Lies, Lies, Lies ... and More Lies

Like you, the Schloss-Blog has noticed that the next time Donald Trump tells the truth will be the first time.

Suddenly, he likes Zohran Mamdani, New York City's Mayor-elect. He used to refer to him as a "100% Communist lunatic" and a "nut job."

Meanwhile, prices are going up, up, up. But Trump says they're going down, down, down. It's not even close, and if you've been to a gas station, a grocery store, you know.

You've likely traded down from dining out to quick-service take out; you've likely traded down to getting the car serviced at 5-Minute Oil Change instead of back at the dealership where you bought it.

Abigail Spansberger's gubernatorial win in Virginia and Mikie Sherrill's in New Jersey were driven by constantly reminding voters that prices are going up, up, up and they would fight for affordability.

Trump says he's got inflation under control. Say he's got prices under control.

The only thing he's got under control is the death of Venezuelan fisherman in the Caribbean who are supposedly carrying drugs, although there's never been any proof of that.

What Trump is really trying to do there is start a war with Venezuela, to oust its leader, instead of fighting a war with prices and inflation in the United States.

And he's losing.

Badly.

Hey Donald, "Quiet, piggy."

***

Buying an AI-powered toy for the kids, or the grandkids, this Christmas? Might want to rethink that.

"...a new report by a consumer advocacy group is raising concerns after they found that some toys shared instructions on how to light a match or find a knife, or offered sexually explicit content."

In other words, you could possibly be showing your kids how to burn the house down or how to seriously harm someone.

Or how and where to find porn, perhaps.

Comforting, huh?

Where's the Consumer Products Safety Commission when you need it? 

Well, it's having its budget cut by about 10% to $135 million and having its staff cut by 100, let alone being reassigned into the Department of Health and Human Services, which means under the jurisdiction of one Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Which means disaster.

***

Trump lost another battle last week, when, with the House and Senate passing the bills, he signed off on releasing the Epstein Files.

Yeah, he signed off on it. Even though he's all over it.

But when will they be released? Will they be released?

Pam Bondi has opened another investigation, which could delay the release, or forestall it altogether.

And, who knows, there could be as many Democrats' names in the files as Republicans'.

And Trump's. And Trump's. And Trump's. And Trump's.

***

Musical note: saw Bryan Adams in concert last week, at Phoenix's Mortgage Matchup Arena (see my Facebook, Instagram and TikTok pages for videos from the show). 

He does a show of shows. Non-stop energy. Tons of hit songs. A graphics bonanza displayed on the big screen behind him and the band. Audience knows the words to every song.

And he encourages singalong.

His "Roll With The Punches" Tour is a smash hit.

Opening act Pat Benatar, with husband Neil Giraldo on lead guitar, was sensational - does she ever still have her voice, at age 72.

Spectacular, and well worth the price of admission to the sold-out show.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Catherine Lucey.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show.

Oh, and Donald, "Quiet, piggy."

Trump Was Willing To Let You Die

The Schloss-Blog notes that during the shutdown, or even without the shutdown, Trump was willing to:

**...leave Americans vulnerable to death by starvation;

**,,,leave Americans vulnerable to death by illness;

**...leave Americans unable to afford healthcare or insurance therefor. In other words, he was willing to kill your fellow Americans. KILL them.

And Democrats who CAVED (oh yes they did) accomplished nothing with the SHUTDOWN. Nothing!

America would've revolted against Republicans when - not if - ultra-food shortages and plague-like illnesses set in (measles are already back). Or people went bankrupt or nearly so to afford healthcare and insurance for it.

Now, after CAVING, Democrats accomplished nothing and we, Americans, are right back where we were when the SHUTDOWN started.

If Democrats don't campaign on Trump's willingness to let Americans starve and not afford insurance, in addition to affordability of life in general, and do it day after day after day, they are idiots.

But CAVING already proved that.

