skip for now

married 40-some years. used to play with fractals, now take a lot of pics. 4 dogs and 2 cats help me practice futility.
Fall down 7 times, stand up 8.

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

Ossoff demolishes Hegseth -- then Hegseth has an epic crashout

Sen. Jon Ossoff used Hegseth's premature declarations of victory against him during his Senate testimony, repeatedly reading back statements Hegseth made in March and April about Iran's military being "destroyed" and "obliterated" and asking him if he stands by them.

After Hegseth spent five minutes dodging, Ossoff concluded by noting that "you will not answer whether your statement made on the 14th day of the war that Iran's military was 'destroyed and made combat ineffective' was a truthful statement to the American people as you sit here and ask for tens of billions more."

A reeling Hegseth then crashed out in response to a similar line of questioning from Sen. Gary Peters, snapping at him that "you have Trump derangement syndrome!"

Peters replied to Hegseth that "you, sir, are the failure," as Susan Collins brought the hearing to an abrupt close.

Here's all of Ossoff's questioning followed by Hegseth's tantrum:

[Bill Kristol @BillKristol]

"The UFC event captures something about this moment in our history.

After all, it’s vulgar, it’s violent, it’s commercial, it’s grandiose, it’s tacky, and it dishonors a place once thought worthy of care and respect. In other words, it’s Donald Trump."

https://t.co/4JB8V0GX4L

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

oh my goodness -- Ted Lieu played Rubio a video of Trump sleeping while Rubio tried to talk to him during a cabinet meeting. Then this exchange happened:

RUBIO: I've never seen him fall asleep

LIEU: I'm gonna show you a video that shows you just lied to Congress

*plays another video of Trump sleeping by Rubio*

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

RUBIO: The video you just showed me now he was not falling asleep

LIEU: So you're lying again? You're lying to Congress, Secretary Rubio. Here's video from a French news channel mocking Trump for falling asleep at a Memorial Day ceremony.

[Aaron Rupar @atrupar]

LIEU: Secretary Rubio, instead of holding North Korean-style cabinet meeting where everybody goes around the room kissing Trump's ass, I'm gonna ask you to come clean with the American people. There's something wrong with Donald Trump's health or cognitive abilities. There's a reason he keep going to the hospital and they keep giving him cognitive tests. We have not seen the president in eight days. The American people deserve the truth.

RUBIO: *starts frantically making excuses for Trump*

LIEU: Just keep lying, Secretary Rubio. Just keep lying.

[TheRealThelmaJohnson @TheRealThelmaJ1]

I would boycott UFC because of their ties to Trump but I already don’t watch that stupid shit because I’m not a moron.

[MAGA Cult Slayer @MAGACult2]

Here it is on camera

[Spencer Althouse @SpencerAlthouse]

this was so sweet. Stephen Colbert just ended his final episode of The Late Show while singing "Hello, Goodbye" with Paul McCartney. his family and the show's crew then joined them on stage before Paul turned off the lights to the Ed Sullivan Theater

[Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @AdamKinzinger]

Good.

The arch is getting bulldozed regardless

[Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost @RepMaxwellFrost]

BREAKING: "Alligator Alcatraz," the internment camp in the Everglades, is closing.

Here's what you need to know:

[Mrs. Butters 🥧 @MrsButters]

Trump could never

[Nikki Fried @NikkiFried]

DeSantis & the Republican Party celebrated Alligator Alcatraz. They sold merchandise & fundraised off of it. Took selfies in front of it. They stole almost $700M to build it and gave the money to their donors. Lied about being reimbursed.

One of the biggest cons in Fl history.

[TheRealThelmaJohnson @TheRealThelmaJ1]

Pardon me, Don Snorleone

[BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ @mmpadellan]

This is the BEST, most hilarious breakdown I have seen of the absurd rationales I have heard trying to justify trump's idiotic war.

BRILLIANT! 👏👏👏

[Jeff Tiedrich @itsJeffTiedrich]

look, I may not approve of Donald Trump bombing Iran's civilian infrastructure, but he is our president and I will defend to the death his right to be removed from office, arrested, stripped of his wealth, tried for his crimes and chucked straight the fuck into prison

[Seth Moulton @sethmoulton]

We have to take a step back and recognize how dangerously desensitized we have become to Trump.

The President of the United States is casually threatening the death of an entire civilization on social media between promoting vanity projects.

This is not 'tough talk' or 'the art of the deal.' This is the rhetoric of a madman.

The world is watching us. Our allies are horrified, and our enemies are emboldened by our chaos.

