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The Script That Made Steven Seagal Cry | Chapo Trap House
Chapo Trahouse • Sep 24, 2025

The Script That Made Steven Seagal Cry | Chapo Trap House

Alabama’s Poet Laureate Reckons with Personal and Political Grief
Mother Jones • Sep 24, 2025

Alabama’s Poet Laureate Reckons with Personal and Political Grief

In 2023, while on a group hike through the Sipsey River, Ashley M. Jones, Alabama’s youngest and first Black poet laureate, sat in a clearing and wrote the titular poem of her new book, Lullaby for the Grieving. Just before she was named poet laureate in 2021, Jones’ father, Donald Lewis Jones, died without warning. […]

Obtuse Sexual Predator Approved
Common Dreams • Sep 24, 2025

Obtuse Sexual Predator Approved

In honor of Friendship Month and his stupendous speech at the UN, wherein he raved, bloviated and browbeat world leaders that their countries are "going to hell" but he's "really good at this stuff," some patriots have erected a new statue in D.C. of Trump and his "closest friend" Jeffrey Epstein happily twirling and sharing "another wonderful secret." Residents praised the artwork as "glorious," "Amazeballs" and a "sliver of hope," arguing, "This is why we have to protect the arts." Now with updates."Angry Old Man Yells At U.N" was a fitting headline for the mad king's appearance at their annual General Assembly in New York City, where, one account dutifully reported, "his total ignorance of world events was on full display." Other reviews: shambolic, bizarre, embarrassing, unhinged, "ranting, raving, rambling," and "one of the most embarrassing speeches of his presidency," which says a lot. Some of the delirium, punctuated by Adderall sniffs, was likely fed by a malfunctioning teleprompter (along with brain) which he repeatedly carped about after complaining he should have gotten a Nobel Peace Prize:: "All I got from the UN was an escalator (that) stopped in the middle and a teleprompter that didn't work. Thank you very much." Later, it turned out an aide was in charge of it, and another had inadvertently halted the escalator. Wildly winging it for almost an hour, over three times his allotted time, he then launched into his usual flood of wild lies and narcissistic delusions about saving the world and "the renewal of American strength." "Grocery prices are down," he declared. "Inflation has been defeated." NOT. "More than $17 trillion is being invested in the United States - it's pouring in from all parts of the world." Ditto. "In a period of seven months, I have ended seven unendable wars," he claimed, adding one to the usual fiction and, ever gracious, whining he had to do it all by himself: "I never even received a phone call from the UN." Never a fan of the multilateralism the UN represents -in his first few days he pulled the US out of multiple international organizations - he then lit into the august body.Boasting about his own "bold action" to illegally terrorize, arrest and deport large numbers of innocent brown people, he blasted immigration in Europe as part of a "globalist migration agenda" by unnamed perfidious players. "Your countries are going to hell," he yammered. "It's time to end the failed experiment of open borders...I can tell you, I'm really good at this stuff." (Cue facepalm seen around the world.) In case he hadn't waxed racist enough, he tossed an incendiary slur at London's (Muslim) mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, "a terrible, terrible mayor...Now they want to go to sharia law." (Aghast groans added to facepalm.) Fox News said he "unfurled raw truth." The rest of the world said his "erratic," "reckless" claptrap was "hard to distinguish from reality TV." Finally, knowingly - his uncle taught at MIT! - he dismissed climate change as "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world," argued "all the predictions were wrong" except if anything they were too optimistic, and trashed windmills, his bird-and-whale-killing nemesis, as "so pathetic and so bad." "The United States is now thriving like never before," he raved. "We're getting rid of the falsely named renewables. They are a joke. They don't work. The wind doesn't blow." Magically, he bundled up the failures of windmills and diplomacy to highlight his own stable genius: "If you don't get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail. And I'm really good at predicting things...I've been right about everything. One foreign diplomat texted, "This man is stark, raving mad."It was to honor all his nonetheless remarkable achievements - and Friendship Month, begun by The Grand United Order of Oddfellows Friendly Society (GUOOFS), founded in 1730s England to give "everyone 30 exciting days (to) celebrate everything that is amazing about Friendship!" - that the new art installation appeared Tuesday on the National Mall. The 12-foot, faux-bronze statues