Category: News / Information

“Hakeem Jeffries Publishes The Plan Against Trump Crimes”

“And our Failed Political Press ™ is NOT covering it, quelle surprise.”

https://crooksandliars.com/2025/02/hakeem-jeffries-publishes-plan-against

By Tengrain — February 4, 2025

Hakeem Jeffries sent a Dear Colleague letter (And our Failed Political Press ™ is NOT covering it, quelle surprise, so once again we lowly bloggers are toiling away…):

“Dear Colleague: As we prepare to come back into session tomorrow, House Democrats will continue to push back against the far-right extremism that is being relentlessly unleashed on the American people. I write with an update on several urgent matters that we are working on for the country.

“First, I have made clear to House Republican leadership that any effort to steal taxpayer money from the American people, end Medicaid as we know it or defund programs important to everyday Americans, as contemplated by the illegal White House Office of Management and Budget order, must be choked off in the upcoming government funding bill, if not sooner.

“Second, at my direction, legislation will be introduced shortly to prevent unlawful access to the Department of Treasury Bureau of the Fiscal Service payment system that contains highly confidential and personal information related to Social Security and Medicare recipients, taxpayers, households, nonprofits, businesses and federal contractors.

“Third, in partnership with the Democratic Policy & Communications Comittee [sic], we will continue to highlight Republican policies that raise the already high cost of living for everyday Americans, including the wide-ranging tariffs directed at allies that risk dramatically increasing the price of groceries, fuel and automobiles in the United States of America.

“Fourth, Judiciary and Oversight Committee Democrats will detail for the Caucus the ongoing and anticipated litigation efforts to combat several of the unlawful executive actions, including, but not limited to, ending birthright citizenship, the firing of Inspectors General, terminations of federal civil service employees, the purge of the FBI and the suspension of funds appropriated by Congress. There are currently more than 20 different lawsuits challenging at least 11 executive orders.

“Fifth, Whip Katherine Clark will host a Caucus-wide meeting that includes the presence of outside experts, enhancing our ability to unpack and expose a recently uncovered Republican scheme to Rip Off the American taxpayer.

“Sixth, Chairman Pete Aguilar will continue to convene the ImmigrationWorking Group in connection with our efforts to secure the border, fix the broken system in a comprehensive manner, provide high-level constituent services to impacted communities and defend the Dreamers, farmworkers and families who contribute to our economy in a significant way.

“Seventh, House Appropriations Committee Democrats will continue to detail for the American people the federal funds that are at risk of being stolen, in the aftermath of our successful effort to halt the administration’s illegal so-called freeze by the Office of Management and Budget.

“Eighth, House Budget Committee Democrats will battle Republicans at the anticipated legislative hearing where the GOP will unveil a scheme to cut taxes for their billionaire donors and wealthy corporations while sticking working-class Americans with the bill.

“Ninth, our ongoing public safety accountability project will continue, as we detail for the American people the threat presented by violent felons who have been pardoned and released back into neighborhoods throughout the country, some of whom have a criminal record of predatory offenses including weapons charges, domestic violence and rape.

“Lastly, we urge all Members to once again conduct district-wide outreach today, or as soon as possible this week, in order to connect directly with our constituents and discuss the challenges we are decisively addressing on their behalf. For example, I will conduct a telephone town hall meeting in my district this evening. We will track participation throughout the Caucus.

“Thank you for your continued leadership during this perilous moment for our country. Together, we press onward.”

I’m not sanguine about 10-point plans that don’t include punching the Nazis, but he probably cannot say that in an official document. There’s a lot here to read (and read between the lines), so have at it.

Frankly, I’m glad that this got out, because like everyone else I want to know that they see this is a dangerous moment and that they are planning something other than whinging about the price of Super Bowl Pizza (Hi Chuck Schumer!) in the age of tariffs.

Republished with permission from Mock Paper Scissors.

Peace & Justice History for 2/5

February 5, 1830
America’s first daily labor newspaper began publication in New York City.
George Henry Evans, a 29-year-old journeyman printer, was the publisher of “New York Daily Sentinel.”

George Henry Evans
More about George Henry Evans 
February 5, 1991
49 German troops conscientiously objected to serving in Turkey during the Gulf War. The German peace movement actively supported U.S. soldiers stationed there by helping them file for conscientious objector (CO) status. By the end of the month, there were nearly 30,000 civilian COs refusing to serve in the military.
February 5, 2007

Lieutenant Ehren Watada
Lieutenant Ehren Watada faced a court martial for refusing to deploy to Iraq and for publicly criticizing the war, the first officer since Vietnam to be so tried. A volunteer from Hawaii who joined the U.S. Army prior to the invasion in 2003, he had refused to serve because:
“It would be a violation of my oath because this war to me is illegal in the sense that it was waged in deception, and it was also in violation of international law.”
Initially having served in South Korea, he learned more about the Iraqi conflict and the bogus claims of Saddam Hussein’s possession of weapons of mass destruction. He offered to resign or serve in Afghanistan but was refused:
“Mistakes can happen but to think that it was deliberate and that a careful deception was done on the American people – you just had to question who you are as a serviceman, as an American.”

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryfebruary.htm#february5

“Tiny Froglets”-I’m All In For Science on Wednesday!

(Photos on the page-click the title right down there)

Scientists hope these tiny froglets can save their species

By  SYLVIA HUI Updated 5:13 PM CST, February 3, 2025

LONDON (AP) — It was quite the journey for such tiny froglets: traveling thousands of miles from the forests of southern Chile to London, carried and brooded inside their fathers’ vocal sacs for safety.

London Zoo said Monday that 33 endangered Darwin’s frogs, named after scientist Charles Darwin who discovered the species, were born in their new home as part of a rescue mission to save the species from extinction.

Known populations of Darwin’s frogs have suffered a 90% decline within a year since a deadly disease known as chytrid fungus arrived in 2023 in their habitat, the Parque Tantauco forests in southern Chile. The fungus has affected hundreds of amphibian species around the world.

The creatures have a unique reproductive strategy: after the females lay eggs, the male frogs protect and rear the tiny tadpoles inside their distensible vocal sacs for them to develop in safety.

A team of conservationists traveled to Chile’s forests in October in search of healthy Darwin’s frogs free of the infectious disease. They collected 52 frogs, which were then placed in climate-controlled boxes for a 7,000-mile (11,265 kilometers) ride by boat, car and plane to their new home in London.

Of the group, 11 male frogs — each measuring under 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) — carried 33 tadpoles that were born at the zoo.

“We knew we were embarking on something special — the clock was ticking, and we needed to act quickly if we were going to save these frogs,” said Ben Tapley, curator of amphibians at London Zoo.

He said the successful parent-rearing of the froglets was a “powerful symbol of hope for the species.”

The frogs are now kept in pairs inside dozens of glass tanks filled with moss and with temperatures that mimic their natural habitat. Keepers said the zoo will set up a breeding program for them, and any frogs they breed may later be reintroduced into the wild.

Andres Valenzuela-Sanchez, a researcher at ZSL, the conservation charity behind London Zoo, said the project will ensure the species has a fighting chance of recovery.

“These frogs are not only vital for the future of their species but also help us better understand how we can combat chytrid fungus and safeguard other amphibians globally,” he said.

Peace & Justice History for 2/4

February 4, 1882

American Colonization Society ship leaving New York City bound for Liberia.
The American Colonization Society established the first settlement in what would become the west African state of Liberia. The new arrivals to the island called Perseverance were freeborn blacks from the U.S. who had emigrated with the encouragement of influential white Americans and funding from Congress. The colony was governed by whites for twenty years.
Read more
February 4, 1913
Rosa Louise McCauley was born in Tuskegee, Alabama.
She grew up to become civil rights leader Rosa Parks.

A teenage Rosa Parks poses with friend Samson Smith
The Neville Brothers music video says thank you in “Sister Rosa”
February 4, 1987
The U.S. House of Representatives overrode President Ronald Reagan’s (second) veto (401-26) of the Clean Water Act. The law provided funds for communities to build waste treatment facilities and to clean up waterways. Reagan described it as ”loaded with waste and larded with pork.”
February 4, 1990

The Colombian government recognized native rights to half of its 69,000 square miles of forest in the Amazon River basin, home to 55,000 indigenous people. In addition to the official Spanish, as many as 200 languages or dialects are spoken among Colombia’s peoples.

