Fox and Friends morning host Brian Kilmeade, sitting as a guest panelist on Fox’s “Outnumbered” show Thursday afternoon, is technically correct: Robo President Trump debuted at Walt Disney World’s Hall of Presidents on December 17, 2017, per the New York Times, while Robo-President Biden made his first appearance on Tuesday, making it a full four months and 14 days head start since inauguration the 46th president’s robot had speaking canned lines to tourists on the 45th president’s robot did four years ago. Kilmeade’s hunch about the respective timings is correct.

Kilmeade is incorrect though on his implication that such petty bullshit actually matters, because no one besides the perpetually angered and slighted Fox News audience (this one guy included, probably) gives a fuck about which presidential robot had more time “in office” at an overpriced amusement park. If Brian wants something worth bitching about at Disney World then he should take a look at the rates for their new planned Star Wars interactive hotel opening next spring.

Washington Post: “Texas Republicans will redouble their efforts to pass new voting restrictions by convening a second special House session this weekend, hardening a stalemate with Democratic legislators whose exodus to Washington had left the bill in limbo while they push for federal voting rights legislation. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced Thursday that the new legislative session will begin Saturday, a move that will force Democrats to decide whether to stay out of Texas for another 30 days or return and face the threat of arrest for breaking quorum.”

“Abbott named election policy as one of several items on the agenda. Democrats have now prevented passage of new voting restrictions twice by depriving the House of the minimum number of members whose presence is necessary to do business, first during the House’s regular session in May and again in the first special session that began last month and ends on Friday.”

“Republicans from Georgia to Washington, DC, are searching for a viable candidate to mount a Senate bid in the Peach State next year, fearing that former President Donald Trump’s choice, football great Herschel Walker, would implode if he ran and could cost the GOP a winnable seat. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has suggested to allies that former Georgia senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler should take another look at running again, according to three sources familiar with the matter, after their narrow losses in January flipped the Senate to Democratic control. McConnell, who has privately expressed his deep concerns with Walker’s potential candidacy, met this summer with Loeffler and Perdue” – CNN.

Politico: “Richard Trumka, president of the powerful AFL-CIO labor organization, has died unexpectedly, two sources told Politico. Trumka, 72, had served as president of the federation, which represents more than 12.5 million workers, for more than a decade and has been a close ally of the Biden White House. Trumka died of what was believed to be a heart attack, a source familiar with the matter said. It was unclear when exactly it occurred though believed to have taken place either Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.”

Obama is NOT happy about the new Birthday party "plans"—-so lame ! pic.twitter.com/XBG7TqiErQ

— Greg Kelly (@gregkellyusa) August 5, 2021

On Thursday Politico updated their Wednesday story about Former Deputy Associate AG Patrick Hovakimian’s draft resignation email prepped amid Trump’s coup attempt at the department: “In early January 2021, one top Justice Department official was so concerned that then-President Donald Trump might fire his acting attorney general that he drafted an email announcing he and a second top official would resign in response. The official, Patrick Hovakimian, prepared the email announcing his own resignation and that of the department’s second-in-command, Richard Donoghue, as Trump considered axing acting attorney general Jeff Rosen. At the time, Hovakimian was an associate deputy attorney general and a senior adviser to Rosen…”

“In a Thursday morning statement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi lauded Maloney’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to interfere with the Justice Department, calling the oversight push ‘historic’ and adding that it would ‘contribute greatly to the work’ the select committee was doing to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), confirmed in a Thursday morning interview that Donoghue and Rosen were also set to sit for closed-door interviews with his panel. ‘They are on the list of people we’re going to interview,’ he said. Attorneys for Donoghue and Rosen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.”

https://youtu.be/KJ2tzhZ4bqA

Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz took to CNBC Thursday morning to promote an analogy between people refusing to get the coronavirus vaccine and smokers, claiming that there should be no mandates on people getting the inoculation.

“For adults, you’re entitled to make decisions,” Cruz asserts.  “Ya know what, smokers, when they light up a cigarette, they’re increasing their chances that they’re going to get lung cancer.  That may not be a wise decision to do, but in America, we give people the freedom to make decisions about their own health, even if we don’t approve of the decisions they make.”

Time Magazine published an excellent profile of DC Metro Police Mike Fanone and his struggles with injuries both physical and mental, his own inner doubts over his newfound “liberal-darling status”, against Republicans in Congress, and even fellow cops in the aftermath of the Capitol riot.

