Schloss-Blog: Ellison Empire Enhanced, But It Ain't Good: News Outlets Restored At White House. Or Are They?

The Schloss-Blog wants to know: have CNN, MSNOW and Politico been restored at the White House?

Or not?

Apparently, they have been. But not in full.

CNN, which was providing the pool coverage this past week, was banned from Trump's plane when it departed Washington, D.C., for Knoxville, for the Texas-at-Tennessee, high-profile college football game between two highly ranked, highly regarded teams.

In other words, Orange Jesus, as a Congressional Republican supposedly once referred to him, gets his mug on TV.

And his hairline. And Multiple times, apparently.

Makes you wonder, with CNN blocked (as opposed to banned, because the judge said the ban was to be over immediately), does Trump relish not having every stupid syllable he mutters broadcast and preserved, for eternity?

Because let's face it - Trump specializes in lies, stupid stuff and ridiculous things he just makes up.

Like, he threatened to either annihilate Iran or make them into a great country again, shortly before rejecting their proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Well, which one is it, Donnie?

Anyway, we'll tell you what's true: TACO TACO TACO.

Trump has also said that oil prices would come "tumbling down" once the war (that's not a war) with Iran ends.

Except that the war shows no signs whatsoever of even being anywhere close to ending anytime soon.

In other words, Iran is losing this war so badly...

...that it's winning.

***

Who's the most-important Emanuel?

There's Ezekiel, the prominent oncologist.

There's the well-known Rahm, the former White House Chief of Staff and Mayor of Chicago. 

And then there's Ari, the youngest, the Hollywood agent and CEO of Endeavor, the powerhouse talent agency. Ari was the inspiration for the TV series Entourage, and he is known to be a ... how to phrase this delicately ... SOB.

His new book, "Roll the Calls," is a descriptive memoir of a power broker in Hollywood. and has been described as a "no-BS look at what it takes to make it in business."

With Rahm linked to being a prospective presidential candidate in 2028, I think I just figured out who should become his campaign manager.

It would be quite an ... endeavor.

***

Paramount is acquiring Warner Bros and this is not good.

It means the filthy-rich Ellisons, friends of Trump, get control of CNN, in addition to the CBS News property which they have already run into the ground.

Disgraceful. CBS News is a shell of what it once was. And will ever be again under the Ellisons and the incompetent Bari Weiss.

***

**Trump wants A.I. to be known as ... wait for it ... S.I. (Super Intelligence).  He says China's Xi Jinping has agreed to that (he hasn't).  And here I thought S.I. meant the SI that I grew up with - Sports Illustrated.

**It's nice be back in The Valley, where it's always hot (hottest August ever). Except when it's humid - then it's hotter. From June 1 to August 31, it was more than 100* ... wait for it ... 31 times.

**Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood mogul who always seems to be on trial, got convicted in New York (guess, on what). He got 15 years. He seems to have 15 lives.

**Jocelyn, my Jocelyn, has been doing the design work on the new Circle the City Medical Center going up in Mesa. The grand opening is in November. It's a beautiful facility for homeless people needing medical attention and shelter.  I am really proud of her.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Melania. Can't wait to see the new documentaries (hah).

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

 

Schloss-Blog: Defense, Please; And Banning The 'Real' News From the People's House

The Schloss-Blog reporter, a longtime journalist who covered sports, sports business and marketing and then taught college courses in all that, is saddened that President Dumocan (note the spelling - most MAGA idiots don't know there's a 'b' in dumb) has banned Politico, CNN and MSNOW from the White House, banned them from covering the "People's" House at the House itself.

He says they're "fake news." Uh, no Donald, they report the "fake news," the lies, the misinformation that you give them.

You did that more than 30,000 times during your first presidency alone, Donald. THIRTY THOUSAND.

During your current administration, just 15 months in, you have lied to and/or misinformed the American people, well, every day - here's 100 of them, among the many thousands.

Fake News? How about 'Fake President."

***

Been watching a lot of football right now. A lot.

Same thing keeps happening over and over. Defensive players miss tackles, again and again.

How come? Probably some combination of coaching oversight, technique and stupidity.