***

The Schloss-Blog is seeing where news sources are reporting that when Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman visits the White House this week, Trump will press him to finally sign the Abraham Accords, which call for unity and peace between Israel and the Muslim nations around it, particularly Saudi Arabia using its enormous influence in the region to ensure this.

We all know what happened the last time the Saudis were close to signing the document ... in case you forgot, Hamas did not want to see it happen.

And it didn't.

***

Anyone catch all the ridiculous endings in college football this weekend? A&M's amazing comeback, first time in HISTORY anyone from the SEC came back from a 27-point halftime deficit (it took 287 tries).

Mississippi (I refuse to call 'em Ole Miss), Michigan and USC were among the big-time teams scoring major comeback wins. 

Texas didn't. Ohio State, as usual, didn't need to.

The 12-team playoff is going to have a whole different look this year, with many teams not getting in the field again.

***

How much is your house worth, especially to a company that writes you home insurance policy? And how is that determined?

Well, in good part, by balloon-carried cameras that supply images to assessors. They're AI-powered, go as high as 40,000 feet and send forth the images these companies need.

Paging Florida.

***

If you wanna' see some good ole rock 'n' roll, catch Bryan Adams on whatever is left on his current "Roll With The Punches" Tour.

Creative. Legendary. Hit after hit. Even covered "Twist & Shout." Incredible band behind him. 

Special effects resound, including singing along with a music video recorded so early in his career that a lot of people in the Phoenix audience definitely didn't recall it. Or barely recognize him the video.

Adams brought us all back to the "Summer of '69." Well worth it. Check it out. (https://www.facebook.com/reel/1814755872500092)

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Jocelyn. Three great weekends in a row.

Oh yeah, the shutdown is over, so maybe - just maybe - our upcoming flights will not be impacted.

Sh_t, of course they will be.

Democrats, Get Loud, And Nasty, Please

The Schloss-Blog has been working on its laundry list: in other words, sh_t that Democrats should be shouting about from the rooftops, especially in the wake of last week's so successful off-year election results. For instance:

 **Life is too expensive (well, it worked for Spanberger and Sherrill, so make it work for all of you - now, everyday, until next November);

**Everything costs more, even utilities. According to a J.D. Power report, monthly utility bills now eat up 6.3% of household budgets, up from 4.5 in 2020. And according to Texas-based Payless Power, two-fifths of low-income households have had overdue electric bills in the past year. One in three have faced utility turn-off notices. They say some people now fall so far behind on rent or utilities that they skip medications rather than have their power turned off.

**Specifically, since 2020, electricity has risen on average to $184 a month, gas is $99 a month and water is up around $99 a month.

**And it's going to get worse: Southern California Edison has requested a 19% rate increase for 2025 to 2028 and New York's Consolidated Edison has asked for a 13% increase over that same period.

**Comforting, huh? Meds; or electricity and water.

***

Good financial news though for people with good finances: The National Council on Aging says that people who earn $120,000 a year will likely live nine years longer than people who earn less than $20,000 a year.

I guess that gives me about six years more, on average,.

***

AI is coming, a little more at a time: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and OpenAI have signed a seven-year, $38bn cloud computing agreement that allows OpenAI to run core generative AI workloads on AWS infrastructure, according to Yahoo Finance.

Should fit perfectly with amazon's plans to cut ... how many thousands of jobs and replace them with AI?

Thirty-thousand, that is.

I'd like to see AI operate a forklift, deliver a package.

No, wait...

***

My dear friend Judy Shoen, a colleague from my days at Restaurants & Institutions magazine, used to love to tell the story of how, sitting in a Starbucks in Phoenix one day, she noticed a gentleman sitting across the patio from her, sipping his beverage, reading his newspaper.

He looked familiar.

So she approached him and asked, "Didn't we once go on a match.com date?"

"No," he replied, "but I used to be your vice-president."

Yes, it was Dick Cheney.

***

Meanwhile, back on Earth 1, Donald Trump is killing America. He is killing Americans, denying them food and medical care, at least affordable medical care and insurance therefor.