U’wa people

Boys on the Amazon
More on indigenous peoples 
February 4, 1996
Start of a week of marches for peace by thousands in Grozny, the embattled capital of Chechnya.
February 4, 2004

The Massachusetts Supreme Court declared that gays were entitled to nothing less than marriage under the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. They ruled that Vermont-style civil unions would not suffice, declaring they created an “unconstitutional, inferior, and discriminatory status for same-sex couples.”
The actual text of the decision in Goodridge vs. Department of Public Health 

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryfebruary.htm#february4

“This is like the Nigerian Prince on crack.”

Phishing With Elon by Clay Jones

Worse than a Nigerian prince Read on Substack

In addition to mocking people, challenging authority, and making people laugh while making others soil themselves in anger, political cartoons can be a public service. Today’s cartoon is a good example of that because every American needs to know about this shit. when I sent this cartoon to proofer Laura, she told me she was hoping I’d cover this today because it hasn’t been covered enough. Some of you, dear readers, have also posted in the comments about this issue. So, let me begin.

Elon Musk has been granted access to the Treasury Department’s payment system. What does this mean? It means Elon and his people have access to the financial information for everyone who receives payments from the federal government, including Elon’s competitors for government contracts…and even those who receive tax refunds.

This means Elon has your social security number, your date of birth, your address, your income, and if you do direct deposit with the government, he has your banking information. Elon might have your bank account and routing numbers. If you’re not pissed off yet, Elon even has access to your Social Security and Medicare accounts.

This is like the Nigerian Prince on crack.

Perhaps the only person safe from this is that survivalist living “off the grid” with a YouTube channel my little sister cites for anti-vaccine information.

David Lebryk, a top Treasury official and a non-political civil servant was put on leave and then suddenly retired on Friday after a standoff with Musk and his lieutenants. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, gave Elon and his goons the keys to the car.

Elon is pretending he needs this access to monitor and stop government spending he deems unnecessary or corrupt. But again, Elon can’t approve or cancel government spending because he does NOT have that authority. Even Trump doesn’t have that authority.

Elmo attacked the Treasury Department Saturday, criticizing the department for not rejecting more payments as fraudulent or improper. Except, how does he know the payments are fraudulent or improper? Before last Saturday, Elmo didn’t even know what payments the government was making. Has he read every single contract the government has or just the billion-dollar contracts he has with the government?

Do you remember when the goons were outraged with the idea President Barack Obama was born in Kenya? Do you remember when the goons were upset over unelected bureaucrats?

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is NOT a government department, but a team within the Trump administration (sic). Some members of DOGE have been made employees of the Treasury Department which is very odd since Trump demanded a hiring freeze. Somehow, these new Treasury employees have all passed speedy background checks which I’m sure aren’t suspicious at all.

Other DOGE teams have begun demanding access to data and systems at other federal agencies.

One of the people affiliated with DOGE who now has access to the payment system is Tom Krause, the chief executive of a Silicon Valley company, Cloud Software Group, and is worth over $83 billion. He’s only “affiliated,” and not officially a part of DOGE. Trump is allowing billionaires to rifle through the Treasury. Has Tom Krause passed a background check?

Guess what! Surprise, surprise, Cloud Software Group, much like Elon’s companies, has contracts with the federal government. I didn’t read that in any stories about this issue, I traced it. Krause was the individual who pushed for access and was first resisted by Lebryk until his hasty retirement.

This is like the bank robbers demanding the code to the safe and the manager giving it to them while making them a cake.

Elon having anything to do with the government is a conflict of interest. Even the name, DOGE, is a conflict of interest and a violation of the Emoluments Clause. This shouldn’t be allowed.

The best information I can find for accountability for DOGE is that there are about 20 employees and its office is next to the White House in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. What I can’t find but I’m sure will turn up throughout the Executive Grift, is how much DOGE is costing us.

Elon has talked about cutting $2 trillion from government spending, but it’s always always always always Republicans who do the most spending. I get to mention Dwight Eisenhower twice in this blog because he’s the last Republican president to leave a surplus. Now, here’s Elon to help Trump trim $2 trillion when it was Trump who increased our debt by over $7 trillion.