Once upon a time, a very wise high school coach, who won a state championship and regularly competed for so many more of them, the late, great Grant Blaney, told me one of the keys to tackling successfully:

KEEP YOUR HEAD UP. If you can't see it, he told me, you won't hit it. Blaney, a head coach who rarely messed with his team's outstanding defenses over the years, told me that just before a playoff game against a team with a running back headed to a Big 10 school. Blaney specifically mentioned that directly to his defensive players and to his defensive coaches to remind his defensive players. And it worked for his team.

Yet, what I see on television consistently is pretty good athletes and otherwise pretty good defensive players with their HEADS DOWN trying to tackle pretty good runners.

It doesn't work. It never works.

And TV announcers and commentators NEVER point this out. NEVER. They are not licensed to be that critical, though, of some of their former teammates and colleagues, their fellow warriors.

It needs to be called out, ESPN. It needs to be called out FOX, CBS, NBC and all the conference networks.

But it won't be.

Sadly.

*** 

US Customs and Border Patrol agant Luis Uribe was found guilty of "sexuality assaulting, robbing and threatening" four different women in the Chicago area.

What a scum bag. Throw the book at him, please.

***

Bill Belichick's son, Steven, the UNC defensive coordinator, and Michael Lombardi, the program's GM (yes, these programs all have a general manager now), are both out after investigations concluded that Belichick (Steven, that is) acted with "disregard for Carolina's values and standards of conduct."

Lombardi, meanwhile, resigned after the conclusion of the medical leave on which he had been on since the investigations began. The university refused further comment or detail, on either matter.

Can you say sexual misconduct? Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't, but it definitely wasn't leaking plays and game plans to the enemy, especially since the Tar Heels are off to a surprisingly strong start, until blowing this weekend's game to Clemson.

Gee, another scandal involving Bill Belichick? Shades of Inflate-Gate and SpyGate all over again. Scandals just seem to follow the guy who is dating a woman 50 years younger.

*** 

Trump is threatening to tear down the Kennedy Center if he can't have his name on it. Says it was losing millions. Actually, it has lost billions since he put his name on it and prestigious acts are cancelling left.

And right.

***

Canada, snubbed in the United States' tariff war, is joining the EU trading bloc as an "associate partner."

Canada is the first non-European country to be granted this status by a bloc with the same purchaing power as the US market and is most recently as pissed off at Trump and the US as Canada is.

But our second-largest trading partner, our North American neighbor, is turning its back on us.

Is anyone surprised? But don't worry, Trump is going all in on defending Greenland now. Do you care? Does anyone care?

We're going to have more of a military presence at this giant, slushy, melting island nation.

Does anyone care? Bet the Lincoln can't wait to be dispatched there.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Erin Mercado.

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

Schloss-Blog: Where Are My DOGE, Tariff and ACA Subsidy-Expiration Rebate Checks Already?

The Schloss-Blog wants to know: With a $5,000 "Vote-Republican" check in the works (if they win, that is), WTF has happened to the previously promised rebate checks for:

**The DOGE savings;

**The Tariff Rebate;

**And the ACA Subsidy-Expiration savings?

These alone add up to $8,000 per individual in the United States, or at least toward voter-eligible adults who may have purchased ACA healthcare coverage and were somehow the f_ck or other impacted by the DOGE cutbacks.

All in all, the promised Trump rebate checks have never come and likely never will because he's so desperate to maintain control of his lap dog, do-nothing Congress, that he'll promise anything and everything to anyone and everyone.

And has. But as to those checks?

Don't hold your breath. Trumo doesn't like to part with his money. 

***

Meanwhile, inflation (3.4%) is still sizzling. And the Consumer Price Index is no bonus eithere.

***

The contractor who screwed up the Deflecting Pool disaster is now taking the blame for the faulty work, undercutting Trump's scalding desire to indict Davey Hearn, against whom DC District Attorney Jeanine Pirro has already dropped the charges.

Atlantic Industrial Coatings, Trump's pals and donor, has accepted responsiblity for the damages, not a vandal with a knife or a boxcutter, as Trump has insisted.

Makes you wonder what else Trump lies about.

No, wait ... everything.

***

Just when I was getting ready to blast Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian and his prize quarterback, Arch Manning, for being vastly overrated, they pulled this 21-point rabbit out of a hat in steamy Austin and beat THE Ohio State, 24-23.

