Pepper

Writer. Full-time mom. Journalism and PR veteran. Newspaper fan. MS Warrior. A just-the-facts ma’am.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@Super70sSports My Mom used to say as a way of removing that veil, “Not all doctors got As (in medical school).” That can be applied to presidents and other leaders, too.

[Brad Chaney @chaneybrad]

So the Dems stole the election in 2020 while Trump was President and had all the power, but didn’t steal it in 2024 when they had the power? You’d have to be mentally challenged to actually believe that. No wonder he’s taking so many cognitive tests.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@chadwaytweety Had to drive by this place too frequently. Glad to see it fail in a highly conservative area.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

Well said and observed.

[Marco Foster @MarcoFoster_]

Sam Neill (2025): “It’s not a happy place, America, and I wasn’t happy there. I’m interested in the condition of America now. It beggars belief what’s happening there now. When you hear a slogan like Make America Great Again, it makes a sort of weird sense because America could be great again, but at community level. Not with sort of strange billionaires making weird decisions”

[Joe Walsh @WalshFreedom]

After what Trump did after he lost the 2020 election - refusing to accept the results, lying about a “stolen” election, then trying to overthrow the election - if you don’t believe he’s currently attacking the 2026 midterms & will try to fuck with the midterms elections process, shame on you. If you don’t believe he’s going to use ICE & the military to intimidate people from voting, shame on you. If you don’t believe he’ll refuse to accept the results & scream “stolen election” again if the GOP loses in Nov, shame on you. And btw, if you don’t believe he’ll try to run again in 2028 and/or refuse to leave the White House in Jan, 2029, shame on you. Wake the fuck up.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@MajorityDems @americamade_ It’s giving me “Weekend at Bernie’s” vibes.

[Cheri Jacobus @CheriJacobus]

If @ScottJenningsKY is proven to have lied about having a nearly 20 minute phone conversation with McConnell, @cnn needs to fire him immediately.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@SenWarren Red flag? Yes! Please don’t let him rig the next election. What options do you have to reverse this?

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@erling Ha. You’re a popular guy! Had a Dutch-American friend tell me he wished you played for Holland. This American (who is at least 1/8 Norwegian) will be rooting for you! :)

[Pepper @pepperballard]

An excellent skit. I’m so thankful my parents are undeniably liberal and never put me through anything like this.

[noelle ೀ @hooksonpadilla]

Cant fucking believe THIS was snubbed by the tv academy......... are we serious

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@JoyceCarolOates My ability to write fueled my career—even as I stayed home to freelance and raise children. My Dad was an English professor—gave me Hawthorne to read on my 10th birthday. Reentering the job market now, I feel like a dinosaur with “unique skills.” I’m only 47.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

My English Professor Dad complained for years about the degradation of writing and critical thinking abilities among his college students—and that was more than 10 years ago. Look around. No wonder companies are outsourcing brain work to robots. 😢

[Max Tani @maxwelltani]

is this bad?

[Pepper @pepperballard]

Yes. Good move.

[Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews]

ALERT: Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) asks Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to provide a health update to him and to all Kentuckians

[Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski]

Maybe we could just get a photo of Mitch holding a newspaper with today’s date on it.

[Wynner 🇩🇪🇦🇹🇪🇺 @EuroWynner]

Trump managed to turn a World Cup that was honestly turning into a major US PR victory into a total national humiliation. Genius.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@ShaneRyanHere @sship37011 I agree. Belgium was fierce; we looked confused. After the first Belgian goal, I turned to my husband and said, “That felt like karma.”

[Julia Ioffe @juliaioffe]

The irony of Trump calling FIFA to overturn
a red card for Balogun because he knows the U.S. can’t win without Balogun, who only qualifies for the U.S. team because of birthright citizenship, which Trump just tried to overturn.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

So tired of the president’s intrusions. How does anyone tolerate his (lack of) character? We won’t be able to enjoy the game tonight without hearing his name, or knowing that he interfered. If they win, he’ll claim it for himself. He’s the worst.

[scary lawyerguy @scarylawyerguy]

Like I said, this now becomes a story about Trump, not a story about a plucky, fun-to-root-for team that has a chance to have the best World Cup finish any US Men's team has ever had. Just sucked all the joy out of it b/c he always has to be the center of attention.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

@AdamKinzinger @RadioFreeTom Really hard to imagine him at an art gallery tour, or even in Napa, or brunch. He works so hard to appear uncultured.

[Pepper @pepperballard]

Apropos.

[Mike Carter @MikeCarterTV]

BREAKING: Half-dollar sized hail at Mount Rushmore ahead of President Trump’s speech tonight.