Before we get to today’s (excellent) podcast with David French, let’s catch up a bit:
NYT: Charges Dropped in Reflecting Pool Case as Prosecutors Say Work Was ‘Botched’”/ Daily Beast: “Humiliated Trump goon abandons Reflecting Pool prosecution”
In a devastating blow to the 80-year-old president’s claims that damages to the newly renovated pool were caused by “radical” vandals, [US Atty Jeanine] Pirro cited the “flawed installation by the contractor” tasked with renovating the pool, as well as the Department of Interior’s “failure to fully and accurately provide information” to Pirro’s prosecutors.
The winner of the coveted FIFA Peace prize is reportedly planning massive new strikes on Iran.
“We will be hitting them very hard,” Trump said Friday at a televised cabinet meeting at Camp David. “And you know at some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’”
Trump authorized the new attack plan presented to him at the presidential retreat, U.S. officials said. But, they noted, any immediate progress on the diplomatic front could convince Trump to halt the planned strikes and return to negotiations. He also could simply change his mind.
Q-poll: Trump approval at 32 percent (a new low); and 60 percent oppose Iran war.
"The pushback is evident. Six in 10 voters want no part of military action against Iran. More than seven in 10 say putting troops on Iranian soil is a no-go. And if the war drags on, more than half of voters predict it will last a year or more," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
Meanwhile, in states where Democrats are not nominating DSA or far left candidates:
Happy Saturday. (A reminder that I’ll be on vacation next week, because everyone needs to get off the hamster wheel once in a while. But watch for a special message from Auggie and Eli.)
David French: Trump’s Banana Republic
New York Times Opinion writer David French joins me to discuss Trump's unprecedented corruption, the Todd Blanche nomination now in limbo, Anthony Fauci's shambolic Senate hearing — and the way that Chrostopher Nolan’s “Odyssey” rebukes the spirit of the age.
You can read French’s latest here: “Christopher Nolan Has Rebuked the Spirit of the Age - The New York Times”
We’re familiar with the consequences of physical laws. If you step off the roof of a building, the law of gravity takes over.
But what if you violate the Golden Rule? Is there a consequence for failing to love thy neighbor as thyself?
At this moment in American history it seems as if a substantial portion of America’s ruling class is putting all its chips on the answer being no, rules are for suckers. In fact, as far as they are concerned, morality causes problems. In American politics and commerce, complying with something as lame as “norms” — even uttering the word in a positive fashion — is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
A president enriches himself at a scale never seen before in the United States. An Epstein class of abusive libertines always seems to evade accountability for its crimes. Government officials break the law with impunity, banking on presidential pardons to excuse their crimes — all while truth is buried under an avalanche of lies, lies that are shared with gusto by cadres of grifters and fools.
Without saying one word about modern politics, Christopher Nolan has rebuked the spirit of the age. His retelling of the “Odyssey” is an admonition: Moral transgressions always carry a consequence.
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Note: If you enjoy conversations like this one, or just want to hang around with smart, sane people, please consider joining us. As you know, we depend on the kindness of strangers to keep doing this work. And the dogs and I are immensely grateful for your generous support.
Some highlights of my conversation with David French:
Trump’s brazen corruption.
We’re seeing Banana Republicanism.
Will officials obey Trump’s illegal orders?
How a political party turns itself into a home for bigots and cranks.
Trump really wants his weaponization fund and corrupt IRS deal.
The Fauci hearing made us all dumber.
Saturday dogs
Flashback; The three amigos.
