It's Saturday, so here are SNL's eleven Emmy nominations

I closed CityNerd asks 'Congestion Pricing: Will We Finally Learn?' A driving update by asking "Saturday Night Live's eleven Emmy nominations, anyone?" Not seeing any objections or other suggestions, I'm doing just that, beginning with one category I haven't covered yet.

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

• Michael J. Fox – Shrinking: "The Field" as Gerry (Apple TV)
• Brett Goldstein – Shrinking: "Happiness Mission" as Louis Winston (Apple TV)
• Hamish Linklater – Widow's Bay: "Seasickness" as Richard Warren (Apple TV)
• Christopher McDonald – Hacks: "No New Tricks" as Marty Ghilain (HBO Max)
• Rob Reiner – The Bear: "Tonnato" as Albert Schnur (FX)
• Connor Storrie – Saturday Night Live: "Host: Connor Storrie" as host (NBC)

Connor Storrie is the only SNL performer nominated at these Emmy Awards and the youngest SNL guest host ever nominated, but that doesn't seem to count for much at Gold Derby, where none of the professionals have picked him to win. Their leader is Michael J. Fox, who has the support of 53.8% of experts and 42.9% of editors along with 60.7% of users. Fox is followed by the late Rob Reiner, the choice of 23.1% of experts, 28.6% of editors, and 22.0% of users and Hamish Linklater, picked by 23.1% of experts, 14.3% of editors, and 7.0% of users. Professional and fan opinion diverge for fourth and fifth, as 14.3% of editors but only 2.3% of users consider Christopher McDonald to be a potential winner while no professionals but 7.5% of users selected Storrie. At least everyone generally agrees that Brett Goldstein has the worst chance with only 0.5% of users.

That written, I think Storrie deserves another moment in the Sun. I already embedded his monologue in 'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update, so watch The Gentlemen’s Code.

Two Victorian men (Connor Storrie, Mikey Day) settle a dispute with the help of the gentlemen's code.

Well, that escalated quickly.

Follow over the jump for the other ten categories, beginning with the ones I covered in 'The Daily Show' examines Fauci's testimony and RFK Hospital plus Emmy nominations for 'The Daily Show'.

'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's final Emmy nominations

I'm returning to awards show coverage with the final Emmy nominations for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. I begin by sharing For Your Emmy Consideration: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which might be the last video ever uploaded to the show's YouTube account.

A look back at some of the best moments from the final season of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!

That was fun and I already miss Stephen. My monologue posts are not the same without him.

Follow over the jump for the show's final Emmy nominations.

John Oliver examines 'Trump & the DOJ' for National Presidential Joke Day

Happy National Presidential Joke Day! I have a lot of jokes about Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump to share in Trump & the DOJ: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses how the Department of Justice has changed since Trump took office for his second term, how the DOJ seems to be acting on his behalf instead of on behalf of the people, and why we need barbers who use scissors instead of their teeth. You’d think that goes without saying, but we’re afraid it might not.

I've been following the protests against ICE and the follies around the Reflecting Pool, so I'm familiar with DOJ's legal failures involving them. I also read Marcy "Emptywheel" Wheeler, who has a Weaponized DOJ category on her blog, so I've also read about the cases investigating serious crimes that were dropped to concentrate on immigration and Pervert Hoover's political enemies. While I've encountered Harmeet Dhillon's name and office there, I had no idea she and Pervert Hoover had ended the agreement about septic systems in Alabama because of environmental justice and DEI. As an environmentalist who thinks diversity is a strength, I'm offended. Just the same, thanks to Last Week Tonight's researchers for finding the story.

That's a wrap for today's holiday. Tomorrow is World Elephant Day, so stay tuned to see if I blog about it.

John Oliver examines 'Trump & Crypto' plus Emmy nominations for 'Last Week Tonight with John Oliver'

As I promised yesterday, I'm resuming awards show coverage as the Sunday entertainment feature. I begin with the most recent video from today's featured nominee, Trump & Crypto: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses how the Trump family’s cryptocurrency ventures have overshadowed their other businesses, how they’ve created massive conflicts of interest for the Trump administration, and what it all has to do with Fartcoin.

Five years ago, Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump was skeptical, if not downright hostile to cryptocurrency. Three years ago, he was all in. In between, a lot of cryptocurrency money poured into campaigns. I'm sure that helped change a lot of politicians' minds, including Pervert Hoover, but I'm with John; it was mostly what crypto could do for his personal and family fortunes that did the trick. That turned out to be correct. File that under "even a stuck clock is right twice a day."

