Althouse: At the Tuesday Night Café...

February 18, 2025

At the Tuesday Night Café...

... you can talk all night.

49 comments:

Lucien said...: If President Trump is able to get a liberal Democrat mayor of New York removed by the Governor by attempting to have charges against the mayor dismissed, could that be one of the best political jiujitsu moves of the (young) century?; 2/18/25, 7:19 PM
Lucien said...: So Europeans who refused to talk with the Russians for three years are now mad because they haven’t been invited to talks with the Russians?; 2/18/25, 7:20 PM
Jaq said...: So the German foreign minister just spilled the beans that the Europeans were planning to announce, after the German elections that they were going to give Zelensky a trillion dollars, well 700 million Euros, for a big slush fund to keep Ukraine in the war. They were planning to borrow some of the money, and print the rest.

After the elections. For democracy. This is the Germany where they can imprison you for a social media "like" and fine you and brand you a Nazi for saying "Germany First."

Here in America you get feted for espousing "American primacy" which goes far beyond America first, which is about looking after Americans before worrying about others, American primacy is about world domination. If somebody started talking about "German primacy" then they might have a point about being a Nazi, so what does that say about American neocons?; 2/18/25, 7:27 PM
Mr. T. said...: Child genital mutilation is now illegal in Kansas.; 2/18/25, 7:31 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: two options for NY GOVERNOR. Trump drops chargs completely(one criminal releasing another criminal and does it with prejudice so there is no quid pro quo) or she fires him as being compromised and under trumps thump,especially after the Tom Holman FOX interview where he says he better do what he said he would.. 31 NOT LIKELY # 2 IS THE SAME AS THIS CASE A REAL #2 Be gone criminal..overturned vote of the people ceases when the guy is a criminal....; 2/18/25, 7:36 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: opps they fired the BIRD FLU people also and now trying to get back like the nuclear team..Can we say incompetence and lame? wtf THIS IS SOME CREW ...; 2/18/25, 8:02 PM
Kakistocracy said...: One can presume that a Chancellor Merz will take a long look eastwards and conclude that Germany should provide itself with nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

Ultimately Putin is going to be staring into German guns.

It is hard to imagine the Germans just strolling into "neutrality" and obeisance towards the Eurasian autocrat.; 2/18/25, 8:35 PM
Ampersand said...: Hannity is a terrible interviewer. He won't let his interviewees finish their thoughts. A wasted hour. I want to know what's the plan for DOGE, over a one year horizon. This needs to have follow through. How will Trump and Musk follow through?; 2/18/25, 8:58 PM
Jerry said...: For those wondering about the auditing process, Larry Correia explains it. There's a lot of rough language, but he does explain well what's going on.

https://monsterhunternation.com/2025/02/18/educating-the-stupid-on-how-audits-work-in-real-life; 2/18/25, 9:01 PM
Jaq said...: Fred Mertz doesn't need to worry. NATO is already planning to arm Germany with hypersonic nukes in the next couple of years. Speaking of autocrats, which country is it that is clamping down on free speech and seizing people's cell phones and fining them, on the 'first offense" for things like liking a social media post?

Oh yeah, it's Germany.; 2/18/25, 9:06 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: "UK: What happens when a survivor of Muslim rape gangs speaks out on the TV"

Video

Sounds like how DOGE is fearing. Some people are raping the treasury, but DOGE is the bad guy. To use Maureen Dowd's lingo.; 2/18/25, 9:11 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Headline: "CNN made FOIA request about DOGE only to learn FOIA staff was fired"

D'oh!; 2/18/25, 9:24 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Thoughts and prayers for Kentucky.
"Flooding leaves at least 14 dead."; 2/18/25, 9:28 PM
BG said...: One of my older cousins passed away yesterday. He was in his early 80s. I took a look at his FB page. His last seven posts all involved his TDS. How sad that one's last words on social media involved hatred.; 2/18/25, 9:31 PM
Iman said...: This woman wants to destroy democracy by making voting meaningless. She has the right to free speech, and we have the right to ridicule and castigate her squat, sorry ass.

“The old idea that public servants should serve all Americans, and not just a small elite, has been part of American culture for more than a century. Rule of law matters to many of our elected politicians, as well as to their voters, all across the political spectrum. There is still time to block regime change. But first people need to understand what it is, and to
believe that it is happening."

