Partly due to the popularity of an offshoot of his Party, Tucker Carlson’s second favorite European strongman Viktor Orban saw his ruling Fidesz Party take less than 50% of the votes for Hungary’s seats in the European Parliament for the first time in twenty years, Politico reports.

The Tisza Party, led by former Fidesz member and Orban insider Péter Magyar, took more than 30% of the vote, with Fidesz able to secure only 44%.  Tisza is a relatively new Party in Hungary, having formed in 2021 with a small group of support, but after Magyar took of the group’s cause of forming a grassroots, third-party movement to challenge the Fidesz-dominated two-party system in this year’s elections, membership skyrocketed.

In reality, Tisza was a necessary sponsor for Magyar to get on the ballot, and it gave him a signal boost going into the election.  The support for Tisza’s political message, however, appears to be solid and widespread across Hungary thanks to the boost Magyar gave it, and that’s not something Orban can tolerate.

Ten days after being found guilty of 34 felony counts, convicted criminal Donald Trump will meet with his New York probation officer via teleconference for a mandatory pre-sentencing hearing, NBC News reports, the first step the felon will have to do before his July 11th sentencing hearing.

Trump will be on a secured video feed, not through a commercial carrier like Google or Zoom, likely to prevent people from tapping into his phone system as they watch the former president answer questions from his probation officer, reportedly a female officer.  During the interview, the officer will make a general assessment of the convict’s mental health as well as any physical or addiction issues that could impact sentencing.

She will also get information about Trump’s social media use, past criminal activity and current legal situation.  In addition, she will collect a list of Trump’s friends and associates, including those with their own criminal and legal problems; a condition of Trump’s sentence or probation will be that he cannot associate with known criminals, which would include his co-defendants in other cases.

“Crooked Joe Biden Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, just confused Ukraine with Iraq. He actually doesn’t know the difference, probably gets money from both, a Manchurian Candidate! He also said, in another Democrat Disinformation ‘hit job’ like Russia, Russia, Russia, the ’51 Intel Agents,’ or the Fake FISA Reports, that I called dead American Soldiers, ‘losers and suckers.’ Who would ever say such a thing? Only a sicko with an axe to grind would suggest that anyone would make such a statement. They even made these horrific words into an advertisement, which shows how desperate they are. No President, especially ‘dumb as a rock’ Joe Biden, has done more for our Military than DONALD J TRUMP. The Military hates Crooked Joe, and all of the failure he represents. Take down the Fake Ad, Joe, and stop the unprecedented Weaponization of ‘Justice’ against your Political Opponent. You are destroying our Country!” posted convicted felon former President Trump, plainly upset at Joe Biden for having the audacity to exploit Trump’s own weaknesses against him in a campaign ad.

New footage by documentary film maker Alexandria Pelosi during the January 6th Republican-led domestic terrorist attack shows three Congressional leaders–Democratic then-Speaker of the House Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell–trying frantically to get National Guard troops to respond to the violence at the Capitol, Politico reports.

The footage was turned over to the House Republican weaponization committee on a vendetta against House members and staffers who dared investigate Republicans and Donald Trump for their criminal activity.  Unfortunately for Republicans, the footage seems to contradict Trump’s claims that he tried to station the National Guard to the Capitol, but that Pelosi stopped him.

“You’re going to ask me–in the middle of the thing when they’ve already breached the inaugural stuff , ‘Should we call … the National Guard?’” Pelosi asked in astonishment while they rode in an SUV evacuating them to Fort McNair, the old Washington Arsenal. “Why weren’t the National Guard there to begin with?”  Later, Schumer is shown talking on the phone with then-Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, asking if he denied a request for the National Guard.  McConnell is seen talking to state governors asking them to deploy their Guards.  Republican House Minority Leader at the time, Kevin McCarthy, was not assisting.

Far-right Parties and unaffiliated members made significant gains in the weekend’s European Parliament elections, rattling leadership in Germany and France and prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to call for immediate French Parliamentary elections, Reuters reports.

While center, center-left and left-wing representatives will still dominate the European Parliament, the increased portion of anti-EU rightwingers could act as obstructionist as Jim Jordan and the far-right Republicans in the House behave.  That could hold up trade discussions, climate change efforts, and defense needs.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a member of the Social Democrats, was hit with gains from mainstream conservatives as well as far-right nationalist groups.  Macron’s Party losses in the election prompted him to call for a snap election, with the first round to happen at the end of June, to help him consolidate and reaffirm his power, but it comes with a risk of shedding seats if his campaign proves unsuccessful.

