Idiocracy

Glorious Leader went on one of his increasingly bizarre Twitter rants this morning in which he predicted that the “Fake News” industry will go out of business after he leaves office in “10 or 14 years.” While he adds that he’s “just kidding” about staying in office past his second term, this is at least the fifth time he’s publicly …

The Washington Post reports: The Miami nonprofit that was supposed to benefit from a strip club’s golf tournament at President Trump’s resort in Doral, Fla., has pulled out of the event, the nonprofit’s director said Wednesday. In a phone interview, Carlos Alamilla of the nonprofit Miami Allstars Foundation said he had paid little attention to the planned event and had …

USA Today report: District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser government says that the cost of President Donald Trump’s Fourth of July celebration and the cost of addressing recent protests has emptied out a municipal fund used to provide security for public events and defend against terrorist threats. In a letter to Trump dated July 9, Bowser says the city spent …

CBS News Minneapolis reports: The St. Louis Park City Council is revisiting its decision to remove the Pledge of Allegiance from its meetings. Five council members voted to drop the pledge last month. Since then, people across the community and country have responded. Public input was not supposed to be part of Monday evening’s session, but as the mayor and …

“You don’t have to have any forest fires. It’s interesting. I spoke to certain countries, and they said, ‘Sir, we’re a forest nation.’ I never thought of a country — well-known countries; ‘we’re a forest nation.’ I never heard of the term ‘forest nation.’ They live in forests. And they don’t have problems. Remember, management. “It’s called forest management. So …

Mediaite reports: On June 4, President Donald Trump ripped actress Bette Midler as a “sick scammer” for sharing a statement on Twitter falsely attributed to the commander-in-chief. One month later, President Trump shared a statement on Twitter falsely attributed to former President Ronald Reagan. Trump tweeted the quote on Monday morning from an account purporting to represent the Reagan Battalion …

Snopes reports: Although the photograph of Ronald Reagan shaking hands with Donald Trump is genuine, we found no record of the former President’s uttering the phrase quoted upon meeting the New York business magnate. In fact, this quote wasn’t attached to the photograph at all until 30 July 2016, long after Reagan’s death, when it was posted to the “Trump …

Newsweek reports: President Donald Trump attacked leading Democratic candidate Joe Biden on Saturday morning, claiming the former vice president can not win the 2020 general election, but that countries who do not have America’s best interests in mind were “begging” for a Biden victory. This was the second time in two days that the president had come out publicly against …

“In June of 1775, the Continental Congress created a unified Army out of the Revolutionary Forces encamped around Boston and New York, and named after the great George Washington, commander in chief. The Continental Army suffered a bitter winter of Valley Forge, found glory across the waters of the Delaware and seized victory from Cornwallis of Yorktown. “Our Army manned …

The Hill reports: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday spoke out against President Trump’s 4th of July celebration and his controversial decision to display tanks and other military hardware on the National Mall during the festivities. Clinton joins other Democrats in slamming Trump’s Independence Day “Salute to America. Trump confirmed to reporters in the Oval Office Monday that …

Raw Story reports: President Donald Trump tried to drum up interest in his flagging Fourth of July spectacle by hinting that Air Force One and military vehicles might engage in some stunts to entertain onlookers. The president sounded a bit like historic showman P. T. Barnum — to whom he’s often compared — in announcing some of the exhibitions the …

Politico reports: President Donald Trump on Wednesday downplayed the mounting cost of his ambitious Fourth of July celebration, saying the price tag “will be very little compared to what it is worth.” The president on Wednesday did not specify the projected costs for Thursday’s event, but the $2.5 million Park Service figure to just partially cover costs would be larger …

The Lexington Courier-Journal reports: Sen. Mitch McConnell will be rocking Nikes in 2019 if the company reverses course and releases its Betsy Ross flag-themed shoes. McConnell rejected the idea that the flag, which is generally not viewed as a symbol for hate groups but has been used at times by groups like the Ku Klux Klan and was also prominent …

Trump’s latest tweet comes just after this: Republican Congressman Chip Roy (R-TX) urged President Donald Trump on Tuesday to ignore the Supreme Court’s decision on a controversial census citizenship question, advising him to print the survey with the question regardless of the court’s ruling. “It’s the lawyers advising him,” Roy tweeted, evidently referring to the Supreme Court Justices. “[Trump] should …

The Washington Post reports: The National Park Service is diverting nearly $2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve parks across the country to cover costs associated with President Trump’s Independence Day celebration Thursday on the Mall, according to two individuals familiar with the arrangement. Trump administration officials have consistently refused to say how much taxpayers will …

McClatchy reports: The next generation “Marine One” presidential helicopter will make its first public flight at President Donald Trump’s July 4 event, two U.S. officials confirmed to McClatchy. The helicopter is not in official use yet. It is being produced by a team from Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky. In the last few months the helicopter has flown test flights around …

The Associated Press reports: At least two Army tanks have arrived in Washington ahead of a Fourth of July celebration that President Donald Trump says will include military hardware. An Associated Press photographer says the two M1A1 Abrams tanks are with four other military vehicles on a freight train in a railyard at the southeastern edge of Washington. The vehicles …

Just in from Gallup Polling: As Americans prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, their pride in the U.S. has hit its lowest point since Gallup’s first measurement in 2001. While 70% of U.S. adults overall say they are proud to be Americans, this includes fewer than half (45%) who are “extremely” proud, marking the second consecutive year that …

“If you look at Twitter, I have millions and millions of people on Twitter and it’s — you know, it’s a very good arm for me. It’s great social media. But they don’t treat me right. And I know for a fact, I mean, a lot of people try and follow me and it’s very hard. I have so many …

“It’ll be like no other. I’m going to say a few words and we’re going to have planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world, and other planes, too. And we’re going to have some tanks stationed outside. You’ve got to be pretty careful with the tanks, because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry …