They Have No Guts

I was reading an article in the Christian Science Monitor about how Trump has warped the presidency.

In Washington, a profound shift in how taxpayer money is spent. Will it last?

By Caitlin Babcock 

May 28, 2026

Just about anything a president wants to do – such as go to war, start an infrastructure project, or strengthen law enforcement – requires financing from Congress.

But increasingly, the government’s money hasn’t been going where Congress says it should.

The Trump administration is using unprecedented tactics to test the boundaries of how it can control taxpayer money that Congress has budgeted, threatening one of Congress’ core functions under the Constitution – and one of its strongest checks on executive power.

The efforts are a direct assertion of presidential power, often wielded in the name of taming wasteful spending. But the actions also reach into Congress itself.

Under presidential pressure, Congress is slowly upending its own spending process, passing party-line bills that circumvent its normal, bipartisan procedure and give presidents broader leeway. For example, Republicans hope to soon pass a bill that will fund federal immigration enforcement for years in advance.

But this is the result of a Congress that has no backbone. What we need is to elect people who listen to the voters and not to Trump. I don't even call it the "Republican party" anymore because it is non-existent.

Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution states: "No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law." This and the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 both make illegal what Trump is doing. But if the Republicans in Congress ignore the laws, Trump becomes a dictator... a King!

Still, the practice signals a profound shift in how money is spent, raising questions over how or whether taxpayers can hold the government accountable and whether more White House control over spending will become a “new normal” that permanently expands a president’s power.

In Congress, even some members of President Trump’s party aren’t entirely comfortable with the transfer of spending authority.

“Retaining our constitutional authority has always been something that I see as important, and hopefully my colleagues do, too. So I hope that we maintain a balance,” says Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee. “Or else we become more and more irrelevant.”

Why can this happen? The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was passed specifically because President Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon kept refusing to spend money that Congress had allocated for programs he disliked. Congress stepped in to say, "No, if we pass it and appropriate the funds, you must spend it."

But this is happening because it takes a two-thirds majority to convict him. The House only needs a simple majority to impeach him, but the Senate needs a two-thirds vote to convict. As a result, Trump can get away with all the stuff he has been pushing.

Mr. Trump and his executive branch have asserted the power to spend as well as to cut, in ways that Congress hasn’t authorized. Emergency declarations over immigration and energy paved the way for sending military reservists to the Southern border and promoting fossil fuel development.

Trump knows that he has instilled a fear of losing their reelections that keeps them prostrating themselves to him. But he is losing his grip on them with his polling numbers in the 30s. Some of them smell blood in the polls and want to see who to hitch their wagon to: Trump or the voters?

A Racist Government!

We all know this. We saw it in the promotions in the military. We saw it in his cabinet picks. We see it in his staffing picks suck as Stephen Miller.

Gary Franks: For Trump, it’s a color-blind man’s world

Recently the War Secretary found all qualified Black Americans and women eligible for a promotion to the rank of General “not fit” to receive the promotion

The Hartford Courant

By Gary Franks

June 17, 2026

President Donald Trump is definitely color blind, as he can only see white, and as far as gender, it is men in all key roles. Maybe it has something to do with how Trump amassed large vote totals. White men carried Trump into the White House.

Now, he’s still defending an Anti-Weaponization Fund of $1.776 billion that would have had nearly all, if not all, of their proposed reparations payout going to “white men.” (It should be noted that 400 years of Black slavery to get zero dollars in reparations, while a few hours of questionable and many illegal acts — i.e., attacking police officers — could have shared nearly $2 billion in reparations. Oh well).

Let us review the record of Trump 2.0 on race and gender.

Women and Black Americans have never fared well in Trump’s political orbit. The number of Black Republicans in the House of Representatives will go from the best ever to the worst since when I was the lone Black Republican in Congress — thanks, at least in part, to Trump. Leading Republican women voices in Congress will also be gone in January, thanks at least partially to Trump.

The Washington Post reported that Trump's cabinet current administration also is around 80–90% White overall.

Recently the War Secretary found all qualified Black Americans and women eligible for a promotion to the rank of General “not fit” to receive the promotion. Yet, all the white men eligible for a promotion to the rank of General were promoted.

This is the War Secretary (Pete Hegseth) that denied Black Engineers the opportunity to interview and compete for jobs in the Defense Department and followed by doubling down on his attack to deny opportunities to Black Americans. He “strongly suggested” that corporations doing business with the Pentagon also should not even interview Black engineering prospects at the job fair.

My concerns is that Hegseth is making the military into a White Christian male army. That he takes his crusader's persona to heart... Christian White males warriors.

Any objective political scientists, academics, sociologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, statisticians, or “seventh graders” would be able to figure out that our president has serious issues with strong women leaders and Black Americans who are not former athletes.

Then we have the Secretary of Defense, Hegseth... George Public Broadcasting reported that,

 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth intervened to stop the promotions of several high-ranking service members including four Army officers, two Black men and two female soldiers, on track to become one-star generals, NPR has confirmed.

According to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, Hegseth made the highly unusual move of interfering in the regular promotion process, as first reported in the New York Times. A second U.S. official also not authorized to speak publicly confirmed that Hegseth has been weeding out senior officers who are deemed ideologically incompatible.

NPR has also learned that a Black colonel and a female colonel from another branch of the military were taken off the promotion list, according to a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly. This would bring the total to at least six promotions blocked by Hegseth.

They say that racism runs in families... Trump's father was arrested in Queens, New York in 1927 during a violent Memorial Day clash between the police and members of the Ku Klux Klan.

Hun?

