No One's Surprised About Nazis and the GOP

Surprise, surprise-- a new Nazi accusation in the Republican Party just dropped.  Over the weekend, Republican Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio had some cleaning up to do after it was discovered that one of his aides, Stephen Woytek, had publicly posted Nazi-linked content.  This past Friday, The Washington Post revealed that Woytek had used a photo of SS soldiers as his Facebook profile.   The Ohio senator, who is in a contentious race with Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown, decided to “part ways” with Woytek.

Does this sound familiar? It should. Nazi ties or support appear to be abundant across the right. From Elon Musk’s Nazi salute on stage at an inaugural event for President Donald Trump to retweeting images laden with Nazi propaganda, the signs are there. And leaders of GOP-aligned youth groups have had their chats exposed, filled with racist jokes and antisemitic remarks. 

The White House is also teeming with links to sympathetic Nazi sentiment. For example, the Trump administration hired a young man that Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, a Republican, had previously dropped due to the man sharing Nazi imagery. Now, he is a speechwriter for Secretary of State Marco Rubio and works as deputy director of the State Department’s policy planning office. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has links—some permanently inked on his body—to antisemitic groups. And Trump’s choices inside his White House, including hiring the likes of Ed Martin and Paul Ingrassia, point toward a larger message: This bigoted sentiment isn’t only common, it’s accepted. 

 

Something's Going Down!

 

Texas Officials Trying to Cover Up Data on Maternal Deaths Ahead of Midterms

In a very convenient delay for GOP candidates, Texas says it won’t have its first maternal mortality study since the 2022 Dobbs decision ready before midterm elections. Maternal mortality reports show how many pregnant women die each year and from what causes.  Almost assuredly the real reason for the delay is to continue to obscure just how deadly Texas’s near-total abortion ban has been.  Texas definitely doesn’t need damning statistics floating around while anti-abortion extremists like GOP Senate nominee Ken Paxton are flailing.

Indeed, Texas has been dragging its feet on this data for a while. The data they got around to releasing in January 2025 was so old that it predated the state’s abortion ban.   The state has also announced that when they release the new report after the midterms, they’re just not going to analyze data from 2022 and 2023, because this is how we do things now: just a persistent and deadly lack of accountability.

Though Texas has tried to keep this on the down-low, we know from reporting that by late 2024, three women had died during miscarriages when care was delayed or denied. We know that sepsis, which is life-threatening, skyrocketed after Texas banned abortion. We know that more pregnant women have nearly bled to death than ever before.

Overall, women are nearly twice as likely to die in states with abortion bans versus states where abortion is legal, according to a 2025 study from the Gender Equity Policy Institute. And even before that, the United States already had a higher maternal mortality rate than its peer nations.

The Continuing Saga of Trump's Obsession With Men's Looks

Convicted felon Donald's Trump near-homorotic obsession with men's looks is well known.  This pattern of obsession with the personal appearance of men extends back decades-- but has become more pronounced in the past ten years. During his first term, Trump often waxed poetic about the pilots posted to Air Force One, likening them to taller versions of Tom Cruise. “These guys are specimens,” he said during a late October interview with Joe Rogan. “Like perfect specimens.”

In the last three months alone, Trump has praised the looks of a sheriff in Tempe, Ariz.; a Mexican government negotiator; Shinzo Abe, a former leader of Japan; Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican of Missouri; and Mike Pompeo, his former secretary of state, who he noted had lost weight. (“You look so handsome,” he said about Pompeo.) He also famously alluded to the size of genitalia of the deceased golfer Arnold Palmer, whose looks Trump has also apparently approved of.  “They look like Arnold Palmer,” Trump said about a group of gun-toting security officials at an event in October. “Can’t look better than Arnold.”

