Rage Giving: Tabs, Mon., Jan. 5, 2025

News and things to read and watch!

Gif by Martini Glambassador!

Well, Trump done did it. Overnight on Saturday US forces executed a coup in Venezuela, without approval from Congress, and using the legal justification of what the fuck is anybody gonna do to stop us? US forces abducted presidente Nicolás Maduro and shipped him to Brooklyn to stand trial on drug and gun charges, leaving in the Maduro-supporting vice president Delcy Rodríguez and her brother Jorge as president of the National Assembly, and Trump said he himself will “run the country” with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as viceroy or something, and they will execute a plan for American companies to take all of Venezuela’s oil.

Wow, Trump does not sound healthy. And what happens if Maduro gets acquitted? Anyway, so much for no new wars, America first, president of peace, etc.!

And Rodríguez now says she actually does not intend to go along with Trump’s plan, and is calling for Maduro’s release:

“[Marco Rubio] just had a conversation with [Rodríguez], and she’s essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again,” Trump said. Shortly after his comments, Rodríguez contradicted Trump’s plans for her country, saying Venezuela “will never return to being the colony of another empire.”

That does not sound like “Mission Accomplished.” Hey, remember when Fiona Hill told Congress in 2019 that Trump was planning to do as a swap with Russia for Ukraine? Much more on all this mess to come! (Miami Herald)

Meanwhile, as the invasion of Venezuela was fixing to go down, Trump attended to a more pressing priority than commander-in-chiefing: shopping for marble for his ballroom! Saturday he stopped his entire motorcade at a Florida strip-mall stone and tile store so he could browse. Very presidential, sir! (The New Republic)

Did all of the war, coup and marble talk make you forget about those Epstein files, which the regime was legally required to release, yet only put out a tiny fraction of? Or how Maduro got arrested before a single Epstein client did? Or how Pam Bondi was supposed to explain the redactions the DOJ made by Saturday, but didn’t? Epstein survivors have not forgotten, and eight of them are calling for Trump’s impeachment. (Daily Beast archive link / Independent)

A Kentucky woman is facing life in prison for fetal homicide after ordering and admitting to taking abortion pills. (WKYT)

Canadian officials say US health institutions are no longer dependable for accurate information. (The Guardian)

The Ninth Circuit has ruled that California’s restrictions on open carry in counties with more than 200,000 residents (which is 95 percent of the state) is unconstitutional. (Palm Springs Desert Sun)

Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot has followed up its act of spewing of right-wing propaganda by generating “images depicting minors in minimal clothing” with its new AI photo-editing tool. (The Guardian)

And following Musk getting on the Trump train and destroying his brand in record time, Tesla has now lost the title as the world’s largest electric car maker to China’s BYD. Womp. (SkyNews)

The Washington Post’s Kent Babb checked in on the country’s only “Sober House” for gambling addicts. Online sports betting, not even once! (Washington Post gift link)

Cuts to public radio have spurred record-breaking “rage giving,” with $70 million more in donations in ‘25 year than in ‘24. Not enough to make up for the $535 million that got cut in July, but still nice. (The Guardian)

A thread:

All of that was so terrible, now must put on our sexy chaps and dance to some 1973 Isaac Hayes before we are able continue with the rest of this day.

Much better.