Ike sent that budget to Congress on January 25, 1960. A Republican president hasn’t sent a balanced budget to Congress since Running Bear by Johnny Preston was the number one song. See the shit I research for you? Also, Running Bear was the kind of shit we were forced to listen to before The Beatles (Elvis was in the Army and then he started a decade of those movies).

Bessent was confirmed just last week, but did he mention handing the government’s payment system over to Elon during his confirmation hearing? Since Trump didn’t mention it on the campaign trail, probably not.

Senator Ron Wyden, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee said, “I can think of no good reason why political operators who have demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law would need access to these sensitive, mission-critical systems.”

I get texts and emails from scammers all the time, but I’m pretty good at spotting them, just like I’m good at spotting fake news. Some of those scams claim a package from USPS can’t be delivered, so click this link. Another will claim my Netflix payment didn’t go through, so click this link. There’s a new one claiming you have unpaid tolls, so guess what they want you to do…click this link. Then there are those gorgeous women on Facebook leaving comments on your posts telling you that you seem like an interesting person, but their friend requests won’t go through, so please send one to them. Last year, someone sent me a check for over $6,000 for me to draw them something (that one had flies on it). But all of them can only wish to be as good of a phishing scammer as Elon.

If you’re not pissed off yet, then there’s something wrong with you.

Now, someone tell Donald Trump that Elon also has access to all his financial information too.

Creative note: This blog was written at Wegmans. I found a nice quiet spot in the corner of the dining area upstairs. The location is almost hidden. I got about two paragraphs of this blog written when a lady sat one table over from me with her pink computer and started blasting videos. It was like being the only person in a movie theater and a creeper comes in and sits next to you. Actually, I think that’s how my parents met. Dad was a creeper.

Drawn in 30 seconds: (snip-go see)

Because Of Interest In Nancy Beiman,

here is this from her Substack. Enjoy!

Interview by Charles Brubaker by Nancy Beiman

This interview appeared in a small zine, and it’s appearing here as well. Check out Charles Brubaker’s LAUREN IPSUM on this site! He does everything on paper! Read on Substack

INTERVIEW WITH NANCY BEIMAN SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

By Charles Brubaker

Nancy Beiman is best known for her decades-long work in animation, having animated for Warner Bros., Disney, Bill Melendez Productions, among others. However, on December 2022, at the age of 65, she ventured into a world of cartooning she hasn’t tried yet: a comic strip. The result was FurBabies, which made its debut on GoComics.com on June 5, 2023. The strip features Kate Buffet (pronounced boo-fay), an imaginative 9-year-old girl who can talk to her pets, dogs Stella and Shawm and their puppy Sirius, and Floof the kitten.

I interviewed Nancy about the comic via email. The following interview took place between August 12 to 16, 2023, and has been lightly edited for clarity.

What were your earliest cartooning influences?

My influences in animation were Chuck Jones, Charles M. Schulz, Robert Osborn, and Walt Kelly. I loved Zoltan Grgic’s work for the Zagreb animation studio. I was very fond of the UPA style but at the time did not know any of the artists’ names.

I met two of my influences and worked for one of them.

Speaking of Schulz, I remember you discussing your work on It’s the Girl in the Red Truck, Charlie Brown (1988) and how you animated Spike for it. What was your most memorable experience on that special?

Just working on a pantomime character was a liberating experience. I asked Bill Melendez who was the lead animator on Spike, and he said “You are. He’s never been animated before!” I loved using my knowledge of silent film comedy to block action on Spike. He walked like Chaplin (with those big feet) and did deadpan comedy like Keaton. He was a lot of fun to animate. That film is the most obscure of the Peanuts specials and should not be. It combined live action and animation (with the animated characters considered a ‘normal’ part of the live action world) two years before Who Framed Roger Rabbit. But CBS didn’t see any opportunity to sell toys, and it was not associated with any holiday, so they did not broadcast it until after Roger Rabbit was a hit. The Girl in the Red Truck was there first.

While you were getting started in animation did you think of doing comics? Were you published anywhere during your early days in the field?

I never considered doing comics at any time before December, 2022.

So FurBabies really is your first in the world of comics? What was the development process like? Which characters were created first?

