News Vérité

President Trump, jokingly or not, yesterday offered up California as a sacrificial lamb in the war with Iran, saying of the Iranians: “They can take out a city. Let ’em take out Los Angeles. Let ’em take out San Diego.” He said it would “a very small price to pay” to settle the war. The crowd in Nebraska cheered. This led California Governor Gavin Newsom — whom I not so affectionately refer to as Grabbin’ Gruesome — to call for the removal of Trump, using the 25th Amendment. He cited the reason as being that the president is “mentally ill,” adding that he is “dangerous and delusional.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria snapped, “San Diego is not collateral damage.” The White House largely played down the comments as being said in jest. “The media freakout over ⁠President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality. He was clearly stating US cities would have been threatened if a nuclear Iran hadn’t been stopped,” White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung wrote on social media.

You gotta love Louisiana Senator John Kennedy for never mincing words or saying something just to uphold the party line. Now, he says he’ll jump into the 2028 presidential race if the leading candidates are all “goobers.” “If a bunch of, on my side of the aisle, if a bunch of goobers run, and I think they’re goobers and one of the goobers might win, and I think I could do a better job, I would consider running,” he told NBC’s Meet the Press. “But right now, I’m running for reelection.” Kennedy also had choice words for our sitting president: “The president, as we know… can be tempestuous. He can go from zero to a-hole in about three seconds.” So far, according to Real Clear Politics polling, the GOP field for the 2028 sweepstakes includes VP JD Vance at 39.7%, followed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 23.4%, Donald Trump Jr. at 11.1%, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) at 7.3%. Vance thinks Texas Senator Ted Cruz will probably throw his hat in the ring, but Cruz denies that; who can believe a politician’s denial? I’m personally anxious to hear Kennedy’s definition of goober, but I have my own.

TV producer Chuck Lorre needs help to cure his extreme case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), a White House spokesman recommended after Lorre made scathing remarks about President Trump and his wife, Melania, at an awards ceremony this past Saturday. Lorre said that the Trump is a “Russian asset” and joked that the president had suffered a fatal heart attack, perhaps a goal the creator of “Big Bang Theory” embraces. Of Melania, he referred to her as “a surgically enhanced, cold-hearted Yugoslavian escort who clearly hates her husband.”  The response came from White House spokesperson Davis Ingle: “Chuck Lorre should immediately seek psychiatric help to treat his severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome that has completely rotted his peanut-sized brain.” Being a “Russian asset” might actually be close to the truth. Witness the generosity of a Russian oligarch during son Donald Jr.’s recent wedding, and also take into account Trump’s red-carpet treatment of Vladimir Putin compared to his routine put-down of Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Putin and Zelenskyy, of course, are engaged in a war that Trump said he could solve in 24 hours when he was campaigning in 2024. When he had his chance to actually end the conflict in

President Trump is upping the ante once again with monetary handouts before the November midterm election. This time, he’s promising a $90 payment to “over 20 MILLION wonderful Seniors to help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums.”  The money will be distributed on October 8, 2026, and will come from the Medicare Improvement Fund. He has also promised $5,000 to all adults if Republicans retain Congress in November, in addition to $1,776 to all active duty service members. The president is currently on a campaign swing through states where GOP Senate and Congressional candidates are facing headwins because of the cost of living, not only at the pump, but also in the food market checkout line. Medicare is the federal health program started by President Lyndon Baines Johnson that covers those 65 or older and those with disabilities. Medicare Part B is the medical insurance part of Original Medicare that covers doctor visits, outpatient care, and preventive services.