Here are a few key paragraphs:

“A South Florida hospital chain is suspending elective surgeries and putting beds in conference rooms, an auditorium and even a cafeteria as many more patients seek treatment for COVID-19. ‘We are seeing a surge like we’ve not seen before in terms of the patients coming,’ Memorial Healthcare System’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marc Napp said Wednesday during a news conference in Hollywood. Napp said they’ve opened up an additional 250 beds at Memorial’s six hospitals in Broward County. Unlike during last year’s spring and summer COVID surges when many sick people tried to avoid hospitals for fear of catching the virus, patients suffering from other ailments are also seeking treatment now, Napp explained. On Wednesday, there were more than 1,600 inpatients admitted for overnight stays across the system’s facilities. Typically, the health system doesn’t have more than about 1,400 inpatients under its care at a time” the AP reports.

“Across Florida, more than 12,000 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, and nearly 2,500 of them were in ICU beds. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases in Florida during a three-day span, raising the seven-day average to one of the highest counts since the pandemic began. In total, the state has seen more than 2.6 million cases and 39,179 deaths. Gov. Ron DeSantis has rejected calls to enforce CDC recommendations that nearly everyone wear masks indoors until vaccination rates increase significantly. The Republican leader says deciding whether to mask up or get the shots must remain an individual choice. ‘Florida is a free state, and we will empower our people. We will not allow Joe Biden and his bureaucratic flunkies to come in and commandeer the rights and freedoms of Floridians,’ DeSantis, who has been exploring the possibility of running for president in 2024, said in a fundraising email Wednesday night.”

Los Angeles Times: “President Biden is expected to unveil plans Thursday to strengthen car pollution standards through 2026, putting the United States on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – though not as quickly as many environmentalists say is needed. The proposed standards, written by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department, would replace significantly weaker Trump-era rules that essentially undid the nation’s biggest climate change initiative. In their place, the Biden administration will offer a compromise that it hopes progressives can live with and automakers can follow. The president is also expected to sign an executive order encouraging automakers to produce more zero-emissions vehicles and setting a new goal of having half of all new cars and trucks be emissions-free by 2030.”

“The United States is launching a new visa restriction authority as part of our effort to help the people of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador improve their political, economic, and security conditions. Too often, such improvements run up against the obstacles of corruption and impunity. Poor governance undermines the talents and resources of Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Salvadorans, undercutting their ability to build a future and motivating some to instead abandon their homes and embark on the dangerous path of irregular migration to the U.S. border.”

“Our intent is to support citizens, organizations, and public servants in the region who are committed to generating hope and opportunity among people in Central America by strengthening democratic institutions, the rule of law, and transparency. To advance this fight against corruption, today I am announcing a new visa restriction policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act on the issuance of visas to current or former Guatemalan, Honduran, or Salvadoran government officials and other individuals believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy or the rule of law. This may include acts of corruption or obstruction of democratic processes or institutions, such as subverting the integrity and independence of the judicial sector and anti-corruption prosecutors. Individuals designated under this policy, including their family members, may be denied a visa. With these restrictions, we are sending a clear message that those undermining democracy or the rule of law in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador are not welcome in the United States” – Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine: “The right’s entrancement with Orban has emerged fitfully over the last decade. One could find defenses of the Hungarian regime in places like the New York Post, the Federalist, the Heritage Foundation, and National Review. Yet, until recently, open support for Orban’s Hungary was an idiosyncratic minority position on the American right. Orban’s regime has forged links with the conservative movement, including a lobbying campaign in Washington and a right-wing think tank in Budapest, where Carlson will deliver a speech Saturday. At this point, American conservatives who denounce Orban’s kleptocracy are now the minority.”

“What makes this alliance especially chilling is that Hungary is the model of democratic backsliding that has loomed largest in their imaginations of internationalist thinkers. Orban’s corruption of a former democracy occurred step by step. He gerrymandered the electoral map to give his supporters an overwhelming advantage, stacked the judiciary with supporters, leveraged state power to force large businesses to support his party, and installed supporters in charge of the country’s largest media organs. (Think about Trump’s efforts to bully Jeff Bezos into putting a leash on the Washington Post by denying Amazon a lucrative Pentagon contract, and you have a picture of the methods Orban has used, with more success.) The broad lesson of Trump’s presidency is that clumsy, violent efforts to seize power – such as the January 6 insurrection – will meet with intra-party resistance, but subtler power grabs will not. Republicans decided to shrug at abuses like Trump using American diplomacy as a lever to coerce Ukraine to smear his opponent, refusing to accept the election outcome, or using the presidency to line his own pockets. They have enthusiastically joined in state laws to restrict voting and hand power over elections to party hacks. What they seem to want is a leader who shares Trump’s contempt for democracy, but possesses a subtler touch. That is the vision Orban offers.”