I first got the idea for a comic strip about a kid who can talk to her pets as family members (rather than pets) in mid-December 2022. I drew up some sketches on December 24 and got Stella, Sirius, and Shawm immediately. They have changed very little since then. Kate has changed a lot. Here are the first sketches of her.

“Catt” drawn on December 24, 2022.

Floof is adapted from a cat design that I made for an unfinished film, Old Tricks. I used only the head and redesigned a kitten body. Floof has changed a bit since then. The head was that of an adult cat; she became more kittenish and cute after I drew about 10 strips. I had to go back and redraw some early Floofs when the strip was picked up by Andrews McMeel/GoComics. Kate was the hardest to create, and she was originally named Catt. She is inspired by Pippi Longstocking and a few students I have known (and they don’t know.) I had the character lineup, with Kate as Catt, on December 23, and changed her name to Katt, then Kate, on December 29. That’s when the characters were copyrighted.

original lineup, December 29, 2022

Fuzz the Cat from OLD TRICKS © 2016 Nancy Beiman

Lynn Johnston saw the lineup on the 29th and instructed me to write 24 short story outlines, one sentence or so each, with dialogue. I got them done on New Year’s Eve. “You’ve got something. Can you keep this up?” Lynn asked me. I answered “Yes”. “Then draw 24 comics and let me know when they are done.” The first FurBabies comic strip, which is actually the first one on the GoComics site, was drawn on January 4, 2023. I used a 1926 Esterbrook “Radio” 914 pen nib once owned by Charles M. Schulz, on hot pressed Bristol board. It’s a gorgeous nib, but it is difficult to use a dip pen when you have inquisitive cats in a small apartment/studio. All subsequent strips were inked with a Pentel brush pen. All character art and backgrounds are drawn on paper, then scanned.

While we’re on art tools used in the comic, how big do you draw the strips? How do you color the comics?

I don’t draw ‘the strips’. I do rough scribbly thumbnail layouts for them, the most detailed are done for the Sundays. Each Sunday strip has a different layout. The characters and backgrounds are inked on paper, all of them separately. I use old animation paper or Italian hot press paper and draw a light rough, then ink with a Pentel brush pen. Characters can fill the entire page or be smaller, depending on the complexity of the drawing. I’ll do a drawing over if I don’t like the first one, and sometimes modify the scan in Photoshop. The backgrounds are often reused. I save each image as a 300dpi .bmp file and composite them on digital templates for 2, 3, or 4 panel strips. The digital dailies are 17 inches wide. Sundays are 24 inches wide. The finals are saved as TIFF files at GoComics’ recommended size…which means they are half to 2/3 of the size of the PDF files I work on. Only the first strip (June 5) was drawn with characters and backgrounds all on paper, like a traditional comic…I work much faster using animation methods. I use whatever works, the technology is not important.

Coloring is done in Photoshop using brushes that mimic pastel and watercolor wash. I work on top of the black line to continue the illusion that it was ‘painted’ on paper. Even the borders of the strip are ‘fuzzy’ and characters sometimes break through the panels. Sunday strips are designed to be graphically pleasing and planned on paper but still done piecemeal, animation style.

Sunday strip, December 10, 2023.

The writing method Lynn Johnson suggested, with 24 one-sentence outlines, is an interesting technique for plotting out comic strips. What’s your overall writing method like once you got your strip off the ground?

I continue to follow Lynn’s method. It’s not a one sentence log line: dialogue and location, sometimes action, is always included. I often change things when I actually draw the characters since I still think in visual story, like an animator. Lynn’s method is the best way to keep a comic on track. It shows you where you are going and what characters can do. You can change the script order before you draw the strips.

Like animation dialogue, scripts and action for the comic are often changed when I get down to the drawing. Short scripts are the best way to get a series going, to plan when new characters are introduced, and develop characters. Lynn also suggested that I use a monthly planner (a book with the entire month on one page) to plan and time the storylines. That was a lifesaver. Several storylines have been moved since I started drawing the strip in January and wintry themes were out of place in June.

You recently introduced Pratt-L, an AI chatbot Kate uses to cheat on her homework. Do you have concerns about the use of AI in creative fields? What was on your mind when you wrote the arc?

