NATIONAL PET BIRD DAY UPDATES
That's "Pet" as in Parrots, Cockatoos and Budgies, not Unwarranted Stroking of Feathers ...
-As this update is being filled out, MEET THE PRESS is debuting Kristin Welker as its new host ... by doing what CNN thought would be a cool idea when they announced a shift to the right they have already abandoned: give one hour of time to Ex-President Trump XCI in an "exclusive" interview that, we all know, is anything but. And if the excerpts are true, Welker goes full Chuck Todd and ignores the insurrection, the documents, the payoffs, and the scandals - and instead gets Trump to say that he would NEEEE-VER pardon himself and will try to get the votes of striking UAW workers because of the disaster of a dumpster fire of a catastrophe of The Worst Time This Country Has Ever Faced thanks to that evil senile decrepit cunning corrupt ignorant Guy He Really Beat in 2020, Joe Biden - who, if you haven't heard in the last 15 minutes, is also old from the standpoint of age. Because Trump's just another candidate!
-Having chosen to continue the boycott of the show begun since the days of Tim Russert, this writer is guessing Welker did not talk to Trump about his Friday appearance at something called the Pray Vote Stand Summit. There, Trump attacked Biden for being "cognitively impaired" - and then warned the audience that if not checked, the "totally corrupt and worst President in the history of our country" will ... lead the United States into ... WORLD WAR II. Not to be outdone by that, Trump continued in a slurring and wildly modulating riff that he was the man to lead the country because of how ... he ... defeated ... BARACK OBAMA in the 2016 Presidential election ... eventually dropping in his rhetorical binky Hillary Clinton to cap that section of the, um, speech. The speech is widely available on social media though not discussed in mainstream reporting on the speeches, focusing instead on, of course, the age of President Biden.
-Reports of infighting among the Republican Party continue to persist. This morning, Democratic House Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries reports he is aware of several arguments going on in the GOP Caucus, where demands to start an impeachment "inquiry" into President Biden (because reasons) have resulted in threats by UltraMAGA leader Rep. Matt Gaetz (HeyGiRl, FL) against Kevin McCarthy (SINO, CA) to vote McCarthy out of the Speakership - and other arguments roiling about how to stop (or whether to stop) a government shutdown over the 2024 budget. That fight was echoed yesterday in TX, where state Senate Republicans voted not to impeach GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton on 16 counts of bribery and corruption (including using tax money to rent an apartment to carry out an affair involving a lobbyist) that were brought by the Republican-led House in that state. The 'trial' seems a bit smelly given that the person presiding over the trial, the not-ESPN Dan Patrick, was given $1 million in "political donations" from Paxton, and that local Senators were being pressured by Patrick and national dear party leader Trump to keep Paxton in power, but Paxton vows revenge on the TX House - starting with blaming the whole thing on ... Joe Biden.
-Biden Derangement Syndrome much, people?
-Just when you thought the story about Rep. Lauren Boebert (N-R-A, CO) couldn't get more salacious, hold her vaping pen. When we last left her, she was being thrown out of a live performance of the musical version of BEETLEJUICE after refusing to stop vaping and recording the show. WELL, in a different clipping from the same evening, it was also 'revealed' that Boebert and her date (allegedly a Democrat who owns a strip club known for their drag shows) were groping each other like they were parked in a car hoping the Police or their fathers wouldn't catch them ... because the Boebs is all about family values and policing morality as is the rest of the UltraMAGA party ...
-... because, apparently as a result of the Boebert story, multiple news sources then started to report on an "open secret" among DC society: that SD Governor Kristi Noem and former Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski have been having a "years-long" affair despite Noem's 31-year marriage and Lewandowski (also married) cut a deal with prosecutors in NV over a physical assault on a woman while making "unwanted sexual advances." Noem is believed to be on the short list of potential Trump Vice Presidential nominees, so it is not known whether news of the affair will hurt or help her with ... you know ...
-Finally, THIS JUST IN: Drew Barrymore, after receiving huge backlash over her initial decision to restart her talk show in defiance of the ongoing WGA strike, this morning announced she will not restart her show until the strike is over. And on that score, WGA and Hollywood producers are scheduled to resume some bargaining this week. SOLIDARITY to all currently on strike!
-On this date in 1789, the U.S. Constitution was signed by 39 delegates. On this date in 1972, MASH premiered on CBS. On this date in 1978, a peace treaty ending the war between Egypt and Israel was signed at Camp David, MD, with lead negotiator Jimmy Carter presiding. On this date in 1983, Vanessa Williams became the first black woman to be named Miss America, though she would have the title taken away after nude photos of her were published in Penthouse Magazine months later. And on this date in 2011, Zuccotti Park near Wall Street was occupied by protestors demanding meaningful action against income inequality, sparking the Occupy movement worldwide.
-Happy Birthday to Warren Burger, Hank Williams Sr., George Blanda, Roddy McDowall, David Huddleston, Anne Bancroft, Ken Kesey, Orlando Cepeda, Paul Benedict, David Souter, Phil Jackson, John Ritter, the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Fee Waybill, Cassandra "Elvira" Peterson, Rita Rudner, Thad Bosley, Baz Luhrmann, Bryan Singer, Kyle Chandler, Keith Flint, Mark Brunell, Rasheed Wallace, Jimmie Johnson, Flo Rida, and Patrick Mahomes.
-Rest in Peace/Rest in Power to Dred Scott, Richard Basehart, Vitas Gerulaitis, Red Skelton, Charles H. Percy, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, and Cokie Roberts.
-Feed the Worms: Spiro Agnew bought it on this date.
-Ancient IA Senator Chuck Grassley, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and superstar hockey-playing Putin supporter Alex Ovechkin were born on this date. You decide if they get Happy Birthdays or if they should Feed the Worms.
-The Number One Album in America ... in 2023, ZACH BRYAN by Zach Bryan ... in 2013, HAIL TO THE KING by Avenged Sevenfold ... in 2003, METAMORPHOSIS by Hillary Duff ... in 1993, IN PIECES by Garth Brooks ... in 1983, SYNCRHONICITY by The Police ... and in 1973, BROTHERS AND SISTERS by The Allman Brothers Band.