So it should come as no surprise that Trump's obsession with men's looks took front and center at his "midterm convention" this week when a photo of left-wing streamer Hasan Piker posing in his underwear was flashed on the big screen, prompting a flabbergasted reaction from Piker as he watched the moment unfold online.  The picture (pulled from Piker's instagram) was included in a narrated video shown on the stadium’s jumbotron.  The video was intended to stir GOP outrage on the so-called dangers of left-wing policies.  But the gratuitous thirst trap attracted attention for all the wrong reasons. Piker, who was live streaming at the time, pulled up the video in full, letting out a stunned “Ohhh!” into his microphone as the shot of him in his underwear appeared on screen.  “Nooo!” he continued. “They fucking posted the meat pic! Nooo! Yo! They posted the meat pic at the fucking Trumpapalooza!”  “They blurred my penis,” he concluded through laughter.

Not coincidentally, it should be noted that Grindr, the world's largest LGBTQ+ dating app, went down as the Republican National Convention's midterm event began on Wednesday. According to Downdetector, the app reported several outages just as the conservative event kicked off at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The highest number of reported outages appeared to occur in and around the Dallas area.  A similar incident was reported during the 2024 RNC in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "If that's the case, it aligns with Grindr activity during previous national conventions," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

 

 

Trump Can't Stop Lying About 9/11

Everyone knows that convicted felon Donald Trump is a prolific liar, making up statistics and blatantly misrepresenting the news to fit his own agenda. But his latest twist on an old lie may just be the sickest to date.  During an event at the Pentagon honoring 9/11 first responders, Trump claimed that firefighters rescued him from a building when he visited the area “right after” the attack.

“I was building a big building in New York, and I took the whole crew down there right after this happened,” Trump said Tuesday. “Wasn’t too much we could do, I’ll be honest. It was raw. Nobody’d seen anything like it, ever. We had other buildings—the United States Steel Building was creaking, really creaking, and we thought it was going to fall down. The truth is, it creaked a lot. … But it never came down. I’ll never forget—two firemen. We thought it was coming down on top of us, and two firemen. Big, strong guys. And I’m not the smallest guy in the world. They grabbed me under the arms and said, ‘Got to get out of here.’ And they literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. I’m big. They lifted me up, and they started running with me. I said, ‘Fellas, I can run myself.’”

When the attacks began, Trump was actually nowhere near the World Trade Center. Instead, he was miles away in Trump Tower. Later that day, he even called into a news show to brag about how he had the “tallest” building in Lower Manhattan after the Twin Towers had fallen—a disturbingly egomaniacal comment.  

But it’s not the first time Trump has told a version of the lie that he went to Ground Zero soon after the attacks. In reality, he almost certainly did not visit the rubble in the days after the attacks, according to CNN reporter Daniel Dale, noted for his fact-checking of public figures. 

“There was public concern in the days following the attack that One Liberty Plaza [the former U.S. Steel Building] might collapse, but the authorities repeatedly said it was structurally sound, and there’s not currently any public evidence Trump went into it amid these collapse worries (?), much less that he was rushed out by firefighters,” Dale wrote on X, in response to a video of Trump’s claims.

Dale continued, “In varying language, he has repeatedly claimed for years he was at Ground Zero with a large crew of his workers helping with the recovery in the days after 9/11, but people who were definitely on site have said they never saw him or a Trump-organized crew on site and that it wouldn’t make sense for them to have had access; there are pictures and videos of Trump in the neighborhood in the following days, in a clean suit, but not on the actual site.”

And it’s not even the only lie Trump has told about 9/11.  As Dale notes, Trump has claimed that he personally went to the site of the fallen towers, and sent “over 100” employees to help assist reconstruction and recovery efforts. However, there is no evidence that he did that, either.

“Everybody worked under direct supervision of the police and fire department and the joint commander for emergency services. Is there a chance he was ever down there by himself and I didn’t know it? It’s possible, but I know of no one who ever witnessed him there,” Richard Alles, a New York Fire Department battalion chief who held a supervisory role in the rescue and recovery efforts, told Politifact in 2019.

In the end, Trump was disinvited to the 25th anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center memorial this week—largely because he insisted on being allowed to give remarks at the event, The New York Times reported.  And given Trump's ever-evolving lies about the recovery efforts and his role in it, it’s clear why.