I tried out AI’s writing and art programs when they were available for free trial and found them completely incompetent. Pratt-L combines the worst features of both. It is the perfect villain for this strip since the main conflict is between organic lifeforms and technology. This conflict developed as I got to know Kate better. She was the hardest one to write for.

Some modern comics have child characters that never stream videos, play video games, or use cell phones. Tauhid Bondia deliberately set Crabgrass in 1985 before these things became common and life changed for children. Kate Buffet is nine years old, lives in the 21st century, grew up in the age of smartphones, influencers, and streaming videos. Kate is not lazy or stupid but has a quirky way of thinking that does not match what is expected of her, especially in school. She has a lot of curiosity and it’s only natural that she would try the new AI technology. She has the latest digital technology. I made the rest of the apartment furnishings very dated, to show the contrast between Kate and her parents. There are some subliminal messages (family friendly ones) in the backgrounds. For example, the refrigerator is a Calder, named after the artist. Pratt-L wants to be a friend, is completely incompetent, sometimes snarky, in need of constant approval and self-pitying (depending on what it is scraping), but not a dangerous threat the way it is in real life.

There will also be an ‘influencer’ in FurBabies. It will not be human.

AI is not a matter of concern; it is literally going to be a matter of life and death. There is a bill in Parliament recommending that it be allowed to write medical prescriptions in Canada. What could possibly go wrong? People are not taking it seriously as a threat because artists and writers are the first ones affected by it, and most people do not consider art to be a ‘real job’ (My Labor Day strip addresses that issue.) I am most surprised by artists who keep insisting that it is ‘a tool’ like Photoshop. There is a difference. Photoshop allows you to personally modify artwork and photos. I use my own photos for backgrounds, and I sometimes use pictures from the Web for dogs and cats, but always redraw and redesign what I see. Photoshop does not use a bot to ‘scrape’ material from a million other artists and then ‘create’ art which you claim as your own.

My biggest surprise is that some artists think that it is fun to play with it. I think that they are like rabbits admiring the scales on the snake that is about to kill them.

A cartoon of a computer and a cat Description automatically generated

Pratt-L’s quotes are from an actual ‘robot press conference’ held in Zurich a few days before this strip was published.

There’s a strong “family” theme in your comic, with how Kate views her pets to Sirius and Floof referring to Stella and Shawn as their mom and dad. Will this dynamic be explored more further as the strip continues?

The animals are definitely a family. The Dog Family has accepted Floof as one of their members. Kate is a link between the Dog Family and the Human family; she can speak to both, but only one of them understands her. She knows that she really is not a Dog or a Cat. It’s an interesting dynamic, and since the characters generally ‘tell’ me what they will and will not do, I am not sure if Kate’s situation will change. I also don’t think the human parents will appear, except as offscreen character voices. It’s not that they don’t interact with Kate…I just don’t find them interesting enough to include in the strip. It’s told very much from the animals’ point of view unless Kate is in school without them.

June 5, 2024. The Dog Family.

Early in the run most of the strip focuses on Kate and her pets, although newer strips start to include more characters, like in the recent Scavenger Hunt story arc. In addition to Kate’s classmates you also had her interact with Little Fingers the raccoon. Will we see more of Kate interacting with other kids in her class, and more of Little Fingers and other animals Kate can talk to?

Optima “Poppy” Populare and Iris, the two girls on the scavenger hunt, are not interesting enough to do much more than snark. “Poppy” returns in school and in some Halloween strips. There will probably be a few more kids appearing later on, with their own pets, probably in the dog park or maybe in the apartment building. Little Fingers the raccoon returns in November, but he’s a wild raccoon. He won’t ever interact with the other animals.

You indicated in your newsletter that you have a backlog for your comic. How far ahead are you currently?

I am currently working on strips that will air in October. I am proud to say that not one of them involves a pumpkin! (Charles M. Schulz covered that territory very well.) I like to stay about two weeks ahead of deadlines, and originally was two months ahead due to the late start in 2023! That gave me the option of shifting the cartoons, or changing them, as I got to know the characters better. I can also take a week off without worrying about comics not appearing.

Since FurBabies is still a very new comic and I am still redefining myself as a comic strip creator, I moved story lines or reworked some existing strips after I had enough comics that showed the characters’ developing personalities. Some people who have seen months of the strips in continuity tell me that they read better ‘as a whole’ but that is not the way comics work; it’s taken one day at a time. FurBabies is not a ‘gag’ strip, it’s character driven, so there were a lot of changes. Some of the cartoons that ran in June were originally drawn for September.

