Teabagistan

Variety has the first word: Roger Ailes is officially out at Fox News, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to Variety. The former head of the network reportedly received a $40 million buyout after Gretchen Carlson and several other women accused him of sexual harassment over the past couple of weeks. From the Daily Beast: Fox News confirmed to …

Adding extra deliciousness to an already entertaining plagiarism scandal is that journalist Jarrett Hill, who first picked up on it, belongs to two of the GOP’s most-reviled minorities. Via the New York Times: Mr. Hill, a television journalist who was recently laid off, said in an interview that one of Ms. Trump’s lines — the words “strength of your dreams” …

Whee! Via Politico: Weakened and demoralized anti-Donald Trump activists, joined by a band of furious conservative delegates, are preparing to make a final stand here Tuesday, and it threatens to plunge the national convention into turmoil just hours before Republicans formally nominate Trump. Though party rules purport to require delegates to vote for candidates based on their performance in state …

Whoa! The Week recaps the shout-fest: MSNBC anchor Tamron Hall was not putting up with any excuses from Trump-supporting actor Scott Baio when she confronted him about sharing a controversial meme showing Hillary Clinton in front of what appears to be “the C-word.” Over the course of four minutes, Hall repeatedly skewered Baio for sharing the meme, demanding to know, …

Yesterday we heard that Fox News is moving to oust their chairman Roger Ailes in the wake of a sexual harassment suit filed by recently fired anchor Gretchen Carlson. Today we learn why they might be moving so quickly. New York Magazine reports: As a chorus of prominent Fox News women have gone public defending Roger Ailes against the wave …

No, the homocons at Log Cabin haven’t suddenly become self-aware, that’s what they are calling the GOP platform committee in a full-page ad published today in the Cleveland edition of USA Today. Via press release: Log Cabin Republicans has placed a full-page ad in USA Today calling out the GOP Platform Committee for drafting the most anti-LGBT platform in the …

Talking Points Memo reports: Eighties actor Scott Baio is not apologizing for a tweet he sent out last week that featured a meme referring to Hillary Clinton as a c–t. After Baio spoke at the Republican National Convention Monday night, CNN host Dana Bash asked him if he regretted the tweet. Baio showed no signs of walking it back. “It’s …

Another whopper from Donald Trump. Via Politifact: On the opening night of the Republican convention, Donald Trump told Fox News host Bill O’Reilly he was grateful it was held in Cleveland. “I wanted it to be here, and we had lots of choices,” Trump said. “I wanted it to be in Ohio. I recommended Ohio. And people fought very hard …

CNN reports: At least one passage in Melania Trump’s speech Monday night at the Republican National Convention plagiarized Michelle Obama’s speech to the Democratic National Convention in 2008. Side-by-side comparisons of the transcripts show the text in Trump’s address following, nearly to the word, the first lady’s own from the first night of the Democratic convention in Denver nearly eight …

Dan Savage ripped into the Log Cabin Republicans today in a piece for Seattle’s Stranger: The Log Cabin Republicans have been working to “transform the GOP from the inside” for forty years and not only hasn’t it gotten better, it’s gotten worse. The 2016 Republican Platform, adopted today without a peep of protest from Log Cabin Republicans, is worse on …

I tweeted in disbelief when she said this early this morning. The HRC recaps the clip below: Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin told CNN this morning that the GOP platform isn’t anti-LGBTQ… because there were “gay people on the committee” that drafted it. That would be one — Rachel Hoff, who emotionally, and unsuccessfully, begged her fellow party members to soften …

From the Daily Beast: A multi-level marketer who peddles pseudoscience—and whose product is endorsed by America’s leading conspiracy theorist—is scheduled to speak in a primetime slot Wednesday at the Republican National Convention. Michelle Van Etten was presented by the RNC in a Sunday evening press release as a “small business owner” who “employs over 100,000 people.” That’s roughly 1.5 times …

The New Yorker today reports that Tony Schwartz, who was Donald Trump’s ghostwriter for The Art Of The Deal, is ever so sorry about having taken the job. From their article: Schwartz thought about publishing an article describing his reservations about Trump, but he hesitated, knowing that, since he’d cashed in on the flattering “Art of the Deal,” his credibility …

Trump confidant Roger Stone, who is banned from CNN and MSNBC for his many racist posts on social media, told Breitbart this weekend that Trump will name his prospective cabinet choices at some point during the convention. But check out how Stone parses his words: “I think that Trump is going to name a prospective cabinet and there is of …

The Weekly Standard did some eavesdropping: New Jersey governor Chris Christie was reportedly enraged he didn’t earn the VP spot, according to a top Trump campaign official. While minding my own business at the Starbucks inside the Westin hotel this morning, I saw a man engage Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort in conversation about the VP selection process. The man, …

The Republican Convention launches today in Cleveland and last night the GOP issued the full list of speakers: MONDAY Theme: Make America Safe Again Headliners: Trump’s wife, Melania; Lt. Gen. (ret.) Michael Flynn, U.S. Army; Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont. Others: Willie Robertson, star of “Duck Dynasty”; former Texas Gov. Rick Perry; Marcus Luttrell, retired U.S. …

That was quick. Via Bloomberg: United Airlines suspended pilot and Republican West Virginia lawmaker Michael Folk from flying pending an investigation after he said Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should be executed. “This pilot has been removed from flying pending our investigation,” United Continental Holdings Inc. tweeted Sunday. “We are appalled by his threatening comments.” Folk, a member of the …

From the Associated Press: A West Virginia Republican lawmaker said Sunday his comments made on Twitter calling for Democrat Hillary Clinton’s public execution weren’t meant to be taken literally. House of Delegates member Mike Folk said that his tweet Friday over Clinton’s use of a private email system while she served as secretary of state was “hyperbole.” In the tweet, …

According to a video posted this afternoon by lunatic conspiracy nut Alex Jones, Fox News commentator Karl Rove called the cops on him for repeatedly confronting him after traveling on the same flight to Cleveland. Watch below. You don’t see any police in Jones’ video, but in Rove’s defense (ugh) anybody would call the cops in this situation.

From the New York Daily News: This year’s RNC may be a grand old segregated party. Republican National Convention organizers are scrambling to replace signs labeling a bank of elevators the “white elevators.” The Jim Crow-esque signs were seen in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena, where thousands of Republican delegates, politicians and supporters are expected to formally nominate bombastic businessman Donald Trump …