In the weeks leading up to his resignation last year, the first architect on the White House ballroom clashed with President Donald Trump over design features that the architect believed violated building safety codes, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions and corroborating documents reviewed by The Washington Post.
James McCrery II withdrew from the project last October after warning repeatedly that Trump was insisting on a preliminary design that did not provide adequate emergency exit routes or fire-containment measures, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private discussions.
Trump brushed off McCrery’s concerns, they said, and the president countered that no building codes apply to White House construction.
“I am the code,” Trump said.
Current state of Trump’s ballroom
That episode, as described by the people familiar with the matter, offers new insight into Trump’s priorities for the ballroom at a time when he is flexing executive power to fast-track construction projects across the nation’s capital. The interviews and documents obtained by The Post — including early ballroom designs and images Trump appeared to have marked up with his trademark black-ink Sharpie — also show how deeply involved the president has been in the details of the project.
White House renovations and construction are typically handled by federal agencies required by law to comply with nationally recognized building safety standards to the “maximum extent feasible,” unless doing so would present a national security risk.
But Trump’s White House construction projects are being routed through the Executive Residence, a tiny office that is not a federal agency and is therefore exempt from rules governing agencies.
Wild Wednesday Reads: The “President” Is Insane.
Posted: September 23, 2026 Filed under: just because | Tags: Donald Trump, Iran War, Natalie Harp, reflecting pool, Trump's lies, Trump's ballroom, Trump's Hitler arch, Trump's media ban, UN speech 4 CommentsGood Afternoon!!
Yesterday, Trump was at the UN, where he gave a speech that was so insane that the men in white coats should have gone onstage and put him in a straight jacket. I didn’t watch the whole thing, but the excerpts posted by Aaron Rupar and Acyn on social media were enough to let any normal person see that the “president” needs to be in an assisted living facility where he can be cared for and the rest of us can be protected from him.
Paul Krugman writes: It’s “Underwear on the Outside” Time.
In the 1971 comedy film Bananas a third-world nation’s strongman announces his new policies:
From this day on, the official language of San Marcos will be Swedish. Silence! In addition to that, all citizens will be required to change their underwear every half-hour. Underwear will be worn on the outside so we can check.
Yesterday, addressing the General Assembly of the United Nations, the president of the United States declared, among other things,
The United States also totally rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control the artificial intelligence being spoken of so much, now here and after officially called superintelligence, changing the name. The use of the word artificial makes intelligence fake, it makes it sound fake … From this point forward, all of United States documents and hopefully the world will be changed to use the much more accurate term super as opposed to artificial.
Trump’s Hitler arch
This came just two days after Trump announced that his planned gigantic Triumphal Arch overshadowing Washington DC will
house, store, and have the rapid ability to use large numbers of drones, plus Snipers, on both the roof and plaza areas, and additionally have and hold large quantities of sniper ammunition in storage.
Most reporting on Trump’s speech emphasized either his belligerence — his rejection of global cooperation — or the fact that almost everything he said was a lie. But isn’t the bigger story the fact that the leader of what used to be the world’s most powerful nation — I say “used to be” because America’s power is collapsing before our eyes — has clearly and undeniably lost his mind?
I’m by no means the only commentator to see parallels between Trump’s UN speech and the scene in Bananas. But comparing Trump to a fictional character is unfair — to the fictional character. After all, in Bananas the mad dictator is quickly removed from power. In America today, some Republicans are quietly distancing themselves from Trump. A few are even voicing subtle, elliptical criticisms. But will he be impeached, or face 25th Amendment proceedings? Not a chance.
Trump also threatened to “annihilate” Iran, with a description that could only refer to a nuclear strike.
Alex Nguyen at Mother Jones: Trump Threatens to “Annihilate” Iran and Its People in UN Address.
President Trump’s rambling, combative speech Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly saw him return to his most serious quagmire yet—the war in Iran—telling world leaders that he was considering completely destroying the country as a means to end the conflict he launched alongside Israel in February.
President Donald Trump addresses the opening of the United Nations General Assembly at its headquarters in New York City on September 22, 2026.Kyle Mazza, CNP, Zuma
“Do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again? Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” Trump pondered aloud, claiming that Iran’s leadership had rejected multiple peace deals with the US.
He said little about the terms of those offers—and nothing about the US and Israel’s explosive role in the Middle East, from Iran and the Gulf to Gaza and beyond.
The Center for International Policy’s Matt Duss, a former Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) foreign policy adviser, said in a statement that Trump’s threats were “dangerously unhinged” and “must be unequivocally rejected.”
“Such rhetoric is not merely reckless, it is a criminal threat of genocide against an entire nation,” Duss wrote. “U.S. lawmakers and U.S. partners around the world should condemn Trump’s remarks.”
The president again framed his demand as centering on Iran’s nuclear program, despite offering up a shifting litany of goals and terms on which he’d end the war across the last seven months, and implied that scorched earth was the only alternative. But American operations in Iran have brought an uncompromising government to power, limited the Iranian president’s power to enforce any deal, and made nuclear containment on the level of the Obama administration’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action virtually impossible for the indefinite future.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs and David E. Sanger at The New York Times (gift link): At the U.N., Trump Lays Out a Winner-Takes-All Vision of U.S. Power.
The podium of the United Nations was an unusual setting for the leader of a global superpower to threaten to “annihilate the Islamic republic” of Iran or to declare that, in another conflict, “to the victor belong the spoils.”
Yet that was exactly what President Trump did on Tuesday, in threatening Iran if it failed to make a deal to end a war that had stretched far longer than Mr. Trump anticipated, and justifying his claims on Venezuelan oil reserves after American forces deposed its leader.