So I have been getting 3 or 4 calls a day from something that the caller ID said "PCH" so after a week of getting "PCH" the only thing that I could thing of was "Publisher Clearing House... but I thought that they went under. So my curiosity got the better of me.

Well it turns out that they say it is an organization that collecting money for police that are victims of assault. But Guide Star didn't have any non-profit by PCH name.

When I searched on the internet, I got:

That opening line is a very common script used in fundraising pitches, especially ones tied to law-enforcement-themed charities—and also by a fair number of questionable or outright scam operations.

A pitch starting with something like “the growing number of assaults on police officers…” is designed to:

• create urgency
• trigger sympathy for officers
• reduce skepticism before asking for money

What it could be

In Connecticut and elsewhere, that wording is often used by groups claiming to support things like:

• local “police support funds”
• officer injury/benefit funds
• police union–adjacent charities (sometimes loosely connected to groups like the Fraternal Order of Police or similar associations)
• “fallen officer” or “public safety” foundations

Why it raises suspicion

That exact style of pitch is also heavily used by bogus telemarketers and door-to-door fundraisers, because:

• it sounds official without naming a specific organization
• it avoids verifiable details early in the conversation
• it leans on a real-world concern (attacks on officers) to build credibility

Quick way to judge what you were dealing with

If you remember anything else, these details matter a lot:

More likely legitimate if:

• they gave a specific organization name (not just “police fund”)
• they provided a mailing address in Connecticut
• they offered a website ending in a known org domain (.org tied to a real group)
• they didn’t pressure you for immediate payment

More likely a scam if:

• it was vague (“support our officers fund”)
• they pushed urgency or guilt
• they asked for gift cards, cash apps, or instant payment
• they refused to clearly identify the department or charity registration

Bottom line
That opening line alone doesn’t confirm legitimacy—it’s a standard emotional hook used by both real fundraisers and scams. In practice, most complaints about “police fund” solicitations come from unaffiliated telemarketing outfits using law-enforcement themes, not actual police departments.

So what out! It maybe a scam!

Cuckoo Award!

Today's Cuckoo Award is going out to the states with straight Pride!

Yeah... the majority gets to gloat over all the discrimination they heap on the minorites!

Several GOP-led states roll out ‘Nuclear Family Month’

Fernando Cervantes Jr.

USA TODAY

June 3, 2026

Several Republican-led states have moved to designate June “Nuclear Family Month” or similar observances, creating an overlapping contrast with Pride Month.

Tennessee was the first to adopt the label this year, followed by proclamations in Indiana and Alabama emphasizing households with a mother, father and children. Supporters frame the observance as recognition of traditional family structures, while opponents say the timing and language amount to political counterprogramming that excludes LGBTQ+ families.

“Homes led by stable parents, a father and a mother, provide children with the structure and discipline necessary to succeed,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, said in a statement. “In Alabama, we celebrate these hardworking parents that strive for an even better future for their children.”

Yup, like the guy with three wives and five children from them. And he was having an affair with while married to one of them.

Before I came out as trans, I never knew anyone LGBTQ+ and I believe that the lie that they hopped form one bed to another. The first couple that I met were together for 40 years!

Turning Discrimination Laws On Their Heads!

This is so bigoted, and vindictive. It is a perversions of the non-discrimination laws!

Justice Department opens civil rights probe after Giants’ Pride protest

By Scooby Axson

USA TODAY

June 19, 2026

An investigation into Major League Baseball by the United States Department of Justice into possible discrimination against four San Francisco Giants players has been opened after they wrote Bible verses on their hats during the team's Pride Night.

On June 12, three Giants pitchers, Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker and Ryan Walker, broke MLB protocol by altering their uniforms with Bible verses on their Pride Night caps, which featured a rainbow Giants logo. And another pitcher, Sam Hentges, did not even wear his Pride Night hat. The players received a warning from MLB for violating the uniform policy. 

The DOJ said it was referring Major League Baseball to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a letter written to Commissioner Rob Manfred.

So let me get this straight! They say it is their religious right to discriminate against others... just like they did with in the Jim Crows are. They believed that the Bible said it is okay to hate their neighbors but on 

"The three players expressed their opposition to MLB's pro-Pride orthodoxy," Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in the letter. "The Civil Rights Act prohibits MLB and its franchises from unreasonably burdening the rights of players with religious objections to serving as the League's vehicle for pro-Pride messages.

So they are hiding the bigoty behind their religion! "Oh it's against my religion to treat everyone equal!"

How many times have you been to a game when it was some "night or other" for Oracle Park some of the other notable ones include:

• Mexican Heritage Night – June 23
• Irish Heritage Night – June 24
• Italian Heritage Night – July 28
• Native American Heritage Night – August 28
• Filipino Heritage Night – September 8
• Fiesta Gigantes (Latino-themed celebration) – multiple dates during the season

So the real question is: Is the DOJ going after all the other "special nights" or are they just going after Pride night, if so isn't that discriminatory? Just about all sports teams have "special nights" even the Hartford Yard Goats have a Pride night!

This is nothing more then an attempt to intimidates sports teams into not holding Pride events.

I am reminded the lyrics from the song "One Tin Soldier (The Legend of Billy Jack)"

Go ahead and hate your neighbor

Go ahead and cheat a friend

Do it in the name of Heaven

You can justify it in the end

There won't be any trumpets blowin'

Come the Judgment Day

On the bloody morning after

One tin soldier rides away

It seems all these religious people forget this...

“He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Luke 10:27

It seems to me, all these super Christians have failed that command. 

The Department Of Dirty Tricks

Remember Nixon’s bag of dirty tricks? We Trump makes him look like amateur night!

Gerrymandering! Voter purges! Banning mail-in ballots! Voter IDs! They are all designed to rig the elections.