Purchases of Trump family memecoins are not only making Pervert Hoover, his wife, and sons rich, they're buying access. They're also affecting legal actions, which intersects with Trump's pardons. I'm recycling what I wrote about Bitconned in 'Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy' leads Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary nominees at the News & Doc Emmy Awards.

This reminds me of McMillion$, an examination of an elaborate scam and the scammers behind it. It also shows the fine line between business and the economy on one side and crime and justice on the other. I'm not surprised the two intersected at cryptocurrency.

Or that they intersected the Trump family business, either.

I shouldn't be surprised. As I first remarked in MSNBC examines Project 2025, part 1, "Jailbirds of a feather flock together," especially jailbirds useful to Pervert Hoover.

Follow over the jump for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver's Emmy nominations.

'Last Week Tonight' examines redistricting

I'm in a mood where I want to laugh so I don't cry but not yet ready to celebrate the 4th of July holiday, so I'm embedding Redistricting: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses how the Supreme Court has paved the way for the redrawing of congressional maps across the country, and what it means for the midterm elections. Plus, an urgent update on Gavin Newsom’s summer reading.

Yes, John Oliver has been covering redistricting and gerrymandering since 2017. Hey, I've been blogging about redistricting since March 2011, the blog's first month!

As for the Supreme Court's opinion on the Voting Rights Act, I wrote "the conservative majority of the Supreme Court shot multiracial democracy in America in the leg, if not an even more vital part of the body. The bullet is still traveling, injuring tissues and organs on its way." Oliver documents the damage, which isn't done yet.

I close by agreeing that all options should be on the table, especially Supreme Court reform. That might have to wait until 2029, when both houses of Congress and the White House are controlled by Democrats. To get there, "people in favor of multiracial democracy are going to have to vote in large enough numbers this fall and in 2028 to overwhelm the forces trying to send the U.S. back 60 years or more. May we succeed."

That's a wrap. Stay tuned for a 4th of July post. I'm thinking of revisiting Drink to America Sings for July 4th. Disney!

'Last Week Tonight' examines Twitter for Throwback Thursday

Happy Throwback Thursday! I'm going back a few months for Twitter: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses how an already flawed Twitter got worse under Elon Musk, how it continues to impact us all, and what it has to do with the 30-40 trillion cells humans are composed of. Or, wait, sorry, Twitter doesn’t have anything to do with the cells. It’s about our understanding of the universe. Maybe. You’ll just have to take that last part up with Elon directly.

Elon Musk's comparison of Twitter prior to his purchase to Wormtongue shows that Peter Thiel isn't the only techbro with J.R.R. Tolkien on his brain. I'm sure they and Alex Karp aren't the only ones.

There's a side effect of Musk turning the blue checks into pay for play instead of an actual verification system. In addition to making it difficult to tell real from imitation/parody accounts, it made a lot of statistics inaccessible without paid verification. I noted that last year: "Twitter/X's analytics are now a service for paid subscribers, and I won't pay to support Elon Musk, so they end up being little better than what I can collect from Bluesky for free."

As for Alex Jones getting his Twitter/X account back, it doesn't change my giving him an honorary Kenny McCormick Memorial Medal for losing at least five accounts because of abuse. No backsies! Besides, his losing Infowars to The Onion is worthy of a Bobo Award, the highest (dis)honor on alt.usenet.kooks.

Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump apparently taking his cue from Zero Hedge via Musk shows why I'm glad I stopped citing Zero Hedge in 2011 and have blocked Musk, but also Pervert Hoover's susceptibility to conspiracy theories. It turned out that much worse things resulted from Pevert Hoover and his administration paying attention to Musk and the accounts he promoted, like what Bruce Springsteen, Billy Bragg, and the Marsh Family sang about Minneapolis, Minnesota. No wonder Marcy "Emptywheel" Wheeler calls Twitter/X "Xitter" with the X pronounced as sh and "a machine for fascism." This makes me glad I now call Bluesky my primary social media site, where I've gone from zero to 21,849 followers in a little more than 18 months.

Since today is Throwback Thursday, follow over the jump for my most read post about Twitter/X and Bluesky during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News along with my top shares on each platform that aren't about holidays that I haven't shared yet.


