Dear Everybody:
The big news today is that one of Fox’s biggest hosts, Maria Bartiromo, is out at Fox News:
–She had two shows, one on Fox Business called “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” and one on Fox called “Sunday Morning Futures.” She also appeared as a frequent guest on other Fox shows. She was all in on the stolen election thing and claimed Democrats manufactured Covid so they could cheat in the 2020 election. She frequently interviewed Trump. Trump even considered her to be his running mate in 2024.
–Fox’s statement was terse: “Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with Fox News Media. We thank Maria for her work over the last 12 1/2 years and wish her all the best on her next chapter.” (Which made it sound like they fired her. It’s unusual for the departure to be executed in this manner. That has only occurred in the past when there was some sort of malfeasance or personal misconduct.”
–innerfish: “There is a $2.7 billion dollar lawsuit from Smartmatic pending. I wonder if a settlement is near and Maria has cost Fox even more than she did with the first suit.”
–Tom Nichols: “Not exactly an emotional farewell.”
–Aaron Rupar: “Wow!”
–Scott Dagostino: “This is weird and unexpected. Maria Bartiromo has been one of FOX’s loudest and most relentless cheerleaders for the Trump administration. What brought this on?”
–Journalist Aidan McLaughlin: “Bartiromo is not leaving for a job in the Trump admin, I’m told.”
–Punchbowl News: “Whoooooa.”
–Asked whether Bartiromo would be Trump’s new press secretary, JD Vance (filling in as press secretary today) laughed and then said, “I don’t know man. No, I don’t think so.”
It only took a few hours to find out the real reason, which was that in fact Bartiromo had been fired.
–The reason was that Trump gave a speech in which he made all sorts of accusations against China for election interference, and Fox got alarmed that reporting on it, agreeing with it, or amplifying it in any way would get them in the same kind of legal trouble they got in with Dominion and Smartmatic.
–They sent a text to everyone at Fox saying not to cover Trump’s accusations. Apparently Bartiromo didn’t like the ruling and complained to Trump, sending him the text. Fox saw this as betrayal and fired her.
–Trump is angry at Fox. He posted, “I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great shows on FoxNews/Business. Three different shows, always number one. Maria is a total professional and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy.” (Which sounds like a veiled threat.)
–This morning Fox had erased all references to Bartiromo and was proceeding with replacements. Aaron Rupar: “No mention of Maria Bartiromo on her old Fox Business show this morning. she’s been removed like Trotsky from those old Stalin photos.”
–Missing the Point: “How Fox News solves a problem like Maria.”
–But rumors are still swirling. They weren’t helped by Mike Huckabee, who sent a text that said he was sorry to see her leave and added, “It was an honor to work with him/her and later to be a guest on a show always worth watching.” This, as you can imagine, sent the right into a tizzy, speculating on whether Bartiromo was gay. (They don’t do pronouns except to out somebody.)
In Reflecting Pool news:
–A few days ago, it was reported that the sealant on the Reflecting Pool was peeling again and that workers were power-hosing it.
–At the same time, Trump announced: “The Reflecting Pool is almost completely fixed.”
–Reporter Jim Acosta took a camera and photographed the workmen. (Note: the pool is completely blocked off with black plastic tarp. Acosta had to photograph it through the narrow slit between two pieces of plastic.) Acosta filmed workers tearing big chunks of blue plastic out of the pool (like they accused Olympian David Hearn of doing.)
–Acosta: “I’ve just been spotting the workers down here on the no-bid contract for the Reflecting Pool. They are ripping up chunks of the bottom of this Reflecting Pool and throwing them away. Obviously trying to clean up after their own shoddy work and not from vandals down hee that they’ve been lying about over and over.”
–They’re still sticking to their story, though. Acosta noted that there were signs posted all over the black tarps stating that the National Park Staff and contractors are “repairing areas damaged by vandals.”
–Acosta: “Trump’s Reflecting Pool is still an eyesore! Two months after he promised it would look like a swimming pool or the Caribbean in time for the 250th Birthday of this country on July 4th it’s almost empty. No signs of vandalism.”
–Dem Rep Jamie Raskin is calling it “The Strait of Warm Ooze.”
In JD Vance news:
–Vance just can’t avoid putting his foot in it. In a speech this week he said, “We’re about to celebrate the 25th year of 9-11.”
–Left Behind and Glad of It: “Remembrance, memorial commemoration, tribute. It’s not a fucking celebration, you dumb shit.”
–Cath RN, PhD: Jesus Fucking Christ. The guy’s a jerk’s jerk.”
–Dave Troy: “It barely needs to be said, but history will show that JD Vance or whatever the hell his name is, is among the most spineless, cowardly, and odious characters in American history—possibly in human history. Which is why he was selected for this role. God help us all.”