FEC filings confirm GOP meddling in Dem primaries

Two shadowy groups, Lead Left and Real Change, received all their funds from a super PAC that also supports Republicans.

Politico

By Jessica Piper

06/21/2026

A Republican-linked group was the sole funded of two pop-up super PACs that spent more than $4.3 million across a swath of Democratic congressional primaries to support candidates seen as less electable.

Democrats had speculated that the two groups, Real Change PAC and Lead Left, were Republican meddling as they spent heavily across Democratic primary races in Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Nebraska and Maine in recent months.

New filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission late Saturday night show both groups got all of their money so far from Conservative Americans PAC, a super PAC founded in 2023 that this cycle has also sent money to the Senate Leadership Fund — Senate Republicans’ super PAC arm — and a host of other Republican groups.

This is why I am against open primaries, they allow voters to vote for the weaker other party’s candidates!

The meddling super PACs, which have spent entirely in open Democratic primaries, have a mixed record so far. In Maine’s 2nd District, state auditor Matt Dunlap — who benefited from a bit over $500,000 in spending from Real Change PAC boosting him and attacking one of his primary rivals — was declared the winner in recent days and will be Democrats’ nominee in a light red seat they are hoping to keep in November.

The Republican’s have made rigging elections an art form!

I Don't Like This!

Big Brother is coming!

They just put speed cameras around town. In the past, I wrote about them, but this time I want to write about the data. Who gets to see it? How do they get to see the data—do they need a subpoena or just cash? How long do they keep it? And most importantly... how many errors does it make? In other words, what is its accuracy? Those are all questions that need answers. We are already seeing ICE and CBP agents getting unfettered access to data in states that supposedly require a subpoena.

But now they have taken it a step further..

Facial recognition tech is coming to a queer bar near you — if it’s not already there
Local media and a digital rights organization are sounding the alarm in San Francisco.
LGBT Nation
Greg Owen

June 19, 2026

A digital rights advocacy group is reupping its call to ban biometric facial recognition technology in bars and other venues serving the LGBTQ+ community after new reporting revealed widespread use of the technology in San Francisco’s Castro District.

This week, Gazetteer SF put a spotlight on the face-scanning technology that’s been hiding in plain sight in multiple Castro venues for over a year.

 

Hart Owen, a guest at Mix bar on 18th Street in the iconic gayborhood, said she was taken aback when she saw the tech stationed at the bar’s front entrance.   

She’d just handed her ID to the bouncer when she was directed to turn and face a small camera before being allowed into the bar.

I don't know if I would want to go to a place that does that.

Why are San Francisco gay bars scanning patrons’ faces?
Guests say the use of facial recognition technology at Castro bars undermines the sense of anonymity and safety that LGBTQ+ spaces have historically provided.

 The Advocate

Jacob Ogles

Jun 12, 2026

 

The use of facial-scanning technology at several San Francisco gay bars has angered many in the LGBTQ+ community. At locations often frequented by people who are not publicly out, the notion of tracking patrons' whereabouts in the very havens sought for privacy raises many alarms.

At least three gay bars in the Castro District have started using Patronscan Guard+, a technology intended to flag fake IDs, according to the San Francisco Gazetteer. But the experience of having a camera turned on every person entering the venues, often without warning, has left many outraged.

Yeah, I would be alarmed too! As a member of a highly persecuted minority, I can't help but wonder: what happens to the data?

Hart Owen told the outlet that she considers the surveillance technology a serious risk to privacy. “It’s really not great to have lists of gay people,” they said.

I can see the pros of it, like spotting a troublemaker. Suppose some "gay-bashers" are making the rounds harassing patrons. Yeah, I can see the benefit there, but only if I have answers to my questions. I would even like to see a sign posted stating their policies, if only to avoid things like this:

New York City’s main sports arena allegedly used facial recognition to stalk & ban a trans woman
She became an obsession for Madison Square Garden’s head of security.
LGBTQ Nation
Greg Owen 

April 22, 2026

 

 

 A transgender fan of the New York Knicks basketball team was tracked over a two-year period using sophisticated face recognition technology at Madison Square Garden (MSG), according to a lawsuit by a fired former security official who worked there. The woman was later banned from the venue.

The suit alleges that Nina Richards (not her real name) became a fixation for the head of security working for James Dolan, the owner of MSG, Radio City Music Hall, and the Sphere, among other venues that use the same surveillance technology. Dolan, scion of former cable TV titan Charles Dolan, also owns the Knicks and the New York Rangers hockey team.

See, this is where having answers to my questions is important:

The lawsuit’s allegation follows news in 2024 that Dolan added the faces of up to 1,500 lawyers involved in litigation against his companies to his facial recognition system at MSG, banning them from the property.

 

[...]

 

 Described by another security staffer as “a very large transgender woman, being a fan,” Eversole determined that Richards was a threat to players and the team’s image. He ordered her to be added MSG’s facial-recognition database and instructed staffers to perform an open source “work-up” on her, based on the images captured by their cameras and other intelligence gathered by security.

Eversole allegedly wanted to keep Richards “away from the players.”

Richards was targeted “because of her gender identity,” according to the suit filed by former MSG security staffer Donnie Ingrasselino.

We need rules with teeth, not just a slap on the wrist. Law enforcement should be required to obtain a search warrant that does not blindly allow database searches. Instead, they should need a specific warrant tied to a particular investigation, not a general warrant allowing them to sift through entire facial-recognition databases looking for matches.

Ownership of the data should rest with the towns, not with a private company that can sell access to the database.

This could lead us down the road to 1984.

So, what do you think?