 

Miley - Bass Persuades

Horrific Pit Bull Attack in San Francisco

A woman was viciously attacked by a pit bull on the streets of San Francisco after the canine was illegally left off leash by its owner.  A woman was walking through the city’s Tenderloin neighborhood when the dog suddenly attacked her, a witness said.  

The attack lasted ten to 15 minutes as passersby attempted to use pepper spray to get the dog away from the victim.  It took place about a quarter mile from the neighborhood’s police station.  When police arrived on the scene, officers used a catch pole to restrain the vicious animal. 

According to the outlet, the dog and its owner frequently appear in the Tenderloin, although it remains unclear whether the dog is always kept on a leash.  A video posted to the Citizen app shows the woman lying on the ground with the pit bull beside her, its face covered in blood.  In a video uploaded by Tenderloin Activities, witnesses can be heard shouting conflicting instructions at police, with some yelling, "Shoot that dog!"  while others shouted, "Don’t shoot that dog!"

The woman suffered severe injuries to her left hand and wrist, as well as her right hand and knee, Tenderloin Activities reported.  She was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where she was placed on a ventilator and remains in critical condition.  Thankfully, the dog died at the scene, and its remains were taken by officers from San Francisco Animal Care and Control.  The dangerous dog's (criminal) owner apparently fled the scene.  "While the dog was being restrained, the dog became unresponsive and was declared deceased on scene," SFPD said in a statement.

Tenderloin supervisor Bilal Mahmood addressed the incident on social media, writing: "This is not an isolated incident - we have regularly met and worked with families and neighbors in the TL who have experienced similar incidents with dogs in the streets over the last year.  Earlier this year, we worked with SFPD Tenderloin Station on a Paw Patrol pilot to increase both enforcement and education in the neighborhood, and we will be working with SFPD again in the weeks ahead to identify similar efforts to increase enforcement and keep our communities safe."  Since January, the Dangerous Dogs Unit has received 729 reports of dog bites.  Last year, the unit received 1,027 reports.

 

All-Time Best Delivery Confirmaton Photo

Trump Going Brunette for the Fall

Convicted felon Donald Trump is known for sporting a light blonde quiff, however, during a recent departure from Air Force One, it was noticeably absent.  When Trump touched down in Morristown, New Jersey to waiting reporters, he was photographed with significantly darker, brunette hair.  

The change took so many people by surprised that many began questioning if it was fake.  Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger, a frequent Trump critic, wrote in all caps, “You have got to be kidding me.”

Trump Ridiculed Over Space Force Uniforms

Just a few days after convicted felon Donald Trump was mocked for his phone call to the International Space Station from Houston, Texas, the Orange Man is once again facing some space-related ridicule after he shared his proposed uniforms for the U.S. Space force. 

 

Meanwhile, Back at the Office . . .

 

Caity Baser - Holiday Song

Too Soon?

Trump Hypocrisy on Full Display

In the latest instance of convicted felon Donald Trump contradicting himself, the 80-year-old orangeman once again voted by mail in Florida, despite long making the baseless argument this particular way of voting is “cheating”.

First reported by Politico, local voting records in Palm Beach County (where his Mar-a-Lago resort is based) show that Trump requested a mail-in ballot in late July and returned it on August 13.

Back in March, the same month in which he was reportedly found to have cast a mail-in ballot in Florida, Trump said: “Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. I call it mail-in cheating, and we [have] got to do something about it.”  Though this isn’t the only past case of him voting by mail, as he did so in the 2020 presidential primary and in a 2021 election in his home state.

Last week saw a federal judge block the US Postal Service from further implementing an executive order signed by Trump, which looked to create a voter registration list to identify eligible voters and restrict mail-in ballots.

With all of this in mind, the latest instance of Trump voting by post has seen the president criticized online. The press office of California governor Gavin Newsom wrote: “Trump Admin = different set of rules for those in power versus the people!”    California senator Alex Padilla tweeted: “Trump voted by mail AGAIN. He just doesn’t want you to.”