John Oliver examines Trump's pardons on 'Last Week Tonight'

Happy June! Today's topical post to begin the month features John Oliver examining Trump’s Pardons on Last Week Tonight.

John Oliver discusses who Donald Trump has pardoned since he’s been in office, and what it would be like to have sex with a cartoon character who has your voice. Not a cartoon character OF YOU! Just a cartoon character with your voice.

Let me add one more quality Donald "Pervert Hoover" Trump likes to celebrity and loyalty, wealth. I shouldn't be surprised. As I first remarked in MSNBC examines Project 2025, part 1, "Jailbirds of a feather flock together," especially jailbirds useful to Pervert Hoover.


Oh, look Roger Stone and Paul Manafort, who Oliver listed among those pardoned. Quelle surprise.

I'm not done with Pervert Hoover's view of "law and order." Follow over the jump for a top share of another entry featuring his view of justice during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

'Last Week Tonight' asks 'Ayn Rand - How Is This Still A Thing?' for Throwback Thursday

Happy Throwback Thursday! I'm pulling a video out of the archives for today, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver asking Ayn Rand - How Is This Still A Thing?

Ayn Rand, author of "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead," is still kind of a thing. How?

I'm surprised I missed this video when it was uploaded twelve years ago and it took me this long to watch it and embed it. As I wrote in CNBC explains 'How Private Equity Is Behind Red Lobster And TGI Fridays' Bankruptcies,' a tale of the Retail Apocalypse for Wayback Wednesday, "Longtime readers should know that I have a dim view of Rand and Objectivism; some of my newer readers are learning this, as they've made A conversation with The Archdruid about Objectivism, Satanism, and the GOP from the back catalog the ninth most read entry during the 2024-2025 blogging year." That written, suggesting Donald Trump as a better example of selfishness turned out to be prophetic. I wrote less about Rand and her pseudophilosophy after he ran for President.

While Trump, who I've been calling Hoover Harding Cleveland and will now start calling Pervert Hoover, may be a good (bad) example of selfishness, he does not aspire to be a philosopher. On the other hand, Curtis Yarvin does. As I wrote in Leeja Miller examines 'The Ideology Behind The End Of Democracy', "I've decided to focus on Yarvin/Moldbug as a source of the terrible ideas being implemented by this administration. He seems to be replacing Ayn Rand and Objectivism as the person and philosophy animat[ing] the Right." I'm not sure that's an improvement.

Rand and Objectivism were the topics of two of last year's top posts. Follow over the jump for their stories.

J.D. Vance gets the 'Last Week Tonight' treatment

Today's post I plan on sharing in April, no fooling, features J.D. Vance: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses J.D. Vance, what he really believes, who he is without Donald Trump, and – most importantly – what he looks like without a beard.

I begin my reaction by recycling from Dailyshowographies of Tim Walz and JD Vance plus 'The Daily Show's Emmy Awards.

Vance's opportunism and misogyny shine right through this satirical biography. As for Hillbilly Elegy, it's one of the rare films that earned both Oscar and Razzie nominations. While I'm not sure about Glenn Close's Razzie nomination (fortunately, she didn't win), I am sure about Worst Screenplay, which earned Vanessa Taylor, but not Vance, a nomination. I think leaving Vance off the nomination was an oversight.

John Oliver certainly had something to say about Hillbilly Elegy, including Glenn Close's Razzie nomination; maybe she did deserve it, although I'm still glad she didn't win. As for Vance's opportunism, that shines through even brighter. On the other hand, different bigotries eclipse his misogyny, especially racism and anti-immigrant sentiment, never mind that Vance's wife Usha is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Oliver bringing up Peter Thiel reminds me of what I wrote about him in Yahoo! News asks 'How does the 25th Amendment work?' A Veep Day special.

Vance would be less erratic (mercurial would be a polite way of saying it) and not driven by Hoover Cleveland's obsessions with tariffs, grifts, and revenge, but he'd be more likely to implement the parts of Project 2025 that Hoover Cleveland hasn't yet. He'd also be more under the influence of Palantir founder Peter Thiel, his pet bad philosopher Curtis Yarvin, and Palantir CEO Alex Karp. They're the sources of what I called "cyberpunk villain ideas straight out of Snow Crash..." Vance can certainly learn new tricks, but I worry about the ones Thiel, Yarvin, and Karp could teach him. They might be worse.

