We have two little agents of chaos aged 5 and 11 that are just as pandemonious as any kitten. They are no end of entertainment. But I do like your thinking here!
Jeebus. I came for the kitten GIF and got Sally Rottencrotch and her touch screen 🤮 I’m pretty sure I did NOT NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS. Almost certain, in fact.
'Iran is more likely to covertly pursue nuclear weapons now than it was a year ago'
"A copy of a restricted 119-page report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, seen by Bloomberg, determined that Iran is more likely to covertly pursue nuclear weapons now than it was a year ago, before the U.S. and Israel began military strikes on the country. Of particular note: Prior to the U.S.-led 2025 bombing of Iran’s principal nuclear sites, inspectors from the IAEA reviewed Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles on a weekly basis to ensure it wasn’t being diverted to a weapons development program. That’s since ceased to be the case.
The IAEA can no longer “draw any conclusion regarding this nuclear material,” the report found. “This gives rise to a proliferation concern as this nuclear material, which the agency was not able to verify, includes a large amount of high- enriched uranium.” [HuffPost]
"The Trump administration has reported diverting at least $90 million collected through the national parks’ entry fees to pay for a $1.6 million fireworks display and $76 million in fountain repair work, The Washington Post reported, citing internal agency documents.
The money is being siphoned from parks including Yellowstone and Yosemite despite the fact they are suffering a $24 billion backlog already. In recent weeks, Trump has been hurriedly preparing the Capitol for the 250th anniversary of America’s independence." [HuffPo/WaPo]
NYT this a.m.: "Republican voters in Iowa dealt a shock defeat to President Trump on Tuesday, narrowly rejecting his chosen candidate for governor in favor of another conservative contender who ran as a political outsider. The primary loss for Representative Randy Feenstra, whom the president endorsed on Friday afternoon, came at a time of mixed signals of Mr. Trump’s power over the Republican Party."
For those following, LivingForGod AndCountry DeMott is currently polling less than .1% in the California governor's race. All ballots, though, have not been counted.
"Trump continues to whittle away at federal science funding. And now his administration is attempting to put the decisions about what gets funding under tighter political control. Last week, the administration proposed a new rule that's now under review. It makes a lot of different changes, but one big one is it would give political appointees and the White House a much larger role over what kind of science gets funded. Scientists and advocates are very upset about this. The Infectious Diseases Society of America, for example, issued a statement yesterday that was titled, quote, "Proposed Rule Would Replace Scientific Merit With McCarthy Era Politics," unquote.
Under this new rule, senior political appointees, not just scientists, would review grants in order to assess whether they align with the president's priorities before awards are made. Congress could, in theory, block this rule, and no one thinks that is likely. It's raised a lot of resistance from folks in the science community, and they plan to continue organizing amongst themselves and the public to push back."
The Bicentennial was awesome, tall ships and everything. This 250th anniversary, because it had Trump written all over it, it a nothingburger. I don;t have the least bit of interest in any of it and I kinda of hate how they're going to tie up the Mall for it. Actually, it's become a shit sandwich.
"Well, let's compare the 250th celebration with the great celebrations of the past, the 100th and the 200th. Those are still remembered to this day. The 100th celebration in 1876 saw America have its first ever world exposition, a display of fantastic new technology. The artifacts from that show are still on display at the Smithsonian Museum to this day. And people are still mindful of 1876 in Philadelphia. 1976 in New York Harbor, some people listening to us may remember that, the tall ships regatta. And anyone who saw it or saw the photos still remembers.
What are we going to remember from the 250th? The cage fight on the president's birthday and Trump on the $250 bill. There's nothing here that is worthy of the country."
My kitty is getting a check up today. Since the clinic is near my physical office, I went in to work today. Hypothetically I can be about as productive here, but in actuality no. Limited to one screen, a weak laptop, and bad ergonomics in the chair. I'm taking it easy.
Ta, Rebecca. Ta, Martini. Got up hours ago and decided to go back to bed because RETIRED! I'm sipping flowery green tea and have fed the cats and dogs; I'll feed myself soon. This morning's fruit bowl will be grapefruit, banana, and avocado topped with vegan yogurt and Sri Lanka cinnamon, and I'll save some of the avocado for whole wheat sourdough toast. After breakfast, I'll walk the dogs. Right now I'm watching two hummingbirds battle for who gets a turn at the feeder. Good day, beloved Wonketteers. We love and appreciate you all and we bless us all with love, health, peace, and grace.