 

Channeling Dolly

 

Crooked FIFA Chief to Face Criminal Charges

UEFA (Europe's governing body for football) is preparing to make a criminal complaint against FIFA president Gianni Infantino for alleged “criminal mismanagement” in connection with his failed Fifa Forward Enterprise plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors.   Infantino is accused of a “stunning dereliction of duty” in sidelining the FIFA executive council in his attempt to pull off the plan.  The stunning display of greed was condemned by CONCACAF (the North, Central ­American and Caribbean ­confederation) and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).  UEFA itself threatened to boycott all FIFA-related events and tournaments if the plan went forward.

In an explosive escalation of the war engulfing football’s governing bodies, UEFA has made separate applications in the United States for information, including from FIFA and the investment firm Thrive Capital.  Thrive Capital, led by Joshua Kushner, was to be the lead investor in Infantino’s plan.  The request explains UEFA and other interested parties are “preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and possible other FIFA officials and advisers for criminal mismanagement under Article 158 of the Swiss Criminal Code”.

 

Olivia Rodrigo - Serena Joy

The Power of Spock

 

Glacial Collapse in Nepal Results in Massive Flooding

Massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China killed at least 160 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing Wednesday after suddenly sweeping through communities and halting travel in some areas. Experts said a glacial collapse caused the disaster in the warming Himalayan region.

Police in Nepal reported at least 157 dead. China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported at least three dead and 265 missing in the Tibet region’s Gyirong County near the national border. Drone footage showed roads destroyed and buildings buried by thundering water the color of wet cement. State news agency Xinhua reported significant casualties.

 

The region’s steep valleys are economic lifelines and travel corridors but are precarious when disaster strikes. Images showed what appeared to be the second floors of buildings in Nepal’s hard-hit Nuwakot district slathered in mud after the torrent rushed by. Debris hung from tree branches and wires, vehicles were buried and some stunned survivors were caked in mud.

There was little time for anyone to flee.  “When I reached Dhunge bazaar, in half an hour, the flood came and damaged all the market. People were preparing to go to office then,” resident Shoyam Rajbhandari said. “How many people are missing or dead, we don’t know.”

The region saw similar flash floods in August last year, when a glacial lake in Tibet overflowed because of high temperatures. Nine people were killed, and critical infrastructure, including a bridge connecting Nepal and China, was damaged.  The Himalayan mountain range spans several countries in South Asia and has many of the world’s highest peaks and remaining glaciers. The steep slopes and the lush valleys below are especially vulnerable to flooding and landslides, and extreme weather events like intense monsoons and melting glaciers have become more common because of warming due to human-caused climate change.  Researchers in Kathmandu found earlier this year that glaciers across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region are melting faster, with ice loss rates doubling since 2000.

 

 

A Tragic Loss

New Details on the Exit of College Coach Involving the FBI

Just before the end of last season, staff at college football powerhouse were so worried about Lane Kiffin stealing the program's secrets on his way out that they called in the FBI to check for bugging devices, it has been revealed.  Kiffin stunned the world of college football last November when he quit playoff-bound Ole Miss to join LSU on a $91 million contract, leading to weeks of furious fallout.   It was reported at the time that Kiffin had given his then-Ole Miss staff an ultimatum when he left the program: join him immediately on the plane to Baton Rouge or forfeit the opportunity to get a job with him at LSU.   A few joined, but others stayed to finish the season with Ole Miss, who at the time were still in contention for the national championship and eventually went on to lose narrowly to Miami in the semifinals.

The outgoing head coach even claimed he was nearly 'run off the road' by scorned Ole Miss fans as he left Mississippi under a cloud, and now a program insider has revealed some stunning details about the exit.  Speaking to the Assorted Crackers podcast, Walker Jones - executive director of Grove Collective, Ole Miss's exclusive NIL program - opened up about LSU's attempts to poach assistant coaches and staff members to join Kiffin in Louisiana. 