After being convicted on 34 felony counts of financial fraud in New York, Donald Trump may have hoped a city where he has his name on a property not yet threatened with seizure would be a respite, but when he exits Harry Reid International Airport, he’ll see himself glowing from the electronic billboards lining Las Vegas Boulevard thanks to a new ad campaign from the Democratic National Committee.

Albuquerque, New Mexico police arrested an 11-year-old boy for a months-long crime wave that culminated in two drive-by shootings and a slew of felony charges, NBC News reports. The unnamed juvenile was reported part of a group called the “Kia Boys” who started throwing rocks at homes to terrorize occupants but evolved into shooting and car theft.

The 11-year-old was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, shooting at or from a motor vehicle, shooting into an occupied dwelling, aggravated battery, unlawful possession of a weapon by a minor, nonresidential burglary, criminal damage to property over $1,000, and conspiracy to commit a fourth-degree felony.

The company selling alcoholic shitbrain Rudy Giuliani’s lame new “Rudy Coffee” brand is, just like the loser former New York City mayor himself, bankrupt, the Daily Beast reports citing records showing that Florida-based Burke Brands entered Chapter 11 back in December 2022.

• Print the bumper stickers now:  “Trump/Probation Officer 2024.”
• Byron Donalds claims the Jim Crow era led to a solid African-American nuclear family unit, saying in that time, divorce and single parenthood were much lower in the Black population than they are now.  That’s true.  It’s also true that those figures were down in every demographic in the US not because the “Jim Crow Era” passed, but because women were progressively changing laws allowing them to thrive independently of marriage.  The end of the Jim Crow era brought the rise of Civil Rights, yes, but it happened alongside a push for women’s rights; coincidental vs. causal.  And independent-minded women don’t want to be stuck having to marry a man like Byron Donalds, who pines for fewer rights for himself and “his woman.”
• I did not have Mexico electing a Jewish head of state before the US on my bingo card.
• Senate Republicans’ inability to support protections for birth control just gave Democrats another ad that could swing the chamber in November.  It’s like the GOP cannot learn that obstructing reproductive care is not as popular as they think it is. 
  Read More ▶ “Random thoughts Friday, Volume CLXXVI”

Even through Judge Juan Merchan’s notice about a self-declared shitposter’s was simply advisory, Trump fluffer Sean Hannity is determined to make the already debunked Facebook post claiming inside knowledge about Trump’s jury deliberations into the weekend conspiracy snausage in Trumpworld.  As the shitposter himself announced, it was a prank–a fucking stupid prank.

At an Arizona store dedicated to the MAGA’s felonious founder Donald Trump, third-tier politician but top-level suck up Kari Lake gave a campaign speech while a Confederate flag hung in the background, the Guardian reports.  Seen in a video obtained by the Guardian, Lake is seen touting her GOP campaign for the Arizona Senate seat and praising Trump while the Confederate battle flag hangs behind her–in the store dedicated to the self-declared “America First” candidate.

A man is in custody after he punched Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as she was standing in Copenhagen’s Kultorvet, the public square of the city, CNN reports.  A member of the Social Democrats, Frederiksen was reportedly not participating in a public event when she was assaulted by the man, who was quickly subdued.  The man’s motivation is unclear, but the European Parliamentary elections are scheduled this weekend.

There was no official word on Frederiksen’s condition, but she is not believed to be seriously injured, though the country expressed shock.  “Something like this must not happen in our beautiful, safe and free country,” he said on X. “This is ugly and unacceptable. Let’s show that Denmark is much better,” said Danish Minister of Environment Magnus Heunicke on social media, calling for unity, not violence.

A week after sexual assault misprisioner (Ohio St., Trump and Gaetz) Jim Jordan performatively demanded testimony about Donald Trump’s successful criminal prosecution before his policy-substitute weaponization campaign serial, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called Jordan’s feeble bluff and said, yah, sure, but after Trump’s sentence is handed down.

Per the New York Times, Bragg would commit to testify, but his office has not yet decided if it would allow another member who is the subject of Jordan’s conspiracy theories, former federal prosecutor Michael Colangelo, to sit.

“This office is committed to voluntary cooperation,” the district attorney’s general counsel, wrote to Jordan on Friday saying that it would be inappropriate to testify before Trump’s July 11th sentencing. “That cooperation includes making the district attorney available to provide testimony on behalf of the office at an agreed-upon date.”

Walton County on Florida’s panhandle closed all beaches after two people were attacked by sharks in separate incidents on Friday at two beaches two miles apart, NBC News reports.  Neither of the incidents involved people swimming off boats, but it’s unclear how far the victims in both attacks were from shore.