Things are settling down now. Some readers are adjusting to the fact that Kate is not a ‘perfect’ little girl, she sometimes tries to cheat on homework with AI (and gives up), or that she can be a distraction in class. I finally figured out who she was when she took her burned cookies and sold them as dog biscuits. Kate makes plenty of mistakes, but she has a creative way of dealing with them.

Read FurBabies at www.gocomics.com/furbabies/

Subscribe to the FurBabies newsletter at nancybeiman.substack.com

ReadCharlesBrubaker’sLAURENIPSUMcomicat

http://lauren.smallbugstudio.com/

The GLAAD Weather Watch

It’s an interactive site, and it looks like a fine resource. I’m not aware of problematic things with GLAAD, but am aware I don’t see them mentioned here, so if there is something I’ve missed about them, please let us know. Also then, my apologies. But this looks like an excellent resource, so I hope they haven’t messed up anything for people. The blue GLAAD Weather Watch below is the link.

Take Action to Protect LGBTQ People with the GLAAD Weather Watch!

This year, anti-LGBTQ extremists are continuing their dangerous mission to ban LGBTQ people from access to bathrooms, schools, sports, and medical care. We need your help to defeat bad legislation, and to celebrate wins: Tune in to the GLAAD Weather Watch and sign up to receive updates of how you can take action!

From yesterday:

It’s not only handwringing about what’s happening, it’s reportage of how what’s happening is being fought on We The People’s behalf.

Mary Trump Live: Two Weeks of Chaos by Mary L Trump

Donald’s Power Grab, Elon Musk’s Treasury Takeover, and the Future of Democracy Read on Substack

Two weeks into Donald’s second term, while a demented old man plays emperor, Elon Musk—who has no authority, no votes, no confirmation—has effectively taken control of the U.S. Treasury.

Four years ago, in the lead-up to the 2020 election, I and many others warned that American democracy was on a knife’s edge. I also said that if Donald ever returned to power, it would mark the end of the American experiment. I desperately wanted to be wrong.

But here we are.

Tariff War: Chaos with Mexico and Canada

Donald’s 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada, scheduled to take effect at 12:01 AM Tuesday, have been paused for 30 days after frantic negotiations.

Here’s what Mexico conceded:

  • 10,000 National Guard troops deployed to Mexico’s northern border to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration.
  • The U.S. pledged to help Mexico curb weapons trafficking.

And here’s what Canada conceded:

  • A $1.3 billion border security plan was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
  • Donald agreed to a 30-day pause to explore a broader economic deal.

This wasn’t a bluff. The tariffs were scheduled to happen tonight. Economists sounded the alarm, and the U.S. stock market opened nearly 450 points down over fears of rising prices and a trade war.

Donald, however, thrives in uncertainty. He emphasized that the tariff pause is conditional, stating that tariffs will proceed if a final deal isn’t reached within 30 days.

After speaking with Trudeau, Donald posted:

“Canada has agreed to ensure we have a secure northern border and to finally end the deadly scourge of drugs like fentanyl that have been pouring into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of Americans while destroying their families and communities. Canada will implement their $1.3 billion border plan, reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology, and personnel. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and will be backing it with $200 million.”

Sure, Donald.

Of course, data shows minimal fentanyl smuggling at the northern border, but who needs facts when you can manufacture a crisis?

Elon Musk’s Hostile Takeover of USAID and the Treasury

Elon Musk—who holds no official government position—is shutting down USAID (United States Agency for International Development), an organization that has provided humanitarian assistance since the Kennedy administration.

Musk hates USAID, though it’s unclear why. Maybe because it helps starving children, funds education for war-torn Ukraine, or provides foreign aid that limits China and Russia’s influence.

Regardless, Marco Rubio—who, as Secretary of State, apparently has enough free time—was appointed as acting director of USAID.

“Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named the acting administrator of the US Agency for International Development.” — CBS News

Yes, you read that correctly. The guy running the State Department now has a side gig managing foreign aid.