He described it as "weeks and months of fending off" LSU, claiming they were "literally trying to burn [Ole Miss] to the ground."  He went further, saying, "I guess that's what you do if you're the LSU head coach." "You try to destroy your opponent, your rival. So I guess that's probably the way. Again, shame on me to think it was going to be anything other than what it was, but we battled and we were able to hold on to the majority of our roster and our players," he added.

"What people don't realize too is half the staff was going to LSU, so we literally had to have two different text threads, two different staff meetings. We had to ask coaches to leave the room.  We actually had the FBI come through and walk the building for bugs and for everything. We knew kind of what was in Baton Rouge, and we knew how they operated."

 

Dildo Delays for the WNBA

The Chicago Sky’s home game against Golden State was interrupted when multiple sex toys were thrown on the court Friday night, the second consecutive night for a disruption similar to what occurred in several WNBA games last season.

The incident happened in the third quarter of the Sky’s 73-70 victory over the Valkyries. Players stayed on the court while arena personnel removed the items from the court.

According to the New York Times, there was a delay for the same reason in Atlanta’s 124-88 victory at the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday. Police in Los Angeles said a male suspect was detained by arena security, received a citation and was released.

There were similar incidents last season in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. Some of the incidents resulted in arrests.

 

Mark Zuckerberg Can't Stop Being an Asshole

Dangerous douche bag with too much money 

There is now a plethora of vendors (easily discoverable online) who specialize in disabling the flashing LED light embedded in Meta’s smartglasses that blinks when wearers capture photos, videos and audio. After the LED is disabled it’s impossible for someone to know they’re being filmed.

The success of these companies is parallel to the runaway success of Meta Glasses, designed in partnership with established glasses brands Ray-Ban and Oakley. Meta said that it sold roughly 7 million pairs in 2025 alone, practically tripling combined sales numbers from 2023 and 2024. Influencers, athletes and global celebrities such as Chris Hemsworth and Teyana Taylor have embraced the tech in sponsored posts and buzzy ads. The glasses mark a turnaround for a company that made big missteps by overinvesting in virtual reality “metaverses” and trailing behind in the AI race. 

The reality of how people are using the glasses has been less benign. They have been widely used for exploitation and privacy violations, much of which has been bragged about on social media by bad actors themselves. Online creators – primarily men – have used the glasses to troll boardwalks, college campuses and streets outside bars in search of women to hit on, and then post the interactions. Some men have recorded overtly racist videos in which they enter massage parlors staffed by Asian women and ask for “happy ending” massages. Others have used the glasses to record bathing suit-clad women at the beach.

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Growing Old Disgracefully

Senile Old Man Persists in His Obsession With Forest Management

The Trump administration couldn't possibly sink any lower.  The Orange Man's minions this week advanced a plan to open nearly 45 million acres of wilderness in national forests to road construction and logging, removing protections that had been in place for a quarter century.  The proposal by the U.S. Forest Service would repeal the 2001 “roadless rule,” enacted during the Clinton administration to preserve the wild nature of forest land. It comes as President Trump pressures the agency to increase logging and to thin forests to reduce wildfire risk.

The repeal would hand a major victory to Republican-led states and industry groups that have argued for years that the prohibitions have hindered economic development. More than a dozen lawsuits have unsuccessfully sought to strike down the rule. During his first term, Trump stripped protections from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world, only for the Biden administration to restore them in 2023. 

John Schoen, a retired wildlife ecologist who worked in the Tongass for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, co-authored a 2013 research paper finding that roughly half of the forest’s large old-growth trees had been logged last century. The remaining big trees provide critical habitat for brown bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, a bird of prey called the Northern Goshawk and other species, he added.

Convicted felon Donald Trump was widely ridiculed after suggesting during a visit to Paradise, the California community devastated by a 2018 wildfire, that the United States could curb such disasters by following Finland’s model, claiming that nation spends “a lot of time on raking and cleaning and doing things, and they don’t have any problem.”   One former Trump staffer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retaliation, said forest policy has become “an obsession of his.”