 

online polls

It Is Always Someone Else’s Fault

Have you noticed that with Trump?

Trump tries to blame Reflecting Pool woes on vandalism, without offering substantiation

AP News

June 20, 2026

President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that federal authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.

Trump said his predecessors had let the pool turn an algae-stained green and that he’d line it with “American flag blue” so it better reflected the Washington Monument. But after the new pool was unveiled, its blue tinge quickly became a familiar green. Workers treated it with chemicals to kill the algae, but then the painted blue lining on the bottom began to peel.

Have you noticed that with Trump?

Trump tries to blame Reflecting Pool woes on vandalism, without offering substantiation

AP News

June 20, 2026

President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that federal authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.

Trump said his predecessors had let the pool turn an algae-stained green and that he’d line it with “American flag blue” so it better reflected the Washington Monument. But after the new pool was unveiled, its blue tinge quickly became a familiar green. Workers treated it with chemicals to kill the algae, but then the painted blue lining on the bottom began to peel.

Yup, yup, it was Biden's fault! That’s it. Yeah!

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” he posted on his social media site Friday night. “Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.”

[…]

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” he posted on his social media site Friday night. “Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.”

So who was arrested? The Washington Post reported:

David Hearn had just finished a loop around Hains Point on Friday as part of a 52-mile bike ride when he swung by the Lincoln Memorial to see the refurbished Reflecting Pool for himself.

Noticing a piece of the new “American flag blue” liner that was partially detached from the pool bottom, Hearn said he reached into the water to see what it felt like. Moments later, as the Bethesda man prepared to leave, U.S. Park Police officers arrested him on a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property. He is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court on July 9.

Yup! That’s it.

My theory: as they were vacuuming up the algae, they started pulling up the liner.

I can picture how the pool liner fiasco happened.

A Mar-a-Lago neighbor meets Trump while walking their dogs. In the small talk as they were walking, Trump says, “You know, I have this horrible, horrible algae-infected pool! I just don’t know what to do with it. I want to make it United States flag blue. You know, I think it will look great!”

The neighbor says, “I know a guy who paints pools!”

Smoke And Mirrors

The Trump administration was touting its cuts to Medicaid, saying it was going after fraud—despite the fact that the "fraud" consisted of billing issues, not actual fraud.

Trump administration shares new work requirements for Medicaid recipients

June 3, 2026

NPR Heard on Morning Edition

By Julie Rovner, A Martínez

The Trump administration this week released guidance for states on the work rules many Americans on Medicaid will need to abide by in order to be eligible for benefits on Jan. 1.

A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:

The Trump administration is telling states how to set up work requirements for adults who get their health insurance from Medicaid. That's the program for low-income and disabled people that is funded by the federal government and states. Now, under these new rules, Medicaid recipients will need to prove that they are working, going to school or volunteering at least 80 hours a month. Work requirements were in President Trump's big tax and spending law that he signed last July. That law had a lot of Republican support, and no Democrats in Congress voted for it. Julie Rovner hosts the "What The Health?" podcast. So, Julie, why are Medicaid work requirements such a popular policy for Republicans?

The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families (CCF) wrote that,

Only a handful of these Medicaid and CHIP provisions can be viewed as addressing fraud, waste and abuse but they account for only 2.5 percent of the gross Medicaid and CHIP cuts.3  States will face significant cost shifts under some of the major Medicaid and CHIP cuts, particularly those restricting state use of provider taxes, at the same time states will face other large cost shifts for SNAP benefits under the law.   

Similarly, the law’s provisions related to the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplace eligibility and enrollment policies do nothing to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.  CBO estimates that these provisions would cut gross federal Marketplace spending by an additional $213 billion over the next ten years.  This also does not account for interactions and revenue effects.4  Altogether, the gross Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace cuts total $1.2 trillion over ten years.  Even accounting for interactions, the net Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace cuts equal $1.1 trillion over ten years.

But there are side effects that these cuts will cause. People don't stop getting sick just because they can't afford care. It is not like a night at the movies where you can simply choose not to go. People keep getting sick! They go to hospitals, which are legally required to take all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

About 110,000 poor CT adults could lose Medicaid coverage

A new definition for ‘medical frailty’ published by the federal government on June 1 may mean fewer people qualify for exemptions to work requirements

CT Mirror

by Keith M. Phaneuf and Katy Golvala

June 17, 2026

With about 110,000 poor adults at risk of losing Medicaid coverage under new federal work rules this January, officials are scrambling to avert a swell in uninsured patients forced to seek care through hospital emergency departments.

And while maintaining preventative care for thousands remains a foremost concern, some officials fear this trend could strain hospitals’ finances — just months after state tax changes dedicated hundreds of millions extra each year to the industry.

“This is the most irresponsible piece of legislation in American history,” state Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Human Services Committee, said of the Medicaid rules changes enacted last July by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump.

The ramifications of that legislation on states, Lesser added, “are staggering and completely boneheaded.”

The bottom line: insurance costs will soar for the rest of us. How do you think the medical system will pay for the care of those who do not have health insurance?

Trump & Company hawk their cuts, waving the banner of "stopping fraud." But they didn't eliminate the cost of healthcare... they just shifted the bill from the government's pocket to ours.

How Childish!

Can you get more petty then this...

‘A Literal Coverup’: What Is the Kennedy Center Hiding Behind Those Tarps?

Gv Wire

By The New York Times

June 20, 2026

 In the early hours of June 13, in an action that turned out to be news around the world, workers hung massive tarps from scaffolding across the front of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and under court order removed President Donald Trump’s name from the marble facade.

Or did they?