They didn't deserve the win. In fact, they looked like crap for three quarters. Ohio State outplayed them. Ohio State out game-planned them. Ohio State out-executed them. 

After three quarters,THE Ohio State had a 23-3 lead.

After four quarters, Texas had a 24-23 lead.

Don't give this win to Arch Manning, although his pedigree shined through, earning him the redemption he and his Longhorn teammates have sought for a year now. No, this win gets credited to Texas' defense, which bailed out what was an overmatched Sarkisian for three quarters.

Left my significant other Buckeye unhappy too.

***

Are interest rates going up, because inflation is.

Have we won the f_ckin' war yet? What about it, Donald?

More than just the Strait of Hormuz, is the Strait Bab Al Mandab is virtually closed now too, what with Houthi terrorists having virtually closed off Saudi Arabia's alternate route to markets for its oil.

Combined with the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump closed by attacking Iran back in February, these two passages see about 30% of the world's crude go to market.

So, we'll ask again, what about it, Donald? Inflation up, consumer confidence, like your approval ratings, way down. 

Life sucks if you're president of the United States. No, actually, for congressional Republicans.

***

Good night Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you Jordan Grinnell, soccer and cross country star.

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

Schloss-Blog: Tupac Solved, American Tennis Not

The Schloss-Blog wants to know why it took so long to convict Tupac's killer and why American tennis players, especially the men, just don't have the killer instinct.

Plus, Steve Ballmer, the LA Clippers and Saguaro High all in the news, for all the wrong reasons

And Trump in the news, for all the unconstitutional ones.

***

It only took 30 years. Thirty.

But 63-year-old Duane Keith Davis, a former gang leader, has been convicted of - gotta' be careful here - orchestrating the murder of famed hip-hopper, Tupac Shakur.

Davis was accused of obtaining the gun that was used to kill Tupac, on Sept. 7, 1996. Tupac was 25.

His death, of course, was part of a raging hip-hop war between East and West coast labels that ultimately resulted in the death about six months later of Christopher Wallace, aka the Notorious B.I.G., a friend-turned-bitter-rival of Tupac.

Davis is the only one convicted in the murder investigation. He faces life in prison at his sentencing in October.

***

Is the war with Iran over yet?

***

What is going on with American tennis, particularly men's?

No American man has won a mjor tournament since - wait for it - 2003, when Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open.

2003.

Watching the U.S. Open this weekend, I saw many reasons why, even though American men had good success through the first two or three rounds in the annual New York event.

Most distressing was Taylor Fritz, the great American hope for some years now, blow a 2-sets-to-one lead and then a 4-1 lead in the deciding 5th set and losing in the third round to talented Argentine Francisco Cerundolo.

Ouch.

Ben Shelton still has championship aspirations for the United States but is in a much tougher bracket than Fritz was.

Even more mysterious, on the much more reliable American women's side, was watching one-time major champ Madison Keys blow a 5-1 lead in the third set and lose to Zheng Qinwen. Keys had the match won and suddenly, inexplicably headed south, just collapsed.

Why don't Amricans win these matches? Why don't they have a killer instinct, especially the men? Who's coaching these Americans and not drilling the killer instinct into them? 

At least the women have Coco Gauff around.

***

Did we win the war yet? I could swear we won it, like, back in March.

***

Steve Ballmer, the LA Clippers owner, likes to sit courtside at games, in among the fans, or at least the ones who can afford those same seats he's in, cheering on his Clippers at their $2 billion arena he pretty much self-financed.

Now, though, he can't even visit his own arena for a year after the NBA fined him $30 million (pocket change for him, the world's 6th-richest man) and suspended him (and two Clippers executives) for a year for circumventing league salary cap rules to compensate super-star Kawhi Leonard.

The team also sacrificed five consecutive seasons of No. 1 draft selections.

Leonard was fined $700,000. However, his trade back to the Toronto Raptors stands and he was not suspended.

The Clippers are saying they'll appeal, even though the NBA has no appeals process for this violation. Which means it's going to court.

If, that is, the Clippers can convince a judge they're done no wrong.

Good luck with that.

***

I swear, we won the war already, right?

***

Saguaro, once the pride of Arizona high school football, is forfeiting games and can barely field a team lately.