I mentioned some of those bad ideas in Rachel Maddow examines Curtis Yarvin, one of JD Vance's influences.

Listening to Yarvin and Vance talk about replacing American institutions, including democratic governance, reminds me of David Frum's warning that I quoted in 'The Daily Show,' Vox, and CBS News explain QAnon, silly to serious examinations of a conspiracy theory: "If conservatives become convinced that they can not win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy." Yarvin, Thiel, and Vance are proving Frum right.

They still are.

Oliver pointing out Vance's role in Donald "Hoover Harding Cleveland" Trump dropping "They're eating the dogs. They're eating the cats" in the middle of a debate reminds me of what I wrote then.

As for Trump AKA Hoover Cleveland repeating the fiction of Haitian immigrants eating pets, it's another example of his vulnerability to conspiracy theories. He still hasn't learned that the voices he's listening to aren't reliable sources. This includes JD Vance.

That hasn't stopped Hoover Harding Cleveland from listening to them.

By the way, I was waiting for Oliver to make a couch joke, which gives me a chance to recycle what I wrote in Colbert, 'The Daily Show,' Meyers, and Kimmel take closer looks at the shutdown.

As for the meme with JD Vance making love to a couch, it reminds me that there is a game called Date Everything! Everything includes a couch named Koa, and there is already a meme of it/him with Vance.

A comedy sketch about Vance wouldn't be complete without a couch joke!

Finally, hearing Vance obsessing about childless Americans, divorce, and abortion reminds me that Listening to people worry about lower birthrates on World Population Day is enough to drive me to drink on National Mojito Day. That's coded misogyny. It's also a post I'll feature when I examine last year's top posts about holidays.

Enough about Vance. Follow over the jump for the most read posts featuring John Oliver during the 15th year of Crazy Eddie's Motie News.

'Last Week Tonight' examines ICE & DHS and police body cameras

I made a hopediction in the middle of 'SNL' addresses attack on Iran in cold open and Weekend Update.

Looks like Netflix buys Warner Brothers turned out to be wrong while NBC and CNBC report on likely Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger turned out to be wrong. I'm not happy about that, but not as unhappy as John Oliver will be. I'm looking forward to see what he says tonight. If it's about this deal, I'll post it tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Oliver had two comments about Paramount purchasing Warner Bros. Discovery, but the first one didn't get uploaded to YouTube and the second is buried deep inside last night's main story. I'll embed that after the season premiere, ICE & DHS.

John Oliver discusses ICE’s repeated atrocities over the past months and explores the massive entity overseeing it all: the Department of Homeland Security. How it started, who runs it, and how many hats Kristi Noem owns.

I knew DHS was big, but I didn't know it was the third largest federal government department by number of employees behind the Department of Defense (not War, not until Congress acts) and Department of Veterans Affairs. By size of budget, DHS is sixth behind Health and Human Services, Defense, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, and Transportation. Welcome to the US government being an insurance company with an army. That's still a lot of money. As the graphic below shows, ICE alone has a budget larger than militaries of Turkey, Spain, and the Netherlands and just smaller than Canada's.


All of those are facts I didn't know before watching this segment, which meant that I learned three new things, making today a good day.

Now for the sequel, last night's Police Body Cameras. Watch carefully for the remark about Paramount; blink and you'll miss it.

John Oliver discusses why police body cameras can be useful, or useless, depending on whether they’re used properly, and yeah, he also discusses what it looks like to arrest a giant mouse. Because of course he does.

In theory, body cameras are a good thing, but we should be careful, if not downright vigilant, about how police use them in practice. This includes review of body camera footage, the equivalent of which Oliver seems to be daring Paramount to do to his show. Looks like he will have an even more hostile relationship with Paramount than he had with AT&T. That should be entertaining.

Since I haven't featured Oliver since 'Last Week Tonight' examines police chases, I'm closing by recognizing an award the show won, Best Variety Series at the Critics Choice Awards.


Congratulations! May the new ownership keep Oliver around for the awards the show wins, although that didn't save Stephen Colbert. Then again, Paramount renewed The Daily Show, so there's hope.

That's a wrap for today. Stay tuned for three holidays, Purim, Holi, and Marching Music Day, closer looks at the Iran war, and more Saturn Awards coverage.

'Last Week Tonight' on Venezuela, a blast from the past

I was wondering what to write about what's happening in Venezuela when YouTube recommended Venezuela: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) from seven years ago. Time for a blast from the past!

