Republican Alabama football coach Tommy Tuberville’s ongoing block of promotions for all flag officers in the US military has left the US Marines without a Commandant for the first time in a century, CNN reports, creating a potential leadership vacuum that could impact national security.

General David Berger retired from his position Monday, and with Tuberville using his position as a Senator to block all confirmations at the committee level, his successor cannot be approved.  Currently, more than 200 senior military positions are vacant because Tuberville wants to protest the military facilitating service members or their dependents obtaining an abortion.  The government doesn’t pay for the abortion, but like all medical procedures unavailable on a base, the military compensates families who must travel to obtain a legal medical service.

“I told y’all all along if I thought this was a risk, I wouldn’t be doing this,” the first-term Senator said. “This is not a risk. We got people that can get the job done, and not just get it done, can do it the right way, and do it the best way for the American people.”

Ron DeSantis is trying his best to turn Florida into a conservative Utopia by destroying it in his run to secure the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, he’s exceeded the conditions he and other conservatives complain about regarding California.  Along with a higher murder rate, Florida is now leading the nation in inflation thanks in no small part to DeSantis’s policies.

Per CNN, the inflation rate in Florida stands at around double the national rate, and it’s worse in some metropolitan areas.  The current US inflation rate stands at 4% year-over-year; in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach market, inflation currently stands at 9%.  The kicker:  taking out normally volatile fuel and food prices, the core inflation rate in South Florida skyrockets to 10.5%.  For comparison, inflation in pricey San Francisco stands at 5.8%.

The secret cabal in the Republican Party–unlike other Congressional groups, it does not release a membership list–the splintered Freedom Caucus led by cowardly Pennsylvania Congressman Scott Perry sent Speaker pro tem Kevin McCarthy a list of terrorist demands it requires to pass further appropriations legislation, Sahil Kapur of NBC News reports.

Signed by 20 suspected members of the Freedom Caucus–it does not include Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s endorsement although her “little bitch” Lauren Boebert (LB²) listed–the letter demands a $1.6 trillion discretionary spending cap, with “baseline appropriations” capped at $1.4 trillion; McCarthy dis-endorsing appropriating additional Ukraine spending or passing an omnibus appropriations bill; and holding the 12 bills currently before the appropriations committee until they each get the approval of the terrorists.

Here’s House Oversight dipshit James Comer on Newsmax just three days ago, hyping up the “explosive” allegations brought against Hunter Biden by Israeli-American consultant Dr Gal Luft:

Gal Luft, a very credible witness on Biden family corruption, provided incriminating evidence to six officials from the FBI and the DOJ in a meeting in Brussels in March 2019.

We have no reason to believe the FBI & DOJ acted on this info.

Americans deserve answers. @NEWSMAX pic.twitter.com/FpbKvn13zC

— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) July 7, 2023

And here’s the Justice Department in a Monday press release: “Gal Luft, a Dual US-Israeli Citizen, Allegedly Evaded FARA Registration While Working to Advance the Interests of China in the United States and Sought to Broker the Illicit Sales of Chinese-Manufactured Weapons and Iranian Oil to China. Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Matthew G Olsen, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security, and Christie M. Curtis, the Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (‘FBI’), announced today the unsealing of an eight-count Indictment charging GAL LUFT with offenses related to willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (‘FARA’), arms trafficking, Iranian sanctions violations, and making false statements to federal agents. LUFT, a dual US-Israeli citizen, was arrested on February 17, 2023, in the Republic of Cyprus based on the charges in the Indictment. LUFT subsequently fled after being released on bail while extradition proceedings were pending and remains a fugitive.”

A new report coming soon from Jim Jordan’s “Weaponization” committee accuses the FBI and the Ukrainian SBU of passing flawed intel along to Meta on Russian disinformation efforts during the ongoing war, resulting in a number of legitimately American accounts – including a Russian language one run by the US State Department – getting squashed for propaganda, CNN reports.

“Some of the accounts that the FBI passed on to Meta for review, according to the report, were actually criticizing Russia and its war on Ukraine,” CNN writes in their preview of the draft report which sure makes it sound like a good faith effort. Now of course it’s a problem if the FBI and SBU fucked up and ended up getting Meta to kill off the wrong accounts. That sucks for the users, especially the anti-war ones. But is it that big of a problem? More to the point, is Jordan really all that worried about what were probably at most a few hundred user accounts on the margins that got squashed because of incompetence in the FBI, SBU, and Meta’s execution or is he opening a window for Putin fanboys to attack them on their intent and objective?

Well we already decided that it’s the second one, hence the headline. It’s just really not that hard to see where this is going. It’s a win-win for old Gymbo: All the American accounts that were paid to push the Kremlin line and/or those MAGA assholes who were simply rooting for Russia on their own accord are going to end up being painted as victims of the Biden Administration “collusion with Big Tech” AND again shade Ukraine a nefarious actor. Jordan won’t come out and defend shit like former Trump-Russia investigation convict George Papadopoulos tweeting “Breaking: Zelensky, after saying he would not abandon Ukraine, has fled the country” in early March 2022, no. Jordan’s too chickenshit to get into specific situations like that. He will however happily attack the entire effort against such disinformation to make it easier for the Russians overall.

