AP: “South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg pleaded no contest Thursday to a pair of misdemeanor traffic charges over a crash last year that killed a pedestrian, avoiding jail time despite bitter complaints from the victim’s family that he was being too lightly punished for actions they called ‘inexcusable.’ Circuit Judge John Brown had little leeway to order jail time. Instead, he fined the state’s highest law enforcement official $500 for each of the two counts and ordered him to pay court costs of $3,742. Brown also ordered the Republican attorney general to ‘do a significant public service event’ in each of the next five years near the date of Joseph Boever’s death – granting a request from the Boever family. But he put that on hold after Ravnsborg’s attorney objected that it was not allowed by statute.”

In 1934, the federal government began requiring duck hunters to register themselves annually with the US Fish and Wildlife Service in accordance with the Migratory Bird Conservation Act, issuing them a “duck stamp” to place on a backing card that is to be carried with them at all times while hunting. Like with postage stamps, a collector’s market soon emerged for duck stamps, with many special alternate versions of varying secondary value put into circulation over the decades. Starting 1949, the USFWS began an annual contest for selecting the next year’s duck stamp design, which to us seems like an extremely prestigious accolade for waterfowl sketchers.

Because Trump ruins everything, on May 8th, 2020 USFWS proclaimed “We are instituting changes to design elements and judging requirements beginning with the 2020 Contest. Beginning in 2020, the Contest will include a permanent theme of ‘celebrating our waterfowl hunting heritage,’ and it will be mandatory that each entry include an appropriate waterfowl hunting scene and/or accessory” meaning the art had to depict a duck getting shot or maybe the stump where the head used to be after it was blown off with a shotgun whatever. A cursory search of images of duck stamps dating back to 1934 yields a single winning entry from 1959 that might have qualified under this criteria, as it shows a dead duck hanging from the mouth of a Black Labrador Retriever.

While the contest page on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s website hasn’t been updated yet, on Thursday the Associated Press reported the Biden administration “said this week that artists competing to have their work featured on the stamp will ‘have more freedom of expression’ without a mandate to include a gun, dog or some other hunting component” which is great news for those who don’t want imagery depicting acts of violence against wild animals on their license to commit acts of violence against wild animals. Quack back better.

Axel Springer, a German media conglomerate, will buy US politico site Politico and its subsidiary operations for one billion dollars in a deal announced Thursday morning, CNN reports.

Politico and Axel Springer were jointly operating a European political site, so the integration of Politico’s operations was a natural progression.  Politico currently employs about 500 journalists in its American and European operations, as well as its new Protocol website.

Politico’s current owner, Robert Allbritton, said he decided to sell because “it became steadily more clear that the responsibility to grow the business on a global scale, to better serve the audience and create more opportunities for our employees, might be better advanced by a larger company with a significant global footprint and ambitions than it could be by me as owner of a family business.”

A top Taliban spokesman said in an interview with NBC News that there is “no proof” that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people, the Washington Post reports.

“When Osama bin Laden became an issue for the Americans, he was in Afghanistan. Although there was no proof he was involved” in 9/11, Mujahid told NBC News in an interview broadcast Wednesday. “Now, we have given promises that Afghan soil won’t be used against anyone.”

Bin Laden repeatedly claimed responsibility in various videos and audio recordings released after the attacks.  The terrorists who conducted the attack were trained at al Qaeda training sites in Afghanistan, and the funding for the operation has been traced to bin Laden and al Qaeda.

At least 13 people, including children, were killed after two explosions rocked areas around the Kabul airport as thousands of people gather to get a chance at evacuating the nation as the United States withdrawal deadline approaches, CBS News reports.

At least three Americans were injured in the blasts, which are believed to have been conducted by ISIS cells operating in the region.  American and British authorities have warned their remaining citizens in the country to avoid the airport perimeter because of rising risk of attacks.

In the past ten days, US authorities have evacuated more than 100,000 people–including Americans and at-risk Afghans.

“A group of seven Capitol Police officers filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing former President Donald J. Trump and nearly 20 members of far-right extremist groups and political organizations of a plot to disrupt the peaceful transition of power during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6. The suit, which implicated members of the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers militia and Trump associates like Roger J. Stone Jr., was arguably the most expansive civil effort to date seeking to hold Mr. Trump and his allies legally accountable for the storming of the Capitol” the New York Times reports.