John Oliver discusses the devastating economic crisis in Venezuela and enlists the help of a large bird who bears a striking resemblance to Wilmer Valderrama.

I took a serious look at the situation in Vox on the collapse of Venezuela six years ago. It was about time I examined the country and its plight through comedy. Speaking of which, I expect Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Seth Meyers, and Jimmy Kimmel will return tonight. If they do, I'm sure they'll have plenty of things to say about what Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump, Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio, and the rest of Hoover Cleveland's maladministration are doing to and about Venezuela. If not, I already have serious videos to share. I'll be ready.

While I'm indulging in better late than never today, I'm celebrating Norther, a fake holiday created by Archdruid John Michael Greer, one day late. I should have celebrated it yesterday, the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Winter Solstice, but I was too busy observing National Screenwriters Day one day early. Holiday swap! Watch the animal mascots for Norther, 5+ Minutes of CHAOS from Grizzy and the Lemmings | Netflix Family.

Join Grizzy and the Lemmings on wild misadventures! From racing through ancient tombs to escaping giant parrots, these critters never stop causing chaos! Grizzy and the Lemmings is now playing on Netflix!

A belated happy Norther! Now stay tuned for more about Venezuela.

'Last Week Tonight' examines police chases

I haven't featured John Oliver here since 'Last Week Tonight' examines Presidential Libraries and makes an offer, so it's time to share the latest episode, Police Chases: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses the prevalence of police chases, why the risks involved can massively outweigh the benefits, and why everyone with a broken taillight needs to go get their laundry out of the dryer. Seriously, stop reading this and go get your clothes. They’ve been in there for days. We’re trying to help you.

Police chases were not a staple of local news in Los Angeles when I moved out of California 36 years ago. They are now. I'm not surprised that the screen captures of chase videos were from Los Angeles TV stations and the clip featuring the TMZ bus trying to stop a speeding driver was from L.A. At least I now know to blame O.J. Simpson. I was also relieved that Michigan police were not involved until the story from Warren, where the case against the police was dismissed — Michigan law and qualified immunity at work. Even when police were convicted, Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump pardoned them. The man seems to like police brutality.

I'm looking forward to the planned episode on police surveillance. The village where I live is getting traffic cameras, so I know they'll be watching. In the meantime, stay tuned for a closer look post tomorrow — comedy about the news because it hurts too much to cry.

'Last Week Tonight' examines Presidential Libraries and makes an offer

After three days of the federal government shutdown, I was ready for a change of subject. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver provided one with last night's Presidential Libraries.

John Oliver discusses what presidential libraries are exactly, how presidents use them to fundraise in office, how Donald Trump might make existing problems even worse and – of course – some stuff about one president’s unique inseam.

One of my favorite phrases to write on this blog is that it's a good day when I learn something new, and the first new fact I learned from this video is that the Clinton Presidential Library had a temporary exhibit of giant animatronic bugs. Had, because it opened and closed in 2017. Darn.

A fact I probably knew already but the video reinforced was that presidents raise funds for their libraries but then donate them to the federal government, which then runs them. That means the people who run them are federal employees, which means that, in the mind of Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump, they work for him, so he thinks he can order them around. That led to one of Hoover Cleveland's staffers "requesting" a sword from the Eisenhower Presidential Library, the library's director refusing, and then losing his job. File that under "no good deed goes unpunished."

The flip side is that "no bad deed goes unrewarded." This includes the suit over the 60 Minutes interview of Kamala Harris that Paramount settled for $15 million to Hoover Cleveland's presidential library fund, which people suspect included CBS canceling The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as part of the deal. No wonder John is reacting negatively to the the rumored Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, which would continue his hostile relationship with HBO's corporate owners.

Speaking of shady dealings, I'm glad John mentioned the gift 747 from Qatar that will go from the Air Force to the Hoover Cleveland's presidential library upon Hoover Cleveland leaving office. I was on vacation when that was in the news, so I didn't blog about it then. I'm blogging about it now.

As for the sculpture for pardon suggestion, it's not quite the RV from John Oliver examines Clarence Thomas and makes him an offer on 'Last Week Tonight' in exchange for Justice Thomas retiring, but it's close. Too bad it will probably have the same result, no takers. Again, darn. I wish Thomas had retired.