Mr. Trump has long made clear that he has little use for the United Nations, one of the post-World War II institutions that he has dismissed as outdated and ineffective. But his speech at the annual opening of the General Assembly amounted to a pure American rejection of the concept behind the U.N.’s founding in 1945: to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.”
The global body’s charter, written largely by the United States, expressly prohibited members from threatening or using force against a country’s territorial integrity unless acting in self-defense, or with the U.N.’s authorization.
On Iran, Mr. Trump made it clear that he, and he alone, would decide whether to strike a deal with Tehran’s leaders or “annihilate the Islamic republic.”
It may have been largely a negotiating tactic. A little later in the morning, American officials quietly met with Iranians who were also in New York for the opening session, though it was unclear whether any progress was made or whether Mr. Trump himself would meet top Iranian officials.
But his threats were not limited to the war that has consumed his presidency for months since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. He promised that Cuba’s government would fall, one way or the other. And if his “to the victor belong the spoils” line seemed drawn from the days of American gunboat diplomacy more than a century ago, that did not seem to bother the president. Mr. Trump has made it clear that he is willing to use the power of the U.S. military not only for the benefit of securing critical resources, like Venezuela’s huge oil reserves, but also to turn a profit.
Mr. Trump’s comments came at a moment when he appeared more isolated than ever from traditional allies, and when Americans were telling pollsters they overwhelmingly disapproved of his foreign policy. But none of that seemed to lead Mr. Trump to back away from the fiery threats that he has combined with military action in his second term.
Of course the speech was also filled with blatant lies. At CNN, Daniel Dale published a detailed analysis: Fact check: Trump’s false claims to the United Nations. It’s well worth reading to see the extent of Trump’s battles with the truth.
Trump needs to be impeached or removed by means of the 25th Amendment, but neither of those things is going to happen. We just have to hope that the Democrats can win the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
More Trump insanity: his obsession with building his ballroom and triumphal arch and naming things after himself is out of control.
Sarah Blaskey and Jonathan O’Connell at The Washington Post: ‘I am the code’: Trump clashed with ballroom architect over safety issues.
The District of Columbia government has no jurisdiction to enforce local building codes on federal property. The contractors hired to design and build the ballroom are responsible for adhering tosafety standards as they work nearly round-the-clock to meet Trump’s ambitious deadlines, according to experts.
Discussions about the safety issues in the ballroom’s design continued for months after McCrery resigned, according to White House records. It is not clear from the records reviewed by The Post whether the safety issues he identified have been resolved in more recent designs by Shalom Baranes Associates, the architecture firm that replaced McCrery’s firm late last year.
Trump started a war with Iran that has created a global financial emergency and set the Middle East on fire, yet he seems to spend most of his time obsessing on his building and naming projects and posting AI slop to Truth Social.
And get this. Brian BennettLaura Barrón-LópezJake Traylor write at MSNOW: Trump aides explore attaching president’s name to Ford’s Theatre.
As President Donald Trump fights to rename the Kennedy Center after himself, administration officials are circulating a list of government sites that could have his name affixed to them in some way, according to people familiar with the effort.
One landmark that has emerged in the discussions among administration officials has raised eyebrows: Ford’s Theatre, the playhouse where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865.
Washington D.C.
It is unclear how seriously the theater is being considered or how the administration would attach Trump’s name to it. One administration official said the idea had been discussed, but they didn’t know where it stood. The prospect sparked a flurry of discussion over the past week among people responsible for the historic site.
The discussions underscore how much of a priority honoring the president has become inside parts of the Trump administration — even as the Iran war nears its eighth month, diesel prices hit an all-time high, the midterm elections approach in six weeks and most Americans disapprove of the president’s job performance.
White House officials, advisers and allies pitch ideas such as naming buildings after Trump to get on the president’s good side, a former administration official told MS NOW, granted anonymity to discuss internal matters. The president’s view, the official said: “Why would I say no? Everybody’s trying to please me.”
“They know flattery gets them everything,” the former official said, adding that people wait to hear “How can I help you?” in return.
One person with knowledge of the broader renaming effort who requested anonymity to address a sensitive topic said officials were looking for buildings and other sites that could carry the president’s name while presenting an easier legal path than the Kennedy Center push.
And then there’s the reflecting pool, which is a complete mess at this point.
“The Swamp” at The Daily Beast: Devastating Photos Expose Horror of Trump’s Disaster Makeover.
Devastating photos taken by The Swamp reveal how D.C.’s Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is empty, fenced off, and looking like the world’s most expensive construction site.
In fact, it is a literal quagmire.
In recent days, President Trump’s algae-filled Reflecting Pool has generated a wave of viral memes, some of which include administration officials (AP)
Three weeks after a giant storm thwarted Trump’s already botched revamp, broken fencing, litter and other debris is still strewn around the pool, with one section of the fence even stuck together with miles of yellow police tape after nosy visitors started to get into the restricted repair zone. In recent days, The Swamp has also spotted workers removing blue sealant to fix the pool’s expansion joints, while rain (of which there will be plenty this week) continues to delay the renovation.
It’s hard to believe Trump started the project back in April, predicting it would be finished in “two weeks.”
Twenty weeks later, the White House still can’t say when it will be complete. At this rate, Christmas might be a good scenario—presumably as long as the weather doesn’t get worse.
And then there’s the awkward part: the contractor has admitted what Trump hasn’t—that problems with the renovation itself are what caused the liner to fail, not “evil, sick” vandals.
