Senator Tuberville plays political football with the U.S. Armed Forces
U.S. Senator Thomas Hawley “Tommy” Tuberville (R-AL), a retired football coach, is running an awkward play with Armed Forces appointments and promotions. He has put a hold on any on them until the Department of Defense changes a healthcare policy, one which pays servicewomen for out-of-state transportation if they need reproductive health services not offered in the states where they are posted. It doesn’t cover the actual medical services, just travel, But Senator Tuberville claims this supports abortions, and he’s agin that.
Tommy Tuberville is an expert on defense, having played two years as a free safety for the Southern State College Muleriders. He is equally qualified on the subject of women’s health, earning a B.S. in physical education from SSC in 1976.
The senator has put over 300 senior military promotions on hold. A member of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support, he claims his holds have no effect on the nation’s military readiness. Others disagree.
So Tommy Tuberville must have written a bill to change the Pentagon travel policy, right? Wrong. He wants Democrats to do that for him. After all, Coach T. is retired. The Alabama senator doesn’t even live in Alabama anymore. He sold up and moved to Florida.
More:
“Tuberville’s hold on military promotions would take hundreds of hours to process individually, memo says,” Natasha Bertrand, CNN
Inmate number P01135809, Donald “Pouty Boy” Trump, visited Atlanta’s historic Fulton County Jail on Rice Street for Class Picture Day last Thursday. He wasn’t happy about it. Nevertheless, he immediately started selling merch with the photo on it, tee shirts, beer coozies, even a mug (get it?). They’re all captioned with the phrase “No Surrender,” but that’s exactly what the ex-president did, surrender to the authorities at the jail. He just can’t resist an opportunity to twist the truth.
All Mr. Trump’s fellow alleged racketeers had similar photo shoots. So where are the RICO trading cards?
More:
“What to know about Trump’s mug shot,” Kierra Frazier, Politico
“One image, one face, one American moment: The Donald Trump mug shot,” Jonathan J. Cooper, Associated Press
“The mug shot seen round the world: Donald Trump’s forever photo,” Karen Heller, Washington Post
Sam Miele, former fundraiser for indicted serial liar and Republican Congressman George Santos (AKA Anthony Zabrovsky, Anthony Devolder, George Devolder and Kitara Ravache), was himself indicted on federal charges of impersonated a high-ranking congressional aide while soliciting contributions for the Santos campaign. Prosecutors said Mr. Miele sent “fraudulent fundraising solicitations” to more than a dozen prospective donors between August and December of 2021, signing the emails with the name and title of Dan Meyer, chief of staff to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who was then minority leader.
Image by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com. Download a copy here. Note: Politifact has only fact-checked George Santo’s statements once. Maybe the flood of falsehoods is too overwhelming. Or too obvious.
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In a 2021 New Year’s Day phone call, the indictment claims, then-President Trump berated Mr. Pence for opposing a claim that the Vice President had authority to reject or return votes to the states on January 6th. Trump to Pence: “You’re too honest.”
Remember that audio tape of twice-impeached former US president Donald Trump sharing a classified military document with writers and aides at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey? Remember that he acknowledged that the document is classified, he never de-classified it while in office, and as ex-president, he no longer has the power to do so? You know who did remember? Special Counsel Jack Smith. He updated and expanded the federal indictments against Mr. Trump to cover that.
More:
“Trump charged with retaining classified document he bragged about on tape,” Zachary Basu, Axios
Related:
“Trump Only a Few Indictments Away from Clinching G.O.P. Nomination,” Andy Borowitz, The New Yorker
Notorious golf cheat and twice-impeached former US president Donald Trump really shanked one at New Jersey’s Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, we learned this week. And it’s all on audio tape.
The former president was recorded in July 2021 discussing and sharing a classified military document with writers Kate Hartson and Louise Burke and Trump staff not cleared for such matters. He clearly acknowledges that the defense document he’s displaying is classified, he never de-classified it while in office, and now, as ex-president, he no longer has the power to do so.
Mr. Trump ferried some of “his documents” back and forth between his New Jersey and Palm Beach clubs on his private jet, and it isn’t mentioned in the indictment, so it’s unclear if Special Counsel obtained the document in question during the search of Mar-a-Lago. What is clear from the tape is motive: Donald Trump stole the classified documents for the same reason that Air National Guard member Jack Teixeira shared similar documents with his gamer buddies: bragging rights.
The Trump audio:
"See as president I could have declassified it. Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret."
Arizona’s MAGA mistress of misinformation Kari Lake opined on the upcoming federal trial of her idol Donald Trump at a recent GOP conspirators’ conclave:
“I have a message tonight for Merrick Garland, and Jack Smith, and Joe Biden. And the guys back there in the fake news media, you should listen up as well, this one’s for you. If you wanna get to President Trump, you’re gonna have to go through me, and you’re gonna have to go through 75 million Americans just like me. And most of us are card carrying members of the NRA. That’s not a threat, that’s a public service announcement.”
The House of Representatives was shut down Wednesday by a Freedom Caucus hissy fit, as GOP conservative sore losers, who so badly wanted to to push the country into default, prevented any further legislating by legislators. Apparently, Republican spoilers seek to Make America Great again by neutering Congress.
More:
“House heads home after hard-right Republicans defy McCarthy, block legislation,” Amy B Wang, Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell and Paul Kane. Washington Post
“GOP conservatives shutter House to protest McCarthy-Biden debt deal, setting up next budget brawl,” AP News
Image (based on paraphrase of UT football coach Darrell Royal) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht,NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
In an attempt to, um, go viral, Florida Man and GOP presidential hopeful Ron Desantis has come out against giving the new COVID booster shot to people under 65 years of age. That’s against CDC advice but in keeping with that of Dr. Joseph Ladapo, well-educated loon and Florida Surgeon General.
Indiana’s 
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