John Oliver examines 'Gang Databases' plus 'Last Week Tonight's six Emmy nominations

As I promised yesterday, I'm returning to Emmy Awards coverage with the latest from Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Gang Databases.

John Oliver discusses the massive problems caused by gang databases, how people wind up on them, and why nobody looks good in lime green. You might think you’re pulling it off but trust us, you’re not.

The opening minutes are giving me flashbacks to what I wrote in 'Last Week Tonight' examines 'Trump & Deportations' for Wayback Wednesday: "Donald 'Hoover Cleveland' Trump insisting that the photoshopped 'MS-13' on Kilmar Abrego Garcia's hand is real reminds me of what I've written before, 'the voices in his head are not reliable sources. Neither are the real people he listens to.'" Based on what Oliver and his researchers and writers found out, the gang databases aren't all that reliable or helpful, either. Oh, and kudos to Oliver and his producers for getting LV to sing the chorus from "Gangster's Paradise" to conclude the segment.

Sunday's episode also included Trump & Epstein.


Desi Lydic isn't the only comedian having fun with the Epstein Files. I expect to embed more on Thursday when I cover the Outstanding Talk Series nominees. In the meantime, follow over the jump for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver's six Emmy nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards and Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

John Oliver dissects 'Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill'

It's time to return to the U.S. after Canada Day with John Oliver dissecting Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill on Last Week Tonight.

John Oliver discusses Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” what will happen if it’s passed, and what it has in common with Apple’s Terms and Conditions.

Since this episode aired on Sunday night, it passed the Senate 51-50 with JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. It hasn't gone back to the House as of my writing this entry, but it won't take long because Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump wants it passed by July 4th. If (when) the House passes the Senate version, it would make my prediction in Elon Musk calls budget bill 'a disgusting abomination' - MSNBC reports true, "What Musk wants will probably make the final result crueler, not kinder." As Oliver described, the bill is plenty cruel already.

Speaking of cruel, take Joni "Joni Hearse" Ernst.

I've never mentioned Joni Ernst on this blog before, but I've known she had a mean streak that she portrayed as toughness since she first ran for U.S. Senate in 2014. It looks like what I wrote in I ask The Archdruid and his readers 'Can you show us on the doll exactly where the educated professionals hurt you?' A Festivus airing of grievances came true for her.

Greer's premise/conceit is that Trump is like The King in Yellow and drives mad all who oppose him. I'd say he drives just about everyone mad by giving them permission to be their worst selves.

I'd say Senator Ernst succumbed to the curse. May the rest of us not follow suit.

I think The King in Orange's curse has affected Speaker Mike Johnson and Dr. Oz, too.

Whether the House passes the Senate version or it has to go to a conference committee first, some version of this budget and tax bill will pass. When that happens, it will deserve its version of The tax bill and the U.S. economy in 2018 and beyond. I'll save that for later. In the meantime, I'm closing with something a lot more fun, Meet the Moon Mammoths.


 Michael F. explained in a comment: "For those out of the loop: John Oliver got the Erie minor league baseball team to agree to change their name and mascot to anything the show could come up with. This Sunday, he revealed their new name is the Erie Moon Mammoths!" As a paleontologist and space enthusiast, I approve!

Speaking of space, I know today is World UFO Day, but I decided the "Big [not so] Beautiful Bill" was more timely and important. Priorities.

John Oliver examines RFK Jr. & HHS

I closed Purdue's marching band and National Day Calendar for Superhero Day by telling my readers, "Stay tuned for a return to reality tomorrow, as I'm planning on featuring an update to John Oliver and 'The Daily Show' on RFK Jr. and Vox asks 'RFK Jr. is in charge of vaccines. What now?' A Wayback Wednesday special. John Oliver and Brainworm!" Without any further ado, here is RFK Jr. & HHS: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses the budget and staffing cuts being made to public health agencies in the U.S. under RFK Jr.’s new leadership, the many ways those cuts will impact all of us, and how WWII really ended. Trust us, it’s not how you think.

I'm repeating what I wrote earlier this month: "If I have to concentrate on criticizing any of Trump's Cabinet Secretaries, it will be RFK Jr. I'm a scientist and he's the biggest threat to science of anyone actually confirmed by the Senate..." I don't find his statement that "Our purpose is not to reduce any level of scientific research that is important" reassuring. I don't trust his judgment of what's scientifically important, especially in the context of cutting funding to diabetes research at the University of Michigan. That's doubly personal!