—— Anne Applebaum; 2/18/25, 9:41 PM
Jupiter said...: In the early days of the COVID hoax, when people would contact their Health-Insurance-owned "health providers", they were told that there was nothing you could do outside a hospital, so you should go home, and come back when you were "really sick". Despite the fact that numerous physicians discovered early on that ivermectin, zinc, vitamin D, hydroxychloroquine, and several other drugs were quite effective. Then, when the people who had been sent home with no useful guidance, came back, almost unable to breathe, the "standard of treatment" was to drug them into unconsciousness and attach them to a "ventilator", which slowly destroyed their lungs. Their families were prevented from contacting them. If necessary, they were arrested. All this was done so that hospital administrators and Pharma could make immense profits.; 2/18/25, 11:48 PM
Jupiter said...: FAFO. My favorite lines;
"But tides have turned, the storm is near,
Cry all you want, we're still here".

"Now you panic, now you cry.
Tears don't work. Truth don't lie".

And, of course:
"Guess what? We ain't done yet!"; 2/18/25, 11:57 PM
Josephbleau said...: “ after the German elections that they were going to give Zelensky a trillion dollars, well 700 million Euros, for a big slush fund to keep Ukraine in the war. ”

I assume 700 billion, but what will they do with it, buy artillery from China? It would take a while to make that many weapons, That is one year of all us def spending including the Human Resources. Lots of anti tank rockets and drones to build.

I think they need to hire doge to audit the spend, or all it will buy is London flats and designer purses.; 2/19/25, 12:10 AM
effinayright said...: Lucien said...
If President Trump is able to get a liberal Democrat mayor of New York removed by the Governor by attempting to have charges against the mayor dismissed, could that be one of the best political jiujitsu moves of the (young) century?
**************

No. He would be crazy to think that her hand-picked replacement would be any better.; 2/19/25, 12:32 AM
SteveWe said...: Jerry said... 9:01 PM
Thank you Jerry. I hope your linked blog post about audits is read by many people.; 2/19/25, 12:39 AM
effinayright said...: “ after the German elections that they were going to give Zelensky a trillion dollars, well 700 million Euros, for a big slush fund to keep Ukraine in the war. ”
*************

who are "they", and where was thie reported?; 2/19/25, 12:41 AM
gadfly said...: New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt held hearings before a special state legislature committee to consider the firing of NY Mayor Jimmy Walker in 1932. "Beau James" was a flamboyant politician, boozer, and most importantly, a liberal Democrat who was aligned as part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. As a result of these hearings, he was forced to resign due to his corruption in which he accepted large sums of money in exchange for municipal contracts. Walker's lawyer was advised during the hearings not to "Get Frank's Dutch up."

Current NY Governor Kathy Hochul's ancestors were likely Irish and the Irish are survivors; however Donald John Trump has threatened to withhold FEMA funds from her state should she fire Mayor Eric Adams for his misadventures including bribery, soliciting illegal foreign donations for his campaign, and wire fraud. He is accused of accepting over $100,000 in luxury travel and gifts from foreign nationals while in office. The time is now to Irish Up!; 2/19/25, 12:41 AM
wendybar said...: Oilfield Rando
@Oilfield_Rando
·
Follow
America must prevent Russia from conquering Europe so that Africans and Arabs can conquer Europe
Breaking911
@Breaking911
ZELENSKYY: The risk that Russia will occupy Europe is 100 percent

WELKER: If the US pulls out of NATO, Russia will occupy Europe?

ZELENSKYY: Yes; 2/19/25, 1:57 AM
wendybar said...: Kaitlan Collins
@kaitlancollins
Hamas claims it will release the dead bodies of four Israeli hostages this week, including Kfir and Ariel Bibas. The Bibas children were just nine months and four years old when they were kidnapped into Gaza. A heartbreaking moment for their family. Their father, Yarden Bibas, was released earlier this month.
8:51 AM · Feb 18, 2025

Uncultured Purrl
@AmericanPurrl
·
Follow
Replying to @kaitlancollins
They were alive when they were kidnapped.

What happened? Are you even curious?
2:04 PM · Feb 18, 2025; 2/19/25, 2:06 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: “Hannity is a terrible interviewer. He won't let his interviewees finish their thoughts.”

Omg, he’s only gotten worse over the years.; 2/19/25, 2:17 AM
wendybar said...: Hollywood hasn't learned a damn thing....just like the Progressive political class. I hope they keep on dividing, because their hate will be their downfall, and they will never be in power again.

