Althouse: At the Monday Night Café...

August 18, 2025

At the Monday Night Café...

... you can talk about whatever you want.

No sunrise picture today — it was raining.

37 comments:

BUMBLE BEE said...: I've got nothing to say
But its OK
Good Morning, Good Morning, Good Morning; 8/18/25, 6:53 PM
Humperdink said...: An armed carjacker was arrested and later charged with attempted murder in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh. Visualize the worst area of DC. Five victims were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Ten others were injured with graze wounds or other minor injuries.

The perpetrator was 16 years old. “He was a good boy.”; 8/18/25, 6:58 PM
Yancey Ward said...: While I think it likely the war in Ukraine will continue, you see the flop sweat on the lefties at the possibility that Trump brings it to a close.; 8/18/25, 7:00 PM
Disparity of Cult said...: Unhinged, demanding special treatment, claiming victimhood, and making bigoted remarks.

"Woman is Convinced She's Above 'Americans & their Laws' "

https://youtu.be/MTpYY0o_-PE?feature=shared; 8/18/25, 7:00 PM
Yancey Ward said...: And in the middle of a national holiday, Humperdink, the charges will be pleaded down to time served or dismissed altogether.; 8/18/25, 7:01 PM
William50 said...: Nobody does it as good as Mr. Wolf & Hubert Sumlin.

Spoonful - Howlin’ Wolf; 8/18/25, 7:16 PM
Gusty Winds said...: NOBODY cared about all the KILLING for the last four years. "I stand with Ukraine"! Today, as Trump ran the latest episode of "World Leader Celebrity Apprentice", everyone at that table said they wanted to "stop the killing." They were on the world stage. Sure there are serious details about Donbass, Crimea, and security guarantees. But Trump (with the help of smokin' hot Melania's letter) set the narrative to end this bullshit. "Stop the killing." To oppose it means you're pro-death.

Friday with Putin in Alaska, and today with Europe showing up to at the White House, is the peak moment (so far) of the Donald J. Trump era. Enjoy! Thank you for paying attention to this matter!; 8/18/25, 7:17 PM
buwaya said...: Some ongoing effects of a reduction in US credibility - the Philippines has been collecting a substantial force of Indian Brahmos supersonic antiship missiles (copied from a Russian design) since 2023. They have three batteries (three launchers each) of these now, I have heard talk of ten batteries total.
https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/breaking-news-philippines-advances-plans-to-acquire-more-brahmos-india-missile-systems
This is a big deal. In part this is a response to the US slow-walking its response to China. The US has been promising missiles for years (context of the 2014 basing agreement) but not deploying. In part (concerning financing) this is probably a visible effect of a tacit East Asian-Indian alliance creating a backup process in case of US strategic withdrawal.; 8/18/25, 7:19 PM
rhhardin said...: Machine translation of Ukrainian is annoying. "There was a battle in the Kursk direction." Apparently direction and region are not distinguished in Ukrainian.; 8/18/25, 7:25 PM
buwaya said...: The speculation is, lacking an effective US buildup, in an East Asian alliance, the Philippines can help hold the southern flank of Taiwan (Kaohsiung). The known deployments of Brahmos in Northern Luzon indicate that.
Not a lot of people trust the US anymore.
I have visited Kaohsiung before, an MBA buddy and former roomie lives there. I may make it there again this year.
I have also been to where these missiles will be (Pagudpud Ilocos Norte and thereabouts). Hidden in forested mountain roads.; 8/18/25, 7:26 PM
Iman said...: Anyone else get a kick out of James Comey using a “I’m a Taylor Swift superfan, have been for years” defense, admitting in a video that he memorizes the lyrics of his favorite Swift songs and declares he’s at one with Swift and her anti-bully stand? Seriously, WTF!?!?; 8/18/25, 7:33 PM
Mason G said...: "Friday with Putin in Alaska, and today with Europe showing up to at the White House, is the peak moment (so far) of the Donald J. Trump era."

Can you imagine Kamala in this situation? OMG!!! How "brat" would *that* be? And it would be historic right up the ass, what with her being a black(ish) female, all kinds of "firsts". Plus- all the cackling. What a wasted opportunity.