What happened to the school with 14 state titles and a string of nationally ranked teams?

For whatever the reason, players abandoned the program, transferred elsewhere and Saguaro, after suffering a 62-0 opening loss this season to Desert Mountain, canceled against arch rival Chaparral.

In my 40 years covering prep sports, I've never seen a fall from grace like this, and nobody knows why.

Or isn't saying.

***

Right? About the war, that is. Right?

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Jordan Grinnell.

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

Schloss-Blog: Going For A Swim: Mouring For Tim And Dolly

The Schloss-Blog is going for a swim - in Lake American't.

Trump's latest renaming project is not only his attempt to strike at Canada for not agreeing to his egregious terms in the renegotiating of the USMCA , it's - let's face it - his attempt to distract from the failing economy, raging inflation, the War Without End and, of course, the Epstein Files.

In case you hadn't noticed, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed embarrassed Trump. When Trump lashed out at him,  El Sayed responded by calling him out for his contant playmate companion, Natalie Harp and his relationship with his suddenly ghost wife, let alone all of his failed policies, as mentioned above.

And mentioning that his own name does not appear in the Epstein Files, as Trump's does, allegedly thousands of times.

***

On it goes. Republicans have nothing to run on, no accomplishments. All they have is name-calling and disparagement of Democrats, while Democrats consistently hit Republicans on support for Trump's inflation-boosting policies and price-inflating results at gas stations and grocery stores. 

Meanwhile, Democrats continue to call them out on affordability, which Trump claims does not exist, while he tries everything illicit that he can to prevent Democrats from voting, especially by mail.

By the way, Donald, many MAGA Republicans, like you, use mail-in voting.

***

Trying to figure how Mike Mulligan is out at WSCR sports radio in Chicago but DeShaun Watson is in at quarterback in Cleveland.

Neither move appears to make sense, except maybe Mulligan might have been there too long and made too much money while the latter makes so much money that the onwer possibly came down on the coach and said, "Play him."

Trying to figure out how 15-year-old Dean Ray is eligible to run for governor in Vermont. Yet, he is. When we toss Texas, Oklahoma and Florida out of the union, can we take Vermont with them, please.

By the way, Trump announced a major deal with Venezuela to produce oil from its rich reserves and bolster the United States' supply.

Maybe so. But Venezuela's oil must be dug out of sometimes very difficult topography and is so thick that it can be very difficult to process. And Chevrom is the only US company with contractual arrangements to pursue Venezuelan oil.

Leaving the outcome very precarious.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.

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

Schloss-Blog: Democrats, Where Are You?

The Schloss-Blog learns a lot watching "Real Time with Bill Mahr" on HBO.

Forget about his wit and sarcasm, he's well read and well prepared on whatever the topic. So are his guests.

This past Friday, they were the NY Times' Jeremy Peters, a best-selling author and columnist, and award-winning CNN anchor Dana Bash.

They weren't shy about what I'm passionate about as well: Democrats, what is your rallying cry? Where is your campaign? What's on your platform?

With Donald Trump tripping over himself to give Democrats fodder for the midterms, they are still struggling for a party-wide, unifying message. Between the progressives, the centrists and the Democratic Socialists, they do as much infighting as they do lashing out at Republicans.

As Peters pointed out on "Real Time," while Trump's approval ratings hover just above 30 percent, guess what? Democrats, as a party, don't have approval ratings (40%) much higher than that.

Trump's ratings, which tie him to virtually every Republican running in the midterms, are driven by the costly war with Iran, which he refuses to get out of, even though it is continually driving up prices of everything, from fuel to groceries. And there are his tariffs, which keep driving up costs of everyday goods and from which he refuses to back down, despite many of them being ruled illegal by the Supreme Court.

With so many opportunities to pound upon, why are the Democrats sturggling? Trump keeps screwing up.

But so do they.

***

Of course, all the Republicans have to run on is calling the Democrats "Communists." Republicans have no accomplishments besides higher prices, unaffordability and an unpolular, ongoing war driving all of it, a "never ending-type" war that Trump promised would never happen.

The Democrats apparently promised they wouldn't know how to leverage that, and are succeeding.

***

Talks with Canada over trade and tariffs have broken down completely, with Canada calling talks with Trump's representatives pointless and categoriziing his demands as unrealistic.

