Sucks to be JD Vance. This is the exact moment he could invoke the 25th Amendment were he not a soulless and unlikable wretch, incapable of raising a loyal cohort in support of such a move. He dreams of Machiavelli, but he knows he's really a Smithers.
Also, hope the Florida law finds a bunch of unnaturalized, right wing Cubans.
That said, IIRC, Russia doesn't pump enough for the Don's move to do much more than enrich Russia and/or Putin. It won't provide all that much relief to global markets.
And a reminder re oil: As we've learned during the Venezuela matter, there's oil and there's oil. So I don't know how much of Russian oil is how good for what. That said, I'll presume quantity is a much bigger issue than quality but it might still be interesting to know.
(Gratuitous reminder #1: No way does this end well for the Iranian people, in huge part because Trump (grifting excepted) does everything in the shittiest way.
(Gratuitous reminder #2: Hitler was forced on the Germans. We freely chose to be led again by this scumbag already proven incompetent and was, practically speaking, responsible for at least #00-500,000 Covid deaths and an unknown number of otherwise avoidable long Covid cases.)
As for Brennan, on one hand I have approximately no sympathy for any national Democrat. OTOH, I cannot believe that Brennan's as stupid as the insane morons trying to serve their insane, moronic leader apparently believe. Or to put it colloquially: Contrary to the Trump DOJ, you can't prosecute a successful court action when one comes to court blowing it out their asses in a complaint with no hope doing better than that down the line. That is, frivolous lawsuits, which all these Trump vindictive insane actions are, can't fly with any sort of honest judge.
As for 404 Media: Those kids are a goddam treasure doing fine, often important work. They're like the TPM of tech journalism.
I hate conspiracy theories. DeSantis just signed a bill outlawing chemtrails, which do not exist, in Florida, couching the language so as to present a mask of deniability, but that's what it's all about, as the sponsors bragged.
Nevertheless, sometimes a conspiracy theory is worth at least thinking about. So here's a little food for thought.
"In a move rich in historic irony, President Trump has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil in a desperate effort to ease global oil prices sent skyrocketing by his poorly planned attack on Iran.
Trump’s gift to Vladimir Putin to get his own ass out of the sling is both a huge concession to Russia and an unmistakeable admission that the economic reverberations from the elective war in Iran are having acute downstream political effects on Trump and Republicans in an election year."
The Administration has never offered a reasonable, or even a consistent, reason for attacking Iran. I think that it's reasonable to at least consider that he did so solely to give himself an excuse to eliminate the oil sanctions on Russia that are hammering its economy, weakening Putin's hold on power, and hampering Russia's war effort in Ukraine. Sure, it's "temporary". But that is a word that can mean whatever Trump wants it to. He has consistently and seemingly irrationally favored Russia throughout both of his terms in office. It's often been noted that if he was in fact an active asset of Russia, his actions with respect to Russia would probably not differ at all from what he has actually done.
I really hope that this time he's gone too far, and that enough Republicans will finally shake off their fear of retaliation and do what the Constitution demands - impeach him, convict him, and then try him for consistent and repeated treason. IMO, his only possible defense would be that he's non compos mentis, which would actually be a reasonable legal move. If that succeeds, let him then be institutionalized for what's left of his horrible life.
Well, if the Miami USA office is stumbling badly in trying to prosecute one of the most slippery individuals of any party to serve in government, John "Steele dossier" Brennan, then they are in trouble. I mean, the evidence is strongly suggestive that Brennan did lie — or at least bend the truth — in Congressional testimony several years ago, and he has been dogged by accusations of covering up CIA stuff-ups when he was Director.
Love the MM as always. Thanks for dropping the Old 97's at the end.
Sucks to be JD Vance. This is the exact moment he could invoke the 25th Amendment were he not a soulless and unlikable wretch, incapable of raising a loyal cohort in support of such a move. He dreams of Machiavelli, but he knows he's really a Smithers.
Also, hope the Florida law finds a bunch of unnaturalized, right wing Cubans.
In no particular order...
