Who ever thought that on the 4th of July, the main emotion evoked in millions of Americans would be shame. Shame that our fellow citizens voted to elect the worst leader in the history of our country. I have used every negative adjective I know to describe this awful man. It hasn't changed a single mind. But, he is now losing his grip on voters at a rate that should be alarming to him. Instead of listening to voters, I believe he will ratchet up his tyrannical behavior until the United States is just a blip in the ocean, which some in Russia will claim to see from their bedroom window. 250 years is not old for a nation, and while Anderson Cooper may think we'll be back to normal in 50 years, I don't. I know we won't get there in my lifetime.

But instead of bellowing at the moon, I think we should all look forward, not 50 years, but to 2028. What traits should the leader of this country possess? On the last day of 2016, I wrote:

What feelings should an incoming President invoke in us? My answer is pride in our country, a sense of security, so that when we go to sleep at night we know the world will be there when we wake up, and feelings of trust that our nation's leader will steer the country along the right path, embracing principles of freedom, tolerance and opportunity for all, and act in ways that confirm to the world that the United States is a beacon of liberty, not authoritarianism.

Your turn. What traits should our next leader possess? And for another day, how do we protect ourselves from the clutches of future felonistic fraudsters clawing their way to the pinnacle of power?

Happy Father's Day to all. A day of tribute and for many, remembrances. My dad passed away at age 81 in 2001. Something reminds me of him every day. His memory is a blessing, and I am grateful that I feel his presence every time one of his little life lessons pops into my head.

On another topic, I am still moving. I honestly don't understand how it could take five days to move from one floor to another but it did. The furniture was done in one day, and then came the rest. I haven't begun to unpack, and I still have to clear out the stuff I left behind in the old apartment. But I'm really happy with the new apartment. I hope I don't have to do this again for another two years, at least. [More]

Today is TalkLeft's 23rd Birthday! I wish I had time to celebrate it. I am moving apartments today, same building, same size unit, great mountain view, but a different floor. Why bother? The new apartment is $450. a month less.

You would think moving would be easier not needing a truck but it is not. It's also not much cheaper.

I'll probably be offline for the weekend with the transfer of internet service, but here's an open thread, all topics welcome.

I think I could use a birthday drink. If you can spare it, here's the button.

With gratitude to those who served and died, to our veterans still with us, and to those currently enlisted who are protecting our nation and allies and everyone in them.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Our last open thread is about to hit 200 comments and close. Here is a new one all topics welcome.
I'll add some content here when I'm done with work for the day. In the meantime, it's your turn.

Finally, a new open thread, all topics welcome.

It's good to know you are never too old to work for DOJ, even in a position which requires the use of your brain, if you have the right connections. Uber-conservative former prosecutor and former Trump attorney Joseph di Genova, age 82, is back -- Trump just appointed him Counselor to the Attorney General:

Today, Joseph E. diGenova was sworn in as Counselor to the Attorney General, assuming a senior advisory role within the U.S. Department of Justice.

In this capacity, diGenova will advise the Attorney General on significant legal, policy, and enforcement matters, drawing on decades of experience in federal prosecution, complex investigations, and national legal practice.

Trump says it's unlikely Iran will get an extension on his ultimatum. More...]

The rumors are true. Donald Trump has fired Pam Bondi. Todd Blanche, one of his personal lawyers from his criminal trial in New York and a former federal prosecutor, currently serving as Deputy AG, will take her place.

Bondi will return to the private sector, according to Trump. (CBS had reported she would remain in the Administration in another capacity.)

Many are speculating that the reasons for the firing are her mishandling of the release of files in the Jeffrey Epstein case. There's also her failure to fulfill his personal vengeful agenda and file charges against Adam Schiff and Letitia James.

Donald Trump sounds out of breath.

Iran's navy is dead. Never in the history of warfare has a country suffered such a devastating loss.

He starts with a lie and will just keep going.

We are working with Venezuela and getting along incredibly well. We are now totally independent of the Middle East.

He says he has been planning to decimate Iran since 2015 when he first decided to run for office.

Our last open thread is full. Here's a new one, all topics welcome.

The "war" in Iran continues. Israel is picking off Iranian leaders, one by one. Iran continues its drone attacks, and the number of wounded American service people grows.

Social security is going to run out of funds at least a year ahead of schedule. Why? I think it's because of the mass immigrant detentions, and the voluntary and forced deportations. Immigrants, whether here lawfully or not, work using a real or fake social security number. Their employers pay into social security for each one of them on the payroll. The reduction in the immigrant labor force means the amount paid into Social Security is less.

In less than a year, the second Trump Administration stripped 1.6 million immigrants of their legal status, upending the lives of immigrants who came into the United States “the right way,” severely damaging our economy and national security, and only growing the undocumented population in pursuit of its anti-immigrant agenda.

[More...]

It's hard to believe only four weeks ago the U.S., at the whim of Donald Trump, invaded Venezuela to snatch its leader Nicolas Maduro. The New York Times (free link) reports he thinks his strategy was a big success and intends to duplicate it in Iran:

Mr. Trump’s decision to snatch Mr. Maduro from his bed, but keep the rest of the Venezuelan leadership in place, is an experiment in remote-control occupation. After the Delta team landed by helicopter that early January night, killed Mr. Maduro’s Cuban and Venezuelan guards, and seized him seconds before he could lock himself in that safe room, Mr. Trump blessed the installation of Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as acting president. She will stay there, he has said, as long as she follows Washington’s instructions.

...In a brief conversation with The New York Times on Sunday, on the second day of the American and Israeli attack on Iran, he cited the Venezuela experience as a model for what he was trying to accomplish in Iran. “What we did in Venezuela, I think, is the perfect, the perfect scenario,” Mr. Trump insisted. “Everybody’s kept their job except for two people.”

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

The photo above is of the burning Fairmont Hotel in Dubai, which Tehran hit with drones this past weekend in retaliation for the strikes on Iran. The Wall St. Journal, (free link) which posted a video of the burning hotel, reports:

Missiles and drones rained down on Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, targeting bases and other strategic sites and scattering debris from intercepts. The attacks marred the business-friendly reputation Gulf countries took years to build.

The retaliations continue (free link).

The State Department [has] urged Americans to immediately leave 14 countries, and closed U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait after they were hit by drones.

[More...]

The House Oversight Committee has released the videos of Bill and Hillary Clinton's depositions on Jeffrey Epstein. You can watch Bill here and Hillary here.

Hillary was feisty and her opening statement is well worth watching.

BBC has this summary of their depositions.

Rep. Lauren Boebert published on her social media account,