Keep throwing gender and color into our faces. WE are more than that, but THAT is ALL you are.

https://legalinsurrection.com/2025/02/wicked-star-cynthia-erivo-cast-as-jesus-in-hollywood-bowls-jesus-christ-superstar/; 2/19/25, 2:18 AM
wendybar said...: The left wing propaganda machine will never stop.....

Sunny
@sunnyright
His Secretary of State is Cuban, his Attorney General is a woman, his Secretary of Agriculture is a woman, his nominee for Labor Secretary is a Hispanic woman, his HUD Secretary is a black man, his Secretary of Education is a woman, his Secretary of Homeland Security is a woman, his Chief of Staff is a woman, his DNI is a minority woman, his UN Ambassador is a woman, and his SBA Administrator is a woman.

The Hill
@thehill
·
Feb 17
"Trump’s idea of ‘competence’ — only white men need apply" (@TheHillOpinion) https://trib.al/KsFMlwM
11:57 PM · Feb 17, 2025; 2/19/25, 2:49 AM
wendybar said...: When even BLM thinks Progressives are nuts.....

“I think that the Democrats are experts at taking advantage of the most vulnerable and weak-minded people in society,” he said.

“I was there, and I did it… at one time. And then when they’re done with you… You become disposable, and they’re doing the same thing. They did it with Black people, and they did it with the immigrants, illegal immigrants. They do it with LGBTQ.”

https://nypost.com/2025/02/18/us-news/black-lives-matter-leader-rejects-protests-against-trump-elon-musks-doge-team/; 2/19/25, 4:10 AM
Lucien said...: It’s disappointing to hear that Trump didn’t fire all the US Attorneys by January 21 — every, single, one. The biggest initial mistake of his first term was not firing Comey by January 21, 2017. Has he learned nothing?; 2/19/25, 5:09 AM
Dave Begley said...: Hannity had a golden opportunity and he completely blew it. Hugely disappointing.; 2/19/25, 5:59 AM
Ann Althouse said...: I'm seeing this at Newsweek: "Europe Preps Huge Defense Package in Boost to Ukraine: 'Never Been Seen'":

"German daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung reported that Baerbock said the package could be worth some 700 billion euros ($732 billion); however, that figure wasn't in the Bloomberg article cited by the publication at the time of writing. "Similar to the euro or the corona crisis, there is now a financial package for security in Europe. That will come in the near future," Baerbock said. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the package would prioritize military training, accelerating aid efforts, arms deliveries, and focus on what security guarantees Ukraine's European allies could provide."

https://www.newsweek.com/europe-defense-package-700-billion-ukraine-boost-2032541; 2/19/25, 6:41 AM
Kakistocracy said...: Trump Blames Kyiv for Ukraine War ~ WSJ

Why elections are required in Ukraine for peace talks. But not in Russia. Trump serving as a press spokesman for Russian propaganda was not on my bingo card. 😉; 2/19/25, 6:44 AM
Jaq said...: WSJ is a neocon rag, one that misreported Vance's words in order to try to sabotage peace talks, and is doing everything it can to keep the war going, so unless you have the exact quote in Trump's own words in context, I am going to assume that, just like a couple of days ago, the WSJ is lying.; 2/19/25, 7:10 AM
Jaq said...: Anne Applebaum is the biggest proponent of regime change in the world. Other people's regimes, democratic or otherwise, not important. She is very upset to see her favorite regime change slush fund, USAID, reined in.; 2/19/25, 7:14 AM
Jaq said...: The first article in the German press reporting Baerbock's words said that she had "let the cat out of the bag" before the elections.; 2/19/25, 7:16 AM
Leland said...: Donald John Trump has threatened to withhold FEMA funds
By this, you mean funds Congress appropriated for FEMA that Mayorkas decided were part of his DHS slush fund and could be given to CBP to house people in the US illegally rather than for emergencies, such as experienced in North Carolina. Trump simply ended the slush fund concept, and those funds will remain with FEMA.; 2/19/25, 7:18 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Jupiter said...

"In the early days of the COVID hoax, when people would contact their Health-Insurance-owned "health providers", they were told that there was nothing you could do outside a hospital, so you should go home, and come back when you were "really sick"

That was our experience, though by the time we caught the 'rona, it was 2023. Tested positive on a Saturday, called out PCP Monday, were told we didn't need Paxlovid, but just to monitor symptoms and call if things changed..

"Despite the fact that numerous physicians discovered early on that ivermectin, zinc, vitamin D, hydroxychloroquine, and several other drugs were quite effective. Then, when the people who had been sent home with no useful guidance, came back, almost unable to breathe, the "standard of treatment" was to drug them into unconsciousness and attach them to a "ventilator", which slowly destroyed their lungs. Their families were prevented from contacting them. If necessary, they were arrested. All this was done so that hospital administrators and Pharma could make immense profits."

