#bedbugsummit is trending.

“Bring the leaders of the free world to Doral, he said. What could go wrong, he said,” tweeted songwriter Holly Figueroa O’Reilly, founder of Blue Wave Crowdsource, which supports Democratic candidates.

Twitter users began using the hashtag Thursday after White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney announced that the G7 summit would take place at Trump’s Doral resort because it was “far and away the best physical facility for this meeting.”

Except for the bedbugs. And the heat. And the humidity. And the overall who wants to be stuck at a crap Trump resort near Miami airport. And the fact that there are many better physical facilities. Other than that, it’s definitely the best.… Read the rest

The front page of the Baltimore Sun today:

… Read the rest

On the one hand you have the political or philosophical concept of freedom of speech, and on the other hand you have the commercial interest of various people who make lots of money by selling tv shows and magazines and tabloids, and/or the advertising they purvey. If we want to think about the political or philosophical concept of freedom of speech, we’re well advised to consult Tocqueville or Mill or Orwell rather than Murdoch or O’Reilly or…Zuckerberg.

Siva Vaidhyanathan is not impressed by Zuckerberg’s credentials to instruct the masses on free speech.

For his entire adult life, Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has been able to make up in hubris what he lacks in education. He continued that trend on

So Mulvaney says yeah there was a quid pro quo, deal with it, ya big bunch of anti-corruption wimps.

Or almost that.

A senior White House official has admitted military aid to Ukraine was withheld partly to pressure Kyiv to investigate allegations on the Democrats and the 2016 election.

Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said President Donald Trump had mentioned Democratic “corruption”.

But Mr Trump was also concerned about wider corruption in Ukraine, he said.

Yeah like socialist corruption and Mexican corruption and…uh…Muslim corruption. Stuff like that.

Briefing reporters on Thursday, Mr Mulvaney gave a lengthy answer to a question about Ukraine, saying the president had told him Ukraine was a “corrupt place” and that Mr Trump didn’t

Originally a comment by What a Maroon on Not angels.

As many of you know, I spent some time in Turkey about 30 years ago. In total I was there for about a year, including a summer in Istanbul and about ten months in Ankara. While I was in Ankara, I also had the opportunity to travel around the country, and visited pretty much every region. I met a lot of wonderful people there and had a fantastic time, and have many cherished memories. Of course spending a year in the country three decades ago doesn’t give me any real insight into what is going on now, but the recent actions of the government have brought back some memories.… Read the rest

From Gordon Sondland’s prepared statement to the impeachment inquiry:

On May 23, 2019, three days after the Zelensky inauguration, we in the U.S. delegation debriefed President Trump and key aides at the White House. We emphasized the strategic importance of Ukraine and the strengthening relationship with President Zelensky, a reformer who received a strong mandate from the Ukrainian people to fight corruption and pursue greater economic prosperity. We asked the White House to arrange a working phone call from President Trump and a working Oval Office visit. However, President Trump was skeptical that Ukraine was serious about reforms and anti-corruption, and he directed those of us present at the meeting to talk to Mr. Giuliani, his personal attorney, about

I feel somewhat shattered at the loss of Elijah Cummings. Dan Rodricks in his hometown paper, the Baltimore Sun:

“We are better than this.”

Elijah Cummings said that over and over again, urging his fellow Americans and his fellow Baltimoreans to believe it — and to be it.

The U.S. congressman from Maryland, who died early Thursday morning at 68, was a long-time warrior for justice, truly a great man. He spoke truth to power even as a member of the power class. And the Democrat was not above pleading, with rival Republicans or constituents, for what he knew was right.

He chose politics and public life because he wanted a better country, a better city. Immersed in the

But wait, there’s more! James Kirkup introduces us to Deputy Chief Constable Julie Cooke of Cheshire Police.

DCC Cooke has rather a big job in Cheshire, where there were more than 30,000 violent crimes in the year to August 2019 and the monthly rate of violent crime is up by more than 50 per cent in the last year. 

Fortunately, however,  DCC Cooke has still managed to find time to make a video marking International Pronouns Day.

Marking what??!

No, I know what; I had heard of it; it’s just that it’s so idiotic, and so idiotic-squared that anyone is paying attention to it, let alone making police videos about it.

If you’re not familiar with that occasion, the

More pathetic Qusilings who don’t even know they’re Quislings.

Women’s Book History:

Good morning! Just a reminder that our page celebrates things related to book history for all of the following:

– cis women
– trans women
– cis men
– trans men
– nonbinary folks

and everyone else in between! We usually post about women, but that’s because that’s our jam. We do, and always have, included trans women in our category of “women’s book history” and this stance is not up for debate. If this bothers you, we encourage you to keep scrolling. Anyone who posts harassing messages about trans women will have those comments deleted and then they will be banned from the page.

In other … Read the rest

For people who are as all-powerful and privileged as women are, we sure do have a hard time being allowed to speak.

Despite professing commitment to free speech principles, today Massey University announced they would be revoking their agreement with Speak Up For Women to host their event ‘Feminism 2020’ at their Wellington Campus.

So in other words they’re going with Don’t Speak Up For Women.

Citing “external advice on its health, safety and wellbeing obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and its duty of care to the University community,” Massey have once more proven that they are willing to cave to activist intimidation tactics.

“The staff and students of Massey were never at any