Please, please stay safe. Wear a mask or two, wash your hands, sanitize when you cannot wash and let the sanitizer dry completely, stop touching your face, take Vitamin D, get a booster shot six months after your last (done!) and catch up on any other vaccines you need (and if there are children in your life, make sure they're vaccinated also, too), avoid indoor and crowded outdoor gatherings and when you must meet, remove masks only to eat, drink, and take quick photos, and stay the fuck away from us and anyone with whom you do not share a roof. Do this because you love yourself, and because we love you, too. Do this in memory of 27 Club member Treg and heroic Tony, Holly's pilot friend, among nearly eight million dead worldwide. Do this to honor the nurses and other frontline medical personnel (we adore you, all medicos of Wonkette, active and retired), especially ICU Hera Mrs Land Shark, RN. Stay safe.
Well, it’s about 50 years overdue, but it appears finally our office holders have realized when dealing with Trump and his associates, you better get that shit IN WRITING.
Once again, in case I missed liking your post (and I was having some issues with my likes disappearing yesterday), I would like to thank everyone who wished me Happy Birthday yesterday.
Sorry this is belated. Happy Birthday. May your next trip around the sun bless you with love, health, peace, grace, abundance, prosperity, integrity, longevity, laughter, tears, friendship, courage, compassion, creativity, community, and joy. 🌺
Having worked in journalism since the glorious 1980s till it damn near stress-killed me and I quit it last year, I admire Scott Pelley for speaking up. Sad fact is, terrible management and abusive workplaces are the norm across media. And it's rare that these issues get aired in public. Speaking out about what goes on in a newsroom is a good way to kill your career, unless you happen to be someone like Pelley, who has a name and reputation that ensure you're going to be fine.
And that's sadly ironic. We journo types convince ourselves that we are fearless advocates for the public, yet we cower under incompetent bosses if informing the public about corruption in the newsroom threatens our meager paychecks. (We like to eat. And if you work in journalism, you have to swallow a lot for the "privilege".)
Example: I worked at (multiple) media companies whose computer systems were hacked, and data held for ransom, but those companies refused to disclose those incidents to the public, even though personal data was almost certainly compromised. It was absurd. When I argued that we would report this happening at another company, and we should therefore be transparent about it and inform readers, I was told by superiors to shut up about it. I didn't, but the media properties I worked for never published a word about it.
That's just one example, but if I tried to remember all that shit I've tried to forget, I could be here all day giving you similar examples.
Bari Weiss is the ultimate expression of this kind of horrible media management, but she is emblematic of an entire managerial culture that for decades has worked to undermine journalistic ethics of informing the public without fear or favor. Their work is nearly complete. They have just about destroyed the news media.
Scott Pelley's name and work I know and recognize, and he'll be fine whatever he chooses to do. That other guy? He strikes me as the functional equivalent of toilet paper. Useful but disposable and also ...
Well it’d be odd if he were full of someone *else’s* shit. But I suppose it’s possible. It’s not like you can fingerprint it. Kind of like the Spinal Tap drummer that chocked to death on vomit. They assumed it was his, but do you ever really know?
Informative and interesting take. What are your thoughts on the surge of independent talent, like Bryan Taylor Cohen? I realize that funding and reach are very challenging for independents, but could breaking away be a good thing? Or, do you think this will just cause more division between the left (truth) and the right (lies)? Mainly because not everyone will be able to or want to see into the parentheses in that question.
About 25-some years ago, I attended a speech by media critic Tom Rosenstiel. Even then, he was telling us that audiences were no longer looking for information, they were looking for affirmation, in their news sources. That's not new. Partisan newspapers predated more modern notions about press objectivity, so in a sense, we've returned to that.
We see this in our Wonket. We come here in large part because it is a like-minded community of pinko commie snarkists who know better, and that's fine. Just as it's fine that others have their preferences, inferior though they are.
Anyway, these are the overwhelming currents traditional media are swimming against. We need them to provide a baseline set of facts. But their influence is eroding. And they are foundering. You can see this most clearly in their reluctance to call out the clear criminality of our current ruling class.
My view is that the future of strong enterprise reporting is in places like ProPublica and other nonprofit media sources covering the federal government, statehouses and communities. NYT, WSJ, CNN, MSNOW, Fox News, etc., will be OK, but the REAL investigative journalism is going to increasingly come from (well-funded) nonprofits such as ProPublica and the like.
There is too much media now. Most of it is bad. Regurgitated clickbait and AI slop falsely posing as REVELATIONS!!! serves no one and makes us all dumber.
Sorry, but I don't know anything about the person you mentioned.