of a giddy Trump and Epstein prancing and holding hands is by The Secret Handshake; their earlier creations include a "Dictator Approved" giant thumbs-up crushing Lady Liberty's crown, and turds honoring the Jan. 6 "brave men and women who broke into the U.S. Capitol (to) loot, urinate and defecate throughout these hallowed halls in order to overturn an election.”The new work, said a spokesperson for the anonymous group, was born of "the widespread, bipartisan interest" in Epstein and their wish to put their friendship "on full display" in tribute to Friendship Month, even though nobody's heard of it. "We wanted to celebrate what is presumably, at least publicly, Donald Trump’s only true friend," said their representative. "Trump has had many business associates, but very few people have gone on the record as being his actual ‘friend.' Jeffrey Epstein, who is the rare exception, stated that he was the President’s 'closest friend.'" Thus does one of three plaques accompanying the statues read, "We celebrate the long-lasting bond between President Donald J. Trump and his ‘closest friend’ Jeffrey Epstein."Another plaque quotes Trump's 50th birthday message, shaped like a nude female body, to Epstein. It reads, in part, "A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy Birthday - and may every day be another wonderful secret," followed by the singular Trump signature. Trump, of course, had called Epstein "a terrific guy" who was "a lot of fun to be with," a sentiment others have widely interpreted as, "We are definitely both pedophiles who are friends and do pedophile things together." "These two people had an affinity for each other," noted the group's rep, "and they also seemingly had an affinity for abusing women." On the "uproar" over the release of the Epstein files: "We have nothing to do with that. The information about their bond (says) a lot.”There were critics of the work, of course; there always are. A White House spokesperson denounced it with, "Liberals are free to waste their money however they see fit – but it’s not news that Epstein knew Donald Trump, because Donald Trump kicked Epstein out of his club for being a creep." Another lie: he kicked him out for having "stolen" one of the young women working in Trump's spa, doing God knows what tasks. But The Secret Handshake isn't quibbling; they even said they'd "be happy" to donate the art to Trump's new $200 million. ballroom. Other critics nitpicked: Trump's statue isn't fat enough, his hands should be smaller, his tie should be longer, no way he can stand on one foot, why do both men still have their pants on?Mostly, onlookers and passersby loved it. They called it "fantastic," "hilarious," "beautiful," "highly appropriate," "Art History in the making," "By far the most realistic depiction of our President that I've seen." They said, "Thank you project mayhem" and, "This is true patriotism." They fake-mourned, "Unfortunately, we cannot take this statue down. That would be erasing our history and heritage." They proposed making mass small duplicates of the art work, for fundraising or Christmas ornaments. Many wondered who'd made it; one sage responded, "Nobody. It's part of the universe manifesting truth." A patriot crooned, "Sometimes I love this country so damn much." "Protect the arts," many urged. And, "This art is the prettiest art of all the art."Update: But not for long. Though the monument creators had a permit allowing it to stay up till Sunday night, a National Parks crew, aka regime minions, arrived before dawn Wednesday morning to topple, break and haul it away with no prior warning. They told Handshake reps, who'd heard rumors of the raid and turned up, the artwork was "not in compliance" with the permit, allegedly exceeding its allowed size by three feet. Silly artists: Everyone knows you have to obey the law.More updates: Because the manchild king is not only stark raving mad but exceptionally petty, may have realized he made a complete ass of himself the day before, and is now likely desperately trying to deflect from his own clownfuckery, he is now charging the UN with "triple sabotage" for several minor mishaps during his appearance. Citing a malfunctioning escalator, teleprompter and sound system - all of them reportedly under the supervision of either the White House or U.S. delegation, not the UN - he is now insisting "this wasn't a coincidence" and demanding "an immediate investigation" into those "three very sinister events," which were "A REAL DISGRACE." "The good news," he went on, "is the Speech has gotten fantastic reviews...Very few people could have done what I did." True, that. Ivanka wears Trump's birthday card to Epstein.Meme from Bluesky

Corbyn-Sultana Party Bungle & Did Pynchon's Vineland Predict Fascist Future?
1:25:44
Left Reckoning • Sep 24, 2025

Corbyn-Sultana Party Bungle & Did Pynchon's Vineland Predict Fascist Future?

