Remember earlier this month we were talking about John Bolton banging on the war drum and Trump moving military forces into the Persian Gulf?  There were ominous warnings about Iran’s aggression and our bases being put on high alert in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Remember, too, how no other country saw the threat and dared to say so? Well, just as quickly as the threat appeared, it also disappeared, ending when Trump, standing in the West Wing door, said, “I hope not,” when a reporter shouted the question about going to war with Iran.

Now we know what all that was about – arms sales to Saudi Arabia.  Trump has made some backroom deal with MBS and the House of Saud to sell weapons to them, along with the UAE and Jordan.  The trick?  By declaring a another fake emergency, Trump can bypass Congress, which approves arms sales to other countries.  Since MBS had journalist Jamal Kashoggi brutally murdered (and Trump didn’t do anything about it) Congress has refused to support the Saudi attacks on Yemen or to approve arms sales to them.  So, Trump just ignored Congress, again.

This is how Trump operates.  When the invertebrates in Congress occasionally stand up, or when the courts step in, Trump just disregards the law and acts unilaterally to do what he wants.  The strength of our system of government is also its greatest weakness.  The Founders designed a system of checks and balances to keep power in check.  The problem with that system is that they never dreamed that each of the branches of government would be simultaneously corrupt; they anticipated a Trump-like president, so gave the Congress co-equal power to control or remove him/her if necessary.  If the Congress is also corrupt, the system collapses, and this is exactly what’s happening.  Trump does what he wants, lines his own pockets, destabilizes entire regions of the world, and is making the US an unstable oligarchy with widening social injustice and gaping income inequality.  When Congress does makes some lame effort to slow his corruption, His Orangeness just doubles down and does what he wants.  McConnell and company just shrug, since they’re busily packing the courts with radicals and weirdos while Trump infests the WH.

At least we now know why the fake concern over a fake threat from Iran so Trump can declare a fake emergency to funnel weapons to his fellow oligarchs who are differentiated from him only by their garb, language, and hair style.

Last week, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology met to discuss climate change.

Alabama Republican Congressman Mo Brooks is shockingly on that committeee although I have serious doubts that he has any damn idea what the hell they’re talking about.

But Mo has an idea about what causing the oceans to rise.  It’s not the melting of the ice caps.  No, sireee, those ice caps are probably just hiding below the surface. It’s rocks.

Rocks, and silt and stuff are causing the oceans to rise.  I’ll let Mo explain because I seriously doubt I can.

“Every single year that we’re on Earth, you have huge tons of silt deposited by the Mississippi River, by the Amazon River, by the Nile, by every major river system — and for that matter, creek, all the way down to the smallest systems,” Brooks said. “And every time you have that soil or rock whatever it is that is deposited into the seas, that forces the sea levels to rise. Because now you’ve got less space in those oceans because the bottom is moving up.”

No. That’s not right. Vanna, tell him what he wins for the consolation prize.

” … it would take the equivalent of the top five inches of land from the entire surface area of the United States to cause the oceans to rise the 3.3 millimeters a year currently seen. And those five inches would have to fall into the oceans every year to explain the current rate at which they are rising.”

I would say, nice try Mo, but he really needs to just shuddup.

Thanks to Larry for the heads up.

In the furor over the Mueller report in April, many Americans, included yours truly, missed Turtleneck McConnell rolling out the Republicans’ new campaign slogan for 2020 on Fox Noise.  Was it his overseer’s idiotic Make America Great Again mantra? Nope. It’s worse.  A lot worse.  When asked if the American people were going to get Medicare for all, McConnell said, “Not as long as I’m majority leader.  It ought to be called Medicare for NONE.”  And there you have it…not only do the Republicans want to kick millions of Americans off of the ACA, they want to kick another 58 million, 50 million of whom are over 65, off of Medicare.  Let’s think about that a minute.  Before the ACA, there were about 44 million Americans without healthcare.  That number today is about 27 million, not lower because of the GOP’s sabotage of the plan in the states.  That’s not good enough for McConnell, though.  He wants to take healthcare away from all those people and the 58 million on Medicare.  Doing that would cost millions of lives and untold billions of dollars.

Let’s be blunt – The GOP is now fully under the control of criminals, political radicals, and the profoundly corrupt.  They already have lifetime control of our only safety only net, the judicial branch; because of this, voters simply cannot allow them to control both houses of Congress and the WH again.   Believe it or not, McConnell is more dangerous than Trump for two reasons – he has zero regard for the Constitution, rule of law, or common decency, and he’s using Trump as a blunt instrument to reshape America into his radical vision of every person for themselves and his social program, Fuck the Poor.

So, while you’re hyperventilating over Trump’s latest outrage, keep in mind the real goals of McConnell and the rest of the Republicans – destroying the US as we know it.  Also remember their new campaign slogan –

GOP 2020 – Medicare for NONE

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Here are today’s headlines in Trumpland:

What the Trade War will Cost You – CNBC

Trump Gets White House Witnesses to Testify to His Calm Demeanor – WSJ

Kushner Gets $800 Million Federally Backed Loan – Philly.com

Pelosi – “Stable Genius” Needs an “Intervention” – MSNBC

Republicans Spend More than $4 Million at Trump Properties – The Hill

Judges Fast Track Court Fight Over Trump Financial Records – Politico

Pete Buttigieg Slams Trump’s Decision to ‘Fake a Disability’ to Avoid Serving in Vietnam – Towleroad

OK, that’s enough; otherwise I’ll start day drinking.

One more:

Kelly Anne Conway Accuses Pelosi of Treating Her “like a maid” – Politico

LOL.

I know we have some customers from states having a helluva weather day today.

Please let us know anything you know and if you’re okay.  Having put up with some weather crap myself, my best thoughts are with you.