While I’m waiting for my WaPo subscription to expire, I start each day by checking the headlines there and also at The Guardian. Guess which one provides better news coverage.
AP is a ... coalition? They're not a media outlet in the usual sense. They're a non-profit news agency and wire service that aggregates reporting from primary sources and distributes the findings to media outlets. They're the news that the news watches.
It’s Java! More about your hed gif here: https://martiniambassador.substack.com/p/javas-terrible-table-manners
And your meme chat: https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/0541ebb1-b23b-40df-8bb3-f038c456f7bd?utm_source=share
"You expect ME to use this litter box??"
And here I thought the kitty was making biscuits.
Who says I can't play with my food? Such an adorable little kit.
Bad kitty!
At least it's not the water bowl!
Tha M on their foreheads stands for Mayhem.
Time to try another brand.
Quit playing with your food kid.
If I ever get a kitten of my own, its name will be Pan D. Monium!
One of my high school friends had a dog name Theodore David Bear, or Ted D. Bear for short.
We have two little agents of chaos aged 5 and 11 that are just as pandemonious as any kitten. They are no end of entertainment. But I do like your thinking here!
"I was promised bottomless brunch."
I’m sorry: No Pants, No Service. (Ever notice how that gets left off the sign? You’d think it’d be right up top, but no.
Kitty is perfecting their "hunting for dinner" technique.
This is why I don't do three Martini ( no offense meant) lunches.I damn near got whipped to death by a weed eater after one of those.
So did Easy, although he was stone cold sober at the time.
The takeaway from this most recent unpleasantness is to wear jeans, not shorts, when hwackin'.
I'm ususally not a fan of long song titles, but "Whipped To Death By A Weed Eater After a Three Martini Lunch" is def workable.
This is some Shel Silverstein shit for sure.
No, but if you hum a few bars, I can fake it.
Ha. Possibly my dad's single favorite line.
Go with it! I ask only credit for the title. No royalties.
It would have to have a neo-country edge
That's exactly what I was hearing too.
...and a buzzy guitar solo.
Slide resonator, for sure.
More of mess. Like the kibble, actually.
Are you the kitten in this scenario? 😅
Misplaced reply deftly caught!
For the first time I may just stick with 'Tini's offering this morning and eschew the tabz.
Ever see the "going goblin" big kitty lolling on his rump eating some kibble with a paw?
These critters are very goblin!
*a pandemic situation/term, if I remember right
I am inspired to play this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeWoGr5110o
Not Al Hirt?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htgw-q7QMMQ
Good choice.
Acting very caffeinated.
Hot Java!
"maybe getting struck by lightning!"
`
My nonagenarian Dad quite helpfully pointed out that lightning strikes golf courses all the time.
Jeebus. I came for the kitten GIF and got Sally Rottencrotch and her touch screen 🤮 I’m pretty sure I did NOT NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS. Almost certain, in fact.
"Happy birthday to my graybeard son! " The line is "carry on my greybeard son".
'Iran is more likely to covertly pursue nuclear weapons now than it was a year ago'
"A copy of a restricted 119-page report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, seen by Bloomberg, determined that Iran is more likely to covertly pursue nuclear weapons now than it was a year ago, before the U.S. and Israel began military strikes on the country. Of particular note: Prior to the U.S.-led 2025 bombing of Iran’s principal nuclear sites, inspectors from the IAEA reviewed Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles on a weekly basis to ensure it wasn’t being diverted to a weapons development program. That’s since ceased to be the case.
The IAEA can no longer “draw any conclusion regarding this nuclear material,” the report found. “This gives rise to a proliferation concern as this nuclear material, which the agency was not able to verify, includes a large amount of high- enriched uranium.” [HuffPost]
Kitten with Tab's and Coffee in the Morning ☕💯👍
"The Trump administration has reported diverting at least $90 million collected through the national parks’ entry fees to pay for a $1.6 million fireworks display and $76 million in fountain repair work, The Washington Post reported, citing internal agency documents.
The money is being siphoned from parks including Yellowstone and Yosemite despite the fact they are suffering a $24 billion backlog already. In recent weeks, Trump has been hurriedly preparing the Capitol for the 250th anniversary of America’s independence." [HuffPo/WaPo]
NYT this a.m.: "Republican voters in Iowa dealt a shock defeat to President Trump on Tuesday, narrowly rejecting his chosen candidate for governor in favor of another conservative contender who ran as a political outsider. The primary loss for Representative Randy Feenstra, whom the president endorsed on Friday afternoon, came at a time of mixed signals of Mr. Trump’s power over the Republican Party."
