Seriously? We're doing top ten Beatles tracks? Sure, OK. 1. Back in the U.S.S.R. 2. You Never Give Me Your Money 3. Come Together 4. For No One 5. Happiness Is a Warm Gun 6. Ticket to Ride 7. Revolution 8. Strawberry Fields Forever 9. Across the Universe 10. Baby, You’re a Rich Man

Who's counting, really? (@ddale8.bsky.social is)

Evidently we have an "ongoing global strategy." Who knew?

Seriously, if I were still posting on Facebook, this would get all kinds of likes and comments from my three or four Friends who haven't quit the site

In #BookSky news, everyone's grandmother's favorite novelist would have turned 110 today. Have always loved that Harold Robbins characterized himself as “the world’s best writer in plain English.” When the death of the mass-market paperback was announced last year, these are what came to mind first.

"the cop-beater slush fund and the billionaire ballroom"—not bad!

Trump, September 2024: "We’re going to get them back down to, we think 3%, maybe even lower than that." This week: 6.51%.

Comcast Executive’s One-Man Show Now Mandatory Viewing For All Subscribers

In #BookSky news, everyone's grandmother's favorite novelist would have turned 110 today. Have always loved that Harold Robbins characterized himself as “the world’s best writer in plain English.” When the death of the mass-market paperback was announced last year, these are what came to mind first.

No matter how familiar one is with the brazenly corrupt acts that @peterbakernyt.bsky.social catalogs here, it's enraging to see them all together—and to know that Republicans have chosen to treat the president and his family as literally above the law.

“When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.”

Trump take bread

Update on restoring trust in U.S. government medical advice:

In *nonfictional* band news, wishing @nickheyward.com a happy 65th!

[quote with a fictional band that is not Spinal Tap] Ladies and gentlemen, direct from Hell: Rod Torfulson's Armada featuring Herman Menderchuk!

Frustration! Anger! Sadness!

“I feel like what I have, what I’ve accomplished, the things that I’ve been able to do, I do feel as if I’m ready for this moment,” Clark said. https://bit.ly/43i6xfp

President Trump dropped his IRS lawsuit after they agreed to create a $1.776 billion fund … which will be distributed by a panel of people Trump manages.

This Day in Labor History: May 19, 1920. The Matewan Massacre took place in the small town of Matewan, West Virginia. Let's talk about this key moment of the West Virginia Mine Wars, made famous by the great John Sayles film!

An all-time great book event tonight at @strandbooks.com for BIG FAN with @kentremendous.bsky.social @joeposnanski.com Seth Meyers

Trump take lube

66 years ago today, @newyorker.com published Liebling's Law, buried deep in one of A.J. Liebling's "Wayward Press" columns, between parentheses. Still extremely relevant. Also sadly current: "American cities with competing newspapers will soon be as rare as those with two telephone systems." Sigh.

Neither asking permission nor begging forgiveness

“When I win, I will immediately bring prices down, starting on day one.”

BOOM

Five years ago, the Biden White House posted a video urging teenagers to stay healthy by getting COVID-19 vaccinations. Today, not only are Trump & RFK trying to kill vaccinations altogether—the CDC has no director, COO, principal deputy director, or chief medical officer. If people die, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

"hopefully"

President Trump and Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said in separate interviews on Sunday that the war against Iran was not over, seeming to undermine messaging from the Trump administration last week that the conflict had run its course.

After this week from hell, we really, really needed this film. Perfectly ridiculous and, as @alissawilkinson.bsky.social says, absolutely delightful.

bookmark this

I've actually seen ~zero "somebody should do it" posts. What I *do* see is "imagine the worldwide celebration when it happens" posts, and I am 100% down for those.

@glennkessler.bsky.social: "Trump lies about almost everything, so to some extent many Americans already discount what he says; not even supporters expect him to be truthful most of the time.… Even so, the gap between what Trump says about the war with Iran and the apparent reality keeps growing."

There appears to be no power capable of stopping the president from rapidly turning the nation's capital into Mar-a-Lago North, to his desired specifications and at taxpayer expense. He's neither asking permission nor begging forgiveness.

"The president simply doesn’t understand how his economic agenda of trade wars and hot wars might accidentally kill off already-weakened individual companies—or, in some cases, entire industries.… The economic landscape is littered with victims mangled by Trump’s agenda."

Torment Nexus, the amusement park

This is a relief, as is today's ruling against the new Trump tariffs. But both courts are 2–1! That's WAY too close!

Every music fan has favorite artists who inexplicably never made it big. I understand why most of mine fell short, but then there's Imperial Drag, a retro glam quartet that rose from the ashes of Jellyfish. Still baffling that they weren't HUGE. The band released its only album 30 years ago today.

The brilliant @philipkennicott.bsky.social on the president's latest "authoritarian incursion into the public realm": his banners—paid for by us, naturally—offering thanks to himself.

Every music fan has favorite artists who inexplicably never made it big. I understand why most of mine fell short, but then there's Imperial Drag, a retro glam quartet that rose from the ashes of Jellyfish. Still baffling that they weren't HUGE. The band released its only album 30 years ago today.

Trump take peaches

"The National Weather Service is struggling to recover from last year’s deep staff cuts.… The government has been trying to hire back to reverse the damage." Government efficiency!

no idea whether #2–5 are four separate people/shows/things or just one person/show/thing

Is the White House still blaming a daily 325mg aspirin tablet for this?

87% negative reaction to “Trump posting an image appearing to depict himself as Jesus.” 69% negative reaction to “Hegseth publicly praying to God for 'overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.'” 100% chance that Trump & Co. will only double down on Christian nationalism.

"The mere proclamation does not make it true.… And despite Mr. Rubio’s declaration that the objectives of the war have been accomplished, they clearly have not." News editors don't necessarily take cues from NYT coverage the way they once did, but this increasingly blunt language matters.

The president has surrounded himself with Jew-haters, he routinely smears the vast majority of American Jews as idiots and traitors, and his "Rededicate 250" rally will be almost exclusively Christian nationalist propaganda, so hell no, this Jew will *not* be celebrating a Trump Shabbat next week.

an entire administration of saboteurs

Ten years ago today and still combustible para pesadillas #CincoDeMayo

German leaders "have reverted to their traditional game-plan of telling Trump exactly what he wants to hear." The crazy part, as always, is that Trump *knows* everyone is lavishing flattery on him while criticizing him privately. He doesn't care. It's the public obeisance that proves his "strength."