The Republican way seems to be arresting farmworkers while protecting sex offenders. Trump turned on his supporters saying the Epstein “hoax” is “bullshit” and those that care about it are “weaklings” and doesn’t want their support anymore or as Elon calls it “the old admit nothing, deny everything and make counterclaims.”
Occasionally he’s got a good point. Nothing triggers a narcissist like accountability.
Mike Johnson is on camera saying he wants “everything released” on the Epstein files. This while Republicans unanimously voted to block the release of the files that supposedly don’t exist and refusing to schedule a hearing prior to the House’s 6 week summer recess. Fondler of Privates in a Public Place, Congresswoman Lauren Boebart had the temerity to suggest Matt Gaetz be appointed as Special Council to investigate. The same guy who resigned from Congress over allegations of having sex with minors.
SCOTUS continues to rubber-stamp Trump’s authoritarian regime, in turn weakening the agencies that protect us and removing our safeguards. This is Chief Justice John Robert’s legacy- where silence is safety and democracy something you remember, not live.
Going after the media is a favorite of fascists everywhere. Stephen Colbert got canceled, both NPR and PBS were defunded and even Trump loyalists the Wall St. Journal and Fox were threatened.
ICE is forcing US citizens to delete smartphone footage of raids while US Embassies are asking for “every social media username used in the past 5 years” on new visa applications.
So much for free speech. Smells like authoritarian overreach to me.
The DOJ has been ordered to deemphasize attention to human trafficking and child labor in order to focus on immigration, cutting grants and departments and firing prosecutors while making it harder to “protect the children” and “family values”. Nearly 70 programs meant to combat them have been defunded and there’s been a 26% drop in federal prosecutions between the two since President Pedo took office.
The Environmental Protection Agency is terminating the Office of Research and Development whose mission is literally to “safeguard human health and ecosystems from environmental pollutants” but not any more. If you were trying to destroy the infrastructure of a country, one that keeps you informed and protected, dismantling critical government programs would be how to do it.
In passing his “big beautiful bill’ that adds $3.4 trillion of debt and cuts $1.1 trillion in spending largely from programs that help average Americans in order to continue tax cuts for billionaires, it’s good to remember when FDR raised taxes on the rich it built the middle class, a jobs program, and set the course for Medicare and Social Security, now casualties of the bill. Instead, these days we have a narcissist grifting for his Presidential library. Paramount/CBS kicked in 16 mil and possibly gave up Colbert, Meta 22 million, Disney 15 mil and X aka Elon’s Twitter, 10.
Or is it insurance for future favors based on fear and pre-compliance?
Lastly on the international front, American Jewish actor and singer Mandy Patinkin called Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu dangerous for Jews globally and denounced Israel’s war on Gaza, a feeling shared by many of my Jewish friends, myself included. “How could it be done
to you and your ancestors, and you turn around and do it to someone else?” Good question. One that doesn’t make you an anti-semite for asking.
In the meantime how’s your grocery bill? The avg price of ground beef in 2022? $4.50. 2025? A record high of $6.12 and just one of many things that are hard to swallow.
Chef/percussionist/writer/reprobate and lover of all things beautiful & delicious, Chef Alan Lake’s culinary career includes East Bank Club in Chicago; Sunset Marquis in W. Hollywood; Izakaya Hiwatta in Ichinomia Japan and legendary nightclub Purpur in Zurich, Switzerland. Working all around the world for over four decades, he's won numerous awards, professional competitions and distinctions. He’s the author of Home Cookin'- The Stories Behind The Food and The Garlic Manifesto- the history of garlic going back to 10,000-year-old Neolithic caves and contains facts, fiction, folklore, myths and legends (besides 100 recipes).
A lifelong musician that plays 70+ percussion instruments, he coined the term “Jazzfood” to describe his cooking style i.e. “solid technique coupled with tasteful improvisation.” He views his food as he does his music and writing and has been known to bust a pout if subpar in any way.