“While three other similar lawsuits were filed in recent months, the suit on Thursday was the first to allege that Mr. Trump worked in concert with both far-right extremists and political organizers promoting his baseless lies that the presidential election was marred by fraud. ‘This is probably the most comprehensive account of Jan. 6 in terms of civil cases,’ said Edward Caspar, a lawyer who is leading the suit for the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. ‘It spans from the former president to militants around him to his campaign supporters.'”

Arizona Attorney General’s Office: “Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced that his office (AGO) determined the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (MCBOS) is in violation of state law for failing to comply with the Arizona Senate’s legislative subpoena related to the 2020 election audit. If MCBOS does not change course, the AGO will notify the Arizona Treasurer to withhold Maricopa County’s state-shared funds as required under the law. ‘We are notifying the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that it must fully comply with the Senate’s subpoena as required by the law,’ said Attorney General Mark Brnovich. ‘Our courts have spoken. The rule of law must be followed.'”

“Today’s decision stems from a ‘SB 1487’ complaint filed by Senator Sonny Borrelli under A.R.S. § 41-194.01, which authorizes any legislator to request the Attorney General investigate a county or city alleged to be in violation of state law. On July 26, 2021, Arizona Senate President Karen Fann and Senator Warren Petersen (Senators) issued a subpoena to MCBOS related to the Senate’s audit of the 2020 election. The Senators requested six categories of items for production by August 2, 2021, including routers and network logs. MCBOS objected to the requested information, and to date, has not provided all of the subpoenaed materials. Moreover, in its response to the AGO, MCBOS failed to explain why it is not required to comply with the legislative subpoena. Its only response was that the Arizona Senate is not currently in session, so MCBOS could not be held in contempt. If MCBOS fails to resolve the violation within 30 days, the AGO, in accordance with state law, will notify the Arizona Treasurer to withhold state revenue from Maricopa County until MCBOS complies. More information on ‘SB 1487’ investigations can be found here.”

On November 11th, 2020 Brnovich told Fox Business “It does appear Joe Biden will win Arizona,” and there “no facts that would lead anyone to believe that the election results will change” but we guess that must’ve changed now that he wants to run for Senate against Mark Kelly in 2022 and needs to avoid incurring the Orange God Emperor’s wrath.

Image of tweet later deleted by Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky, which means it didn’t happen, so shut up libs. And and and what about Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib?

“Near Climax, Minnesota, a small crack in the ground has grown, causing a quarter-mile long stretch of bean field to fall 25 feet. Few have ever seen anything like it. It is still hard for Wayne Erickson to make sense of what happened on his farm. Simply put, a section of his black bean field fell two stories. ‘When I drove out here, it looked like the Grand Canyon. We didn’t have all that slumping going on, it was just straight down. Straight up and down,’ Erickson said. Wayne and Erllene Erickson are the fourth generation on the family farm, and they’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Nobody is sure what caused the huge slide. ‘(It’s) kind of scary. It is sad, sad to see it,’ said Erllene Erickson as she surveyed the fallen field. ‘Mother Nature does what she wants.’ Geologists with the University of North Dakota say the dry weather, a drop in water levels on the Red River and recent rains can form a perfect storm for things like this to occur. It really is a geological wonder. The fallen land is pushing on the river bank, sending more dirt into the Red River” – Fargo Inforum.

That bloodshed is on Joe Biden’s hands.

— Lavern Spicer 🇺🇸 (@lavern_spicer) August 26, 2021

“Sen. Ron Johnson has made multiple podcast and radio appearances this week in which he pushes Ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 while fear mongering about vaccinations. And he’s continued to do so, even after clear warnings that his message is dangerous. Johnson, who has regularly argued for the use of unproven drugs such as Hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin as treatments for COVID-19, appeared on the shows of Wisconsin right wing radio host Vicki McKenna and Washington Times opinion editor Cheryl Chumley to criticize the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s decision to fully authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine and advocate for people to take Ivermectin to treat the disease” the Wisconsin Examiner reports.

“Ivermectin is commonly used to deworm livestock, and although it is approved for use in humans to treat parasitic infection, has not been shown to be effective at preventing COVID-19 infection or treating patients with the disease. This week, following a prominent push by figures such as Johnson on right wing media outlets such as Fox News, the FDA was forced to put out a warning against the use of Ivermectin. ‘You are not a horse. You are not a cow,’ the agency responsible for approving the use of drugs in the country wrote on Twitter after people were hospitalized for taking the drug. Johnson, rather than taking the FDA’s warning as a sign that experts don’t believe Ivermectin is an effective treatment for COVID, told Chumley he was being persecuted by the FDA.”

