James Tepper

Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience at Rutgers, husband, father, guitarist, Deadhead, burrito chef, Yankees fan, made in America, and all-around curmudgeon.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Trump said today he was nominating Acting AG Todd Blanche for the AG position. This after recently fired AG Pam Bondi testified that Blanche was responsible for the massive fuck up that is called “The Epstein Files”. Blanche is, like Bondi before him, a staunch Trumpet loyalist. He might actually be a decent lawyer. But he has no ethics, has been caught deflecting and lying. He will not be confirmed. I hope.

Trump has a remarkable inability to nominate experienced, incompetent people for his cabinet positions. As examples, take RFK Jr as HHS Director. He’s an anti-science, anti-vax idiot with absolutely no medical or public health experience. His tenure has done inconceivable damage to HHS, NIH, CDC and the heath and welfare of everyday Americans. And he has crippled what was only 1 1/2
years ago the greatest biomedical research system in the world.

Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth are two more of Trump’s picks. Both are totally unqualified alcoholics that each fired a large number of the most senior FBI and military officers respectively.

Yesterday Trump named Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence. Acting because even Trump realizes that Pulte would not be confirmed. Pulte has exactly zero experience in intelligence. But he is totally loyal to Trump. So he’s in.

Trump nominated Kristi Noem as DHS Secretary. After facilitating his xenophobic immigration/deportation agenda, the massive screwup in Minneapolis with ICE shooting three citizens, two of which died, he fired her and replaced her with Markwayne Mullin, one of his dumbest and of course, inexperienced supporters.

His Education Secretary, Linda MacMahon has no experience apart from being a wrestling executive. Her goal is to destroy the Department of Education.

Trump’s EPA Secretary is a climate change denier whose goal is to eliminate as many regulations governing pollution and environmental protection as possible. He’s been remarkably effective so far.

There are many others. But also think about Kushner and Witkoff who have been named as “Special Envoys”. They have failed in Ukraine, the Middle East and anything else that they have been sent to do. But they have made a lot of money for themselves.

Trump is indeed the most depraved, disgusting, demented, deranged and dangerous POTUS in our nation’s history. But he’s managed to game the system and install incompetent sycophants in critical positions. The worst is yet to come.

[James Tepper @JTep]

@MarkBur58976904 @Acyn Does that make sense to you? Are you mentally impaired?

[James Tepper @JTep]

I don’t have much faith in the Senate to do the right thing because there is a 3 seat Republican majority. But I think the confirmation of Todd Blanche as AG will fail. He’s tried really hard to curry favor with Trump and has succeeded. But the same partisan actions Blanche has taken for Trump has a number of Republicans leery. And rightfully so. His past and recent history disqualifies him.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Trump thinks his UFC structure is comparable to the Eiffel Tower. Seriously. He says he may leave it up indefinitely. Bad taste is not necessarily a sign of dementia but in this case, it might be.

I yearn for the day that Trump no longer haunts our national consciousness. His end cannot come soon enough.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Well well well!! The House passed the “War Powers” resolution limiting Trump’s ability to declare war by himself. Probably more symbolic than real, since the Senate will not agree, but still any time any part of the government pushes back against Trump, it’s a victory for American Democracy.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Trump holding forth again in the Oval Office, spewing absolute nonsense. He is all over the place. From Iran to “Barak Hussein Obama” to the “Weaponization Fund” to China and CNN.

He’s being unbelievably rude and nasty. Just like always. He’s a disgusting, demented asshole.

[James Tepper @JTep]

I knew that when the Ellisons hired Weiss, a known Trumpist, to head CBS news it would end badly. And so it has.

60 minutes just fired Scott Pelley, Anderson Cooper has declined to return, the CBS Evening News with Tony Dokupil has cratered, and close to a dozen high level producers and administrators have resigned or been fired. Cronkite must be turning in his grave

This is what happens when MAGAts are put in charge.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Why are Republicans, who I do not automatically assume are idiots, so against renewable energy? Fifteen or 20 years ago, an argument could be made that fossil fuels were less expensive. But that was then.