Head over to The Daily Beast to See the “devastating photos.”
Brendan Rascius has more on the reflecting pool disaster at The Independent: The internet is buzzing about Trump’s algae-struck Reflecting Pool.
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has drawn nationwide attention after an algae bloom turned its waters a vivid green within days of President Donald Trump’s multi-million-dollar refurbishment, casting a shadow over a project intended to beautify the city.
Trump has attributed the discoloration and other problems at the basin to acts of vandalism, and authorities say six people have been arrested in connection to the site. Internal records, however, appear to undermine the president’s narrative.
As officials work to restore clarity, the episode has taken on a life of its own online.
The pool’s unexpected color change sparked a wave of viral memes, with social media users recasting the iconic landmark as everything from a swampy Star Wars set to a Bob Ross landscape.
Some also seized the moment to poke fun at administration officials, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his peculiar health regimen. Here is a look at some of the best floating around on social media.
Check out the memes at The Independent link.
Late last night, the DOJ filed the Trump administration’s response to the lawsuit by CNN, MSNOW, and Politico over Trump’s ban of their journalists from the White House grounds.
Eric Wemple explains the administration’s position at The New York Times (gift link): White House Says Access Is a ‘Privilege’ in Court Filing Defending Media Ban.
White House officials said in a court filing Tuesday that President Trump had determined that CNN, MS NOW and Politico had breached standards of conduct, leading to their expulsion from the White House grounds.
The alleged violations, said the filing, include “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”
White House press briefing room
“Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right,” reads the filing, which argues that Mr. Trump’s action against the three news outlets does not violate the First Amendment and aligns with a long history of presidents favoring some journalists over others.
The filing, furthermore, claims that the White House’s denial of access is a preliminary matter and that the outlets have until Friday to contest the decision.
The clash began last Friday, when Mr. Trump announced on Truth Social, the platform that he owns, that he would ban the three outlets, saying they “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES.” On Saturday morning, journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied access to the White House grounds and had their press passes confiscated.
By Monday morning, the news organizations had sued, arguing that the president’s ban “brazenly discriminates based on editorial viewpoint,” and was an affront to their First Amendment rights. They said that the move had blindsided its targets, depriving the outlets of the warning that any such drastic action required. They “received zero advance notice that the president would ban a news organization from the White House if he dislikes its coverage,” according to the complaint.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, who was nominated in 2017 by Mr. Trump, will hold an emergency hearing on Wednesday to consider the media outlets’ request for a temporary court order undoing the access ban.
The government filing Tuesday night included copies of letters sent earlier in the day to each banned news outlet. In addition to accusing the organizations of failing to meet standards of conduct, the letters identified specific stories that allegedly either spread falsehoods or threatened national security. The letter to CNN, for example, cited a January 2026 story that “disclosed ‘top-secret’ construction details related to the East Wing bunker,” the letter reads.
Use the gift to read more if you’re interested.
Ewan Palmer at The Daily Beast: Trump Admits Bonkers Diva Fit Reason He Banned Media.
The Trump administration has defended the president’s ban on CNN, Politico and MS NOW from covering the White House, claiming he did so over “national security” concerns.
In court filings submitted Tuesday, the Justice Department also argued that Trump should be allowed to pick and choose which media outlets get to cover the White House, and that the three outlets Trump has banned failed to live up to the levels of “professionalism and decorum expected.”
“After all, access to the White House is a privilege—not a right,” the filings state.
White House officials responded in court documents to a lawsuit filed Monday by CNN, MS NOW and Politico, which claim the president’s media ban violates their First Amendment rights. The organizations also said they received “zero advance notice” that the president would ban a news outlet over coverage he “dislikes.”
The White House argues the outlets lost their “privilege” of access after “trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information.”
The DOJ also sent each outlet a letter citing the specific stories it was concerned about. These included CNN reporting on “top secret” information about the bunker being built under the White House ballroom, as well as several stories by the network about the Iran war.
Natalie Harp has been blamed for instigating the media ban. One more from The Daily Beast by Leigh Cummins: Natalie Harp, 35, Sticks Close to Trump After Media Ban Bombshell.
President Donald Trump’s devoted aide Natalie Harp isn’t shying away from the cameras after triggering an all-out war with the press.
Harp, 35, reportedly acted as the devil on her 80-year-old boss’s shoulder, feeding him negative coverage until he exploded onto Truth Social on Friday and declared that MS NOW, CNN, and Politico had been banned from the White House.
Finn Gomez, Getty Images
The fallout has been spectacular, with Trump returning to his social media profile to excoriate a reporter by name just before midnight on Tuesday. “All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate ‘Reporter,’ Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren’t going to be covering me. Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations? Why was she there? She’s got a ‘TRUMP’ addiction, and so does CNN and MSDNC. They’re all sick, treasonous, and demented!” he raved in the unhinged post.
Despite the madness she reportedly helped cause, Harp has not shirked the limelight and has stuck to her boss’s side. Harp, officially Special Assistant to the President and Executive Assistant to the President, was seen marching into United Nations headquarters in New York on Tuesday, where Trump address fellow world leaders.
Harp, who has been in Trump’s orbit in varying roles since 2018, smiled broadly as her boss spoke. She sat with White House Communications Director Steven Cheung and Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
That’s it for me today. I’ve had enough of Trump’s insanity for the time being. What other stories are you following?
Tuesday Cartoons: Blackout Democracy
Posted: September 22, 2026 Filed under: just because 10 Comments
What the fuckity fuck?
It is official, to me at least. Democracy is over.
Cartoons via Cagle:
Would you believe I just saw The Loved One yesterday…
Trump TV my ass.