We were fine for a week, then on the following Saturday my O2 crashed and I languished - longer than I should have - until Monday. Wife (who was fully recovered by then) drove me to the ER where they confirmed I had pneumonia. They shoved the usual forms at me but I refused intubation and the Final Directive. The hospital was stuck with recalcitrant me and couldn't follow the usual protocols. And here I am.; 2/19/25, 7:33 AM
MadTownGuy said...: I'll add to Jupiter's statement "All this was done so that hospital administrators and Pharma could make immense profits,." this: the CDC wanted people to die; they put recovering patients in nursing homes to maximize the effect; they used the lockdowns as a social experiment to see how much they could get away with doing, and to manipulate the electoral process with mail-in voting and ballot harvesting.
On top of that, many (but not all) state Boards of Pharmacy used similar or even verbatim wording in their orders to restrict the use of HCQ because its effectiveness was "unproven." If that was done because they knew it would be effective, that's horrific.; 2/19/25, 7:43 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Yesterday, I asked Grok (2) about hydroxychloroquine. Here's the results:

"During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, state boards of pharmacy in the U.S. restricted the use of hydroxychloroquine for several reasons:
Lack of Conclusive Evidence: Early on, there was a surge of interest in hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19 based on some initial, small-scale studies and anecdotal reports. However, larger, more rigorous clinical trials were still ongoing, and the scientific community had not yet reached a consensus on its effectiveness or safety for treating the virus.
Safety Concerns: Hydroxychloroquine, while generally safe for its approved uses like treating malaria or autoimmune disorders, can have significant side effects, especially in higher doses or when used in combination with other drugs. These include heart rhythm problems (QT prolongation), which could be particularly dangerous in patients with COVID-19 who might already be at higher risk due to the virus's effects on the heart.
Drug Shortages: An increase in off-label prescriptions for hydroxychloroquine led to shortages, which was problematic for patients with conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis who rely on this medication for ongoing treatment. To ensure these patients could continue their therapy, some states implemented restrictions to control the dispensing of hydroxychloroquine only for its approved uses.
Regulatory Guidance: The FDA had issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for hydroxychloroquine in March 2020 but later revoked it in June 2020 after determining that the drug was unlikely to be effective in treating COVID-19 and could potentially do more harm than good. This shift in guidance from federal health authorities influenced state boards to tighten restrictions.
Public Health and Ethical Considerations: There was also concern about the ethical implications of promoting a treatment without sufficient evidence, potentially leading to false hope and misallocation of healthcare resources.
Political and Public Pressure: The discourse around hydroxychloroquine became politically charged, with some advocating its use despite the emerging scientific data. This pressure could have led boards to act more cautiously to ensure decisions were based on scientific evidence rather than political or public demand.
State boards of pharmacy typically aim to protect public health, and their decisions to restrict hydroxychloroquine were likely a combination of these factors, aiming to balance the need for potential treatments with the risks associated with widespread, unregulated use of the drug."

Then I asked it about results of the studies done on HCQ. I got a long winded answer but none of the studies I had found back then were referenced. So I asked about one of them, done by the Henry Ford Clinic in 2020 and got the response "Sorry, I can't find anything about that study."

As I've pointed out before, the Clinic published its study and was pilloried in the medical community, prompting the Clinic to publish this open letter.; 2/19/25, 7:55 AM
Kakistocracy said...: “WSJ is a neocon rag, one that misreported Vance's words in order to try to sabotage peace talks]”…..

American broad-based domestic prosperity is based on its overall leadership of the 40 advanced democracies which is based on trade and economic integration among this world-leading group. Ultimately the political cabal comprising the top insiders of the Trump government is trading away international democratic leadership to consolidate power among ultra-wealthy monopolists and leaders of ultra-concentrated economic sectors. One notes that the domestic Republican party is completely subservient to this concentrated wealth power not least because the wealth-selected federal judiciary has eviscerated all legislative control of political funding. Ultimately, a greatly empowered plutocracy has seized control of both domestic and foreign policy levers in the US in less than four weeks.

In less than four weeks, every US domestic government program has been put at risk of major disruption with the apparent goal of quickly and radically reordering all spending priorities. Mega plutocratically centered tax cuts appear to be a major goal. The goal is to consolidate the political power of the economically concentrated plutocracy in near-absolutist ways. Executive branch supremacy is the method. A race-based libertarian ethos built around wealth worship seems to be the ideology with conspiracy spinning as part of its ritual.