Oh, well- you can't have everything.; 8/18/25, 7:37 PM
Gusty Winds said...: Are liberals gonna lose their shit when Trump successfully ends the Russia-Ukraine war (which the USA helped start), and thousands of casualties and deaths per week come to and end? He's gonna pull this off. End this stupid war. And American Liberals will hate it. Blind to it's short and long term life saving gift. Sad!; 8/18/25, 7:42 PM
buwaya said...: I'm a Natalia Lafourcade superfan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXUEjRiCXpg&list=RDmXUEjRiCXpg&start_radio=1
Music video at the university in Guanajuato.
The guys in 16th century outfits are from the "estudiantina" or "Tuna", student/faculty minstrel groups, which is an ancient Spanish university tradition.; 8/18/25, 7:43 PM
Sydney said...: Iman, I watched the Comey Taylor Swift fanboy video. Two thoughts:
1) The look in his eyes when he mentions Donald Trump struck me as insane.
2) I don't believe he's really a Taylor Swift fan. I think he used her so his video could be connected with her name and boost its views.; 8/18/25, 7:45 PM
NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...: Mason G said...

Can you imagine Kamala in this situation?

Wouldn't have happened with her. Her handlers would have just sent more ammo to Kyiv.; 8/18/25, 7:59 PM
Dave Begley said...: I was at the Omaha Hy-Vee about one hour ago when I saw a younger version of Ann Althouse. But this woman had a giant tat on her right upper arm.

Tats on women is an epidemic in Omaha.

One of these days I’m gonna walk up to one of these women and say, “WTF is wrong with you with those tats?”; 8/18/25, 8:18 PM
Original Mike said...: Sorry to disappoint you, buwaya.; 8/18/25, 8:24 PM
Gospace said...: Ship explosion in Baltimore harbor. Near where the Francis Scott Key bridge went down. Just left the coal loading docks with a full load.

Probability close to 100% it was a coal dust explosion. Most aren't aware, but dust explosions- of all kinds of dust- are common and deadly and BIG. Usually it's a grain elevator.

All kinds of ways to mitigate the possibility of one happening. For coal, one way is to wet down the coal during the loading process. Somehow, some way, they failed to follow some basic safety precautions. I don't know which ones they failed with, but fail they did.; 8/18/25, 8:27 PM
TickTock1948 said...: Re: Tats on women is an epidemic in Omaha.

I believe that there is a generation or two of women wo don't want to look pretty anymore.; 8/18/25, 8:27 PM
Dave Begley said...: The unsung hero in all these peace deals is Marco Rubio. When he is on TV he always gives full credit to the President but Marco and his staff are certainly doing a lot of the scut work.

State is perfect for Marco. He knows his stuff and is really energized by the work.

Trump may have the greatest Cabinet of all time.; 8/18/25, 8:29 PM
Dave Begley said...: Gospace:

Big wood dust explosion in Fremont, NE two weeks ago; three killed. A dad and two little girls were the victims.; 8/18/25, 8:31 PM
Mason G said...: "Most aren't aware, but dust explosions- of all kinds of dust- are common and deadly and BIG."

I've worked for 34 years in the engineering department of a sugar factory. Dust is taken *very* seriously around here.; 8/18/25, 8:36 PM
Dave Begley said...: I wonder how Comey’s love of Taylor Swift will go over with his fellow inmates in the Big House.; 8/18/25, 8:39 PM
Iman said...: LOL, Sydney… a look of insanity with a large dollop of terror. He was trying for more views and maybe hoping to soften up any potential female jurors.

The mook is a piece of work!; 8/18/25, 8:40 PM
Iman said...: Jay Mohr is hilarious on Adam Carolla’s podcast!; 8/18/25, 8:43 PM
Iman said...: Q: What do you call a coffin with OJ Simpson in it?