Stay safe, this is an open thread.
And for yesterday:
Mostly Monday Reads: Orange Caligula and the Red Menace
Posted: September 21, 2026 Filed under: China, Foreign Affairs, Trump and White House Pool, Trump hides from the Press | Tags: @johnbuss.bsky.social John Buss, Dementia Donald Trump, Donald and the White House Press Corps, Donald and Xi, Donald's Man Crushes, Is China helping Iran kill US Soldiers? Trump Xi Summit on AI, Orange Caligula's cabinet crazy, Trump policy subsidize at-home-moms, White House policy Subsidizing Stay at Home Moms 13 Comments
“Meanwhile in the Nation’s Capital… in the Oval Office… nothing to be concerned about…” John Buss, @repeat1968
Good Day, Sky Dancers!
The media’s responses to Orange Caligula’s latest attack on the press were reported in today’s headlines. He wasn’t successful with his last attack when he threw out Jim Acosta in 2018. You may remember the melodrama that ensued when Sara Sanders announced the revocation of Acosta’s “hard pass,” then created some lie alleging that he “placed his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern.” The intern was trying to snatch his microphone. The response is clearly bigger this time out.
First step? Back to the courts. This is from the Washington Post. “Major TV networks halt video coverage of Trump over CNN ban. CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, filed a lawsuit over the ban, which the president defended as ‘an assault on the FAKE NEWS’.” Scott Nover has the report.
News organizations responded strenuously Monday to President Donald Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, filing a lawsuit in federal court and banding together to halt video coverage of the president until further notice.
In the suit filed in federal district court in Washington, CNN, MS NOW and Politico are alleging violations of news outlets’ First Amendment free press rights and Fifth Amendment due process. They are requesting a federal judge hear the case on an expedited basis.
Soon after the lawsuit was announced, ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC said they would halt TV coverage of presidential events, according to a memo obtained by The Washington Post, over the White House’s ban of CNN, which is one of the five members the White House television pool.
“This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” Bryan Boughton, the Fox News Washington bureau chief and chair of the TV pool, wrote in a memo to the White House press corps that was obtained by The Post. “ … There will be no replacement pool put in place. All other pool coverage will continue as normal, including Congress, VIPs, and selected events in Washington and around the country.”
In a joint statement Monday, the five members of the rotating TV pool wrote: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”
The three further allege that the White House’s decision Friday to revoke their credentials was “because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”
I’ve basically quit TV News because I can’t stand to see any animated and speaking version of this icky slob of a hooman. Print media only for me. Trump-fee TV. That ought of cause the use of anxiety and and anti-depressants to plummet! Here’s the New York Times coverage as reported by Michael M. Grynbaum and Ali Watkins. ” Nobody shoots himself in the foot like Dementia Don.
Major television networks on Monday agreed to suspend their pooled coverage of President Trump after the White House refused to allow CNN to serve as a pool representative on Monday.
The move is an extraordinary escalation of an unfolding showdown between the Trump administration and the White House press corps, which began last week when the president barred journalists at CNN, MS NOW and Politico from entering the White House grounds. Those three outlets said on Monday they would sue to regain access.
Despite Mr. Trump’s years of lawsuits and threats against the news media, archrival news organizations have rarely undertaken this kind of collective action.
Five networks — ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC — have long shared the responsibility of providing television coverage of presidential events, splitting the financial costs and distributing footage that is carried by news organizations worldwide. The networks perform their duties on a rotation, and CNN had been slated to provide coverage for Mr. Trump’s travel on Monday to the United Nations General Assembly.
It is extremely unusual for a president to travel or hold public events without being accompanied by representatives from the television pool. The president’s activities on Monday are still expected to be covered by print, radio and wire journalists, along with still photographers.
“Effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,” Bryan Boughton, the Washington bureau chief at Fox News, wrote in a note to television pool members on Monday, which was obtained by The New York Times. (Mr. Boughton is the acting chair of the television pool consortium; the networks rotate the chairmanship on a quarterly basis.)
“This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties,” Mr. Boughton wrote. “There will be no replacement pool put in place. All other pool coverage will continue as normal.”
“We will provide updates as this situation develops,” he added.
The five networks later issued a joint statement, writing: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”
Thanks for this and the featured song today JJ!
Trump continues to make a mockery of both foreign and national policy. This headline from the AP shows exactly how dumb he thinks we all are. “Trump decries Democrats as ‘communists,’ even as he looks to impress China’s communist leader.”
Communism, President Donald Trump says, is the greatest threat the U.S. has ever faced.
This summer, citing similarly grave concerns, he took the rare step of delivering a primetime address to the nation, accusing China of “sinister election meddling” in 2020 and reviving his yearslong push to dispute his loss in that year’s election.
Even as Trump seeks to decry Democrats as communists ahead of November’s midterm elections, he is rolling out the red carpet this week for Chinese President Xi Jinping, the leader of the world’s most powerful communist country.
The state visit comes as the president himself has increasingly directed his administration to take large stakes in private companies to try to stimulate the economy — something even some Republicans decry as corporate socialism.
The contradictions between Trump’s words and actions risk muddying Republican attack lines on Democrats.
“I do think that we’re not offering a clear contrast,” said Marc Short, who was chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence and worked in Trump’s White House in his first term.
During the recent Republican midterm convention in Dallas, the president repeatedly branded Democrats as communists, even proclaiming, “It’s going to be a communist country if they win.”
“In state after state, the Democrat establishment has been overthrown and replaced by crazed lunatics and radicals,” he said, adding, “America has beaten communism before, and we will beat it again.”
