Yes, it’s still somehow free to subscribe to this nearly daily newsletter! Greg Mitchell is the author of fourteen books and director of four films for PBS since 2022. In a previous life, he was a longtime editor at the legendary Crawdaddy.
John Oliver last night took on ChatGPT, Grok and other Chatbots…
Much coverage remains on the Saturday night shooting. So a range here:
The Washington Post
Breaking news: The Trump administration provided a lower level of security for the White House correspondents’ dinner than it has for other gatherings of high-ranking officials, according to officials familiar with the plan. https://wapo.st/4eb1pRg
Trump’s cooing about new love affair with the press lasted about 12 hours. Here from his “60 Minutes” interview last night:
O'DONNELL: In his manifesto, he wrote that 'I'm no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.' What's your reaction?
TRUMP: I was waiting for you to read that because I knew you would because you're horrible people. I'm not a rapist. I didn't rape anybody. I'm not a pedophile. Excuse me. You read that crap from a sick person. I was totally exonerated. You should be ashamed of yourself, reading that. You're a disgrace.
Matt Wuerker:
Springsteen revised his opening statement at his concert in Austin, TX last night:
Online sleuths asked why one man at the dinner seemed unbothered, while other guests dropped to the floor. He said he wasn’t scared (“I’m a New Yorker”). He also said he didn’t want to get on the ground (“I’m a hygiene freak”).
Heather Cox Richardson on Congress potentially voting to enforce 60-day provision of War Powers Act:
The idea that the president can use the military as he wishes without authority from Congress demolishes one of the fundamental principles of our democracy: that we have a right to a say in how our lives and treasure are spent.
Rather than enabling Trump, Republicans could reassert the authority the Framers of the Constitution put in Congress’s hands and stop his deadly blundering.
“We’ve heard a lot of talk from Republicans that they’ll give this president 60 days,” the second-ranking Democrat in the House, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, told Mike Lillis of The Hill. “And this is a failed effort. And it’s long past time that he come to Congress and explain what the strategy is and what the exit is. Republicans have been saying that is a crucial timeline for them. So put your vote up on the board.”
Music Pick
Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings are on tour with a special focus: Just acoustic Grateful Dead songs, some of them surprises. Here is one of my favorites, “Bertha,” in a stirring version, and then a couple others follow:
From Tune to Toons
Steve Brodner:
Goris:
KAL
Bramhall:
Goris again:
Another from Barry Blitt’s collectiion of Trump Bible Tales:
Photo Finish
A little different today: A bear lumbering through our neighborhood yesterday evening, just past our side yard, our first sighting ever here. No sign of cousin or line cooks.
LOL...love the pic Greg. No Cuz?!?
Bear must be heading to the walk-in!
The new reflecting pool cartoon is brilliant!