Robert Bryant

Retired father, husband, performance driving instructor, sailor, bicyclist. Opinions my own.

[ABC News @ABC]

Fewer than 49% of Americans can afford healthcare, the lowest rate since tracking began in 2021, according to Gallup data released Thursday. https://t.co/U0BQq4QXtA

[TheRealThelmaJohnson @TheRealThelmaJ1]

True

[ChrisO_wiki @ChrisO_wiki]

Moscow's instantly-iconic exploding fuel storage tank is resulting in a flood of memes. I'll add a selection below...

[Rt Hon. Will || Portfolio for Sarcasm (parody) @colder_sarcasm]

New sign going up.

[Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @NotHoodlum]

“The reflecting pool is open and everyone is having a wonderful time.”

[Headquarters @HQNewsNow]

Clips are going viral of the new $14M paint on the Reflecting Pool peeling off just 12 days after the pool reopened.

[PBS News @NewsHour]

New concerns are emerging about President Trump’s sweeping pardon of Jan. 6 defendants after a report found that nearly 100 of them have been arrested, charged or convicted of additional crimes since the attack in 2021.

It comes as continuing efforts by Trump and his allies to recast the events of that day have reignited debate over accountability and the rule of law.

@ElizLanders has more.

[Steven Rattner @SteveRattner]

The Fed believes heightened inflation is back to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.

Headline CPI just hit 4.2% — the fastest in over a year. Core PCE, a gauge the Fed actually targets, is stuck at 3.3%. Both are far above the 2% Fed goal.

My @Morning_Joe Chart:

[MeidasTouch @MeidasTouch]

March 9: "We're now totally independent of the Middle East. We don't need their oil."

April 1: "It doesn't really affect us. We have so much oil. We have tremendous oil and gas, much more than we need."

June 17: If I didn't agree to the MOU, we "would run out of reserves at about 4 weeks...we would really run out, and there'll be a time when you wouldn't be able to get it."

[MeidasClips @MeidasClips]

Snyder: One of our national fairy tales is that [Donald Trump] is a negotiator or he has some kind of negotiating skills. He does not. He's a charismatic performer who played a negotiator on TV, but he does not have negotiating skills. He's terrible at it.

[JB Pritzker @JBPritzker]

No money to feed hungry kids—and yet, Trump can somehow find the money for a UFC Arena, a $600 million ballroom, and a $50 billion war in Iran.

[Thomas Massie @RepThomasMassie]

$300 billion is 5 X as much as Congress spends on our roads & bridges annually. I’m tired of winning.

The U.S.A. “undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of” Iran.

[Hunter Biden @HunterBiden]

Dear Joe,
I wish I could sit down with you face to face and explain why so many of us were offended by the UFC fight on the South Lawn of the White House.
For me, it had nothing to do with the UFC or who showed up for the fights. The brand you and Dana have built is a bona fide American success story. More power to you. As for the fighters, in my book, anyone brave enough to put it all on the line in the arena is remarkable to witness. Their dedication and discipline inspire me. I don’t understand anyone who can’t admire that.
And as for the people who attended, I, for one, love Shane Gillis. I think he’s hilarious and brilliant. It was a show. A once-in-a-lifetime spectacle. I can’t blame anyone for wanting to witness it firsthand.
My problem is that I believe some of our public spaces are sacred. And unlike many of the great powers that came before us, these American monuments belong to all of us. Not to whoever happens to hold power at the moment.
The White House does not belong to Donald Trump. It does not belong to any President. It belongs to the people. To treat it as Caesar treated the Colosseum is antithetical to everything our founding fathers fought for.
This is not Rome. Presidents are not emperors doling out bread and circuses for the peasants. The White House is the People’s House. This “celebration” could have happened in any stadium within a stone’s throw of the South Lawn. No one would have had an issue with it.
But that was obviously Donald Trump’s whole point. By holding the event on the South Lawn, what he was saying to the rest of us is:
“This is my house. I own it. I will do with it what I please. I’ll build a colosseum and have the gladiators fight under my gaze. I’ll tear down the East Wing. I’ll pave over the Rose Garden. I’ll cover everything in gold and marble. I’ll erase the names of all the men who came before me.”
The fights were an exhibition of imperial domination, not a celebration of our 250th anniversary as a democracy.
The White House is not Buckingham Palace. It is not the Palace of Versailles. It is not the Forbidden City of Beijing. It does not belong to an emperor, or a king, or a commissar.
The White House belongs to us. All of us. The person who sits behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office is nothing more than an honored guest. A temporary caretaker.
The President is our servant. Not our Caesar.
Respectfully, Hunter

P.S. Cage match between me and Don Jr.? Your call on the venue. Anywhere but the South Lawn.

[This Account Makes You Happy @FeelYouHappy]

David Beckham, captain of England, confirms that this video he made in 2007 is real and has not been altered in any way 👇🏿

[Democratic Wins Media @DemocraticWins]

BREAKING: Stunning new polling in Ohio shows both Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown and Gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton leading their Republican opponents. This is amazing.

[FactPost @factpostnews]

U.S. veteran after ICE detained his wife:

"It breaks me because the country I worked my entire life for is ripping my family apart and taking away my wife"

[FactPost @factpostnews]

Over 470 hospitals wards, clinics, and nursing homes have shut down after Trump and Republicans cut healthcare funding by over $1 trillion.

[Cuckturd @CattardSlim]

Just give the Algae $300 billion & call it a win. 🤦

[Amy Klobuchar @amyklobuchar]

With $300 billion, we could end homelessness, fund cancer research for 40 years, and give every child free pre-K for over 7 years. Instead, Trump is sending it to Iran. This is not America First. Not even close.