Meanwhile, this happened. This is from the Washington Post again. “U.S. proposes AI incident alert system in talks with China. U.S. and Chinese officials plan to discuss “more transparency” on artificial intelligence at a summit in Washington this week.”
The two countries “want a shared vision of common goals and common threats,” Bessent told reporters following the meeting, which was held at the JP Morgan headquarters in Manhattan. “We think that, just like any cross-border activity, that moving from more opaque to more transparency between the number one and number two AI powers in the world is very important.”
Democrats communists. China not a communist state. Got it.
M’okay! Explain this to me then. “White House Plan to Subsidize Stay-at-Home Parents Divides Conservatives. Some praise the idea championed by Vice President JD Vance to direct federal money to support traditional families, while others say it cuts against conservative principles.” So, what’s the difference between this and the welfare mothers that Reagan used to belittle continually. Could it be racist stereotypes? Coral Davenport has the lede.This is from the New York Times. And, yes, in all the years this blog has been running I’m not sure why all of the sudden I’m relying on the big guys. Could it be the search engines maybe?
Republicans are sharply divided over a new plan being drafted by the Trump administration that would allow stay-at-home spouses to collect child care subsidy payments from a federal program intended to assist working parents.
Some commentators and lawmakers called the policy, which could help realize a vision of stay-at-home motherhood championed by Vice President JD Vance, a “grand slam,” “no-brainer” and “President Trump’s greatest legacy.”
Others eviscerated it as “socialism,” “rank politics” and “stupid.”
The split reaction reflects one of the emerging fractures in Mr. Trump’s MAGA coalition. Traditional Republicans, religious conservatives and America First populists have jostled for influence with the pronatalist movement, which aims for women to have more children and stay home to raise them, and supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement.
And the role of the federal government in shaping family policy has proved to be a key flashpoint.
When news of the plan broke over Labor Day weekend, Rachel Campos-Duffy, the co-host of “Fox & Friends,” declared on air, “I think this might be my favorite policy, like, ever, that Trump has brought.”
Ms. Campos-Duffy, the wife of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and a mother of nine, is a prominent voice in the pronatalist movement. She and others in the movement said the proposed subsidy would be the administration’s largest step toward achieving pronatalists’ goals.
Conservative podcasts, broadcasts and social media buzzed with excitement. A coterie of conservative lawmakers, some of whom have tried but failed to push through legislation to pay stay-at-home parents, including Senator Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, cheered their support.
But many on the right, even those who embrace Mr. Vance’s promotion of traditional families, said that handing out government money to parents so they could stay at home would go against core conservative tenets. They also maintained that the proposal contradicted the administration’s efforts to require Americans to work to get other forms of federal support.
Personally, I don’t understand–and here I go being an economist again–how most family’s will be able to simply make mom stay how and meet the bills with a measly tax break or some such nonsense. Do all of them ignore the inflation index and the price of groceries, utilities and gas out there? Also, with interest rates going up, many folks will find buying homes difficult.
So, right now I just can’t make sense of all these contradictory unsensible things that are supposed to make us all suddenly forget the reality of living in Trumplandia.
And back to the Chinese for one more thing. I’m jumping to an Aussie new source because all the American press is doing today seems a bit pantomime to me. I have to wait to see how long they stick to their guns, frankly. But, this is ABC still, so you decide. So I got these two contradictory new sources via Mueller She Wrote.
It still feels like Foxs news is still on the the side of our lying POTUS.
Is China helping Iran kill US soldiers? Is Trump having one of his man crushes on Xi? WTF is going on here? Can we get some real news coverage on this please? Also,what happened to Xi Jinping? Any one read anything on that little incident of his? Oh wait, there’s some news from the Thai press. Notice a trend here? “China confirms Xi’s US visit after unverified health rumours.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25, 2026, for talks with President Donald Trump, China’s Foreign Ministry announced on September 21. The ministry said Xi would travel at Trump’s invitation.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Xi and Trump would hold in-depth discussions on major issues concerning China–US relations, world peace and development during the three-day visit.
China’s announcement came days after unverified claims circulated on social media that Xi had suffered a stroke. The allegation, circulated on X by Wanjun Xie, was not supported by independently verifiable medical evidence, hospital statements or official documentation.
Chinese authorities had not publicly commented on the rumours, Indonesian news outlet Sindonews reported on September 18. China’s September 21 visit announcement specified the travel dates and Trump’s invitation but contained no statement about Xi’s health.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs separately warned on September 17 against social-media posts claiming that several leaders had fallen ill after attending the New Delhi summit. The ministry described the posts as malicious, although its warning did not specifically name Xi, according to ABP Live.
Okay, I’m off to play some game about living on a beautiful island that seems to lack nation status. Just what I need util Student Time tonight.
What’s on your Reading, Blogging, and Action list today?
Sunday Cartoons: Shelving
Posted: September 20, 2026 Filed under: just because 1 Comment
This is a photo of my uncle holding a vintage album of Dolly Parton at a flea market many years ago. We always laughed at it because it looks like he is holding up her boobs with his hand.
My cat Mingey is finally doing better. I told them at the vet I was going to pray to Dolly Parton, and it must have worked! Dolly was listening to me. I knew she would. I am starting a new religion…all hail Dolly!
I’m starting with the cartoons, via Cagle:
This is an open thread.
Lazy Caturday Reads: Trump’s Press Ban, Greenland, and Iran
Posted: September 19, 2026 Filed under: just because | Tags: cost of Iran war, Donald Trump, Greenland, Houthis, Iran War, NATO, Saudi Arabia, troop deaths, US Denmark Greenland agreement, White House press ban 5 CommentsGood Afternoon!!