–Missing the Point: “Celebrate the 25th anniversary of President Trump getting the tallest building in New York City.” (Note: If you don’t get the reference, Trump was on the radio right after 9-11 bragging that he had previously had the second-tallest building in New York City, but now, thanks to the terrorists, he had the tallest building, an equally, if not more, tone-deaf comment.)
In E. Jean Carroll news:
–Trump is still going after E. Jean Carroll, this time for perjury in her deposition–and not for lying about any relevant facts, but for a minor technicality–her saying no one was helping pay her legal fees. Apparently, some group was, but she did not know that at the time when she gave the deposition–and anyway, this is not a serious investigation–it’s simply about continuing to harass her and make her life miserable, which is what abusers do.
–Ruth Conniff, editor of The Progressive, had a unique point of view about the case I had never considered. Conniff: “(Carroll) describes the shocking and disorienting experience of the assault, with its dizzying transition from a flirtatious, joking encounter–in which Trump suggested she try on a piece of lingerie at the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan, New York, and she, while laughing, told him to try it on himself–to the sudden and expected violence that took place after he trapped her in a dressing room.” She describes how one minute, Carroll was laughing and talking with an attractive man who was a semi-celebrity and the next she was being slammed against the wall of a department store dressing room and he was groping her, pulling down her tights, and sticking his fingers in his vagina.
–Conniff then goes on to say, “Carroll’s relationship with Trump mirrors our country’s experience. When Trump first ran for President in the 2016 Republican primary, many people found him funny and even refreshing…like Carroll, a lot of those voters thought they were in on the joke. Like Carroll, they had a flirtation with a colorful reality TV star who upended politics by appealing to Americans’ sense of irreverence, coming to us through our silly, superficial, celebrity-obsessed culture. In a fundamental way, many Americans, like Carroll, were naive about the brutal nihilistic violence just beneath the surface of Trump’s flashy exterior. A lot of people are still in shock about how bad Trump turned out to be when he took power. We’re still reeling from the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. We’re still incredulous at masked federal agents snatching people off the street and disappearing them without due process; at the federal government attacking voting rights, scientific research, and reliable economic data, and dismantling long-standing democratic institutions. We’re having trouble getting a grasp on what to do as our country descends into fascism.”
–Like E. Jean Carroll, the country has been shocked by the sudden, completely unexpected change in what’s happening, and many Americans are still in the “I can’t believe this is happening to me!” stage that everyone who’s ever been assaulted goes through. I think that explains a lot about how long it took to get over our shock and disbelief and start to fight back against our attacker.
In transgender news:
–Prospective Wyoming GOP candidate Reid Rasner found what he decided was a public trans bathroom–it was a one-person, all-gender handicapped bathroom–and was outraged. He began kicking down the bathroom door. “STOP THE INSANITY!” he posted to Facebook. “Another trans bathroom. What is going on?”
–(Note: These bathrooms are one-person-at-a-time bathrooms. Handicapped bathrooms don’t have gender restrictions because often a caregiver of a different gender has to accompany the handicapped person into the bathroom to assist them.)
–He then found another one, and this time he recorded a video while wearing a MAGA hat. “A transgender bathroom in Wyoming? What the hell is this? We need men’s restrooms and women’s restrooms, that’s it.”
–Commenters mocked him, saying things like, “You must have a really hard time on airplanes,” and “I’ve got two of those in my house!”
–Shane Jardine: “Wait until this guy discovers airplanes, trains, his own house, gas stations, etc.”
–Rasner is one of many Republicans obsessed with trans kids, believing (like Trump) that teachers are forcing kids to change genders and that kids are going to school in the morning as boys and coming home as girls.
–John Fugelsang: “My dad was a public school teacher, and he always said the toughest parts of the job were 1) having to pay for your own classroom chalk and 2) performing gender-reassignment surgeries during class hours without parents finding out.”
–Republicans are also demanding cheek swabs for all girls and women participating in sports.
–Trump: “If Republicans lose the midterms, trans and men in women’s sports will never end.”
–Reality check: All this ginned-up outrage is about 10 out of 510,000 NCAA athletes. That’s right, TEN! Less than .002%.
–Update: Rasner, the guy who keeps breaking into “trans bathrooms” lost his GOP primary, coming in fifth.
In Epstein/Trump news:
–Leon Black was supposed to sit for a deposition before Congress this week, but he didn’t show up. Instead, he sued Congress to avoid testifying and getting hold of his Non-Disclosure Agreements. (Note: Black was mentioned repeatedly in the Epstein files. He paid Epstein $180 million dollars for financial and tax advice.)
–The Oversight Committee proceeded with its scheduled transcribed interview with an empty chair Thursday morning.
–Dem Rep Robert Garcia said Black’s suit is “laughable. It’s incredibly unserious. He along with Les Wexner are the two key financial figures in this whole investigation, so it’s not acceptable that he’s not coming in.” He said the $180 million he paid Epstein was “used to fund the sex trafficking and abuse of women and children.”