“As prosecutors in Manhattan continue their investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances, attorneys in Scotland are citing its progress to advocate for opening a parallel investigation into how the former US president’s company financed golf courses in the country. At a virtual court hearing in Scotland Thursday, the attorney Kay Springham asked a judge to allow the government to issue an ‘unexplained wealth order’ (UWO), also known as a ‘McMafia order,’ The Scotsman reported. The order would force the Trump Organization to open up its books and explain how it financed the acquisition of its two Scottish resorts. In trying to persuade the judge, Springham pointed to the criminal proceedings in New York, where the Manhattan DA’s Office has filed tax-fraud charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg.”

“Weisselberg played roles in operating the company’s two golf courses in Scotland. Insider first reported several days after the New York indictments were filed that Weisselberg was terminated from his role as director of Trump International Golf Club Scotland, the holding company that owns Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf resort, the Trump International Golf Links. Springham said the charges against Weisselberg illustrated why the Scottish government should be concerned about whether the Trump Organization concealed the sources of its wealth. She suggested a UWO may extend to Weisselberg, as well as to former President Donald Trump” – Insider.

Law and Crime: “A federal magistrate judge in Florida ordered far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer and her company Illoominate Media to pay a Muslim civil rights advocacy group nearly $125,000 in attorney’s fees and costs stemming from a lawsuit claiming the group colluded with Twitter to have her banned from the social media platform. After she was permanently suspended from Twitter in 2018 due to years of anti-Muslim posts, Loomer sued the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), claiming the group violated her First Amendment rights by conspiring with the platform to silence her views. Loomer also alleged the group’s conduct constituted tortious interference with business relationships due to a ‘reasonable expectation of economic gain in the form of revenue that they would obtain from Ms. Loomer’s use of Twitter.'”

I so admire this man. He and his fellow police officer held the line and defended democracy. Michael Fanone you are a hero. #HereRightMatters pic.twitter.com/KdgJf7eoSb

— Alexander S. Vindman ❎ (@AVindman) August 4, 2021

CNN: “The next couple of months could be a wild ride for many if NOAA’s Atlantic hurricane mid-season update proves true. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has doubled down on its initial seasonal forecast issued in May by announcing Wednesday that the season will continue to be above-average. Forecaster’s confidence has increased and the probability of an above-normal season has risen from 60% to 65%, leaving only a 10% probability of a below-normal season and a 25% probability of a normal season. The latest projections call for 15-21 named storms (winds of 39 mph or greater), while the initial seasonal outlook forecast was 13-20. This includes the five named storms so far this season.”

“NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center also predicts seven to 10 hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), while the initial forecast called for six to 10. Of those predicted hurricanes, three to five are forecast to be major (Category 3, 4, or 5 with winds 111 mph or greater), which remains unchanged from their previous outlook. ‘There is a 15% chance that the season could end with higher or lower averages than what they are forecasting,’ says Matthew Rosencrans, lead seasonal hurricane forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center. The tropics are already starting to wake up after a recent lull. Currently, there are two disturbances the National Hurricane Center is monitoring.”

https://youtu.be/pH_UA1wtsRk

“Oh, sorry.  Whoops.”

British police have arrested eleven people who allegedly made threats or racially abused three Black players for England’s national team who failed to score during a penalty kick shootout in the Euro Cup 2020 held in July.

According to the Associated Press, the three players have received more than 200 threats or attempts at racial intimidation since the July 11th game at Wembley.  The UK Football Policing Unit said Wednesday that it tracked 123 accounts to people outside the UK, and 36 to people inside the nation.  Eleven of those 36 have been arrested so far.

“There are people out there who believe they can hide behind a social media profile and get away with posting such abhorrent comments,“ Chief Constable Mark Roberts told Britain’s Press Association. “They need to think again — we have investigators proactively seeking out abusive comments in connection to the match and, if they meet a criminal threshold, those posting them will be arrested.”

Driver: “Do you have a mask? Have to wear a mask.”

Me: “Hang on, need to put on my seat belt.”

Driver: “No don’t have to put on a seat belt. Only a mask.”

We have reached utter absurdity.

— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) August 5, 2021