If Only Pete Hegseth’s Military Shaving Crusade Was Just Stupid
Mother Jones • Sep 23, 2025

If Only Pete Hegseth’s Military Shaving Crusade Was Just Stupid

On September 17, Pete Hegseth—newly dubbed our Secretary of War—announced that any member of the US military who needs a shaving exemption for more than a year will be forced out of the service, tossing out a decades-old policy created for mainly Black and brown troops with pseudofolliculitis barbae, a skin condition that makes daily […]

Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Was Christian Nationalism’s Biggest Moment
Mother Jones • Sep 22, 2025

Charlie Kirk’s Memorial Was Christian Nationalism’s Biggest Moment

On Sunday, a crowd of 80,000 people—plus scores more watching online—memorialized Charlie Kirk. The event, held at a State Farm Stadium, home to the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, brought together the biggest names in Christian music while also featuring a predictable lineup of MAGA loyalists. There were declarations that Donald Trump was chosen by God himself […]

A Martyr For Truth and Faith and Memorial Plazas
Common Dreams • Sep 22, 2025

A Martyr For Truth and Faith and Memorial Plazas

The canonization of Charlie Kirk continued Sunday with a packed, jarring, often vicious memorial service - part MAGA rally, part revival meeting, with fireworks. The event in an Arizona football stadium hailed the right-wing bigot as a prophet, martyr, savior of Western civilization and just like Jesus or MLK Jr. despite his espousal of the racist replacement theory. His tearful widow said she forgave his killer because "it is what Christ did." The mad king said fuck that nonsense - he hates his enemies.In the ten days since Kirk's assassination on a Utah campus by a lone shooter addicted to guns and video games with a murky, shifting political profile - raised MAGA, possibly moving left - Kirk, 31, has been sanitized, glorified, venerated, his death used as a cudgel to stifle political dissent. Though he founded Turning Point USA in 2012 largely as a pro-free-market organization, over time he slowly re-shaped it into an increasingly extremist, anti-democratic part of a Christian right that somehow fell under the spell of a crooked, blasphemous, sexually assaulting felon. "He embodied the MAGA warrior," boasted one fan. "He was all Trump." Little wonder, after his killing, that Christian nationalists claimed him as a martyr in their unholy war. "We know that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church," said right-wing pastor Sean Feucht, vowing, "The devil is not gonna win." German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller called Kirk “a martyr for Jesus Christ” who "gave his life in following his Lord," charging he was "the victim of an atheistic ideology whose followers erupted in Satanic celebration over (his) heinous murder." He "could have been the 13th disciple," or at least a contender. He was a "MAN OF STEEL" whose body, in an "ABSOLUTE MIRACLE," stopped a bullet from killing more people. He was "a martyr for truth and faith" and a "modern civil rights leader," which is why some Okie MAGA pols want to mandate a Charlie Kirk Memorial Plaza and statue at every public university.Never mind the racist, tribal, divisive stands, the endless culture wars in the name of propping up white power structures, the weaponizing of Christian beliefs to marginalize those deemed "un-Christian." Almost 100,000 fans and followers of Kirk and Jesus streamed into State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ to celebrate their own white savior; noted Elon Musk, sweeping the fearsome scene, "All for Charlie Kirk." Some stood in line for hours in almost 100-degree heat, red, white and blue outfits wilting, trash piling up, sniper teams above them, merch on all sides: t-shirts reading "Freedom," "MAGA," "In Loving Memory," featuring Charlie with wings. One woman, who evidently didn't get the somber memo, wore a Wisconsin cheese hat with "R.I.P. Charlie."Inside, a "major mega-church vibe" reigned. Christian country and rock singers performed; people prayed and swayed with them, hands in the air. Finally prepping for speeches, a florid Turning Point display geared up, all flaring fireworks and blinding lights. "The martyr dies, and his rule