Sunrise.

Rob Sand... the new governor of Iowa... the ex-model.

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"I am pleased to announce that the Great Dana White, a violent Fighter and Warrior, has been offered the job of Press Secretary of the United States."

Wrote President Trump, quoted in "UFC’s Dana White says he will meet Trump on Monday to discuss press secretary offer/Trump’s previous press secretary, Katie Zacharia, left the role in October after just five days on the job" (NBC).

Violent!

I think first of physical force, and it seemed like a crazy word choice, but on consulting the OED, I see that there are a number of "senses relating to strength or severity" including "Of speech or writing: indicative or expressive of strong emotion (now esp. anger, hatred, etc.); fervent, impassioned." And: "Of a person, a person's disposition or support for a cause, etc.: passionate; vehement; characterized by or exhibiting a lack of moderation in action or conduct."

And perhaps that's exactly what Trump wants in a person who will speak for him to the press. If he wants a "Fighter and Warrior," why not someone who conveys strong emotion — vehement, passionate emotion?

"In 2018, there was still a sense that Trump was an aberration or a fluke; that he’d gotten lucky in 2016 and Democrats could double down on who they were already..."

"... and end MAGA without changing much themselves. Democrats won power in 2018 and 2020 and wielded it so unconvincingly and alienatingly that Trump and his movement roared back, stronger and more dangerous, than ever. The Democratic Party that emerged from that bruising is chastened in a way its predecessor wasn’t. Democrats know they need to appeal to voters who mistrust them. They are not as liable to mistake Trump’s unpopularity for their popularity. All they have won is a chance to prove themselves. And so they may be more willing to learn lessons that this election had to teach."

Writes Ezra Klein, in "A Stake Through the Heart of Trump’s Red Map" (NYT).

I understand why they make headlines like that but it's SO out of line with the tone and substance of the article.

"sometimes it’s easy to feel a little dehumanized in a heated sexual situation and i appreciated his pausing for me to collect myself."

I'm reading "Read the Text Messages at the Center of the Cornell Rape Inquiry After a Cornell student said fraternity members had sexually assaulted her, university investigators amassed a trove of communications from the student and the men she accused"

That's in the NYT, where it's always a gift link. Read everything in context, but I'll excerpt one more thing:

"Yes, so sorry once again and I agree with it just being an insane night and appreciate your forgiveness - and right, with due time it can be something to laugh about privately. Yeah there were two Scotty’s haha"/"i think we all have a soul bond now cause very few people can say they’ve had an experience like that. while it’s good to keep it away from the public i don’t think it’s something to feel ashamed of in private. thank god there are two scotty’s that was literally the trippiest part of the night...."

"I know I shouldn't say that. But it's just a feeling."

Dave Chappelle: “Ever since that guy Charlie Kirk got murdered, and I shouldn’t say this publicly but…. I feel better.” This isn’t even comedy. It’s just sick… https://t.co/SuW8zeF58p

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 8, 2026

Real Trump and Fake Trump confront the reality of "Talafreako."

In an interview airing Sunday on 60 Minutes, correspondent Ross Douthat asks President Trump: If it took six months of not insulting the Democrats to get a deal done, do you think you could do it? https://t.co/PJO8fLfl6C

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 7, 2026

 

“That’s Senator Talafreako.” https://t.co/QWMTGgGL5S

— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) November 8, 2026

The community note is back... and how embarrassing for The Free Press!

This is still up *and* the community note has disappeared! Pretty demoralizing -- it's been days.

— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) November 7, 2026

In case the note disappears, it says el-Sayed delivered his speech in English and links to this YouTube:

"Van Der Merwe’s family of white South Africans arrived during Donald Trump’s first term..."

"... but they had good reason to expect that they would be granted asylum after Trump returned to office last year and signed an executive order saying the US would 'promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees,' based on the false claim that they would be 'escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination' at home. In addition to a series of highly public, contentious and in some cases deadly ICE raids across several US cities, the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda has played out more furtively at domestic and international airports. Travelers with visas, green-card holders and pending asylum cases have been detained in what some experts say is an effort to meet arrest quotas imposed on the agency by the White House. Van Der Merwe’s law firm advised noncitizens with unresolved immigration paperwork to consult immigration attorneys before traveling by air...."

From "Wisconsin state patrol trooper detained by ICE released from custody/Carel Aaron Van Der Merwe immigrated to US at 14 and has been waiting seven years for asylum case to be heard" (The Guardian).

That's a pretty casual flinging of the expression "false claim." There should at least be a link to something explaining the basis for rejecting the position taken in the executive order. The word "claim" alone is enough to avoid expressing agreement.

Anyway, I found this: "A check of Trump's false claims about white genocide in South Africa" (Reuters, May 22, 2025).

Sunrise.

"She said she follows the Elaine May rule, that there’s no point trying to disarm men who think you’re scary-smart by trying to be likable."

"(That’s where Hillary Clinton went wrong in her debate with a lurking Donald Trump; as she recently acknowledged, she should have just turned around and said, 'Back up, you creep!') 'You wrap yourself up like a pretzel trying to please people and navigate and then you can’t take it anymore,' [Illeana] Douglas said. 'It’s better to just be unlikable from the get-go.’... [W]hat is her advice for young women trying to make it in Hollywood? 'I think they should be a bitch right off the bat,' she said. 'You don’t have to be mean. You don’t have to say, "Your hair is receding" or anything like that. But I think that being very strong and very direct always works better.'"

I'm reading "Illeana Douglas Looks Back on Hollywood’s Biggest 'Cat Fight'/After publishing a book about the 1939 classic 'The Women,' the actress and writer talks about her film career and her role in #MeToo" — by Maureen Dowd, in the NYT.