In 2026, solar and wind generation of electricity is cheaper than coal or oil. And the difference is only going increase.

By actively suppressing renewables Trump is only ensuring that the US will fall further and further behind other countries that have embraced renewables.

[James Tepper @JTep]

In 2024, the last year for which data are available, the countries of the European Union generated 47.5% of their electricity from renewable sources, principally solar, wind turbines and hydroelectric.

The US in sharp contrast, only generated 24% of its electricity from renewable sources. So the US, which I suspect has higher overall per capita consumption of electricity than any other country, only generates half as much electricity from renewables as other advanced countries.

Why is this? One reason. Trump. Trump lies repeatedly whenever he talks about his “Green New Scam”. He repeatedly claims that Germany tried “windmills” but tore them them down because they didn’t work. In reality, Germany gets nearly 35% of its electricity from wind turbines alone.

Trump has single handedly crippled the US’s solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. He’s tried to kill wind turbines in favor of coal-powered electrical plants. He’s responsible, via his war in Iran, for increasing the price of a barrel of Brent Crude to $111 today. And he continues to try to kill electric vehicles. Biden, in contrast, tried to encourage the EV industry with tax breaks that Trump eliminated right away.

Look ahead a decade. Who will eventually win Trump’s war against renewables? The countries who support research into technologies for improving the efficiency of and developing new renewable energy sources. And sadly, that will not be the US. It literally be every other country.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Trump gets away with appointing unqualified loyalists to critically important cabinet posts without Senate confirmation by abusing the “acting “ appointment. As with almost all things Trump, congress needs to pass laws limiting these appointments to stop things like his new acting DNI director. And acting AG. Blanche.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Heard anything about Trump’s “Board of Peace” lately? Neither have I. And Trump thought it was going to replace the UN? lol.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Trump is nothing if not predictable. After firing his first Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard for incompetence, he has now named Bill Pulte, who has absolutely no experience in intelligence, as acting DNI director.

Expect more of the same bullshit, and stupid moves from Pulte, whose only qualification for the job is that he knows nothing and is a hard core Trump loyalist. Add Pulte to RFK Jr, Hegseth, Bondi, Burghum, Bessent and others who are totally unqualified for their positions.

Every day that Trump stays in office the US deteriorates a little more, our international reputation is a little more tarnished and he grows richer as we all grow a bit poorer.

[Gianl1974 @Gianl1974]

A message to all sane Republicans:

He pardoned 1,600 violent criminals.
You said nothing.

He bulldozed the East Wing.
You said nothing.

He interfered with the release of the Epstein files. You said nothing.

He took over the Kennedy Center and renamed it after himself. You said nothing.

He accepted a $400 million airplane as a personal gift. You said nothing.

He threatened Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Greenland, Venezuela, Colombia, and Brazil. You said nothing.

He tariffed just about everyone but Russia, causing inflation and instability worldwide. You said nothing.

He attacked a nation during mediated negotiations. You said nothing.

His ill-conceived war killed 175 children on day one. You said nothing.

He alienated and insulted our allies. You said nothing.

His ICE Army terrorized and murdered U.S. citizens. You said nothing.

He committed murder on the high seas. You said nothing.

He co-opted the Justice Department and directed it to prosecute his political enemies. You said nothing.

It’s time to start talking.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Without question, Trump’s is the most corrupt administration and family in the history of the US.

[Just Lisa @ljtenn]

@highbrow_nobrow @atrupar

[James Tepper @JTep]

@BulwarkOnline Trump’s mental acuity IS a vacuum.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Trump has backed himself and the US into an inescapable corner with Iran. There was never any real plan but the whim of a frightened incompetent POTUS who was played by Netanyahu to assist Israel. Under normal circumstances , Trump’s cabinet would have talked him out of this. But instead we have a cabinet of incompetents and here, led by Pete Hegseth, all were looking for blood. And now they don’t know how to get out.

