Grouchy Smurf

@grouchysmurf.bsky.social

Dog lover. Upset by political malfeasance. Orange is my least favorite color. Did I mention I’m a dog lover? And yes, I’m grouchy.

From his control of the world's second-largest nuclear arsenal to his active contribution to global climate change, and from a lack of checks and balances to his mental deterioration, Donald Trump is arguably the world's most dangerous person. Congress must do something. thehill.com/opinion/whit...

Trump is the world’s most dangerous man

It is time — actually, well past time — for members of Congress to hitch up their Big Boy and Girl pants, red as well as blue, to do something about this.

thehill.com

Once again, this won’t end well…Americans are on to them. They’re firing the staff who help seniors get their hard-earned benefits from a lifetime of work and answer the phones and fix problems. Why DOGE is struggling to find fraud in Social Security www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Why DOGE is struggling to find fraud in Social Security

Claims of massive fraud by Elon Musk and President Trump are at odds with reams of audits and reports on the agency’s spending.

washingtonpost.com

"Why Doge is struggling to find fraud in Social Security." It's behind a paywall and I can't do a gift read but the headline should tell you all you need to know. How absurd is it that they're "struggling" to find fraud?? www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Why DOGE is struggling to find fraud in Social Security

Claims of massive fraud by Elon Musk and President Trump are at odds with reams of audits and reports on the agency’s spending.

washingtonpost.com

@fetterman.senate.gov “I’m never going to be a part of any vote that shuts the government down.” What a disgrace you are. I thought you were going to be a good guy, but everything I see and hear tells me you're anything but. You should probably put an "R" next to your name. Go to hell Fetterman.

@maddow.msnbc.com Rachel you are one of the few bright spots in my day right now. Your segment on Tyson Gay really made me laugh out loud. I still chuckle when I think about it. I need your show to keep me grounded. I will be so sad when your 100 days are up, but so relieved you're here for now! ❤️

White House, Emmer call for Jeffries to apologize

White House, Emmer call for Jeffries to apologize

The White House on Friday called for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to apologize for remarks pledging to push back against the Trump administration's agenda.  Jeffries at a press briefing stressed "the need to look out for everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans who are under assault by an extreme MAGA Republican agenda that is trying to cut taxes for billionaire donors and wealthy corporations, and then stick New Yorkers and working-class Americans ... with the bill." "We are gonna fight it legislatively. We are gonna fight it in the courts. And we're gonna fight it in the streets," Jeffries said. A release from the White House Office of Communications on Friday then blasted Jeffries for what it characterized as “a sick call for violence.” “Will Minority Leader Jeffries apologize for this disgusting threat? Or will he double down on the same calls for violence that have plagued the country for years?” the statement read.  House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) also said on X that Jeffries “should promptly apologize for his use of inflammatory and extreme rhetoric.” “President Trump and the Republicans are focused on uniting the country; Jeffries needs to stop trying to divide it,” Emmer said. But Jeffries’s office in a statement obtained by NewsNation flatly denied the inferences about his remarks. “The notion that Leader Jeffries supports violence is laughable. Republicans are the party that pardons violent felons who assault police officers. Democrats are the party of John Lewis and the right to petition the government peacefully,” the statement read. Jeffries during his press conference denounced the now-rescinded federal funding freeze and also knocked Trump for suggesting that federal diversity initiatives contributed to this week's deadly crash between a military helicopter and an American Airlines plane near Reagan National Airport. The Hill and NewsNation are both owned by Nexstar Media Group.

thehill.com

A pre-Trump read Steve Hanson and I wrote for today's New York Times. "Trump aims not to streamline modern state bureaucracies, but rather to replace them with a much older form of rule based on personal loyalty to the ruler." www.nytimes.com/2024/12/31/o...

Opinion | Trump’s Assault on the Systems That Keep Americans Safe Is Dangerous

Eviscerating modern state institutions almost always clears a path for a different political order, built on loyalties and connections to the ruler.

nytimes.com

I saw this coming from a mile away. Of course Trump will refuse to have any media present who will challenge him on anything. You can forget having ANY fair coverage of his administration. Not to mention MSM is terrified of retribution. thehill.com/homenews/med...

White House press corps recoils at Trump’s threat to shake up briefing room

Signals from President-elect Trump’s team that a shake-up of the White House Press Briefing Room could be coming are roiling journalists preparing to cover his second term.   People close to …

thehill.com