The reason for this? Donald’s administration is trying to dismantle USAID by placing it under the State Department’s direct control. Rubio has long criticized the agency for its “lack of responsiveness” to the State Department’s directives. Now, he’s in charge of gutting it.

But Democrats are fighting back.

Representative Jamie Raskin didn’t mince words:

“They have removed all evaluations from the USAID website. They have shut down, immediately, as of right now, all evaluations of USAID efforts across the world. This has nothing to do with evaluation—this is about termination and obliteration of the major foreign aid programs of the United States of America.”

Raskin also pointed out that USAID’s total budget is less than $40 billion, while the Pentagon budget is $900 billion—the very budget that defense contractor Elon Musk profits from.

The impact of USAID’s collapse is already being felt:

  • Emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt were exempted, but programs for refugees, HIV/AIDS treatment, and war-torn regions like Ukraine and Syria are now at risk.
  • In Zimbabwe, a U.S.-funded HIV program credited with saving millions of lives faces collapse—a death sentence for many patients.
  • China will step in to fill the vacuum, expanding its influence in Africa, Latin America, and the Pacific.

Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) has responded by placing a hold on all of Donald’s State Department nominees, saying the move is illegal. His hold will force Republicans to spend valuable Senate time on confirmations, slowing Donald’s ability to install loyalists.

It’s a start.

(snip-More, or listen at the page)

Award-Winning Doc ‘Sally!’ Introduces Sally Gearhart, the Lesbian Activist Who Took on Proposition 6 With Harvey Milk

PUBLISHED 2/3/2025 by Michele Meek

Historic lesbian activist Sally Gearhart is featured in Deborah Craig’s new award-winning documentary Sally!

Most people have heard of Harvey Milk. Sally Gearhart—not as much. But in fact, Gearhart sat right beside Milk as his debate partner in 1978 when they disputed—and ultimately defeated—Proposition 6, the Briggs Initiative that would have banned lesbian and gay teachers and topics in California’s public schools. When their opponents quoted the Bible, Milk was at a loss. Gearhart, on the other hand, could quote it right back at them. Born in 1931 into a Christian household in Virginia, Gearhart charted her own unconventional path from a career as a teacher at Christian colleges in Texas until she determined …

Read More Here:  https://msmagazine.com/2025/02/03/sally-gearhart-documentary-deborah-craig/

Weekend/Monday AM News

has been moving along rapidly, and I haven’t put much here because it’s moving so quickly that posting doesn’t keep up with the changes. Anyway, we’ve likely all heard of the non-government workers who are directed by an unelected, unsworn, non-government worker and are accessing US Treasury data bases and We The People’s personal and financial data. If not, well; it’s everywhere. Anyway, I spent a lot of time writing to my Rep, the one of my senators who’s not insane, and Sen. Chuck Schumer about this yesterday, and had more letters and calls (messages) about other business this morning. I’ve had 6 stories up to post only to find as I began to set up posts that something had changed, and they weren’t accurate news anymore. However, here’s a thing. Many people have been despairing of and finger-pointing to “the Dems” as being at fault for all of this. Here is where Dems’s actual momentum is at this time:

Senate and House Dem Presser Outside USAID Today (Video) – Please Watch And Share by Simon Rosenberg

Senate and House Dems forcefully challenge Trump/Musk’s illegal attacks on USAID and the US government Read on Substack

https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/senate-and-house-dem-presser-outside?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Above is the link to the video, and all of what Simon Rosenberg wrote. Here’s a snippet:

Friends,

I was really impressed with the House presser today and decided to send it along to all of you. Please watch and share with others you think might be interested. You all have wanted Dems to fight – well here you go!

Note that several speakers today talked about how important the calls are they’re receiving from constituents. These calls matter everyone. Keep working it!

(snip-go see everything, and if you’ve contacted your legislators, thanks and please keep it up! If not, I don’t know what it’s gonna take, but to me, we don’t want things to get worse than this, so now is the time. Unless you think this is all fine, of course, but I don’t think you’d be reading here if you did. Links to contact and phone numbers are right beneath.)

https://www.congress.gov/ , https://www.house.gov/representatives

https://www.senate.gov/ , https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Here’s the only one of the tabs I was going to post, but it gives good background if someone needs a little more info in order to act: Musk’s Little Green Men