Ok, to start, WTF?
When I agreed to speak at the AZ College Republicans United event I was not aware that I'd be sharing the stage with someone who wants a 16 year old wife.
Should I back out? Or should I do the event & blow this schmuck out of the water & expose a false prophet? https://t.co/grYsJrvpKC

— Jake Angeli-Chansley (@AmericaShaman) July 10, 2023

Turkish dictator Recep Erdogan on Monday reversed course on tying Sweden’s accession to NATO to his country’s integration to the EU, and agreed to allow Abba Land to join, the AP reports on the very immediate aftermath of a private meeting between President Joe Biden and Erdawg on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. Dark Brandon for the win again.

Donald Trump, August 21, 2021: “Adam Laxalt is running for Senate in Nevada to defeat Harry Reid’s, Chuck Schumer’s, and Nancy Pelosi’s handpicked successor, and win an America First majority in the US Senate. Adam is a Navy Veteran who served our Nation bravely in Iraq. As a former Attorney General he’s always supported our Law Enforcement and keeping our communities safe. He fought valiantly against the Election Fraud, which took place in Nevada. He is strong on Secure Borders and defending America against the Radical Left. Adam has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”

Donald Trump, July 8, 2023: “Laxalt was a very weak candidate. He was pathetic. You know, I helped Laxalt do the best he could. I guess his grandfather was strong. His father was good. But, I guess the chain got weaker. But, Adam Laxalt is a stiff and he didn’t do the job. He was a lawyer. He was working for a lot of different people on trying to do the vote thing, but he wasn’t the right guy.”

Earlier Trump also wrote “The public is demanding to know the White House ‘Cocaine Story.’ Just like I QUICKLY PROVIDED SECURITY TAPES FROM MAR-a-LAGO on the BOXES HOAX, the White House has Security Cameras (far more than Mar-a-Lago!) all over the place, especially the location in question. THEY 100% KNOW WHO IT IS. If they don’t release information, it means they destroyed the tapes & the Cocaine was for use by Hunter, & probably Crooked Joe, in order to give this total disaster of a President a little life and energy!” He’s probably on an Adderall binge.

Fat former President Trump’s Diet Coke guy/co-defendant Walt Nauta on Friday filed a motion to delay a pre-trial conference set for this Friday because his lawyer Stan Woodward will be in DC appearing for a Capitol rioter/former Trump State Department official Federico Klein.

Prosecutors opposed the motion, saying that Nauta’s other attorney, his “local counsel” Sasha Dadan, is one lawyer enough. Any delay would be Nauta’s second time in as many appearances working to slow down the case but the first in which one of Trump’s crimes would be the indirect cause of a delay to his facing accountability for another one. That’s some serious MAGA right there.

A small oligopoly of political fundraisers is already making an ungodly amount of $$ on this election. It’s disgusting. I’m breaking up that cartel. Today we’re launching the Vivek Kitchen Cabinet: starting today, *anyone* can fundraise for the Vivek 2024 campaign & make a 10%… pic.twitter.com/k2y9ZL8WPe

— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) July 10, 2023

Yeah we can’t exactly speak one way or the other on the legality of paying 10 percent of found contributions back to the Rama-swarm while classifying them as “independent contractors,” other than to say it sounds pretty goddamned illegal. Politico’s write-up on the initiative doesn’t include any comment from campaign finance eggheads and simply notes “The campaign said its legal advisers approved of the arrangement.” So maybe it is cool with the FEC, maybe it isn’t.

What we can feel confident with however is the distinctly Herbalife and Amway vibe of the concept demonstrates that Ramaswamy’s a little less the yuppie punk who thinks his impressive business resume in the biotech industry is enough to appeal to the MAGA base and little bit more the sharp student who gets why the “But wait, there’s more!” commercials work so well on those dumbasses.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu seeks to avoid repeating the mistakes of 2016 and will tell low-polling Republican presidential candidates on no uncertain terms to get the fuck out of the Granite State’s February 2024 primary if they can’t prove their viability by this November, effectively appointing himself kingmaker of the main non-Trump contender, the Dispatch reports.

“One on one, Trump loses. Most people understand that and know that” Sununu told reporters “My message would be to the candidates: We owe to the Republican base the ability for them to have a good choice. Otherwise we’re just diluting the process and we’re making it harder and more frustrating for them… The vast majority of folks won’t really make up their mind who they’re voting for until three weeks before the election. So even if you double or triple that time that means people around November time frame are going, OK, here’s where we could go. That’s when I think you’ll start seeing, either pushing folks off the stage – if you’re not cutting it by then, you’re not cutting it. And I’ve been very blunt about that, whether it’s myself or others, and I think there would have to be a concerted effort, just, encouraging candidates to get off the stage, get out of the race.”