For those following, LivingForGod AndCountry DeMott is currently polling less than .1% in the California governor's race. All ballots, though, have not been counted.
Everyone in his cult voted for him, so that's good.
From NPR All Things Considered, yesterday:
"Trump continues to whittle away at federal science funding. And now his administration is attempting to put the decisions about what gets funding under tighter political control. Last week, the administration proposed a new rule that's now under review. It makes a lot of different changes, but one big one is it would give political appointees and the White House a much larger role over what kind of science gets funded. Scientists and advocates are very upset about this. The Infectious Diseases Society of America, for example, issued a statement yesterday that was titled, quote, "Proposed Rule Would Replace Scientific Merit With McCarthy Era Politics," unquote.
Under this new rule, senior political appointees, not just scientists, would review grants in order to assess whether they align with the president's priorities before awards are made. Congress could, in theory, block this rule, and no one thinks that is likely. It's raised a lot of resistance from folks in the science community, and they plan to continue organizing amongst themselves and the public to push back."
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/02/nx-s1-5843040/the-trump-administration-aims-to-pull-science-funding-under-tighter-political-control
The Bicentennial was awesome, tall ships and everything. This 250th anniversary, because it had Trump written all over it, it a nothingburger. I don;t have the least bit of interest in any of it and I kinda of hate how they're going to tie up the Mall for it. Actually, it's become a shit sandwich.
My senior high school yearbook had a bicentennial logo on the front.
Why are we celebrating the 250th? Shouldn't we stick with centennials? If we are celebrating the 250th, why not the 273rd as well?
Because it's also Trump's 89th birthday. It's always all about him.
253rd sounds like it could be nice.
David Frum, on yesterday's NPR Morning Edition:
"Well, let's compare the 250th celebration with the great celebrations of the past, the 100th and the 200th. Those are still remembered to this day. The 100th celebration in 1876 saw America have its first ever world exposition, a display of fantastic new technology. The artifacts from that show are still on display at the Smithsonian Museum to this day. And people are still mindful of 1876 in Philadelphia. 1976 in New York Harbor, some people listening to us may remember that, the tall ships regatta. And anyone who saw it or saw the photos still remembers.
What are we going to remember from the 250th? The cage fight on the president's birthday and Trump on the $250 bill. There's nothing here that is worthy of the country."
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/02/nx-s1-5843123/david-frum-on-the-trump-administrations-plans-for-americas-250th-birthday
NYC will have tall ships for the Fourth. I toured a few in Newport; they were remarkable.
Are they even painting the fire hydrants to look like Colonial-era people this time around? That was the single best thing about 1976.
My kitty is getting a check up today. Since the clinic is near my physical office, I went in to work today. Hypothetically I can be about as productive here, but in actuality no. Limited to one screen, a weak laptop, and bad ergonomics in the chair. I'm taking it easy.
Ta, Rebecca. Ta, Martini. Got up hours ago and decided to go back to bed because RETIRED! I'm sipping flowery green tea and have fed the cats and dogs; I'll feed myself soon. This morning's fruit bowl will be grapefruit, banana, and avocado topped with vegan yogurt and Sri Lanka cinnamon, and I'll save some of the avocado for whole wheat sourdough toast. After breakfast, I'll walk the dogs. Right now I'm watching two hummingbirds battle for who gets a turn at the feeder. Good day, beloved Wonketteers. We love and appreciate you all and we bless us all with love, health, peace, and grace.
Please, please stay safe. Wear a mask or two, wash your hands, sanitize when you cannot wash and let the sanitizer dry completely, stop touching your face, take Vitamin D, get a booster shot six months after your last (done!) and catch up on any other vaccines you need (and if there are children in your life, make sure they're vaccinated also, too), avoid indoor and crowded outdoor gatherings and when you must meet, remove masks only to eat, drink, and take quick photos, and stay the fuck away from us and anyone with whom you do not share a roof. Do this because you love yourself, and because we love you, too. Do this in memory of 27 Club member Treg and heroic Tony, Holly's pilot friend, among nearly eight million dead worldwide. Do this to honor the nurses and other frontline medical personnel (we adore you, all medicos of Wonkette, active and retired), especially ICU Hera Mrs Land Shark, RN. Stay safe.
Slava Ukraini. 🌻🇺🇦💙💛
Well, it’s about 50 years overdue, but it appears finally our office holders have realized when dealing with Trump and his associates, you better get that shit IN WRITING.
Once again, in case I missed liking your post (and I was having some issues with my likes disappearing yesterday), I would like to thank everyone who wished me Happy Birthday yesterday.