In other words, just like everything else Trump is doing to the economy.

Since being back in office in January 2025, Trump has taken 20 months to completely alientate and piss off our two biggest trading partners, Mexico and Canada.

And the national debt has gone from $36 trillion to 440 trillion, yes, in just 20 months. 

***

Arizona State University now has a major in being an "influencer." Not making this up.

Republicans are skipping debates this season, heading into the midterms. Why not? They have nothing to run on.

SCOTUS rejected Trump's umpteenth appeal of his having to pay E. Jean Carroll the $5.2 million he owes her in the sexual assault and defamation trial judgment.

But they protected his privilege to keep building the new "ballroom."  We're all paying for it.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Harry and Meghan. Welcome home.

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

Schloss-Blog: Trump Has A Death Wish!

The Schloss-Blog thinks Donald Trump has made it clear: he has a death wish.

How come? He said so himself, maybe not in so many words, but he said so himself: in explaining his luxury catering cart transfer from AF-1 to a military plane, he said, "I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk."

Huh?

If that's the case, Donald, then why transfer, even if by luxury coach, even if, by you own words, you were safer on Air Force 1?

According to Trump, in his convoluted reasoning, the plane he was transferred to was the more likely target.

In his own words, his advisers, both Secret Service and miliary, supposed that the Iranians would've thought "..that would be the plane I think that we -- that they would be more likely to go for."

Huh?

So, the Secret Service and the military, which advised you to make the catering-cart transfer, had you move to a plane that was a more likely target? That, although you're the president they are sworn to protect? Even though they were transferring you to a plane that was in greater jeopardy? Even though the party you left behind on AF-1 was, subsequently, a lot safer than you were?

Trump definitely has a death wish.

Just like the shooting in western Pennsylvania, the one from which he emerged from a pile of Secret Service agents to shake a fist at the world, even if that left him as a clear target in an area that had not been totally secured yet. 

Staged. Oh yes it was, staged.

If that bullet truly grazed his ear, he would have a scar now that would last forever.  But he doesn't. Instead, the shooter is dead and the bullet that went by Trump's ear killed an innocent person in the audience. Almost one-third of Americans believe the attempt was staged.

Trump has a death wish. 

Don't want to see an American President assassinated, but one of these days, one of these attempts just might succeed, especially the way the Secret Service dispenses advice.

***

I guess you never know how difficult it is to be faced with someone close to you on 24/7 watch in a psych ward until you go visit that person in the hospital.

At the same time, on something completely detached from that, you're dealing with a trusted friend who suddenly decided to become your mortal enemy, for a variety of reasons you don't even comprehend.

You don't harbor any such feelings toward that person. Just confusion over the origination of the abyss between the two of you.

Meanwhile, the person so close to you in that psych ward has left a searing impression on you that you'll never erase.

Life goes on. You deal with it.

***

Has anyone noticed that the filthy-rich Dodgers ... suck?

Since July 1, the team that spent whatever it took to acquire one of baseball's best pitchers at the trade deadline has a record of 18-19, and just 13-13 since the All-Star break.

And yet, still has a comfortable lead in the NL West.

Maybe all their riches and fat payroll, which are meaningless, in all likelihood, to the owners, is why the rest of baseball rises up to play against the Dodgers, to give them Hell and let their play show the resentment they have toward the team that can spend recklessly and not feel any burden.

I grew up a Dodger fan in Brooklyn. but if you ask me, even though they truly suck, I'll say, "Let's go Mets."

*** 

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Erin Mercado.

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

Schloss-Blog: Influencers and Cyberattackers

The Schloss-Blog is watching Influencers, cyberattackers and a certain ping pong player named Lily.

Hey, the Ballroom may have been halted, for now, but the Influencer business and cyberattackers just keep on rolling.

Yes, the Influencer business just might be your kids' or your grandkids' paths to a successful careers. And why not?

Influencers are said to have made a collective $21 billion last year, and, apparently, deservedly so. They boost so many brands.

They sit in their cars and videotape themselves eating the food that they just bought at a drive-thru. And rating it. It continues in beauty, coffee and fitness, as all are industries whose brands benefit from Influencer promotion.

They're coming for you. Your kids are going to do this for a living. 

Yes, you deserve a break today. A profitable one.