He even went back to court to ensure that more than 40 million people don't get their SNAP (food stamps, that is) benefits. And the Affordable Care Act is under attack, coverage costs skyrocketing.

And transportation? Select airports (all of them, actually), will see the number of flights available decrease by as much as 20%, for starters. 

Have fun traveling for the holidays.

All of this because he and his fellow lemming Republicans in Congress won't negotiate a conclusion to the shutdown, which would reinstate insurance and healthcare benefits and, very importantly, pay government employees and people like air traffic controllers, who guarantee our safety in the skies.

National parks are operating with volunteers with little to no services available.

Fun, huh?

Happy Thanksgiving.

***

Happy anniversary to my darling Jocelyn. She restarted her life to come to Chicago so we could be together.

Exactly 35 years later, we still are. Love you, sweetheart.

***

I'm off tonight on Radio Free Phoenix, with the Bohemian NightCat, John Kirk DeRitis, sitting in, as Joe Catanzaro did last week. Thanks, you guys.

I'm back on Radio Free Phoenix next Sunday, with my usual sigma and riz.

Instead of Venezuela, Invade Mexico; That's Where The Fentanyl Comes From

As the Schloss-Blog watches the U.S. try to start a war with Venezuela, we keep asking, why not Mexico? That's where most of the fentanyl comes from into the United States.

Any AI search will tell you that most fentanyl is manufactured in Mexico by transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), although using source materials primarily from China.

So, of course, Trump is inciting a war with Venezuela, while negotiating away national security technology to the Chinese (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/us/politics/china-trump-trade-security-chips-minerals.html).

***

I worked at a foodservice magazine, tops in the country, Restaurants & Institutions. It was the No. 1 magazine in its category and the second-largest trade in the country at the time to Computer World. 

I learned to appreciate the restaurant and institutional foodservice industries, working with tireless colleagues, reporting on all aspects of it.

So now, as Trump prepares to starve 42 million people to death, my restaurant, foodservice and gosh darn humanitarian backgrounds stir one question: where are the f_ckin' Democrats? These 42 million people need their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits.

Where are you, Democrats? This was all I could find. (https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQfPWA0E-PH/)

Otherwise, crickets.

***

Who does Mother-F_cker, Rep. Clay Higgins of Georgia think he is?

He says SNAP recipients should chill and stop smoking crack. (https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/gop-rep-slams-snap-recipients-195950715.html)

Guess he's just the next Republican in support of death to the people who rely on what used to be called food stamps.

Well, what do you expect? He's from Georgia.

***

Interesting how Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has been attacked by members of her own party for calling for the continuance of SNAP benefits, let alone Affordable Care Act (ACA) continuation.

Republicans have repeatedly called ACA an abomination, yet have offered no alternative to it whatsoever. 

Now its rates are going to skyrocket, to the point of unaffordability, as Republicans discontinue funding for it and won't consider negotiating an extension of it.

Millions depend on it, including Republicans. Greene has lambasted her Republican colleagues for what is essentially a virtual sunsetting of the act. They have no alternative, nothing (https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/marjorie-taylor-greene-rips-mike-191732869.html)

***

This sportswriter is sick of the lack of defense in basketball (when did you last see an NBA player take a charge?) and the lack of tackling ability in football. Everyone tries to strip the ball instead of trying to tackle the ball-carrier.

Good luck with all of that. Nobody in the NBA plays defense until the playoffs. Nobody in the NFL tackles with their heads up, so they can actually see, actually hit what they're trying to tackle. Subsequently, they miss the ball-carrier.

Happens all the time.

Good athletes. Poor coaching, poor technique, basketball and football alike.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Nashville, Tennessee.

I'm off the next two Sunday nights on Radio Free Phoenix. The Bohemian NightCat, John Kirk DeRitis, and then Golfin' Joe Catanzaro will be sitting in for me, respectively. Thanks, gentlemen.

