Jupiter’s Retinue Now 79 Moons, Including This Wrong-Way Oddball! Tabs, Tues., May 30, 2023
Come and get your Tabs!
It looks like Uncle Sam won’t have to wear a barrel held up with suspenders while creditors repossess the Statue of Liberty. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have come to a tentative agreement to avoid default. Here are the deets, as the kid say. (The Washington Post)
But will McCarthy's far-right goon squad tank the deal and yank away his speaker's gavel? (Politico)
Russia hammered Ukraine Monday with air strikes, and Ukraine prepares for a counter attack. Meanwhile, Ukraine farmers try to figure out how to plant seeds for food without setting off mines. (Also WaPo)
The West has frozen $300 billion in Russian assets. There’s a strong case — see article above — for giving that money to Ukraine. (The Atlantic)
It’s been 25 years since we lost the great Phil Hartman, but he'll never stop making us laugh. (Twitter)
“Phil Hartman in The Simpsons was a Vibe”
— Blake Garman (@Blake Garman) 1685320470
Queer students at Florida’s New College are fighting back against Gov. Ron DeSantis’s reign of terror. (Vice)
Sen. Dianne Feinstein reportedly is “surrounded by a large retinue of aides at all times, who tell her how and when to vote, explain what is going on when she is confused, and shield her from the press and public.” (The New York Times)
A “retinue” is commonly defined as a group of servants,advisers,assistants, or others accompanying an important person. So “retinue of aides” is kind of like “ATM machine.”
Biden is steadily diversifying the courts. Lisa Needham writes, “Where Trump’s appointees were almost 90 percent whiteand nearly 80 percent male, over 75 percent of Biden’s nominees confirmed by the Senate are women, and over two-thirds are non-white.” (Public Notice)
Trump did stack the courts with right-wing hacks who will serve for decades, so Jeet Heer suggests that Democrats take the offensive and call out the corruption. (The Nation)
Here’s a good read about Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s well-deserved fall. (Talking Points Memo)
Former Rep. Liz Cheney delivered the commencement address at Colorado College, her alma mater. She told her former colleagues if they wanted “a leader who would lie, they should choose someone else.” Elise Stefanik was obviously happy to oblige. (The Daily Beast)
Comparing Trump’s unhinged attacks on Special Prosecutor Jack Smith to wrestling “heels” is an insult to the noble art of professional wrestling. (Slate)
This sounds like a great opening to a screenplay:
“This is what a recession looks like,” said one guest at David Zaslav’s Cannes party, gesturing to two megayachts in the distance. “There used to be 20 of these.”
Then the asteroid strikes. (Wall Street Journal)
Street camping is both a public health hazard and a likely violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. There is a better way of providing housing to people who need it. (Willamette Week)
I love these videos where architects discuss the history behind certain building and home styles. I never said I was fun at parties.
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