Re the Trump Treason®, this:
https://prospect.org/2026/03/11/iran-war-winners-putin-netanyahu/
That said, IIRC, Russia doesn't pump enough for the Don's move to do much more than enrich Russia and/or Putin. It won't provide all that much relief to global markets.
And a reminder re oil: As we've learned during the Venezuela matter, there's oil and there's oil. So I don't know how much of Russian oil is how good for what. That said, I'll presume quantity is a much bigger issue than quality but it might still be interesting to know.
(Gratuitous reminder #1: No way does this end well for the Iranian people, in huge part because Trump (grifting excepted) does everything in the shittiest way.
(Gratuitous reminder #2: Hitler was forced on the Germans. We freely chose to be led again by this scumbag already proven incompetent and was, practically speaking, responsible for at least #00-500,000 Covid deaths and an unknown number of otherwise avoidable long Covid cases.)
As for Brennan, on one hand I have approximately no sympathy for any national Democrat. OTOH, I cannot believe that Brennan's as stupid as the insane morons trying to serve their insane, moronic leader apparently believe. Or to put it colloquially: Contrary to the Trump DOJ, you can't prosecute a successful court action when one comes to court blowing it out their asses in a complaint with no hope doing better than that down the line. That is, frivolous lawsuits, which all these Trump vindictive insane actions are, can't fly with any sort of honest judge.
As for 404 Media: Those kids are a goddam treasure doing fine, often important work. They're like the TPM of tech journalism.
and does the Florida law provide for women with married names?
Well, let's see what Ukraine can do about
any oil leaving Russia.
This was probably part of "the new deal" between the 2 Murder Hornets; Putin & Trump, in that Mar a Lago patio phone call last weekend.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Take a break and go for a walk, or whatever, if you can.
I hate conspiracy theories. DeSantis just signed a bill outlawing chemtrails, which do not exist, in Florida, couching the language so as to present a mask of deniability, but that's what it's all about, as the sponsors bragged.
Nevertheless, sometimes a conspiracy theory is worth at least thinking about. So here's a little food for thought.
"In a move rich in historic irony, President Trump has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil in a desperate effort to ease global oil prices sent skyrocketing by his poorly planned attack on Iran.
Trump’s gift to Vladimir Putin to get his own ass out of the sling is both a huge concession to Russia and an unmistakeable admission that the economic reverberations from the elective war in Iran are having acute downstream political effects on Trump and Republicans in an election year."
The Administration has never offered a reasonable, or even a consistent, reason for attacking Iran. I think that it's reasonable to at least consider that he did so solely to give himself an excuse to eliminate the oil sanctions on Russia that are hammering its economy, weakening Putin's hold on power, and hampering Russia's war effort in Ukraine. Sure, it's "temporary". But that is a word that can mean whatever Trump wants it to. He has consistently and seemingly irrationally favored Russia throughout both of his terms in office. It's often been noted that if he was in fact an active asset of Russia, his actions with respect to Russia would probably not differ at all from what he has actually done.
I really hope that this time he's gone too far, and that enough Republicans will finally shake off their fear of retaliation and do what the Constitution demands - impeach him, convict him, and then try him for consistent and repeated treason. IMO, his only possible defense would be that he's non compos mentis, which would actually be a reasonable legal move. If that succeeds, let him then be institutionalized for what's left of his horrible life.
David, there’s dead link for A sharp warning in an ordinary news release: "President Trump’s Justice Department" https://www.lawdork.com/p/news-release-trump-justice-department
More on the KC-135 crash: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/3/12/2366896/-KC-135-tanker-reported-lost-during-Epic-Fury
Well, if the Miami USA office is stumbling badly in trying to prosecute one of the most slippery individuals of any party to serve in government, John "Steele dossier" Brennan, then they are in trouble. I mean, the evidence is strongly suggestive that Brennan did lie — or at least bend the truth — in Congressional testimony several years ago, and he has been dogged by accusations of covering up CIA stuff-ups when he was Director.
Time to bring in Ed Martin?