The Coach Is Lying: So Is Trump

BREAKING NEWS: This just in to the Schloss-Blog: National Guard troops deployed in Portland around NBA Trailblazers facility after head coach is indicted, arrested in gambling scandal. Trump calls this proof of severe unrest and the city being on fire, even though the team has been ICE cold. More on this as it becomes available, but Portland-area minorities are being advised by their ethnic monitoring groups to be incognito at Blazers games, blend in with their white friends, or not go at all.

***

The Schloss-Blog says coaches who say "they play to win the game" are lying. They play not to lose at the end of close games - when they're ahead and time is running out.

Play-calling gets conservative (run the ball, run the clock). Except that never works. The other team calls its timeouts and preserves enough time to come back and win (see, Bears-Commanders, MNF).

I'm tired of ESPN showing the video of Herm Edwards emphasizing to a reporter, "You play to win the game!"

No, Herm, you play not to lose. Every coach knows it, fearing fan and media backlash otherwise, instead of ... gadzooks ... playing to win the game.

***

Meanwhile, Trump is so hotly in pursuit already of next year's Nobel Peace Prize that he's killing as many people as he can in the Caribbean.

In fact, after blowing up a boat from Colombia, the fifth he has had destroyed for allegedly carrying drugs, he's now talking about land strikes in - Venezuela.

He's up to 10 ships destroyed, 43 killed, along what the Secretary of War(?) calls a known drug-trafficking route.

This can't sit well with our South American economic partners. In fact, it already hasn't - Trump's tariffs have China buying all of its soybeans from South American growers rather than U.S. exporters.

U.S soybean farmers are about to snap thanks to Trump's tariffs keeping them out of China, which has turned to South America for soybeans. U.S. farmers are losing a lot of money, a lot of business. And Trump just gave Argentina $40 billion to help bail out their economy as they steal soybean business away from American farmers.

Thank you, Mr. America First Trump.

So, just to be clear, while losing all of U.S. farmers' soybean business to South America, Trump is shooting South American countries' boats out of the water in the Caribbean, and the Pacific, alleging that they're carrying drugs without offering any proof thereof. Yes, he's sinking their ships and killing people aboard as well.

Peace Prize, huh? He's going to end up with a piece of a prize shoved up his ass by U.S. farmers instead.

***

Seen the picture of Trump in Time Magazine? In their cover story on him, they used a mug shot taken from an angle looking up at him, revealing his loose neck flesh, receding hairline and true skin color.

It ain't pretty and he don't like it.

That's alright. Fewer and fewer people like him too.

His approval ratings for everything from the economy to tariffs to immigration enforcement have him in quite a hole. And let's not the East Wing, what's left of it, as Trump erects a 90,000-square-foot ballroom, dedicated to himself, a sure sign he intendeds to serve a third term when he declares a national emergency (Portland Trailblazers' coach go fired). 

And his attempts to have the most Red States redistrict to eliminate Black and other minority Democratic seats likely won't go into effect until after next year's midterms elections, costing Republicans enough seats to lose the House and be threatened in the Senate.

***

So much of what Democratic states and cities are suing Trump for may be moot - SCOTUS may hand Trump defeats in a lot of cases, likely will, in fact, but, Justice Amy Coney Barrett says that SCOTUS has no way to enforce those rulings.

America may be moot, unless Democrats take back the House, at the very least.

At least James Comey, John Bolton and Leticia James will kick Trump's ass in court, right?

Right?

***

Fabulous turn out for the "No Kings" rally in Scottsdale last week. It was a serious clown show of costumes and messaging that left no doubt that Arizonans do not view Trump and his policies favorably. They are sick of his weaponizing the government, sick of his tariffs, sick of his inflation and sick of his use of ICE and/or the military in U.S. cities, especially ICE and the National Guard in cities with Black Mayors in Blue States. Trump is a piece of sh_t.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Emily Capdevielle.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix (radiofreephoenix.com) rock 'n' roll show.