True, the center’s operations chief, Matt Floca, filed a sworn declaration with a federal court later that day saying that Trump’s name had been removed. And true, a New York Times photographer captured evidence through an opening in the tarp that the letter “A” came off. Another photographer recorded evidence of the demise of a “D.”

But in a downer denouement for Trump’s critics, a week later the tarps are still there, prompting some to wonder whether at least some of the letters are, too. As of Friday evening, there was no visual evidence that the letters splashed across the building had been restored to “The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.”

So are they keeping the tarp up to hide the removal of Trump's name, or is there another reason?

The Best Government Money Can Buy!

Green water!

Green water that shouldn't be there!

The contract came from the National Park Service, but here's a funny thing... nobody knows who initiated the contract.

‘Residual algae’ coats part of newly opened Reflecting Pool

KESQ News Channel 3

June 10, 2026

The Trump administration has spent days heavily promoting the finished renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, crediting the president with making Washington, DC, look “better than ever.”

But a day after the reservoir was filled post renovations, there was already quite a bit of algae visible from the water’s edge.

CNN spotted a worker clearing the algae from the bottom of the recently filled pool while shooting a video on Wednesday. Asked for comment, an Interior Department spokesperson said the algae is “residual” and a normal part of the early process of restarting operations at the Reflecting Pool.

“What you are seeing is residual algae from the supply lines, which have been sitting dormant for eight weeks while construction has been taking place. It’s part of the normal startup process. We are removing the algae, and the nanobubblers will maintain the pool and keep it algae free,” communications director Kate Martin said in a statement.

No... what you are seeing is something thought up without any research into whether it would work or what would be needed to make it work. The Reflecting Pool holds 6.5 million gallons of water, or about 10 Olympic-size swimming pools' worth of water!

Did you see all the ducks floating on the Reflecting Pool? You know, ducks do in the water what bears do in the woods. Couple that with the fact that the pool is basically very large, very shallow, exposed to full summer sun, continuously receiving natural water (from the Potomac River's Tidal Basin), frequented by birds, and designed to have relatively calm water. Those are almost textbook conditions for algae growth.

“I originally thought I’d do it for $2 or $3 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Just do a base. But now we are fixing up the exterior of it so we will probably be in it for less than $20 million.”

According to a contract summary under the Obama administration, the cost for renovations to the Reflecting Pool at the time was $35.3 million.

So how did we end up with this half-baked idea? Simple... Trump wanted it.

I picture some guy at a million-dollar cocktail party walking up to a politician and saying, "Hey, I've got something to fix the Reflecting Pool!"

A little campaign donation later, an idea conceived over champagne wishes and caviar dreams became a reality—or a nightmare!

Then we have Trump's other idea... let's paint it flag blue! With no thought given to how that dark color would affect the pool.

This has been a cluster f**k from the beginning.

---

Then there are the questionable donations, the Daily Beast reported...

Trump’s Botched Vanity Project Fiasco Just Got Even More Embarrassing

The owner of one of the firms that received a no-bid contract for the work has a checkered past.

Janna Brancolini

Jun. 19 2026

President Donald Trump’s overhaul of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool continues to make headlines for the wrong reasons, as new revelations surface about one of the contractors involved.

Trump, 80, had bragged for months about repainting the massive pool on the National Mall his hand-selected shade of “American flag blue,” but less than 24 hours after the project was completed, the pool turned green with algae.

Soon after, the blue finish began flaking off and floating to the surface, despite the fact that the firm overseeing the renovation had been paid about $14 million—more than seven times Trump’s original estimate of $1.8 million.

Now, The New York Times has revealed that the firm tasked with installing the water-purification system to prevent algae bloom is owned by a long-time Trump supporter and two-time felon who pled guilty to bribing a congressman and violating campaign finance laws.

Federal contracting records show the National Park Service bypassed the government’s usual competitive-bidding process and awarded a $1.7 million no-bid contract to the Ohio-based firm Greenwater Services, the Times reported.

The company is owned by J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust led by John J. Cafaro, a Trump donor who owns a Palm Beach mansion near the president’s private Mar-a-Lago club.

Trump has described Cafaro as a “fantastic man,” the Times reported, despite his multiple run-ins with the law.

And now, people are starting to ask questions!

Trump’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool work comes under scrutiny: 4 things to know

The Hill

by Mallory Wilson 

06/19/26 

President Trump’s efforts to renovate the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have not gone smoothly, despite the president maintaining he has a lot of experience with pools.

Questions have swirled about the no-bid, multimillion dollar contract given to complete the pool renovations, one of several Trump beautification projects in Washington, D.C., ahead of the U.S.’s 250th anniversary.

[...]

No bid contract

Trump first announced his plans to renovate the Reflecting Pool in April, saying he would fix leaks and change the color of the bottom to “American flag blue.”

[...]

Cost for work has ballooned

The cost of the contract for work on the reflecting pool has ballooned up to $14.7 million, federal records showed this week.

The contract given to Atlantic Industrial, which was tasked with resealing, waterproofing and repainting the pool, has gone up more than $1.5 million in just the past month.

[...]

It’s not easy being green 

Green algae was quick to make its comeback after the renovations were finished, turning the pool’s color from blue to green.

[...]

Peeling paint

Trump specially picked the color for the bottom of the reflecting pool, but the material used appears to have survived less than two weeks at the bottom of the pool before photos showed it peeling away and floating to the top.

Ah yes, Trump has many interesting friends! What do they say about birds of a feather flock together? It looks like felons do the same.

---

Updated: 6/23 @ 8AM

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: The Men in My Little Girl's Life (1965)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

BANNER

 

 Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. Chosen for Father's Day.