Idiots Witkoff and Kushner have failed to negotiate anything anywhere, that doesn’t simply increase their persons net worth by $millions, maybe $billions.

[James Tepper @JTep]

What has plagued our President this past week? Here are a few of his headaches.We need a lot more of this.

1. Trumps’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center, and the 2 year closure is now highly in doubt. Judges stood up against Trump.
Trump threatens to leave which is a huge win for America.

2. Trump’s $10 billion suit and subsequent “settlement” for a $1.776 slush fund has been blocked by several federal judges. The entire affair is under investigation and a judge has blocked any money transfer into or out of the mot yet real “weaponization fund”. Most important, the “settlement” that acting AG Todd Blanche signed off on that gave Trumps and his entire crew past and future immunity against any and all IRS penalties.

3. Work on Trump’s”Arc de Trump” has been suspended until required approvals are obtained.

4. There is tremendous bipartisan objection to his plan the take over DC’s municipal golf courses and turn one of them into a championship course that very, very few regular citizens be able to play.

Let’s keep it going.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Trump is sick. Anyone waiting on the White House or the docs that treated/examined him this week to release a report are waiting on nothing.

Current WH Doc, Barbabella has never told the truth before, and Trump is sicker now than he was months ago when Barbabella termed Trump’s health “exceptional “.

It is obvious to anyone with an iota of medical education that Trump is currently suffering from a panoply of somatic and neurological conditions that are worsening in real time.

So the report will be just like a previous one where the White House physician tells us that Trump is 6’3” and 220 lbs.

[James Tepper @JTep]

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, the international agency in charge of football (what we call soccer in the US) probably has a bad case of buyers remorse about interacting with Trump in the 2026 World Cup.

First he decides to give Trump an ersatz FIFA Peace Prize only few months before he invaded Venezuela, kidnapped its president and invaded Iran and killed the Ayatollah and a bunch of other Mullahs and paralyzed the world’s oil shipping. Not exactly welcoming behavior.

Attendance in the North American games is looking to be very depressed at this late date. The reasons are legion.

Early booking of hotels, rentals, restaurants etc. that were expected to make fortunes for their owners, are running way below expectations.

Visa’s are a problem for citizens of several countries that Trump doesn’t like. Prices in the US are very high, especially since Trump II began. It doesn’t help that Trump keeps screaming that our liberal cities are overrun with crimes of all ilk, and the world has seen US police and military shooting and killing Americans citizens. Why would anyone risk life and limb to see a football match?

World Cup tickets are always expensive, just like World Series, SuperBowl, PGA events. But this time the list prices of tickets are out of reach for most normal citizens of Canada, the US and Mexico. TICKETS ARE ALREADY THE MOST EXPENSIVE OF ANY WORLD CUP IN HISTORY.

Are we having fun yet?

[James Tepper @JTep]

lol. Randy Quaid was once, or at least pretended to be, a completely normal conservative Republican who was very successful. He had everything.

But something happed around 2009. I’m most sure what, but both me and his wife seems to have simultaneous psychotic breaks, running out on a $100,000 rental bill and hiding out in a paranoid fantasy where the CIA and FBI were after him and, of course, aliens are in there somewhere.

Too bad. He was very talented.

[James Tepper @JTep]

The idea of promoting blood sports on the White House lawn is absolutely repugnant. If there are really anything close to the 100,000 people Trump is expecting to sit on the lawn and watch from giant Video monitors, the entire event will be one giant clusterfuck.

Where will 100,00 people find a toilette? Who is supplying the food and drink? Who is making the money from the sales of foo and drink and all the merch? I’ll bet there will also be lots of Trump merch.

What about security and crowd. control? One can safely assume that a UFC crowd will be just a smidge more aggressive and apt to take disagreements to a physical level. Who is going to foot the huge bill for security?

Did any of the geniuses in the room think about this shit? As Trump is fond of saying “I guess we’ll see”.