—-88 keys smokin: “Well, this makes Leon Black look ‘really innocent,’ amirite? Who would do this, except for someone who’s GUILTY AS ALL FUCK? This isn’t the ‘move’ ol’ Leon thinks it is…”
–Steve Murtha: “So, Leon Black is a child rapist. Got it.”
In Supreme Court news:
–The Supreme Court is sealing its own fate with its rulings which give Trump anything he wants, so much so that even the calmest and most moderate Democrats are starting to talk about expanding the court.
–Dem Rep Jim Clyburn spoke in favor of expanding the Supreme Court: “Thirteen is a pretty good number. A baker’s dozen would be a good number to have on the court. And I would hope we would get people on the court who will follow the constitutional underpinnings of this great nation of ours. I had hoped that Clarence Thomas would follow the underpinnings of that constitution of ours, but he has not done so.”
–Dem Rep Analilia Meija: “Expanding the Court is one of the clearest tools we have to restore its integrity…I did not come to Congress to watch our democracy get dismantled in silence.”
–In response, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson introduced a bill to keep the Supreme Court at nine members for perpetuity. It failed big-time in the House.
In They’re All Morons news:
–Trump’s head of the Small Business Administration, Kelly Loeffler is spending all her time promoting her new reality show. (Note: Sean Duffy has a reality show, too, but it’s been a complete bust. Unfortunately, we paid for it since he did it while he was supposed to be running the Department of Transportation.)
–Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced with great fanfare that they are getting rid of the button that starts cars (and what? going back to the old key in the ignition?) Duffy: “EPA Director Lee Zeldin, he’s gotten rid of it and the first cars without the stop/start button are rolling off the line.”
–This is not true. Duffy got it all wrong. The EPA is ending a credit for engines that automatically stop at a stop sign and then restart to save fuel, not getting rid of the stop/start button.
–Jonathan Lemire: “We can laugh about this, but we have seen so many other ways where just the President or people around him’s personal feelings about something change into policy.”
–Trump’s Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, spent an interview on his wife’s show talking about Sydney Sweeney’s boobs. Duffy: “I’m gonna give you my take on Sydney Sweeney’s breasts. God made us a certain way to want to mate with a woman.” (Note: Sydney Sweeney is an actress who has become a darling of the right–they call her MAGA Barbie–because she’s a registered Republican, but she says she’s not political. I’m sure she’s thrilled at men discussing her boobs on TV.)
–He also said, “Sydney Sweeney’s boobs make us want to reproduce. Sydney Sweeney’s boobs are gonna save America.” He said we should let men be men, and “Men like boobs.”
–Sam Sein: “Finally! I was just sitting here waiting for the transportation secretary’s take on Sydney Sweeney’s boobs.”
-True Tourtillot: “As a guy who’s been married for 20+ years, little bit of advice. ‘Don’t talk about another woman’s tits.’”
–Michael Samonek: “Half the shit this government says is stuff that would make you change bar stools if a drunk dude was saying it next to you.”
–David Rothkof: “I don’t usually give credit to Trump. But you have to admire the degree to which he found absolutely the worst, least qualified, most dangerous people to fill his cabinet and other senior administration positions. It can’t have been easy.”
In other news:
–Fox News either just fired Maria Bartiromo or she quit–they’re saying they’ve “parted ways.” No idea why. Is she going to be Trump’s new press secretary?
–Susan Collins hired Wayne Erskine to work on her campaign. There’s just one problem–he’s an Oath Keeper and a January 6th insurrectionist.
–Elon Musk wiped out two-thirds of Twitter’s ad business.
–Melania got $475,000 to do a Republican campaign speech, and there are now questions about whether Trump is paying her for all her appearances–and is he paying her with taxpayer money?
In good news:
–A federal judge extended the work stoppage on Trump’s border wall through Big Bend National Park after a coalition of cattle ranchers, environmentalists, sheriffs, Republican senators, and and country singers mounted a protest against the bulldozing of National Park land.
–Scientists have discovered a way to turn PVC plastic into a key ingredient in high-performance lubricants like engine oil.
–Solar energy is on target to supply 61% of the world’s electricity by 2050.
Best line uttered totally without irony, from Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent: “Everyone in this and every other news outlet should be shamed for taking a lying regime at face value.”
–Joe Walsh (sarcastically): “It’s absolutely stunning that he’d say this about the Trump administration, an administration he’s part of. Wow.”
Best meme of the day, with apologies to Dylan Thomas: “Do not go gentle into the midterms. Rage, rage, against the lying of the right.”
Best comment of the day, from David Rothkopf: “Trump, empowered by the Supreme Court of the United States, entered office convinced he could do insider trading, sell pardons and favors, take bribes, steal and openly flout the law. Now, with the prospect of investigations looming, he is growing ever more fearful that he miscalculated.”
Keep calm and carry on,
Connie Willis
