and most media will accept). Remember that Nixon got away with his “limited hangout” strategy for quite some time. But now I think that the way Trump went into panic mode this week and started calling the files “fake” and planted by Obama and Biden, I think it’s at least possible that the Wash Post or NYT or someone like may have a leak or a heavily reported piece about to drop—he knows it—and is trying to get out front of it. Steve Brodner today:
Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy with first songs from new major solo album today, Rolling Stone observes:
All that songwriting has left Tweedy with enough strong material for a new triple album, “Twilight Override,” out Sept. 26 via Wilco’s own dBpm Records. You read that right — three discs, 30 songs total. This is his first solo release since 2020’s “Love Is the King.“ Along with today’s announcement, Tweedy has released four excellent new songs to help you get a handle on all this music.
Here’s a cool one, “Out In the Dark.” They note re: the dancer: “Aranivah is an alternative/subculture dancer and Salvadorian immigrant teaching the world obscure dances.”
Meanwhile, trailer arrived yesterday for the Jeff Buckley bio-pic coming on August 8. Can we say “hallelujah”?
From Tunes to Toons
Ann Telnaes:
Steve Brodner:
I nominate Stephen Colbert to replace all of the mainstream media "news." He is the only one who calls it exactly how it is, except our beloved Substack authors and our political cartoonists.
When the creep Mike Johhnson came out in favor of releasing the Epstein files it was a huge alert to the intended scam-- we will release the fiklres --not only redacted but edited!