As defined by homeownership, the absolute size of the middle class hasn't really grown at all since 2005

I wish this bag under my eye would just go away

The Senate ceased being a gentlemen's club when they started letting just anybody in in 1913

Spare me the blather about its august rules, traditions and decorum, especially when propounded by the gaggle of mediocrities, grifters, hacks, and perverts now occupying it, and aspiring to it. 

Remember the Republican motto: In order to save the Union we have to destroy it

Close Senate healthcare vote delayed because McCain recuperating from surgery: Watch, next week Murkowskie will stub her toe

Story here.

Hm, hundreds withdraw their voter registrations in Colorado as Secretary of State gets ready to turn over records to Trump

Imagine that.

270 in Boulder County, 180 in Denver, 365 in Arapahoe County, according to the story here.

What America needs now is an army of Paul Kerseys

The much maligned Jimmy Carter is the hero of the post-war for paying the least for GDP

Michigan Doctor Men with funny names charged in $1.3 billion healthcare fraud conspiracy: Mashiyat Rashid, Yasser Mozeb, Abdul Haq, Tariz Omar, Mohammed Zahoor

From the story here:

More than 400 people across the country were charged Thursday for taking part in health care fraud and opioid scams including six Michigan doctors in connection with a raid Wednesday at the Fisher Building in Detroit. ... Rashid and Mozeb are charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks.

Laugh of the Day: Leave it to Rod Dreher to crank out 2,000 to 3,000 words about so much bologna

Here, in the comments section.

Peter Beinart suddenly discovers "projection"

I'm not surprised after he swam in it for eight years under Obama, whose fault nothing was.

Here.

If an Hawaii judge can ignore the Supreme Court, Trump can ignore the Hawaii judge

Trump tells 64-year old Brigitte Macron "You're in such good shape": At least he didn't call her a "corpseman"

Melania can't take that guy anywhere.

Story here.

Kid Rock's tired of Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow's "bullshit", plans to run against her

J. P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon complains "stupid shit" is distracting America from implementing better tax and spending policies

Blame the Democrats and NeverTrumpers, Jamie.

Here:

It's almost an embarrassment being an American citizen traveling around the world and listening to the stupid s--- we have to deal with in this country, and at one point we all have to get our act together or we won't do what we're supposed to [do] for the average Americans and unfortunately people write about this saying like it's for corporations. It's not for corporations. Competitive taxes are important for business and business growth, which is important for jobs and wage growth. And honestly we should be ringing that alarm bell, every single one of you, every time we talk to a client.

Trump Jr. saga: Loretta Lynch personally signed off on Moscow lawyer entry to US in October 2015, but it appears the lawyer overstayed and no one followed up

The Hill reports here:

The Moscow lawyer had been turned down for a visa to enter the U.S. lawfully but then was granted special immigration parole by then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch for the limited purpose of helping a company owned by Russian businessman Denis Katsyv, her client, defend itself against a Justice Department asset forfeiture case in federal court in New York City.

During a court hearing in early January 2016 as Veselnitskaya’s permission to stay in the country was about to expire, federal prosecutors described how rare the grant of parole immigration was as Veselnitskaya pleaded for more time to remain in the United States. ...

The U.S. Attorney’s office in New York confirmed Wednesday to The Hill that it let Veselnitskaya into the country on a grant of immigration parole from October 2015 to early January 2016.

Justice Department and State Department officials could not immediately explain how the Russian lawyer was still in the country in June for the meeting with Donald Trump Jr. and the events in Washington D.C.

Watch Maxine Waters' eyes get real big when Pelosi mistakenly refers to Trump as Bush

At least Maxine was paying attention to the dingbat.

Here, but I repeat myself.

Pelosi has now made the mistake five times according to the story here, raising questions about her fitness for office.

David Brooks, who thinks he's so much smarter than a high school graduate, mistakenly calls stirato bread striata bread

Here.

All the recipes by the people who actually know Italian bread call it stirato. Here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

When gathering up your cultural signifiers with which to preen and beat the illegitimi over the head, David, maybe you should first make sure that they are intelligible. Looks like all those layoffs of the striata eaters at the Times are starting to expose the columnists for the ignoramuses they are.

Ralph Peters becomes irrational about Putin like Bush, under questioning by Tucker Carlson

"I looked the man in the eye. I found him very straightforward and trustworthy – I was able to get a sense of his soul."

Here:

[Vladimir Putin] is malevolent and he is as close to pure evil as I can find. ... [H]e is as bad as Hitler. ... Vladimir Putin hates America, he wants to hurt us. ... Russia is evil, Russia is our enemy.

Laugh of the Day: Baloney sandwich Joe Scarborough says he's not going to be a filet mignon anymore

Seen in the comments section, here.