Oliver and his writers also demonstrated how cuts at and by HHS pose short- and long-term threats to health. Bird flu and measles, both of which Oliver addresses later in the video, come to mind on top of the example of lead paint. It's not just in drinking water!

Vox showed its viewers how RFK Jr. could mess things up. Oliver shows how he already is. As Oliver quoted the experts, "This is a disaster. People will die because of the mistakes we're making right now." I'm calling for his impeachment and removal, because I'm sure he won't resign and doubt Donald "Hoover Cleveland" Trump will fire him because of what he's doing to science and public health.* Hoover Cleveland will only do the right thing for the wrong reasons. Even so, that will take until 2027 because the House won't have a Democratic majority until then. Sigh.

Stay tuned for Wayback Wednesday tomorrow.

*Trump supporters like the Archdruid and his readers actually approve of what he's doing. I have another post planned about them.

John Oliver examines 'Facebook & Content Moderation'

For today's entry I can share next month, I'm embedding Facebook & Content Moderation: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO).

John Oliver discusses Facebook’s controversial new plans for content moderation and which Animorphs he would and would not kill with his car.

I've written a lot about Facebook over the years, going at least as far back as Facebook: There is no such thing as a free lunch during the first year of the blog. The entries that I think connect best to Oliver's segment are U.S. House passes NDAA in defiance of Trump threatening to veto it over renaming bases named after Confederate generals and Section 230 and Samantha Bee, CNBC, and Vox examine tech companies suspending Trump from social media, both of which provide background for Zuckerberg's actions regarding moderation and their connections to Hoover Cleveland. I wrote the following in the former post.

Trump wants to repeal Section 230 so that Twitter and Facebook can't flag his posts, which he considers censorship. Personally, I think that concept of censorship is kooky, but that's not the worst of it. As the Vox video describes, changing that part of the law could cause chaos on the internet, where a lot of commerce happens, to say nothing of free expression like mine. Any change would have to require a lot of thought and care so that companies have protection so long as they exercise responsible and reasonable moderation. Unfortunately, one side of the aisle wants even less moderation. Consequently, I don't think Congress will come up with a solution if the two sides don't agree on the problem. Sigh.

I was more optimistic in the second post.

Yes, Section 230 will likely change as a result of the failed self-coup and more in the way Democrats want than what Trump and other conservatives say they want, although they would likely have been hurt worse than they expected if they had gotten their way.

That didn't happen. Instead, Hoover Cleveland got what he wanted without a change in the law. All he had to do was intimidate convince Zuckerberg. As one of the commenters on the video wrote, "So basically the world's most powerful bully made the world's most powerful nerd give up his lunch money." Sigh.

I close with this cartoon I first shared in 2011.


Stay tuned for another evergreen entry I can share next month.

John Oliver on 'Trump 2.0' for Presidents Day

I ended Silly and serious closer looks at Trump taking over the Kennedy Center by telling my readers "I might have more to say about Hoover Cleveland tomorrow for (Not My) Presidents Day. Stay tuned." Last Week Tonight with John Oliver provided the perfect prompt with last night's season premiere, Trump 2.0.

John Oliver discusses the first four weeks of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the strategy behind some of the choices his administration has made and why it is indeed fuck time. You heard us: It’s fuck time.

I responded to the election of Trump 1.0 by writing Kunstler said Americans would elect maniacs. He is even more of a maniac now and his supporting cast this time is, if anything, more maniacal than he is. The one I was worried about before January 20th was Russell Vought, one of the authors of Project 2025. He's now Director of the Office of Management and Budget, putting him in a position to implement his plans to downsize the federal government. That's bad enough. What I didn't anticipate was Elon Musk taking on more than an advisory role. Nope, he and his minions are carrying out the downsizing of the federal government much more rapidly than Vought could have using legal means. It looks like what Musk did to the site formerly known as Twitter. When Americans wanted government run like a business, I don't think they wanted a government run like one of Trump's businesses or X under Musk.

So, what do we do to slow or stop "a hostile government takeover?" I used to be the director of a nonprofit, so I like the idea of supporting NGOs. Indivisible and MoveOn would be good ones to help. Also, civil society will be under increasing attack and needs all the reinforcement it can get. I also like the rest of Oliver's suggestions. The audience seemed particularly enthusiastic about replacing Democratic lawmakers who aren't up to the moment. More AOCs, anyone?

