I am a law professor. The Only Patent Habermasian. Dedicated to bringing a knife to a knife fight. Living, Laughing and Loving American Democracy. Running her own neighborhood on BlueSky. Branch of the CCB Tree.
What is hilarious about these people is they…are…not…popular…because…the…art..is…not..good. Popular cultural production is ruthless about ideas. I mean those pictures of the Founders was made by AI, an objectively bad idea if art is built on craft.
Emily Wood“According to four people involved in the show, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from the administration, no historians or professional curators collaborated on the exhibition…” [gift link]
Headstart Funding: 12.35 Billion A No-Bid Contract for 11 Polar Icebreakers (when we needed at most 3): 3.5 Billion Where did this money come from? The Republicans Big Beautiful Boondoogle, www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/c....
Trump’s Fixation on Arctic Ships Led to Billions in No-Bid Contracts (Gift Article)The president decided to buy 11 polar icebreakers after a game of golf with Finland’s president. Experts say it’s far from clear the United States needs so many.www.nytimes.comIt is more than time for the 19th Century to die in American politics.
Mark Copelovitch6 new states, 12 new Senators (DC, PR, Guam, USVI, Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands). A bare minimum reform.
Another attack on Infrostructure for no apparent reason other than the cool banking kids should have all the information.
Kai RyssdalHoly crap. This would be huge. And I can only imagine the other members of the FOMC are *pissed www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/b...
Taps the Sign: No bid contracts should be regarded with some suspicion. These are our tax dollars. We are looking major failures in SNAP (next year) and Social Security (2030).
Scott MacFarlaneFLASH: Justice Dept seeks to dismiss Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn Trump Admin acknowledges: "Damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in June 2026 was the result of flawed installation by the contractor"
I got to wonder if the tax immunity deal is even valid; why did Bisgiano refuse to sign it is pretty valid question? The May 18 Order was signed by both DOJ and IRS; the Order drafted the very next day was only signed by Blanche?
Don MoynihanTrump would prefer lifetime immunity from IRS investigations rather than allow Blanche to formally get the AG job.
I am quoting me because the Asian Football Conference has just come against this plan, www.the-afc.com/en/more/afc_....
AFC stands in solidarity with UEFA and CONCACAF to protect the FIFA World CupThe AFC believes that the proposed FFE cannot realistically achieve the necessary broad consensus and unity required to move forward.www.the-afc.comProfessa MurraySo, Infantino’s support has always been in Africa, South America and the MIddle East, so we are in a proxy nomination battle right now. I would need to see the statements from these Associations before we put a stake in the private equity FIFA.
I buried the lede: Blanche has only agreed to get rid of the Weaponization Fund (which was submitted to the Court on May 18), NOT the May 19 Order that includes the tax immunity deal. So, he has agreed to nothing and Coryn and Tillis would like to fools for agreeing to this proposal.
Mueller, She WroteNEW: Cornyn got language from Blanche saying the slush fund is rescinded, but there’s no mention of tax immunity. It *sounds* to me like Cornyn and Tillis blame Trump, and not Blanche for stonewalling. I fear they’ll use that as reason enough to confirm Blanche.
The funny thing is that Coryn is right on the issues associated with tax immunity; and notably, the tax immunity deal is not signed by the IRS (something I noted at the time). It is only signed by Blanche, www.wsj.com/politics/pol....
A Breakdown of the Deal Protecting Trump From IRS AuditsKey points from the settlement that gives the first family tax immunity.www.wsj.comMueller, She WroteNEW: Cornyn got language from Blanche saying the slush fund is rescinded, but there’s no mention of tax immunity. It *sounds* to me like Cornyn and Tillis blame Trump, and not Blanche for stonewalling. I fear they’ll use that as reason enough to confirm Blanche.
The mainstream news is covering the Trump Administration’s scandal(s); even the Iran War was being covered in the Department of Defense trade press as early as March or April 2025. The problem is: the Trump Administration is so throughly corrupt from top to bottom, it is a constitutional crisis.
emptywheelA simple Google search says Jamie Raskin, Richard Blumenthal, & Gary Peters all took oversight actions last year re treatment of Tate brothers. Then Yassamin Ansari wrote a letter on July 23--again more oversight. None of those efforts made Moira Donegan's July 27 column claiming Dems were "silent."
Kevin Hassett remains the Best Energy Vampire. He is the Vampire Lestat of Energy Vampires. His best claim here is the data centers will gentrify poor rural towns and make it unaffordable for its current citizens.
Aaron RuparHassett: "Data centers are very good for towns bc they create so many jobs & bring people in with high incomes that can buy houses & stuff like that. So if you take a sleepy town that hasn't seen much in the last 30 years & put a data center there, there are gonna be a bunch of happy residents."