Officials in this administration, from the Cabinet, to the Pentagon, to our military commanders, who go along with this unconstitutional rush to mass slaughter must be held accountable.

Following illegal orders does not protect you from the rule of the law.

This President has proven himself fundamentally unfit to hold the nuclear codes or the lives of our service members in his hands.

It is time for Congress to find its backbone, return to session, assert its Constitutional authority, and stop this madness with impeachment proceedings or any other legal means at our disposal.

[MeidasTouch @MeidasTouch]

Iran is declaring victory after Trump agreed to ceasefire, saying the U.S. adopted its terms—and it's hard to see it any other way.

Iran’s leadership is openly celebrating what it calls a “crushing defeat” for the United States after Donald Trump agreed to a two-week ceasefire and acknowledged using Iran’s own 10-point framework as the basis for negotiations.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says the U.S. has effectively accepted its core demands—including continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, acceptance of uranium enrichment, lifting sanctions, and even discussions of compensation and U.S. troop withdrawal. Essentially, Trump has, for now, given Iran everything they asked for.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the same framework, stating safe passage through the Strait will now be coordinated under Iranian control during the ceasefire period.

So looking at statements from the U.S. and Iran, it seems clear Trump didn’t bring Iran to the table on U.S. terms—he appears to have moved negotiations onto Iran’s terms.

After days of escalating rhetoric, including Trump's threat that "a whole civilization will die tonight," Trump has now reversed course and is embracing the very proposal Iran put forward that a U.S. official called "maximalist" just yesterday.

For now, the world should breathe a sigh of relief Trump has backed down, though it feels that this was less of a "TACO"—and more of a surrender.

[Governor Newsom Press Office (parody) @AwesomeNewsom]

DEAR MR. TRUMP,

THANK YOU FOR SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION TO THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE COMMITTEE. WHILE WE REVIEW YOUR "LIVING IN HELL" STATEMENT OF LOVE AND PEACE, WE SUGGEST YOU APPLY TO THE INTERNATIONAL COURT AT THE HAGUE. YOU ARE EXACTLY WHO THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.

[A K Mandhan @A_K_Mandhan]

🚨 THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE

BREAKING :The President posted on Truth Social at 8:03 AM on Easter Sunday, calling Tuesday “Power Plant Day and Bridge Day.” The wording was blunt and aggressive, and the timing doesn’t seem random—it feels very deliberate.

Here’s why that timing matters. US markets reopen on Monday, April 6, but most European markets stay closed for Easter Monday. Places like London, Frankfurt, and Paris won’t open again until Tuesday, April 7. That means US traders get a full day to react and price in whatever’s coming. Europe doesn’t get that chance—they’ll be stepping back into the market on Tuesday, reacting in real time to whatever has already happened.

That creates a clear imbalance. US markets have one trading session to process everything: the reported downing of an F-15E, the rescue operation, aircraft losses, the escalating 48-hour deadline, and now this direct signal pointing to Tuesday. European markets, on the other hand, get no time to adjust. They’ll open straight into the aftermath.

Politically, that puts added pressure on US allies. NATO countries that hesitated to support operations, EU leaders who criticized the conflict, and governments like Italy—focused on securing energy supplies rather than engaging militarily—would all be reacting after the fact, not ahead of it.

At the same time, the post suggests military readiness is already in place. Carrier groups like the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) are reportedly active, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) has returned from maintenance, and the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is said to be moving across the Atlantic. There are also claims of special operations activity and troop deployments already underway.

The targets being discussed aren’t vague either. Power plants like Damavand, Shahid Salimi, and Shahid Rajaee are mentioned as key infrastructure supporting major regions. There are also references to bridge strikes, including one incident earlier that reportedly caused civilian casualties. Legal experts have warned that targeting this kind of infrastructure could raise serious issues under international law, including the Geneva Conventions.

Over the past few weeks, multiple deadlines have come and gone, each time expanding the scope—from power facilities to oil infrastructure, desalination plants, and transport links. Now, everything is being tied to a specific day, with unusually direct language.

Meanwhile, oil markets are already under pressure. Prices are rising, supply routes are strained, and alternative payment systems are being used in the background. All of this is happening while tensions remain high and information is moving fast—sometimes faster than it can be verified.

So now the focus is on Tuesday, April 7. That’s when European markets reopen, and when everything could converge. Up until now, the question has been whether deadlines would actually be enforced. This time, the tone is different—the message isn’t just about consequences anymore, but about timing, targets, and what might happen next.

[Niall Stanage @NiallStanage]

Dignity of the office, and whatnot.