A: a JuiceBox; 8/18/25, 8:50 PM
buwaya said...: OM, it is what it. Actions, or inaction, have consequences. Part of these consequences is a loss of control, you induce smaller players to take initiative themselves, which may be inconvenient to managing a crisis. One reason the Cold War could be managed, unlike 1914, is that it was run entirely from Washington and Moscow. Not even the French were off the reservation, in spite of the rhetoric. Now?
You stand an excellent chance of being dragged into something ugly, if some third party loses his cool.
And the blame lies with Obama, Biden (well, he was the cherry on top), and the "permanent government" in Washington.; 8/18/25, 8:51 PM
Lazarus said...: You can be a grown man and like Taylor Swift's music, but the first rule of the Grown-ass Men's Taylor Swift Fan Club is you don't talk about your fandom. It may be possible that Comey was just pathetically and ineffectually trolling Trump.; 8/18/25, 8:59 PM
Aggie said...: If the Comey video about Tay-Tay is any indication, then I could be betting he has a serious side crush on My Little Pony memorabilia - and I wouldn't doubt it for a second.; 8/18/25, 9:04 PM
effinayright said...: Dave Begley said...
I was at the Omaha Hy-Vee about one hour ago when I saw a younger version of Ann Althouse. But this woman had a giant tat on her right upper arm.

Tats on women is an epidemic in Omaha.

One of these days I’m gonna walk up to one of these women and say, “WTF is wrong with you with those tats?”
************

I suspect the "thinking" goes like this:

* Guys get tats to display how tough and manly they are.

* Women see that and say, "I'll get tats to show how tough and manly *I* am."

It just doesn't work.

NEVER MIND that it's self disfigurement. A young woman I know just turned up sporting a snot ring. She so Proud!!; 8/18/25, 9:05 PM
Jim at said...: A young woman I know just turned up sporting a snot ring.

In other words, sow control.; 8/18/25, 9:12 PM
Aggie said...: Noted elsewhere, Canadian PM Carney not seen at the White House peace talks today, even though Canada has ante-ed up $20 billion to the Ukrainian party. The gate bouncer looked over at Trump and he shook his head 'no', and told Carney his 'cash is good at the bar'.; 8/18/25, 9:16 PM
Caroline said...: Had my first engagement today with an AI assistant…it answered a query I had about a back ordered item I am looking to purchase as a gift. AI assistant and I traded a few emails. I appreciated the prompt, competent reply, but did not bring the communication to a close with the normal niceties… I thought, why express gratitude to a robot?
I’ve been thinking about how interactions with AI assistants will make us quickly forget how to interact politely with humans. AI will make us all less human. AI is the devil.; 8/18/25, 9:18 PM
FullMoon said...: (Trump hater) BREAKING: Former AG Bill Barr testified under oath today that President Trump is not connected to the Epstein files, and if he were, Biden would have already leaked it:

“He said that he had never seen anything that would implicate President Trump in any of this, and that he believed if there had been anything pertaining to President Trump with respect to the Epstein list, that he felt like the Biden administration would probably have leaked it out.”

https://x.com/bennyjohnson/status/1957560068666454184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1957560068666454184%7Ctwgr%5Ef4418dabdc80ea26a9dc15e2b8036b0b5656300f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Finstapundit.com%2F739048%2F; 8/18/25, 9:22 PM
Achilles said...: buwaya said...

Some ongoing effects of a reduction in US credibility - the Philippines has been collecting a substantial force of Indian Brahmos supersonic antiship missiles (copied from a Russian design) since 2023. They have three batteries (three launchers each) of these now, I have heard talk of ten batteries total.

The Phillipines should just get nukes. Same with Taiwan and Japan. I assume the latter 2 are one button away from having nukes themselves.

I am not sure why anyone wants the US and China fighting over islands in the South Pacific. That just seems like a bad idea all of the way around.; 8/18/25, 9:49 PM
buwaya said...: Because the Chinese insist on taking Taiwan and making the Philippines a puppet state. The Duterte affair has revealed some points of interest. One was that the Chinese had bribed Duterte with millions (some in Manila say 1billion USD, but who knows). Duterte tried to withraw his funds when he fled to Hong Kong but the Chinese government blocked it. Then they sent him back to Manila. He is no longer useful to them. The Chinese tried the silver bullet strategy, now they are back to harassment on the high seas.; 8/18/25, 10:00 PM