New Hampshire GOP consultant and former Trump Administration official Matt Bartlett, who appears to be among the handful of ex-Trumpsters who no longer worship the Orange God Emperor, said Sununu’s strategy is worth a shot. “Voters pay attention to him. What he says weighs heavy on them. Most Republicans remember 2016 – how Trump won in a fractured party. It’s in no one’s interest to allow another Trump nomination, let alone get embarrassed,” said Bartlett.

The far right House Freedom Caucasians, for eight years the power center of the Republican caucus in the lower chamber of the United States Congress, may be headed toward a breakup as internal fractures – exemplified by white nationalist Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene‘s recent expulsion from the group – take their toll, CNN reports in a lengthy overview of the mess.

“Days are numbered anyway for the group. Because they go in 100 different directions,” said one House member who isn’t in the Freedom Caucasians but is aligned with them and has attended several of their meetings. Bloat would seem to be a major factor, with some members complaining that others don’t show up to meetings and only pretend to be Freedom Caucasians to hold it up as “primary insurance” against farther right challengers. There’s also some dissent toward Jim Jordan, who reportedly opposed Sporkfoot’s defenestration and, like her, is viewed as being too close with leadership in a crew that’s supposed to be a bunch of hard-charging rebels. White nationalist Virginia Congressman Bob Good allegedly called Jordan a “RINO” but denied it when asked by CNN.

A new survey by Florida Atlantic University finds disgraced former President Trump leading heels-wearing Gov Ron DeSantis 50 to 30 percent among Republican primary voters in the Sunshine State.

New York City MAGA Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis didn’t fully spit it out during a Monday appearance on Fox Business dipshit Maria Bartiromo’s show, but tried to suggest that the small bag of cocaine found in the White House could be directly connected to the Biden Administration’s “open border” policies, as if an envoy from the cartels was visiting the West Wing and accidentally dropped it when he was checking in to hand the president a briefcase full of cash or something.

A new Morning Consult public opinion survey finds 46 percent of Republican voters agreeing that the House GOP should make investigating Hunter Biden a “top priority,” higher than the 32 and 31 percent of MAGA voters who said interfering with the federal criminal investigations of Trump’s theft of classified documents and the post-2020 election coup attempt should be the top focus.

The answers weren’t mutually exclusive as respondents could say “top priority” to more than one, but that more Dem voters said “top priority” to the Trump documents theft (39 percent) and the failed post-2020 coup (34 percent) suggests some ambiguity to the questions and they may not have been worded specifically enough to make it clear that Morning Consult definitely meant Jim Jordan-type interference like subpoenaing Jack Smith, impeaching Merrick Garland, et cetera – as opposed to Congress adding to the pressure Trump already faces from the justice system. Despite this, they still write “As House Republicans grapple with how to leverage their investigative powers to take on the Justice Department, our data shows there is more political energy on the right to probe the dealings of President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, than to examine the DOJ’s motivations for investigating former President Donald Trump,” in the release on their findings.

Or maybe those Dem respondents are thinking “Fuck it, bring it on,” and want Jim Jordan to look like a complete asshole. The survey also found that 52 percent of all respondents approve of Trump’s indictment versus 39 percent disapproving. Among GOP voters, the indictment scored 21 percent approve and 69 percent disapprove, while with independents it was 49 percent approve to 38 percent disapprove. On motivation, 47 percent said it was primarily based on the evidence versus 43 percent who said to damage Trump’s political career, with independents it was 46 percent evidence to 38 percent political, again likely indicating that hilarious overlap of “So what if it’s politically motivated? I still want to see the fat miserable bastard die in prison.”

Notorious piece of shit former US Olympics women’s gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar is in stable condition after being stabbed in prison while serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting young female members during his years with the team, the Associated Press reports.

Apparently not afraid of being “exposed” at discovery, non-CIA agent Ray Epps is preparing a defamation lawsuit against Fox News for defamation after hours of programming falsely claiming he was responsible for “entrapping” fellow Trump fans on January 6th, the New York Times reports.

“We informed Fox in March that if they did not issue a formal on-air apology that we would pursue all available avenues to protect the Eppses’ rights,” said Epps’s lawyer Michael Teter. Since that never happened, Teter said they’re going to go ahead and file the suit in the near term.

Having been removed from the New York State financial fraud case and E. Jean Carroll’s ongoing defamation case, Alina Habba needed a way to stay on the Trump money train, and apparently Donald Trump thought she was sufficiently comely to keep around, so Habba will now be the “legal spokesperson” and counsel for the Save America PAC, the Independent reports.

“Alina has worked diligently and tirelessly on many of the witch-hunt cases that have been unfairly brought against President Trump,” the Trump 2024 campaign said in a statement.  “While the Habba Madaio Law firm will continue to assist the President in certain legal matters, Ms Habba will withdraw from the New York Attorney General’s case against the Trump Organization and President Trump and other cases, in order to devote her time to Save America and her duties as his media representative on legal matters.”

For her part, Habba looks forward to more camera time.  “It is an honor to be asked by such a leader as President Trump to help Save America. Being able to devote more time to addressing publicly his many legal matters is the privilege of a lifetime,” she said.

I propose a literal dick measuring contest 📏

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 10, 2023