“A brother of Republican US Rep. Devin Nunes said he has ‘no idea’ who is funding a lawsuit he filed against political journalist Ryan Lizza, according to a deposition excerpt included in a poorly redacted court filing. The comment from Anthony Nunes III, the congressman’s brother, was included in a legal brief filed in federal court Monday by lawyers representing Lizza and Hearst Magazines. Hearst published an Esquire magazine article by Lizza in 2018 suggesting the Nunes family dairy farm in Iowa employed undocumented immigrants, even as the congressman advocated for restrictive immigration policies. Insider was able to read redacted testimony from the filing by simply copying and pasting the redactions. ‘When asked ‘[W]ho is funding the lawyers for this lawsuit?’, Anthony Nunes III answered ‘I have no idea,’ according to a redacted segment.”

“In other failed redactions, lawyers for Hearst and Lizza wrote that members of the Nunes family paid just $500 to their attorneys for the lawsuit. ‘Plaintiffs’ apparent lack of investment in prosecuting their own lawsuit was buttressed by their deposition testimony admitting they have not incurred out-of-pocket payments to counsel, with the exception paying $500 to former local counsel Joe Feller,’ the partially redacted section says. The lawsuit was filed in January 2020 by the family farm, called NuStar Farms LLC, as well as two members of the Nunes family who manage the farm: Anthony Nunes Jr., the congressman’s father, and Anthony Nunes III. Rep. Nunes himself is not a party to the case. The plaintiffs accused Lizza and Hearst of defamation” – Insider.

Instead of engaging in a debate about the proper role of government and how it isn't conservative to tell people how to do business, @MattWalshBlog
stooped to horrible misogyny.

Eyes up here, Matt. pic.twitter.com/n5xO0uVsaf

— Governor Kristi Noem (@GovKristiNoem) August 25, 2021

Said Daily Wire guy Matt Walsh: “Kristi Noem is a very attractive woman. So she has got that going for her. As far as I could tell, that’s the only reason why she was ever looked at as some sort of 2024 potential frontrunner. The hype and everything she has gotten from conservative media is entirely based on the fact she is an extremely attractive woman, which she is. But you put 50 pounds on her and another 20 years, I don’t think she gets any of the hype” and Noem goes crazy.

Jeez, settle down honey. What are you getting so emotional for? Man pays you a compliment and you start lacing up your Doc Martens to stomp on his nuts for being a human with a pulse. You were asking for it by being so damn cute. Bet your husband doesn’t appreciate your lovely figure the way Matt does. There ain’t nothing wrong with sayin’ that, so are you good now sweetie?

New York Times: “More people in Florida are catching the coronavirus, being hospitalized and dying of Covid-19 now than at any previous point in the pandemic, underscoring the perils of limiting public health measures as the Delta variant rips through the state. This week, 227 virus deaths were being reported each day in Florida, on average, as of Tuesday, a record for the state and by far the most in the United States right now. The average for new known cases reached 23,314 a day on the weekend, 30 percent higher than the state’s previous peak in January, according to a New York Times database. Across the country, new deaths have climbed to more than 1,000 a day, on average. And hospitalizations in Florida have almost tripled in the past month, according to federal data, stretching many hospitals to the breaking point.”

“The surge prompted the mayor of Orlando to ask residents to conserve water to limit the strain on the city’s supply of liquid oxygen, which is needed both to purify drinking water and to treat Covid-19 patients. Even as cases continue to surge, with more than 17,200 people hospitalized with the virus across Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has held firm on banning vaccine and mask mandates. Several school districts have gone ahead with mask mandates anyway.”

“House Republicans hope to ride Joe Biden’s messy Afghanistan withdrawal to victory in the midterms. It won’t be that easy. With the GOP already in a strong position to retake the House next year, the president’s first major foreign-policy crisis could give the party an additional boost as it tries to chip away at his popularity. But several factors threaten to undermine Republican efforts to make Biden’s blunder stick – the most powerful being the nearly 15 months between now and the next election. Absent an all-consuming global conflagration, voters tend to cast their ballots based on domestic rather than foreign priorities, most notably economic issues” Politico reports.