1) In this song, a father shares the story of his daughter's life through first the boys, then the men, she brought home. The first is Rod, a little kid who wants to play in the backyard. Who were your playmates when you were young? Did you find it more fun to have them over to your home, or to go to theirs?

They don't call up "Baby Boomers" for nothing. We all hung around together until we got the keys to Daddy's car.

We terrorized each other's home equally... from one basement to another on a rainy summer day.  

2) Then his daughter asked if Lee could carry her books on the walk to/from school. During your junior high years, how did you travel to school (bus, bicycle, car pool, shoe leather)?

By bike

We lived at the end of a dead-end street, this get out you had to peddle up a 150Ft hill. Then it was all downhill from there, a mile and half. But that meant it was a mile and half pumping up hill back the the house. End is a breath taking coast down the hill and in to the driveway.

3) Throughout this song, the father recalls that his daughter alternately called him "Daddy," "Dad," "Popsie," "Pop" and "Father." How did/do you address your father?

Dad.

4) The song ends with the daughter asking her father to babysit. When did you last look after someone else's child?

Um… um… you should asked “Have you ever…”

5) This record was a Top 10 hit in the US and it made the Top 20 in Canada. Much of its success was attributed to Mike Douglas' TV popularity. From 1965 to 1981, he hosted a daytime talk show. Do you watch much daytime TV?

Sad to say but over the winter I watched a lot of TV… western reruns.

6) Mike Douglas was a father himself. He had three daughters, including twins. Are there twins in your family?

Nope.

 

Now about Father's Day ... 

 

7) Retail chains like O'Reilly Auto Parts, Auto Zone and Jiffy Lube are all promoting gift cards and car-related gifts for Father's Day. If you got a gift card from one of those stores, how would you upgrade your ride?

Detailed the inside of the car.

 

8) Dick's Sporting Goods also enjoys a spike in gift card sales around Father's Day. Have you more recently given or received a gift card?

Once again… Um…  I never received a gift card. I given some but never received one.

9) In days gone by, ties were the #1 Father's Day gift. But as today's workplace has become more casual, fragrance has taken over the top spot. Dove Men+Care offers gift sets with shampoo/conditioner, body wash and antiperspirant. Think about your shower routine. Are your shampoo, body wash and antiperspirant all the same brand or the same scent?

Well first off, you only need shampoo if you have hair. Scented body wash. 

---

Today I am down in central New Jersey today and my niece's for the last of the current crop grand-nieces of college graduates. Down and back in one day... dinner at a restaurant at 1, and back to my niece's house. I plan on leaving around 5 or 6, it should be around 3 hour drive back. 

Do You Know The Symbolism?

Of Trump signing the MOU at the Palace of Versailles?

The treaty oft Versailles in 1919 ended World War I, and piled a deep burden on Germany that resulted in WW II.

Too bad, they did arrange the room like it was in 1919.

You Knew This Was Going To Happen

[Political Analysis]

Is the U.S. backing out of the Iran agreement?

The optics of the Iran war have shifted, leaving Trump with what appears to be a defeat. He has always needed to be seen as the “top dog,” but now he is being viewed as a loser.

The reflection pool has turned green.

The anti-weaponization slush fund was blocked.

Immigration policy was overturned.

The Kennedy Center rebranding failed.

Things have not been going well for Trump.

Now people are calling the MOU a surrender document. Even more damaging for the author of “The Art of the Deal” is the growing sentiment that President Obama’s treaty was better than Trump’s. Trump invested significant political capital in presenting this agreement as a major achievement and an improvement over previous Iran diplomacy, but that narrative is now unraveling.

Criticism is coming from multiple directions: some argue the agreement gave Iran too much, while others say the military campaign failed to achieve its stated objectives. Now he is hearing that he lost the war, and his ego cannot accept that. Even many Republicans in Congress see it as a bitter pill to swallow.

I believe Trump will pivot to domestic issues, targeting groups like the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and other minorities. When he is backed into a corner, he tends to go on the offensive against those with less power to push back.

Expect more posts about “unemployment fraud” on his X platform. You may see crackdowns on blue cities over alleged fraud that is more likely due to administrative or billing errors rather than actual wrongdoing.

You may also see a wave of anti-trans legislation—anything to distract from the situation in the Middle East.

Trump has blurred the lines between politics, personal branding, media presence, and business interests more than any recent president, and this is increasingly becoming a liability for him.

 

---

 

Updated: 9:45AM 

 

 

[/Political Analysis]

He Is Politicizing Everything

The Trump administration is now “weaponizing” unemployment insurance, cutting it off to blue states that don’t kowtow to him.

Trump administration warns governors to crack down on unemployment insurance

By Nick Viviani

FOX 5

June 17, 2026

The U.S. government wants states to do more to combat fraud, waste, and abuse in their unemployment insurance programs and is threatening to withhold federal dollars until they do.

Big picture view:

Letters from the Labor Department were sent to the governors of every state warning that, if they do not crack down on their unemployment programs, administrative funds would be withheld. The move is the latest action by President Donald Trump’s administration to combat fraud and waste in state programs. 

What they're saying:

"We are officially putting governors on notice," Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling said in a statement Wednesday. "The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars — no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences."

The backstory:

The Labor Department blamed poor oversight, outdated technology, weak identity verification, and lax control for "allow[ing] unprecedented fraud to flourish." Its statement cited examples from California, Illinois, and New York to show how hundreds of millions of dollars have been reportedly lost to fraud, improper payments, and mismanagement.

Funny how they all Blue states named.

Back in April,

Vance to focus fraud efforts on Democratic states, Trump says

By Reuters

April 3, 2026

President Donald Trump on Friday ​said Vice President JD Vance will ‌focus on investigating fraud in Democratic-run states in his new role as "fraud czar."

