As expected, with the Supreme Court deciding to take Trump’s absolute immunity claim (completely flabbergasting all the legal experts), there’s no way any Trump trial will be finished, let alone get started, before the election. Just the way he wanted it. Now the only thing he has to do now is win that election. And he could do it with less than 40% of the vote, thanks to our antiquated Electoral College. Yikes!

@danielbsmith Yeah, well, I hope you’re right. I have no problem with optimism, though I’m firmly in the realist camp. Without U.S. financial /military support, I can’t see Ukraine winning. Maybe an eventual stalemate, but with big chunks of Ukraine territory in Russia’s hands. And voting out the do-nothing Congress can’t happen for another eight months!

Hate to say this, but the fight to save Ukraine from Putin seems to be lost - thanks to a Republican Congress, which is still on break with no plan to grant aid to Ukraine when they return. Much more important for them is to continue Biden’s impeachment process despite no evidence of corruption and their “smoking guns” have been destroyed.

@dfohio That sanctity of life dichotomy has always been a part of the Christian right. Go figure.

@Bix Who’da thunk it? The historically rabid anti-Communist, anti-Russia party now in Putin’s camp. And it’s because of Trump. Gotta hand it to Putin. He saw the opportunity Trump presented and went with it. Likely surprised Putin too. But finding a Democrat shill would have been too obvious, since Russia sympathizers have been Democrats, by and large, in the past.

@00pi Democrats wrote the book on wringing hands, worrying incessantly about this or that thing. Unfortunately, they seldom are proactive - like the Republicans are so good at doing - to head off the obstacles at the pass. Sheer numerical superiority has enabled them to overcome their political ineptitude in the past. One can only hope it’ll work this time around, despite the roadblocks R legislatures are mounting.

@CherNohio Puts new meaning on the demand to “grow a pair.” 😊

@00pi Yes, the party faithful have rejected Haley so far, so the demise of Trump would not necessarily make her the nominee.. But whoever it turns out to be will lose to the Dems in November.

@dauphin87 Stacks of money burned up. Happens every campaign. The heavy hitters can afford it - they’re gambling, after all. But the average person sending five, ten bucks to a candidate they like for whatever reason - and continue to do so even if it’s a grift - that’s sad.

Nikki Haley, as long as she has donors, is doing the right thing, even if she gets trounced in S.C. If something derails Trump, there needs to be someone left to carry the R banner. If she drops out, who would the Rs pick for their last-minute candidate?

@lenaoflune Ah, but what to do with the embryos already created?

@SupplySgt Yeah, with honors from Trump University.

And what if the company which houses these embryos goes out of business at some time in the future? Will Alabama take that company over?

Lots of questions that reveal how short-sighted the Alabama ruling was. Look before you leap, people!

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, and destroying them could constitute murder. So this raises a number of issues. Keeping embryos frozen is an ongoing expense, borne by the partners of those in vitro fertilizations, presumably, and forever, presumably. Will their descendants have to continue to pay the “rent” forever? What if the original partners can no longer pay? Do the embryos become wards of the state - an embryo orphanage as it were?

“You’ll get tired of winning.” So said Trump a few years ago. What, besides being granted delays in his criminal cases, has he won? Most of his hand-picked congressional and gubernatorial candidates have lost, he lost the lawsuits against Trump University and the Trump Foundation, he lost the last presidential election, he lost the defamation lawsuit - twice - and now he’s lost the NYC fraud case. Maybe his supporters should get tired of losing?

@SECRET_ASIAN_MAN Yeah, the same guy that is responsible for Hunter Biden’s prosecution. What have you done for me lately, right?

Bless their hearts. After an exhaustive investigation into Hillary Clinton’s role in the Benghazi disaster came to naught, they still said, “What about Benghazi?” when debasing her record. Now that their two star witnesses for Biden’s corruption - one who flew the coop and one who was arrested for lying to the FBI - have been neutralized, Republicans will still talk about the “Biden crime family” without any evidence. Of course they will, because that’s who they are.

All this worry about Trump’s several trials not being completed before the election misses the big picture. Let’s say at least one will be done, ending in a conviction. Well, that will be appealed. By the time all appeals have been exhausted, Trump could be president. Assuming the conviction is upheld, then what? Drag him off to prison? That’ll never happen. SCOTUS will rule that he gets to finish his term. Only that term will be indefinite, because he’ll refuse to leave. Gotta beat him in Nov.!

Trump disparaged McCain”s service record and insulted a Gold Star family. He called soldiers who died defending our country losers. He says he’ll encourage Putin to attack any NATO country that does not fulfill its financial obligation to that alliance. And yet the majority of the military and veterans vote for him. What’s wrong with this picture? Trump saying these things is scary enough. But millions of Americans who apparently agree with him boggles my mind.