Before I go, I'm congratulating Oliver and his writers on winning the WGA Award for Comedy/Variety – Talk or Sketch Series. This is on top of winning two Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, in September. Keep up the good work!

Stewart, Oliver, Meyers, and Kimmel take closer looks at 'Gulf of America Day' and Musk on the cover of Time

I told my readers "stay tuned for comic takes on America's slide into autocracy...The late-night talk-show hosts have a lot of material" at the end of CNBC asks 'Can New Orleans Save Its Homes From Flooding Again?' They lived up to my expectations, beginning with Jon Stewart & John Oliver Welcome America to Its Trump Monarchy Era | The Daily Show.

Jon Stewart tackles Trump's attempt to be the Super Bowl MVP and examines the president's rejection of federal agencies, birthright citizenship, and basic constitutional checks and balances. Plus, John Oliver welcomes America to its monarchy era.

"Gulf of America Day" — *snort* I don't think it will ever be bigger than National Pizza Day, let alone the Super Bowl! Also, John Oliver would know about monarchies and imperialism.

Seth Meyers had more to say about "Gulf of America Day" and America's slide into autocracy in Trump and Musk Lash Out After Judge Blocks DOGE Takeover, Musk Targets CFPB: A Closer Look.

Seth takes a closer look at "President" Elon Musk calling for a judge to be impeached after blocking Musk's access to Americans' personal data, while Musk's second in command, New York businessman Donald Trump, claimed Musk has nothing to gain from dismantling the government.

Hoover Cleveland is surprisingly sanguine about Elon Musk. Who does he think Musk is, Vladimir Putin?

I close with Jimmy Kimmel's monologue, Trump Trolls Taylor Swift in Super Bowl Rant, Kanye’s Crazy Posts & Elon Kisses Up to Donald.

Jimmy ate all the food for the Super Bowl, we look back at the crazy conspiracies about the NFL rigging games, Kendrick Lamar was the star of the halftime show, Philly fans went crazy after the win, Kanye is making a serious run at the title for World’s Worst Person after going literally nuts on Twitter this weekend, he bought commercial time during the game in several markets including LA, Trump was at the Super Bowl and posted several times about Taylor Swift, he decided to declare a war on pennies during the game, he took away Joe Biden’s access to daily intelligence briefings, Elon Musk will be featured on the cover of Time Magazine, there was a deer calling competition in Germany, and we ask people their opinions on Super Bowl commercials we made up in a new edition of Lie Witness News.

If anything, Musk is being more deferential to Trump that Trump is to Musk. Putin would never do that.

Stay tuned for a post about what could be the pandemic.

John Oliver examines mass deportations

I've examined one of Hoover Cleveland's signature issues, tariffs, for the past two days. Thanks to John Oliver, I'm scrutinizing another of his top priorities, Mass Deportations.

October 27th, 2024. Before the 2024 election, John Oliver discusses Donald Trump’s promises to carry out mass deportations, what some of his supporters might not realize about the details of those plans, and – shockingly – how Bill O’Reilly still has a show.

Oliver pretty thoroughly debunks mass deportation's supposed effects on jobs, housing, and crime. I didn't know until I watched that deportations result in lower employment for native-born Americans, not higher employment, although I knew that there are some jobs most people born in this country won't do. I don't have to look any farther than Hoover Cleveland's current and former wives. His two longest marriages were (and still are) to immigrants, while his shortest was to Marla Maples, who was born in the U.S.

Speaking of jobs Americans won't do, I'm surprised so much of the construction workforce consists of undocumented immigrants. Yes, there were a lot of immigrants building the L.A. Subway when I was working there 36 years ago, but they were a minority, so I know there are Americans who were willing to build things. Still, removing more than a million workers, especially when unemployment is already low, is going to reduce the ability to build more homes and apartments, impacting the supply. As for reducing demand, it might make rental properties more affordable, although I'm skeptical it will get the landlords to sell at reduced prices to improve home ownership. My mom owns rental property, and that's not how she would operate.

Finally, just reread and re-watch John Oliver debunks 'Migrant Crime' in the middle of covering the RNC on 'Last Week Tonight', which refutes the idea of immigration leading to more crime, especially when there is less crime overall, especially in cities. Oliver does a better job than I could by myself. Too bad his arguments didn't persuade a plurality of voters. Sigh.

I'll be back with another topical post tomorrow. Stay tuned.