In the first incident, a woman was attacked while swimming off shore around 1:15 p.m., prompting officials to issue a double-red flag warning of the risk to swimmers.  Shortly thereafter, at Inlet Beach around five miles to the southeast, witnesses said a teenage swimmer was attacked.  Both victims were airlifted to trauma centers outside the area for treatment, and they were in critical but stable condition when transported.

Corrupt court manipulator Leonard Leo, the head of the Federalist Society, has transferred more than $6 million in donations to a non-profit he runs to his pockets through one of his consulting companies, Politico reports.  The Leo-run Concord Fund–formerly known as the Judicial Crisis Network–in Virginia took in donations and then hired Leo’s CRC Advisors for “consulting” services to the tune of six million dollars from July 2022 to June 2023.

While there’s nothing inherently illegal about the non-profit paying a for-profit consultant, when you’re dealing with two organizations that are controlled by the same individual, illegal self-dealing is likely if there was actually no independent work done.  The set up would allow donors to fund Leo’s commercial operations through donations to his non-profits.

A random comment made to the New York Court’s Facebook page predicting Donald Trump’s conviction a day before the verdict was handed down prompted Judge Juan Merchan to alert both sides’ counsel.  In a letter, Merchan said the comment–“My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted 🎉 Thank you folks for all your hard work !!!! ❤️.”– was posted by someone identifying themselves as “Michael Anderson.”  There’s no information if the account that posted the comment is authentic or if it’s just some random MAGAt trying to screw with the inevitable conclusion after hearing the boatload of evidence.

UPDATE (8:15 p.m. ET):  A self-proclaimed “professional shitposter” took, um, “credit” for the post on Facebook.  Hopefully, officials will investigate him for his effort to tamper with the jury.

Combine the dry heat of Arizona and scorching 110º F temperatures by midday with a bunch of rally-following MAGAts from Idaho and Missouri who think sunscreen is a Democrat plot to make everyone gay and what do you end up with?  Eleven people requiring hospitalization due to heat stroke and other dehydration issues after standing in the blazing Arizona sun for hours before the start of Donald Trump’s rally on Thursday, Arizona local news stations report.

Thousands waited outside the Dream City Church, an evangelical megachurch in north Phoenix that can hold 4,000, to hear Donald Trump speak from the church’s stage about how he was a victim of a government witchhunt after his conviction on illegally providing hush money to a porn actress with whom he had an affair on his mistress while his third wife was taking care of his newborn son.  Because while they don’t love the sin, they love the white nationalist views of the sinner and even he won’t seek God’s forgiveness, they’ll bestow it for Him.  And like the Butterballs they are, many of them roasted for fear of losing their place in line to get their seats.

Former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Trump campaign aide Mike Roman pleaded not guilty during their arraignments, via video, before a Maricopa County judge, the Washington Post reports.  The pair are part of an alleged 18-member conspiracy during the 2020 election to submit slates of false electors; they each face nine criminal counts related to conspiracy, forgery and fraud. Although his lawyer Rudy Giuliani was charged in Arizona, Donald Trump himself was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the plot to submit fake electors.

Eight members of the Republican House Caucus wasted taxpayer money to travel to Normandy during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion to cosplay as soldiers and parachute out of a vintage transport plane, WSAU reports.  Seen above (r to farther r) Mike Waltz (FL), dickwad Derrick Van Orden (WI); legislator who thinks “God alone” can stop gun violence Keith Self (TX); car thief Darrell Issa (CA); the new guy just tagging along for the lucre Rich McCormick (GA); disgraced and demoted drunken drug pusher Ronny Jackson (TX); and creationist who jumped into His hands Mark Green (TN).  All are veterans of the US military, some in good standing.

The closest the Supreme Court has to a villainous John Grisham character, Justice Clarence Thomas finally chose to officially disclose the lavish gifts from his billionaire benefactor Harlan Crow, CBS News reports, an acknowledgment that happened so far after the barn door closed, a new subdivision stands where the farm once was.

In the May 15th filing, Thomas amended the 2019 gift disclosure to include two trips he took with Crow and his wife–presumably Ginny Thomas attended as well–to Bali and to Monte Rio, California.  Thomas claims the entries were “inadvertently omitted at the time of filing,”

As reported here Thursday night, an independent watchdog group found Thomas had received more than $4 million in gifts during the last two decades while on the Supreme Court, and appeared to have reported less than 10% of them.