"His focus will be 'EVERYWHERE,' ​but primarily in those Blue States," ​Trump said in a post on Truth ⁠Social, singling out California, Illinois, Minnesota, Maine ​and New York.

First it was ICE going after blue states, now it is unemployment insurance being framed as fraud in blue states. But as usual, they offer no data to back up their accusations.

Trump’s Department of Labor claims without data that states defrauded government

Acting secretary Keith Sonderling threatens to withhold administrative funds from states for first time in history

The Guardian

Michael Sainato

Wed 17 Jun 2026

Keith Sonderling sent letters to 53 states and US territories demanding action to “combat waste, fraud, and abuse” within the unemployment insurance program, threatening to withhold administrative funds from states for the first time in history.

“We are officially putting governors on notice,” said the acting US secretary of labor. “The American people will no longer tolerate the blatant waste, fraud, and abuse of their hard-earned tax dollars – no state should allow it either. If states allow it, they will suffer the consequences. This department is no longer afraid to use every lever available to ensure taxpayer money is protected.”

The agency did not provide data on fraud or alleged fraud in unemployment systems, but highlighted three Democrat-led states – California, New York and Illinois – and made claims about each.

The article also noted that much of the so-called “fraud” is actually billing and payment error.

The Department of Labor also claimed that New York loses an estimated $2m a day in unemployment insurance fraud and improper payments, but did not differentiate between the two. They also cited that Illinois had improper payments of $320m, at a rate of 14%.

Improper payments are not fraud, rather are most often cited as due to antiquated technology, with an estimated improper payment rate of 14.9% across the US.

This is the Trump administration’s typical MO: make broad, attention-grabbing accusations that dominate headlines, but are not supported by clear data.

Friendly news outlets like Fox News plaster it all over their headlines: “Massive Fraud Crackdown.” What they don’t mention is that much of it is billing error and that states are actively pursuing actual fraud cases. But they don’t mention that.

I also want to point out that states are going after fraud:

• Audits uncover issues with timely delivery of N.C. unemployment benefits, $47 million in fraudulent payments
• California’s troubled unemployment agency squandered $4.6M on cellphones, devices that went unused for years
• Colorado: State audit finds $5M in UI overcharges to employers

It is not as though the states are doing nothing. Much of the data the federal government is using comes from the states themselves. This is nothing more than grandstanding.

And you know darn well that if the feds do this the courts will overturn it like they did with the ICE and CBP fake claims. The courts blocked him in cutting funding to Sanctuary Cities. When he cut funding to states' Welfare & Social Services programs. When he tried to cut Public Health & Research. So if he goes through with these threats I foresee the court blocking him again.

Judge Shopping?

This is really off the deep end—they are grasping at straws. They are going after a medical association! Now get this... for fraud!

FTC sues transgender care group, arguing it deceived parents and patients

The World Professional Association for Transgender Health has a leading role in determining how gender-affirming care is provided.

Politico

By Simon J. Levien

06/17/2026

The Federal Trade Commission is suing the leading transgender health care group in federal court. The agency argued on Wednesday that the World Professional Association for Transgender Health made “deceptive claims” in its health care guidelines for transgender children. The group’s members include psychiatrists, surgeons, pediatricians, endocrinologists and primary care doctors who work with transgender patients.

The FTC, like the Health Department, has been on a monthslong legal tear to clamp down on providers and hospitals that offer gender-affirming care. Gender-affirming care refers to medical interventions for minors experiencing distress that their bodies do not align with their gender identity.

This is total bonkers!

“Medical organizations must follow the science, disclose conflicts and put patients first,” said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a news release praising the FTC’s action.

The agency alleged that WPATH’s trans care recommendations violate the FTC Act by misleading parents and patients about the necessity and efficacy of these treatments. The FTC filed its complaint in the federal court in Fort Worth, Texas, alongside several red states, which joined the suit: Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas.

Ah... now I see. RFK Jr. has his two cents in this politically motivated attack on WPATH. And this appears to be a spinoff from a British investigation.

 The Trump administration has pointed to a British government review that found the evidence supporting gender-affirming care’s efficacy is weak, and produced its own study arguing the same. The administration supported Tennessee’s defense of its law barring gender-affirming care for minors in a Supreme Court case last year that Tennessee won 6-3.

So why Texas and not Washington, D.C. to file the case? Because the FTC had recently received an unfavorable ruling from Judge Boasberg in D.C. in related litigation involving WPATH. Meanwhile, down in Texas, they had a very good chance of getting a judge that Trump appointed... and they got Judge Mark Pittman! Who is he?

• In 2022, Pittman struck down the Biden administration's student-loan forgiveness program,
• In April 2023, Pittman issued the first major ruling in the case seeking to suspend the FDA's approval of mifepristone,

And of course the Republican states are jumping on board...  The Advocate writes;

The Federal Trade Commission, joined by the attorneys general of Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, and Texas, filed the lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health in federal court in Texas. The complaint alleges that WPATH made deceptive or unsubstantiated claims about the safety, effectiveness, medical necessity, and evidence base for puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgeries for young people.

It doesn't look good for us!

I'm not a legal expert, but I believe that this case is mainly to show the MAGA base that they are tough on us. The grounds they are basing their case on have been called novel and aggressive. What are its chances of succeeding? I give it a 50/50 chance to win in the Supreme Court. They seem to be essentially trying to reclassify medical consensus and clinical guidelines as "commercial marketing." It is an aggressive stretch of consumer protection law designed to bypass the traditional medical boards and go straight for the financial and legal jugular.

My Worry

Trump is in a slow meltdown… everything he touches is falling apart!

👉 The Kennedy Center went down in flames in court.

👉 His pièce de résistance—the ballroom—has costs skyrocketing… $300 million! $500 million! Now the estimate is over $600 million.

👉 His arch is being challenged in court.

👉 The Reflecting Pool, once blue, is now green!

👉The big one… the Iran situation. He caved and surrendered!

Everywhere you look in the news, the top article is about the MOU. Many news outlets are pointing to the fact that President Obama’s treaty was better than Trump’s MOU.

I am concerned that he might take drastic action to counter a perception of weakness. He is a loose cannon and might do anything.

As a trans woman, I am worried that he will take it out on us.

Good Luck

The EEOC doesn't believe in discrimination!

Intersex teacher in Florida says school fired him based on belief he was trans

Shepard Scalf said in an EEOC filing that a parent complained to the district that he was transgender.

The Advocate

Mathew Rodriguez

Jun 16, 2026

Shepard Scalf, a Florida teacher who is intersex, is alleging in a new Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filing that his school district fired him because they perceived him as transgender. Scalf was assigned female at birth but identifies as male, per the Monday filing.

In the filing, Scarf claims that, at the same time he was fired, he was told that his performance as a Language Arts teacher at Patriot Oaks Academy in the St. Johns County School District was “exemplary,” and that there was no “merits-based justification” for his termination. Scalf taught sixth grade and had been newly hired for the 2025-2026 school year.

“At the same time, the district knew both that I have a male gender identity (they gave me a placard saying ‘Mr. Scalf’) and that I was assigned female at birth (based on my employment paperwork),” Scarf wrote. “I therefore believe this termination was based on the perception that I am transgender.”

Hey! The Republicans don't care about the little details like he is intersex, all they see is he is not like them. He is different... therefore unacceptable to them.

Per the filing, the letter from Asplen claimed that, due to Scalf being a first-year teacher, his employment was “probationary” and could be dismissed without cause. The letter said he would be placed on temporary leave following a board meeting. Scalf says he was given the choice to accept the probationary release or voluntarily resign. Scalf resigned after being told by the union rep that a resignation would be better for his future career prospects than a termination, according to the EEOC filing.

[...]

After his resignation, Scalf says he received evidence that his termination was due to a parent complaining that he was transgender, per the filing.

It will be a hard uphill battle with Florida and Trump's EEOC

“Heya Joe… who wonna da Second World War, you so smart?”

Those words are from Firesign Theatre's “How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You’re Not Anywhere at All” and to paraphrase them... “Heya Don… who wonna da Second Iranian War, you so smart?”

How does "The art of the deal" Trump do in this compared to Obama?

So … let me get this straight:

• The official numbers say the war cost around $25–30 billion but estimates put it as high as $100 billion.
• It is estimated that ~1,400–1,700 Iranian civilians were killed including ~120 schoolchildren killed in the one missile attack on the school.
• At least 13 U.S. service members killed and ~380 wounded
• And what it has done to our allies in the region is beyond calculations.

What Trump did not get...

❌ No regime change (Iran’s government remains intact)

❌ No confirmed dismantling of Iran’s missile program

❌ No full shutdown of Iran’s proxy networks

❌ No permanent or fully verified nuclear rollback

❌ No decisive military defeat of Iran

What Iran got...

✅ Sanctions relief on oil exports

✅ Return to global oil markets

✅ Partial access to frozen assets

✅ Easing of shipping and maritime restrictions 

✅ Potential reconstruction and investment prospects of $300 billion dollars in loans

Bottom line: Trump surrendered!  

Really Bad News!

I mean some really bad news: the Trump administration has stopped enforcing discrimination cases against trans people in the workplace!

Judge tosses lawsuit challenging civil rights agency’s pullback on transgender workplace protections

AP News

By  CLAIRE SAVAGE

June 15, 2026

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit alleging that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is unlawfully refusing to enforce workplace protections for transgender workers.

Chief Maryland District Judge George L. Russell III dismissed the case on Friday, saying the court lacks jurisdiction over the complaint, and plaintiff FreeState Justice, a Maryland LGBTQ+ advocacy group, lacks standing to pursue it.

“While deeply troubling, the Court agrees with Defendants that the EEOC’s decision to alter its investigations of gender identity discrimination claims constitutes a discretionary decision over which the Court lacks authority to review,” said Russell, a nominee of President Barack Obama, in a memorandum opinion filed Friday.

[...]

On behalf of FreeState Justice, legal advocacy groups Democracy Forward and the National Women’s Law Center sued the EEOC in July 2025, alleging the agency’s “Trans Exclusion Policy” violates Supreme Court precedent, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fifth Amendment’s Equal Protection guarantee, and the Administrative Procedure Act.

Not being a legal expert, I would have to say that what the judge said about jurisdiction is correct. However, it seems to me that the court did not address the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause issues directly. What I see is that they did not reach the discrimination question—whether a protected class (transgender people, as sex-based discrimination under Title VII) is being singled out for unequal treatment.

What the judge did was focus on whether an agency can determine its own enforcement policies. The court concluded that it can, but it did not reach the question of whether those policies, if they systematically exclude a protected class, would themselves be unlawful.

However, if the EEOC is systematically refusing to process or pursue transgender-related discrimination cases as a category, then that goes beyond ordinary enforcement discretion and begins to look like a discriminatory policy applied to a protected class.

So it is off to the appeals court we go. This may eventually reach the Supreme Court, where the key question will likely be whether courts can review only an agency’s policy itself, without considering whether that policy results in unequal enforcement of anti-discrimination protections.