has just begun," intoned Kirk colleague Mike McCoy, quoting Kierkegaard, who viewed democracy as an inversion of God's voice. Then a shabby parade of regime flunkies, fascists and clowns, unable to understand an awful death does not redeem an awful life, launched into acclaim and harangues. As they went, their increasingly aggressive battle cries sought to placate Dear Leader - dozing behind bulletproof glass - and effectively wield "the sword against evil." Rep. Anna Paulina Luna compared Kirk to George Washington, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., asking, "Will you live boldly as Charlie did? Will you rise to the challenge as Charlie did?...We are all Charlie Kirk now." Far-right activist Jack Posobiec clutched a rosary and pledged to "stand and fight" for Kirk’s memory: "A century from now," he said, "when they write of the two or three pivotal moments that led to the saving of Western civilization, they will write that the sacrifice of Charles James Kirk was the turning point." RFK Jr. compared Kirk, his "spiritual brother," with Jesus. YouTuber Benny Johnson called him "a martyr in the true Christian tradition." Ever-warrior-tipsy Pete Kegseth called him "a warrior for Christ" and "an American patriot."Tucker Carlson, atypically moderate, again argued the murder shouldn't be used to "leverage" restrictions on free speech. Even though feds have yet to find any link between Tyler Robinson and the rest of us - "Thus far, there is no evidence connecting the suspect with any left-wing groups" - Ben Carson ignored that fact as completely as everyone else and described a Marxist plot to "push God out of society," "fundamentally change who we are" as Americans, and, landing on a favorite if bewildering MAGA obsession, infiltrate the public school system in order to "indoctrinate" young people into believing "sexual perversion is normal," though surely their fixation on who sleeps with whom is likewise pretty weird and far from normal, right?Speaking of: Good Nazi Stephen Miller, as always, went "full devil mode," shrieking out a racist, rage-fueled, us-and-them diatribe in supposed defense of (white) "civilization": "Our lineage and our legacy hails back to Athens, to Rome, to Philadelphia, to Monticello. Our ancestors built the cities, they built the industry....They stand for what is good (to) save the West...To those trying to incite violence against us: You have nothing. You are nothing. You are wickedness. You are jealousy. You are envy. You are hatred." Whew. In contrast, Kirk's tearful widow Erika called Charlie's life "a miracle," praised their joint effort to "bring back Christian-led marriage," and said she forgave the shooter as Christ would, arguing, "The answer to hate is not hate."Trump, very orange, was the final speaker; soon after he started droning on, 12 hours after some people had arrived, audience members began streaming out - even as he noted that Kirk could “always draw a crowd." He only managed to stay on topic a few minutes - Kirk’s "name will live forever in the eternal chronicle of America’s greatest patriots" - before veering off into self-serving delusion. He boasted his tariffs are "making us rich again" and he "stopped crime" in D.C., he claimed "one of the last things Charlie said to me is, 'Please, sir, save Chicago,' and we're going to do that," he urged MAGA to "Fight! fight! fight...The gun was pointed at (Kirk), but the bullet was aimed at all of us." And - "Sorry, Erika" - he vowed retribution.Kirk, he noted, "did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them." Not him, though. "I hate my opponents," he bragged, all many millions of them, "and I don't want the best for them." En route, he mocked Joe Biden, now being treated for Stage 4 cancer, as "a mean son-of-a bitch." Kirk was "heinously murdered by a radicalized, cold-blooded monster." Some low-lifes, he claimed, reacted with "sick approval, excuses or even jubilation," in that they felt unable to mourn a life that did harm. In that, he sneered, "They are major losers." And now, rightly, the DOJ is brazenly, often brutally, going after "networks of radical left maniacs" among the less-than-human Democrat "scum." But for God's sake don't say anything mean about Charlie Kirk. — (@) ,

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