“While the longevity of the Afghanistan turmoil remains to be seen, particularly given the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Republicans believe that the bipartisan criticism of the president’s withdrawal planning will turn the current chaos there into a legacy-defining failure for Biden. ‘This is not going away,’ said Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee. ‘This has been a disaster… The imagery of what’s going on right now is gonna stick with the public.’ Beyond the calendar, Republicans have other messaging bumps to overcome as they try to keep Biden’s Afghanistan problems top of mind. Those include the small but vocal minority of Republicans who have stoked fears about thousands of Afghan allies being resettled across the U.S., undermining the party’s attempts at a more welcoming message. Then there’s the handful of GOP Donald Trump critics who, as they hit the Biden administration, are also pinning some blame back on the former president, who negotiated a similar withdrawal timeline with the Taliban.”

“D.C. police are on high alert ahead of a planned September rally in support of imprisoned Jan. 6 riot suspects, but those close to the ringleader of the original rally want nothing to do with it. Playing on popular pro-Trump talking points, the rally scheduled for Sept. 18 calls for the release of alleged Capitol rioters currently held in a Washington, D.C., jail, whom it characterizes as ‘political prisoners.’ The event has police planning a ‘full activation,’ with all officers ready to respond.”

“But despite its popularity with Proud Boys, and its origin with a former Trump campaign official, in the upper ranks of Trumpworld the event isn’t even on the radar. Of the eight individuals – close associates of the ex-president, as well as former Trump White House officials and 2020 campaign brass – most of them hadn’t even heard of the Sept. 18 rally until The Daily Beast contacted them this week. Almost all of them said they wanted nothing to do with it. ‘I hadn’t heard [about it],’ said a former senior aide on the Trump re-election campaign. ‘I think Jan. 6 defendants are being massively abused, for sure. But doubt I’d partake in any event'” – Daily Beast.

Louisville Courier-Journal: “After more than six hours of deliberation, a jury Wednesday found Patrick Baker – the man pardoned by then-Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin – guilty of murdering a drug dealer during a robbery seven years ago. U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom set sentencing for Dec. 21. Baker faces a sentence of any term of years up to life in prison. The verdict vindicates the federal government’s decision to essentially retry Baker for the crime Bevin excised, which is permitted under U.S. Justice Department rules to correct an injustice or corrupt result.”

“Neither Bevin nor the pardon was mentioned during Baker’s 10-day trial – Boom barred either from being mentioned to the jury – but the verdict repudiates Bevin’s claim the evidence was ‘sketchy’ against Baker in the slaying of Mills, 29, during a robbery at Mills’ home in the Knox County community of Stinking Creek. In what experts say was the first federal trial of a defendant pardoned by a governor, federal prosecutors convinced the jury that Baker murdered Mills during a conspiracy to rob him of oxycodone pills and cash. In 2017, Baker was convicted in state court of reckless homicide and other crimes in the May 2014 slaying, but Bevin pardoned him after he served only two years of a 19-year sentence. A federal agent disclosed during a hearing in June that the government is conducting a separate investigation of whether Bevin issued the pardon – one of 670 acts of clemency he granted at the end of his term – in exchange for $21,500 Baker’s brother and sister-in-law raised at a fundraiser the year before to retire Bevin’s campaign debt. Bevin has denied that but declined to respond to a question about whether he is cooperating with the government probe.”

“The Leftist ‘select committee’ has further exposed itself as a partisan sham and waste of taxpayer dollars with a request that’s timed to distract Americans from historic and global catastrophes brought on by the failures of Joe Biden and the Democrats. Unfortunately, this partisan exercise is being performed at the expense of long-standing legal principles of privilege. Executive privilege will be defended, not just on behalf of my Administration and the Patriots who worked beside me, but on behalf of the Office of the President of the United States and the future of our Nation. These Democrats only have one tired trick – political theater – and their latest request only reinforces that pathetic reality” – Ghostwriter for Former Guy’s statement.

NBC press release: “NBC News’s Lester Holt will sit down in an exclusive interview with the U.S. Capitol Police officer responsible for shooting and killing protestor Ashli Babbitt while defending the U.S. House Chamber during the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The interview will air Thursday, August 26 during NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT.”

“Speaking out and revealing his identity publicly for the first time, the officer will share his perspective on the events of that day, including the aftermath of the deadly insurrection and the threats he has received. He will also discuss the recent news that Capitol Police will not discipline him following an internal review, exonerating him for use of force, as first reported by NBC News”

Good question. https://t.co/loih3yknLN

— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) August 25, 2021