Nine Afterlives for Light Grey Art Lab’s Color Anthropology show, by Andrew Kolb
Yesterday Trump held court in the oval office and rambled incoherently to reporters for what seemed like forever. You won’t get the full flavor of it unless you read and watch excerpts from Aaron Rupar or Acyn on Bluesky and/or Twitter. Trump often fell asleep when other people were talking. He looked like death warmed over and sounded insane.
The big headlines from the oval office press availability: Trump banned CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House and he announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that appeared to be similar to the agreement that has already been in place since 1951.
There are also new developments in Trump’s war with Iran.
Commentary on Trump’s Press Ban
Brian Stelter at CNN: Trump says he’s ‘banning’ CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
President Donald Trump claimed Friday afternoon that he is “banning” CNN, MS NOW and Politico “from the White House.” He said it was “effective immediately,” but there was no indication his administration had taken steps to follow through.
A source familiar with the matter said even some White House staffers were caught off guard by the announcement, including some members of the press shop, and they were left scrambling to learn more details about how it would impact daily functions. CNN reporters remained in their White House workspace into Friday evening. A CNN team was also traveling Friday as the assigned television pool reporters with Vice President JD Vance.
The country’s leading First Amendment groups said that if Trump tries to implement a ban, it would be unconstitutional and rejected by the courts.
The newsrooms targeted by Trump echoed that sentiment.
“CNN stands fully behind our White House team and their fair and accurate reporting. We have a right under the U.S. Constitution to do that reporting without hindrance or interference from the government,” the network said in a statement. “Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right.”
“POLITICO will continue to fairly report on this White House and future ones. We will vigorously defend our First Amendment rights against any attempt to restrict them,” the outlet said in a statement. MS NOW had no immediate comment on the president’s post.
The White House Correspondents’ Association, which represents the press corps, issued a statement expressing solidarity with the news outlets Trump singled out.
Trump wrote on Truth Social around 3 p.m. Eastern that the “banning” was “a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America,” he continued. “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
About an hour later, during an Oval Office press event, Trump was questioned by a group of White House reporters about how he would justify banning three news organizations. “Because they’re fake news,” he said.
“Something is wrong with a country that can allow people to write purposely negative stories,” the president continued. “If they want to write them, that’s fine. I don’t have to let them into the people’s house.”
Gee, writing something “negative” about the president? Horrors! Trump really thinks he’s a dictator.
Michael M. Grynbaum at The New York Times (gift link): CNN, MS NOW and Politico Barred From White House After Trump Announces Ban.
Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were denied access to the White House grounds on Saturday, a day after President Trump announced a ban on three news organizations because of reporting he disliked.
The Kiss, by Jamie Shelman
Akayla Gardner, a White House correspondent for MS NOW, said that her White House-issued access badge failed to work at the security entrance where reporters typically enter near the West Wing.
“The officer asked me to hand over my badge; he said that it was disabled,” Ms. Gardner said in an on-air interview. “I asked why I could not get inside; he said it was above him.”
A photographer for MS NOW was also asked to relinquish their badge, but a producer for the network was allowed into the White House, Ms. Gardner said.
Betsy Klein, a veteran CNN correspondent, described a similar experience that occurred about an hour later. She said that a White House security officer, whom she has known for years, informed her that her badge had been deactivated.
“I asked if he had any more details he could share with me,” Ms. Klein said in an on-air interview. “He said I should be referred to the White House press office for more information.”
Cheyenne Haslett, a reporter at Politico, was also denied access to the White House on Saturday morning, according to a note to staff from Jonathan Greenberger, Politico’s editor in chief, that was described in the publication’s Playbook newsletter….
First Amendment experts said Friday that Mr. Trump’s media ban was unlikely to survive a legal challenge, because the president explicitly connected his decision to bar CNN, Politico and MS NOW to the content of their reporting. That’s “textbook viewpoint discrimination,” Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press, said, referring to a kind of First Amendment violation that courts have historically disallowed.
In Mr. Trump’s first term, the White House lost a similar legal battle after it revoked the press pass for the CNN reporter Jim Acosta, whose credentials were later restored.
Erik Wemple and Michael M. Grynbaum at The New York Times (gift link): Trump Has Tried to Ban Reporters From Government Spaces Before.
The Trump administration has repeatedly moved to ban reporters from the White House and other government property.
In January 2025, Mr. Trump tried to bar Associated Press journalists from parts of the White House, including the Oval Office and Air Force One. The A.P. has sued to restore its access, but that case remains in litigation; in the meantime, A.P. photographers have had continued access to the Oval Office. Its print journalists have had more limited access.
Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, has also placed limits on reporters’ access to the Pentagon, including a requirement that all journalists be accompanied by an official escort while in the building. The Pentagon also closed the work space used for years by journalists with credentials to cover the military. The New York Times sued over the restrictions, and the litigation continues.
Dasha Burns, Will Steakin, and Adam Wren at Politico: Inside the White House media ban.
Donald Trump reupped his battle with the “FAKE NEWS” media on Truth Social Friday, banning CNN, MSNOW and POLITICO for reporting “LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States,” with “Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow.”
POLITICO called sources in and around the administration to find out why — after months of low approval ratings for the president and his signature issues — now?
In My Arms, by Tita Costa
Here’s what POLITICO learned.
Many senior staff were surprised by the directive, which happened while chief of staff Susie Wiles was out of town, and weren’t aware it was coming until they saw the post, according to three people close to the White House with knowledge of conversations in the West Wing.