Sorry this is belated. Happy Birthday. May your next trip around the sun bless you with love, health, peace, grace, abundance, prosperity, integrity, longevity, laughter, tears, friendship, courage, compassion, creativity, community, and joy. 🌺
RE: Scott Pelley ...
Having worked in journalism since the glorious 1980s till it damn near stress-killed me and I quit it last year, I admire Scott Pelley for speaking up. Sad fact is, terrible management and abusive workplaces are the norm across media. And it's rare that these issues get aired in public. Speaking out about what goes on in a newsroom is a good way to kill your career, unless you happen to be someone like Pelley, who has a name and reputation that ensure you're going to be fine.
And that's sadly ironic. We journo types convince ourselves that we are fearless advocates for the public, yet we cower under incompetent bosses if informing the public about corruption in the newsroom threatens our meager paychecks. (We like to eat. And if you work in journalism, you have to swallow a lot for the "privilege".)
Example: I worked at (multiple) media companies whose computer systems were hacked, and data held for ransom, but those companies refused to disclose those incidents to the public, even though personal data was almost certainly compromised. It was absurd. When I argued that we would report this happening at another company, and we should therefore be transparent about it and inform readers, I was told by superiors to shut up about it. I didn't, but the media properties I worked for never published a word about it.
That's just one example, but if I tried to remember all that shit I've tried to forget, I could be here all day giving you similar examples.
Bari Weiss is the ultimate expression of this kind of horrible media management, but she is emblematic of an entire managerial culture that for decades has worked to undermine journalistic ethics of informing the public without fear or favor. Their work is nearly complete. They have just about destroyed the news media.
Nick Bilton's arrogance (I am sure how he got the job) bothers the fuck out of me. CBS no longer deserves Scott Pelley's talent and integrity
Scott Pelley's name and work I know and recognize, and he'll be fine whatever he chooses to do. That other guy? He strikes me as the functional equivalent of toilet paper. Useful but disposable and also ...
Full of his own SHIT.
Well it’d be odd if he were full of someone *else’s* shit. But I suppose it’s possible. It’s not like you can fingerprint it. Kind of like the Spinal Tap drummer that chocked to death on vomit. They assumed it was his, but do you ever really know?
Informative and interesting take. What are your thoughts on the surge of independent talent, like Bryan Taylor Cohen? I realize that funding and reach are very challenging for independents, but could breaking away be a good thing? Or, do you think this will just cause more division between the left (truth) and the right (lies)? Mainly because not everyone will be able to or want to see into the parentheses in that question.
About 25-some years ago, I attended a speech by media critic Tom Rosenstiel. Even then, he was telling us that audiences were no longer looking for information, they were looking for affirmation, in their news sources. That's not new. Partisan newspapers predated more modern notions about press objectivity, so in a sense, we've returned to that.
We see this in our Wonket. We come here in large part because it is a like-minded community of pinko commie snarkists who know better, and that's fine. Just as it's fine that others have their preferences, inferior though they are.
Anyway, these are the overwhelming currents traditional media are swimming against. We need them to provide a baseline set of facts. But their influence is eroding. And they are foundering. You can see this most clearly in their reluctance to call out the clear criminality of our current ruling class.
My view is that the future of strong enterprise reporting is in places like ProPublica and other nonprofit media sources covering the federal government, statehouses and communities. NYT, WSJ, CNN, MSNOW, Fox News, etc., will be OK, but the REAL investigative journalism is going to increasingly come from (well-funded) nonprofits such as ProPublica and the like.
There is too much media now. Most of it is bad. Regurgitated clickbait and AI slop falsely posing as REVELATIONS!!! serves no one and makes us all dumber.
Sorry, but I don't know anything about the person you mentioned.
Media has become “content”. I blame Ted Turner. And every time I read “BREAKING!” on a story that’s two days old, I die inside a little.
Thanks for your reply, very insightful.
** Tips cap **
While I’m waiting for my WaPo subscription to expire, I start each day by checking the headlines there and also at The Guardian. Guess which one provides better news coverage.
AP is relatively good too. And The Intercept doesn’t suck.
Agreed as to both, although I’ve started to read AP more. It seems to provide more straight news reporting.
AP is a ... coalition? They're not a media outlet in the usual sense. They're a non-profit news agency and wire service that aggregates reporting from primary sources and distributes the findings to media outlets. They're the news that the news watches.
I finally subscribed to The Guardian.
I’ve been throwing them some Ameros each month. Totally worth it.
Also, the Texas Tribune. Independent journalism is so essential right now.