NBC News is reporting that Trump was not diagnosed with COVID-19 on Thursday night but on Wednesday morning.  KNOWING he was infected, Trump held rallies in Minnesota and New Jersey and was a walking super spreader.  More to come.

Oh, yeah.  It’s just perfect – Trump’s and McConnell’s rush to pack the court with anti-choice, anti-American, and religious ideologues to protect the 2020 election just backfired.  The rushed up and non-masked ceremony to announce Amy Coney Barrett as RBG’s replacement is becoming the most prominent US super-spreader event so far. With over 150 unprotected guests, Trump and Barrett flouted public health policy, recklessly exposing staff, press, Secret Service, and many others to the deadly Coronavirus.  The result?  Trump has contracted the virus and is at Walter Reed Hospital as doctors use experimental treatments on him to counter his inherent risks of old, fat, terrible condition, and just fucking stupid.  Others infected are Melania, Trump Best Girl Hope Hicks, Utah Senator Mike Lee, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Rev. John Jenkins (president of Notre Dame), Thom Tillis, NC Senator, three unnamed reporters, Kellyanne Conway, and God knows who else.  The stupidity of Trump and his minions was on public display and now many are paying the price.  Many more are at risk.

It seems that RBG just won her first case from the Great Beyond, wherever that is.  Trump should have paid attention to her request.

Karma is a bitch.

Trump has announced that all Medicare recipients with be receiving $200 cash cards to “buy their prescriptions”.  It’s yet another brazen example of Trump’s mafia tactics, this time trying to buy votes from seniors.  AND, it’s yet another subversion of the rule of law and use of taxpayer money to personally  benefit himself.  How’s he doing it?  He’s using a provision in the Social Security Act that allows agencies and even the private sector to test programs to improve Medicare.  That provision is NOT intended to just give away money to buy votes.  This provision allows for demonstrations of new programs, but requires extensive review and approval; as well such demonstrations are supposed to be revenue neutral.  In bypassing the law, the administration is waving away questions saying that his executive order on prescription drugs (which doesn’t actually do anything) magically makes this $6.6 billion vote buying scheme “revenue neutral”.

The lawless Trump corruption train continues barreling towards the abyss as this latest brazen attempt to rig the election in his favor with him shouting from stages all over the country that it’s actually Democrats doing the rigging.

I’m so tired.

In a very Trumpian show of Trump’s Trumpiness, Trump held a ceremony at the White House this week hailing himself as Great Peacemaker in his quest for the “deal of the century” claiming to achieve Middle East peace.  This whole charade is really just being held to whip up outrage in his base when he again doesn’t get the “Noble” Peace Prize he wants so badly, but knows he’ll never receive.  The whole thing is really just an arms deal, not a peace deal.  To sign with Israel, the UAE is receiving fighter jets and drones.  Bahrain is getting new missile defense systems.  Israel, already the recipient of billions in war toys, has a new shopping list that includes Osprey tilt rotor helicopters, and other war machines.

The real problem with this “peace” accord?  It leaves out the Palestinians.  Israel is not at war with the EAE or Bahrain.  They’re at war with the Palestinians, and have been for over 70 years.  Not one concession was made in these “accords” that help the Palestinians.  Like all other things Trump, this deal is 100% showmanship, 0% substance.  Trump is using US tax money AND kicking off a new arms race with his new “peace” accords.  This “peace” is just pouring gasoline on the fire.

The Washington Post started releasing audio tapes of 17 interviews Bob Woodward held with Trump since last December.  They are blockbuster, including Trump actually admitting ON TAPE that he lied to the American people about the severity of the Coronavirus pandemic for months.

Woodward’s book also quotes Trump as saying of US military leadership, “my fucking generals are a bunch of pussies”. They care more about their alliances than they do about trade deals.”

In other news, Brian Murphy, a senior career DHS staffer, filed a whistleblower complaint against senior current and former DHS political appointees, former DHS Secretary Nielsen, Chad Wolf, who is serving as acting DHS secretary; and Ken Cuccinelli, the deputy DHS secretary. The complaint details orders from said appointees for DHS to lie to congress and downplay Russian interference and other foreign threats that would “make Trump look bad.”

To add insult to injury, today Trump named right wing nut bags Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton to his list of potential Supreme Court nominees.  No shit.

Yesterday, Bill Barr’s Justice Department announced that it was taking over the defense for Trump against E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against him in relation to her charge of a 1990’s rape she alleged.  The Justice Department has claimed that Trump calling Carroll a liar was within the boundaries of his official duties as president.  No shit.

Lastly, the House Oversight Committee has announced the beginning of an investigation into Postmaster General Louis DeJoy into an illegal reimbursement scheme that paid his executives back for making contributions to Trump and other Republicans, a felony.

Happy Wednesday!

Social media is still laughing about the Trump boat parade turned mass shipwreck Saturday on Lake Travis.  The memes are making the rounds and some of my favorites are Poseidon For Biden, Klan overboard!, Lake Travesty, and Make America Sink Again.  The real irony of the day, though, were the metaphors for Trump’s America…it was the perfect Libertarian event; poorly organized, and poorly managed.  No one knows how many boats participated, how many where swamped, and how many people went into the water.  The clearest metaphor, though, was how people acted – the wealthy, in flag festooned boats as long as 60 feet sped through the water with no regard for the every day folks in smaller boats in the parade.  The resulting wakes are what caused heavy swell that engulfed those smaller boats, sinking at least 4, and swamping an untold number.

The wealthier people did what they wanted, without regard to their effect on others.  Those others lost, but no one knows how many because, Freedumb.   Just like today’s economy under Trump.

One of the best videos of the day, though, was by comedian Brent Terhune, who plays a MAGhat of the first order.  Here he tearfully describes the loss of his beloved boat, the SS MAGAritaville.