 

Ancient Egyptian Wheel of Fortune

 

Flock Cameras Are the Latest Scourge Against Privacy

Flock cameras are suddenly emerging as the next big target of populist anti-tech, pro-privacy sentiment, alongside data centers fueling the AI boom. Activists and citizens across the political spectrum are pushing back against license plate readers made by Flock and similar companies, fueled by privacy concerns and suspected police misuse.

Flock has over 120,000 cameras across the country, which many believe are a form of constant surveillance that infringes on residents' civil liberties. Some have even turned to sabotaging the cameras.  Flock and other automated license plate reader cameras are placed on streets and highways and use AI to capture and store information like car license plates, car make and other features.

There are now reports that police officers have been investigated over allegations they misused license plate reader data for personal reasons. Three Arizona cities said this week that they're looking into officers' use of the cameras, including one instance in which an officer is suspected of using them to track down his wife.  In Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, two officers resigned last week amid an investigation into misuse. An internal investigation revealed that one officer had used the tech over 40 times to track down a former domestic partner, per local reporting.

Now, mistrust and upheaval is leading communities nationwide to abandon Flock.  In Lago Vista, a community near Austin that went for President Trump by a 20-point margin in 2024, city council members unanimously voted last week to end its contract.  Denver cut off Flock in February after intense backlash. It's now contracting with Axon to operate its automatic license plate reader system, but with new rules around data retention and sharing info with federal authorities.  Austin, TX also ended its contract with Flock in June 2025.

DeFlock, a national organization that tracks and advocates against Flock cameras, posted on X: "No guardrails. No regulations.  It's a 4th amendment violation. Full Stop. They are coming down."  DeFlock also tracks when governments end or reject contracts or deactivate cameras, tallying 23 instances since July.  

Rich People Get Into a Snit Over Public Art

A town in the Hamptons and a local business owner have been plunged into a bitter battle over an unconventional artist’s shipping container sculpture that has divided the ritzy community. Matt Johnson's sculpture, Meditating Figure, was constructed on The Ranch, owned by Max Levai in Montauk.  A series of retired shipping containers were welded together to create a figure that appeared to be meditating. It sits on Levai's property, which was once protected farmland. 

It didn't take long for residents to air out their grievances about the artist's work, with many locals calling for it to be dismantled and demolished.   Now, East Hampton, which includes Montauk, has sued Levai and The Ranch for the "unlawful construction and maintenance of an un-permitted structure on real property."   

Despite the land being privately owned, the town argued that an August 1983 agreement stated that the land could only be developed as agricultural production. This isn't the first time Levai has shown artwork on The Ranch, which he has owned since 2021. However, it is the first time the town has brought a lawsuit against him for it.   The town said Levai failed to apply for a permit with the town to allow the structure to be on the land.

Johnson told Vanity Fair that it made sense for him to install the artwork in Montauk, as the tiny town was once known as an artist's colony. It is also the furthest point of Long Island.  'I think a lot of times, artists – and I certainly feel this way about living where I live – it’s nice to sort of just get yourself a distance away from all the stuff that’s going on,' he told the magazine.

Sunday Sermon

 

Bigot Boebert's Baby Boy Busted

Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert is dealing with the fallout from the recent arrest of her son Tyler Boebert, who has been charged with child sexual exploitation. The crisis for the Boebert family follows years of bigoted smears from Rep. Boebert, who has attacked the LGBTQ+ community and falsely accused transgender Americans and advocates for transgender equality as child “groomers.”

The Garfield County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado announced 21-year-old Tyler Boebert’s arrest on Monday. The arrest was reportedly connected to a sexual video he allegedly recorded with his 17-year-old girlfriend when he was 18.  Tyler Boebert was charged with child sexual exploitation to induce or entice, possession with intent, sexual exploitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child involving video, and two additional counts related to contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

While her son is an adult and ultimately responsible for his own actions, the serious charge within Boebert’s family stands in stark contrast to the hateful smears she has built her political career on.

