For Trump, Corruption is Plane

Plus Jon Stewart and top cartoonists comment, music from Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, John Cale, Marianne Faithfull.

Greg Mitchell is the author of more than a dozen books and now writer/director of three award-winning films aired via PBS, including “Atomic Cover-up” and “Memorial Day Massacre.” Now watch trailer for acclaimed 2025 film “The Atomic Bowl.” Before all that, he was a longtime editor of the legendary Crawdaddy. At Blue Sky and Twitter: as @gregmitch. You can still subscribe to this newsletter for FREE. Sustain this newsletter by ordering one of his books.

So the Trump gift/grift involving the free new Air Force 1 from Qatar dominated social media and latenight TV last night. Even some ultra-MAGAs such as Ben Shapiro were outraged. Here are some samples. Colbert focused on it and Jon Stewart below:

Then there were the cartoonists:

The NY Times, however, pulled its punches, as usual, although at least it provided laughs with this pathetic headline which topped its site last night:

Trump’s Plan to Accept Luxury Jet From Qatar Strains Bounds of Propriety

Meanwhile, Al Gore “went there” in speech drawing parallels between Nazism and Trumpism—e.g. “all questions of truth reduced to questions of power.” Two-minute clip:

Three songs united only by yours truly never hearing these versions until recently.

Yet another outtake from “Don’t Look Back,” with Joan Baez joining Marianne Faithfull to sing her hit “As Tears Go By,” as Dylan types lyrics on his typewriter, then chats with Albert Grossman.

John Cale live with orchestra with his song (named for one of my literary heroes), “Graham Greene.”

Demo of Joni Mitchell alone with her (electric) guitar for one of her two or three greatest songs, “Amelia.”

From Tunes to Toons

Steve Brodner: