Greetings! Shameful. Right-wing media outlets that I’ve surveyed this morning have been remarkably silent about the IRS’s get-out-of-jail-free card to Trump and his $1.8 billion slush fund to aid his buddies. Only Bari Weiss’s The Free Press called his schemes a “scandal”...The progressive Meidas Touch Network’s editor Ron Filipkowski posted a list on X of the Trump sycophants who may be eligible to receive payments from the “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”   The rogues gallery includes Steve Bannon, Peter Navarro, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis. ...Nasty. Newsbusters has a list of what the pub’s Alex Christy considers the worst moments from “Late Night with Stephen Colbert.”...Dept. of Sticks &  Stones: PJ Media calls Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, “the AOC of jurisprudence”...Who’s interested in red-white-and-blue-themed merch to celebrate the nation’s 250^th birthday? The Federalist has a comprehensive guide to select knick knacks and apparel to commemorate the nation's semiquincentennial in style.  Among items The Federalist spotlights: America-themed moccasins, a patriotic wreath sash, a series of America-themed postage stamps designed by Ralph Lauren, and – my favorite – an America 250 t-shirt from the Nixon foundation....Agree! The American Conservative describes Trump’s war with Iran as “disastrous”... Last night I attended the Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications Mirror Awards event honoring the best articles about the media.  Notably, the winner for best commentary was Pamela Alma Weymouth who wrote in The Nation about her grandmother Katharine Graham’s successful stand against a corrupt president and his administration. She was the legendary owner of The Washington Post. The title says it all: My Grandmother Stood Up to Nixon – Jeff Bezos Should Take Note...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard

Greetings! The ultra-right Victory Girls gave a big thumbs up to the Rededicate 250 prayer event in Washington over the weekend.  The  gathering, tied to the nation’s 250 anniversary, was held on the National Mall and featured an unsettling mix of Christian nationalism and MAGA politics. Among those who addressed the throng: Donald Trump (via video), J.D. Vance, Sec. of State Marco Rubio, and SecDef Pete “Hairgel” Hegseth. “Celebrating and worshiping how we choose isn’t icky White Christian Nationalism,” opines Victory Girls contributor Nina Bookout. “It is our First Amendment in action.” The headline of the iconic progressive publication Mother Jones captured why so many U.S. citizens see the event as a threat to democracy: Trump Begins Framing America’s 250^th Anniversary as a Christian Celebration...Dept. of No Surprises:  A NewsBusters study of “Saturday Night Live’s” just concluded season found that 91%  of “Weekend Update jokes targeted the right. The study found that 81% of characters lampooned in the show’s cold opens were Trump 2.0 looney luminaries.  Those most mocked included, The Donald, Kristi Noem, and RFK Jr... Agree! Jesse Wegman’s NY Times op-ed argues that “three decades on the Supreme Court is too long.” (Looking at you Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito)...Another reason to lose sleep: Admiral Brian Christine, Trump administration cast member in charge of hantavirus response, is a penile implant specialist.  Christian, whose title is Assistant Secretary of Health for the DHS, once hosted a YouTube show called “Erection Connection,” reports People.com.  Trump undoubtedly likes him because of his colorful track record of pro-conspiracy remarks, that probably help boost the president's drooping popularity.  I’ll leave it to ChatGBT or Jimmy Kimmel to come up with sophomoric penile implant jokes...If you keep reading, I’ll keep Righting. Howard