Carly Simon - Howl

Bezos' Next Project: Ruin Soccer

Wouldn’t it be cool if Jeff Bezos bought a soccer team and it was just like Amazon: a gross, predatory monopoly that routinely harms its workers?

Or what about The Washington Post, where Bezos took one of the most well-respected news outlets and turned it into MAGA garbage? Or maybe Blue Origin, where Bezos pumped in $2 billion of his own money, which was not nearly enough, and, uh, things exploded?

Well get ready, because Bezos seems ready to buy a roughly one-third stake in the Liverpool Football Club. Yes, this is a celebrated club in England and one of the most successful of all time, but what could go wrong by selling it to a bunch of billionaires? 

Bezos is partnering with Amit Bhatia, the son of some steel billionaire, and Eduardo Saverin, who co-founded Facebook and (after getting super rich) renounced his U.S. citizenship so he wouldn’t have to pay taxes on his massive wealth. Real great guys. 

Spirit of Shankly, the Liverpool supporters’ union, is worried—and why shouldn’t they be? Bezos has no background in operating a soccer club or any other sports team, but like all billionaires, he’s convinced he can do it all.

Billionaires are gobbling up soccer teams left and right. Saudi Arabia used its sovereign wealth fund to eat Newcastle United five years ago, and Qatar Sports Investment bought Paris Saint-Germain in 2012.

And, of course, sucking up to billionaires is the priority for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was recently thwarted in his secret plans to sell off the World Cup to, among others, Joshua Kushner. Yes, that’s President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared’s brother.

 

Deadly Reminder Football Season is Upon Us

A high school football player in Arkansas had every right to be rattled after finding a venomous snake inside his helmet during practice. The Maumelle High student felt unusual movement inside his headgear following warmups last week and brought his helmet to an assistant coach for inspection. A slithering 2-foot cottonmouth was discovered behind some padding.

The pit viper was so reluctant to exit the helmet that animal control officers had to submerge the helmet in water and forced the snake out, grabbing it with tongs. Animal services technicians identified the snake as a deadly cottonmouth. It was released in a wooded area.  Cottonmouths are the second-most venomous snakes found in Arkansas.

Animal services director Chris Davis said the player wore the helmet for nearly an hour and was fortunate he wasn’t bitten. “It was unreal,” Davis said. “You had to kind of be there and take pictures to say this was real.”  The player grabbed a different helmet and continued practice. But the situation caused the head coach to reiterate to his team that players should examine their equipment carefully before using it, checking for insects — or maybe something larger and more dangerous.

 

Secret Service Uses Journalists as Bait for Potential Iranian Attack on Air Force One

Due to a security threat, convicted felon Donald Trump secretly swapped planes while in Turkey for the NATO summit last month. Unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the entire switch may have been caught on camera. John Hudson, one of The Washington Post reporters who broke the story, shared footage on X that showed the moment the Orange Man boarded Air Force One and exited out the back onto a catering truck, which carried him over to a military plane several hundred feet away.

Trump boarding Air Force One while catering truck is waiting in back

Six minutes later, catering truck (with Trump inside) moves off towards the C-32A military aircraft

 

Catering truck pulls up in front of the staircase at the rear of the C-32A military aircraft

 

Trump boarded the older Air Force One plane from the front, but almost immediately walked into then catering truck container, which was elevated on the opposite side of the plane. Once hidden in the container, Trump was taken across the tarmac to a waiting U.S. military C-32A aircraft.

The press remained on the Air Force One plane, unaware that the president had left. Even many of his staff were not informed. It is rumored that Whiskey Pete Hegseth was in on the ruse (and switched planes to protect his own ass) while Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent were left in the dark and remained in danger on Air Force One.  Upon arrival in the United Kingdom, Trump (once again, in secret) returned to the legacy Air Force One and exited as if he had been aboard the plane for the entire flight.