One person said Trump previously tried to ban certain media, at one point even trying to put the press in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, but was talked down.
On Friday the press shop was blindsided and unsure of how to respond, with one aide simply pointing back to Trump’s Truth Social post.
Even so, they’re taking it seriously.
“It’s real and permanent as far as POTUS is concerned,” the person said.
Over a dozen current and former Trump White House White House officials POLITICO called, texted and Signaled — granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations — were also puzzled by the development. Other key White House officials reached out to us unsolicited to say it was a head scratcher.
Trump spoke with reporters in the Oval Office Friday shortly after the post at a pre-scheduled event on healthcare. He took questions, but didn’t offer much beyond decrying the “fake news,” adding that “cumulative stories” prompted the move.
Perhaps the incident will be filed away as one of Trump’s seemingly spontaneous eruptions that staff struggle to explain, from his fascination with genetics to his hatred for windmills.
But perhaps not. A second person close to the White House said there’s already been discussions about adding more outlets to the ban. Trump himself on Friday cited The New York Times and The Washington Post as possible additions.
Commentary on Trump’s Greenland Agreement
Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Jeffrey Gettleman, and Anton Troianovski at The New York Times (gift link): U.S. Has Reached Security Deal on Greenland, Trump Says.
President Trump said on Friday that his administration had reached a deal with Denmark and Greenland to expand the U.S. security presence in Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, raising the possibility of a diplomatic solution to a U.S.-made threat that nearly upended the Western alliance.
The full contours of the deal Mr. Trump was describing were not immediately clear, but shortly after his announcement, leaders of Greenland and Denmark issued statements indicating they expected an agreement to be signed next week during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The two sides described the agreement in very different terms. Mr. Trump claimed the United States had secured “permanent control over security, and all other needs” in Greenland, while the Danish prime minister said the deal “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Cat in a Cardboard Box by British artist Ruskin Spear (1911–1990)
That description would mean the agreement fell well short of Mr. Trump’s longstanding demand of total control over Greenland.
Instead, what Mr. Trump described on Friday was a deal that would prevent U.S. adversaries from having a base on Greenland and expand the U.S. military presence in the territory. In his social media post, Mr. Trump said that under the deal, “no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval.”
Officials from Denmark and Greenland did not immediately confirm that the United States had received such veto power — a U.S. demand that they had strongly opposed in closed-door negotiations in recent months. And two people close to the negotiations said Mr. Trump’s declaration of permanent control over Greenland’s security exaggerated the degree of new powers the United States would get over the territory. The U.S. military will be working with its counterparts in Denmark and Greenland under the agreement rather than asserting control over them, a U.S. military official said.
Still, the apparent deal, reached after months of high-stakes confidential talks with officials from the United States, Greenland and Denmark, could mark an off-ramp to an issue that caused widespread concern among NATO allies earlier this year.
PBS News Hour: What’s in the Greenland agreement between U.S. and Denmark.
Geoff Bennett:
Late today, President Donald Trump announced a deal had been struck with Denmark and Greenland. Mr. Trump has long coveted the mineral-rich island which has been part of the kingdom of Denmark since the 1700s. On social media, Mr. Trump wrote that the deal — quote — “gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland, completely addressing all of our many U.S. concerns. There will be no cost to the United States.”
With us here to unpack this late-breaking development is Nick Schifrin.
So, Nick, what’s in this deal?
Nick Schifrin:
Geoff, reminder that the U.S.-Greenland pressure has caused a rift between the United States and Europe and really led to questions in Europe about whether the United States was an ally. And so this was a huge deal when the president started this.
And I have talked to U.S. and European officials just in the last few minutes, and both sides seem to be happy. That’s the real headline here. So let’s look at what’s exactly in this deal.
The top line is this. It provides U.S. permanent basing, access and overflight rights. What does that mean? The U.S. can create new bases on Greenland. It can fly over Greenland and it can keep that ability no matter what Greenland chooses for its own political future in any kind of self-referendum.
Number two, it bans non-NATO bases. That means no Russia, no China bases are allowed on Greenland. There’s also this part, the third part, a screening mechanism for investments. That means no Chinese or Russian investments.
And, in return, this last point that is really key for Greenland and Denmark, the Greenland population can choose its political future. That means that they can choose to be independent, which some people on Greenland want to be. And no territory of Greenland is transferred to the United States.
And that, again, was the core of the rift. The president didn’t say, we want a little bit more access to Greenland. He said, we want Greenland. And that is a real — was a real threat to European sovereignty. And that’s why the Europeans tonight are breathing a sigh of relief, in addition to the U.S. officials saying this is a good deal.
at BBC: Nato welcomes Greenland deal as Trump says it will give US ‘permanent security control.’
The US and Denmark have announced a deal on Greenland’s security, resolving a diplomatic dispute sparked by President Donald Trump’s threats to seize it by force.
Nato said the deal would help stabilise the region, as Trump said Denmark would grant the US “permanent control over security, and all other needs” in the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
A New Day (2021) by Catalan artist Ramiro Fernandez
The leaders of Denmark and Greenland welcomed the deal to “strengthen security”, which they said was expected to be signed next week, but did not outline its contents.
The deal comes after months of threats by Trump to “take” Greenland over national security concerns, citing its strategic location for defence purposes and its mineral wealth.
No text of the agreement has been released. Trump said the deal came with “no cost to the United States” and would grant it the ability “to do what is necessary” to “secure and defend the security of Greenland”, in a post on Truth Social.