Europe still has political independence and functioning countervailing powers across its democratic structure. The US does not. Has American public accountability over Washington-exercised power been irretrievably lost? One awaits the testing times that are rapidly coming to American political life.

European leadership is going to have to mobilize democratic opinion into a broad consensus to support European security, economic, and political autonomy. Europe cannot be having the US and Russia making major geopolitical policy to Europe's borderlands and near-abroad from a regional office in Saudi Arabia.; 2/19/25, 7:57 AM
Jaq said...: "Europe cannot be having the US and Russia making major geopolitical policy to Europe's borderlands..."

Wait a minute. Are you saying that a great power cannot sit idly by while its borderland security is undermined by foreign actors? Is that what's bothering you Bunky? Because that's exactly Putin's argument re Ukraine, that Russia can't tolerate foreign powers interfering with and capturing countries on its borderland.

BTW, none of your reply either quotes Trump's exact words, or refutes my point about he WSJ lying. What it is is a long screed of projection of what the megadonor driven Democratic Party has been doing, except that we learn now that it wasn't "private funds" that were being used by oligarchs like Soros to manipulate our elections, but Soros was using USAID funds for his purposes.

Ukrainians assured me that this war was about their right to make sovereign decisions regarding their foreign policy. That's fine. Ukraine can continue to fight as long as they want or can. My understanding is that the Russians are down to using donkeys and golf cars due to lack of armor, so it should be a fair fight. And if it's not a fair fight, it's none of our business anyway. Europe has twice drawn us into their fights, let them settle this one themselves.; 2/19/25, 8:07 AM
Jaq said...: Just like Ukraine, Europe is free to either fight Russia, or negotiate with it. Just leave us out of it.; 2/19/25, 8:08 AM
Jaq said...: Tell me no.

"The plane that crashed in Toronto was a Delta flight operated by Endeavor Air, a small airline obsessed with all-female "unmanned" flights"

https://x.com/EndWokeness/status/1892081329312813478; 2/19/25, 8:15 AM
Hassayamper said...: the wealth-selected federal judiciary has eviscerated all legislative control of political funding.

The legislature itself long ago abandoned any pretense of control of spending at anything but the most coarse and distant levels. They make massive appropriations, but delegate the detailed spending decisions to unelected career bureaucrats who have definitively proven that they are partisan, untrustworthy, and corrupt.

The elected Executive is now taking those decisions back from the unelected bureaucrats, and will no longer allow them to behave as embedded moles directing surreptitious public financing to the Democrat party.; 2/19/25, 9:16 AM
Jersey Fled said...: I’m beginning to wonder if Russia might be a better ally for the U.S. than Western Europe. I know our Lefty friends will go nuts at the suggestion, but think about it. What has Europe done for us lately except drain us dry and oppose us every step of the way. They are an anchor around our necks.; 2/19/25, 9:44 AM
Kakistocracy said...: It‘s hard to swallow that a US president would parrot Russian propaganda — but that‘s exactly what‘s happening.; 2/19/25, 9:59 AM
john mosby said...: Fled: Ref Russia as an ally:

Maybe not an ally, but we can't make them an enemy. The ChiComs are laughing their asses off at Europeans killing each other. They are more racist than Orval Faubus and Roger Taney put together, and they just see us as baboon troops flinging poop at each other over nothing. When a racist power of over 1B people is trying for world domination, we have no choice but to stick together.

Trump, as a guy who grew up in the ethnic spoils system of NYC and who keeps marrying Slavs, instinctively understands this. He probably intellectually understands this as well and has a long-term plan to bring all European and European-flavored (e.g. India, VN) countries together against Red China, but he can't say that part out loud.

JSM; 2/19/25, 10:10 AM
Aggie said...: ""The plane that crashed in Toronto was a Delta flight operated by Endeavor Air, a small airline obsessed with all-female "unmanned" flights"..."

Well..... then was the pilot male or female? How about the co-pilot, male or female? Would 'flight hours in this type aircraft' have anything to do with it?

A slightly different take from Jon Konrad, gCaptain; 2/19/25, 11:00 AM
gilbar said...: David Burge@iowahawkblog suggests:
White Lotus, but Wisconsin Dells
https://x.com/iowahawkblog/status/1892212033644318841; 2/19/25, 11:04 AM