He said it included a rule that no US adversary could maintain a military presence in Greenland or “make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval”.
A Nato spokesperson said the military alliance welcomed the deal, which would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region”.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was “pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement” for all three parties, which was expected to be signed at the UN General Assembly next week.
The deal “strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area” while also recognising “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination”, she said in a joint statement with Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
The agreement would still need to go through “the necessary parliamentary procedures to enter into force” once signed, the statement noted.
Iran War Developments
Rachel Dobkin at The Independent: More troops have died in the Iran War than Trump’s administration has revealed: report.
More American troops have died in the Iran War than President Donald Trump’s administration has revealed, according to a new report.
At least 22 service members have been killed in the conflict, five U.S. officials familiar with the Pentagon’s internal casualty accounting data told The Washington Post.
The estimate accounts for four more than the 18 military fatalities posted on a public government database known as the Defense Casualty Analysis System, according to the Post….
Country Life, by Louis Wain
A sixth U.S. official who spoke to the Post said 23 troops have died in the Middle East during the war, but noted that not all of the undisclosed fatalities are directly tied to the conflict.
As of Friday, the Pentagon’s database showed seven hostile and seven non-hostile deaths during the U.S. military campaign against Iran, which it has dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.”
An additional four hostile deaths were listed in a separate category called “Overseas Operations” that started on July 7 — around the time when a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran collapsed.
It appears that this may be an effort to avoid paying death benefits for the “non-hostile” deaths.
Eric Schmitt at The New York Times (gift link): Cost of Iran War Estimated at $43.6 Billion.
The cost of the war in Iran was $43.6 billion through Sept. 3, with bombs, missiles and other munitions accounting for more than 60 percent of the expenses, the Pentagon told Congress this week.
The estimate for the first time offered an unclassified breakdown of costs incurred by each of the armed services, as well as for specific categories, like damaged or destroyed weaponry.
The Air Force, for instance, has spent $6.6 billion to pay for operating dozens of fighter and bomber squadrons. The Navy has incurred $2.2 billion in costs to deploy more than two dozen warships, including several aircraft carriers. And it has cost the Army $1.6 billion to sustain its forces in the region. Overall, more than 50,000 troops are assigned to the war mission, according to U.S. Central Command.
Congressional officials shared the cost estimates with The New York Times after it was provided to congressional national security committees.
Since the war started on Feb. 28, the military has burned through $28.1 billion in munitions, seriously depleting global stockpiles of some critical weapons, like Patriot air-defense interceptors, and siphoning supplies from U.S. military commands in Asia and Europe.
The Pentagon has spent $4.3 billion to replace dozens of damaged or destroyed combat aircraft and other weaponry and equipment. It has spent $633 million to move and support several thousand Special Operations commandos in the region.
The information also revealed spending in other critical battlefield accounts, with the military spending $23.5 million on “in-house medical support” for U.S. service members, according to one congressional official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the information provided to lawmakers. The Pentagon says 18 service members have been killed in the war and more than 830 injured.
U.S. Transportation Command spent $92.1 million to move supplies and equipment, and U.S. Cyber Command spent $10.5 million on “cybersupport operations,” the official said.
, , and Frustration grows as Houthis widen Middle East conflict with US unwilling to intervene.
Dramatic recent advances by the Iran-backed Houthis, including the seizure of a strategically important island in the Red Sea, have dealt another blow to a region reeling from the US war with Iran and exacerbated an already severe global energy crisis. But neither the US nor its key ally Saudi Arabia has a clear plan to beat back the group, multiple sources told CNN, leading many in the region to ask where the counteroffensive will come from.
Barbara Perrine Chu ~ Woman with Gray Cat
Although US officials acknowledge the Yemeni rebel group is advancing with the goal of ultimately asserting control over the critical Bab al Mandeb Strait, the Trump administration is signaling it has little interest in using the American military to stop them – relying instead on Saudi Arabia to do so.
But even with additional US intelligence and targeting support, Saudi Arabia has not been able to effectively stop the Houthis from taking key coastal towns in Yemen, frustrating Gulf and American officials. Sources who spoke with CNN expressed doubt that the Saudis would be able to stop the Houthis on their own.
The Houthis moves have not come as a surprise to sources in the region, as well as former diplomats, who said the weaknesses of the Saudi-backed Yemeni forces were well-known. For months US intelligence reports indicated the group would attempt to close another key waterway for commercial shipping as Iran did earlier this year, US officials said.
Still, the US believes it is currently providing Saudi Arabia with everything it needs to be successful against the Houthis, one American official told CNN, referring to the recent increase in sharing intelligence support and sharing of targeting data support with the Kingdom. And after about a decade of training the Yemen government’s military, the Kingdom had assured US officials that they were confident in their ability, two sources told CNN.
Read more at CNN.
Al Jazeera: Iranians rally in biggest show of defiance against US since war began.
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians have marched in a government-organised show of defiance in Tehran, pledging their readiness to take up arms.
The Iranian government showcased a newly formed volunteer force at the rally on Friday. It will receive limited military and emergency response training to serve as an additional layer of security for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij militia.
Volunteers rallied through downtown Tehran in combat uniforms, some carrying flags and weapons, while the government displayed drones, anti-aircraft batteries and other weaponry.
Tehran’s IRGC chief, Hassan Hassanzadeh, told the state broadcaster IRIB that over 600,000 people had registered to participate in the voluntary Janfada-ye-Iran campaign. That roughly translates to “Those who sacrifice their lives for Iran”, with over one million expected to take part in the training.
Those are my recommended reads for today. What do you think? What other stories have captured your attention today?
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