***

I see where Trump declared that Minnesota was to blame for a cyberattack on 30 of the state's municipal water systems.

Thirty.

But like Jeanine Pirro's charges against Davey Hearn for damaging the Deflecting Pool, these allegations fell apart when ... wait for it ... six other states got similarly cyberattacked as well.

Guess what, Donald? As in Minnesota, Iran did it, part of their covert payback for you hitting them so hard that we're out of missiles.

Did we mention that a judge ordered a halt to construction of the Ballroom without Congressional approval of the expenses?

***

Speaking of water, Arizona, where I hang out from time to time, along with neighboring California and Nevada, are likely going to see water-rate hikes very soon, as the reigning drought in the southwest continues to shrink the available water runoff from the Colorado River.

The river is not getting its usual runoff of snow from the mountains because there hasn't been very much snow and/or rain to have that much runoff.

Lake Mead, the principle water-supply reservoir for Arizona, is down to its lowest levels since ... wait for it ... 1937. In other words, it's at about 27% of capacity. In fact, what are believed to be the remains from mob-deposited bodies have washed up there.

Hey Donald, thanks for all the solution ideas. No, wait...

***

Todd Blanche is going to the Attorney General of the United States. In other words, Republicans have no backbone whatsoever.

***

Congrats to Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald, QB Drew Breese, linebacking great Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig on induction into the NFL Hall of Fame.

It's Eli's turn next.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Erin Mercado.

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

Did we mention that a judge ordered a halt to construction of the Ballroom without Congressional approval of the expenses?

Schloss-Blog: The 'Deflecting Pool' Slash That Wasn't, Jerry Jones and Walking Out On Mellencamp.

The Schloss-Blog has been watching this weekend as Trump's fabrication that the Deflecting Pool - uh, Reflecting Pool has unraveled and exposed him as the Liar-in-Chief that he is.

We've also got Jerry Jones and John Mellencamp items coming up too, which we'll get to in a moment.

But Trump's weeks-long insistence that the damage to the Deflecting Pool, as his tale has come to be known, unraveled in the face of his total lack of evidence against David Hearn, the former Olympic rower whose snatching up of a sliver of blue paint on the pool's surface got him indicted for doing the damages.

Trump is still teeing off on DC Prosecutor, personal former fav and Fox News personality Jeanine Pirro for dropping the charges after her investigation revealed that the damages were likely caused by the shoddy work of Trump's own contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings. They got the work on a no-bid contract and the $16 million cost to date far exeeds the $1 million originally forecast.

Bottom line: Trump's angry, he's been flat out caught in the act of lying, he's embarrassed and will likely go to his grave insisting that Hearn committed vandalism.

But Hearn didn't. Trump's own motorcade driving over the then-drained Deflecting Pool probably did.

***

It's another loss for Trump in what has become a string of losses in court, including and especially on the anti-weaponization fund and IRS settlement.

***

Before we get to more on Crooked Trump (there's always more), have you heard Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones spout off on - you guessed it - we're gonna' win the Super Bowl this year?

The Cowboys have not even been to their conference championship game in 30 years, so when quarterback Dak Prescott declares and Jones leans into that it's "Super Bowl or bust," it's just a tired old refrain from the franchise that thinks of itself as "America's Team," right? 

South America, perhaps.

The sad part is that ESPN gives this credence and has every year for the past 30 years. Yeah, the Cowboys are going to the Super Bowl - if they get tickets.

***

And now, a true story:

Attended John Mellencamp's fabulous concert at the Credit Union 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL. He rocked. In fact, he rocked some people out of their seats, literally.

In his opening song, the 2014 hit, "Lawless Times," Mellencamp improvised a line to embarrass and be critical of Trump: 

"You can't trust the police with guns if they're ICE," was what he sang midway through the tune, while a video of ICE thugs doing their detainee-beating thing played on the Jumbotron screen behind the stage.

We were seated in the amphitheater, looking straight on at the stage. While the line, as the Sun-Times review stated, earned a raucous response from the audience, in front of us, at the venue just 20 or so miles from the bright red Indiana border, you could see people hurriedly getting up to leave. MAGA folks, no doubt, insulted by what they felt was the disrespect shown to 47.

Suddenly, there were pockets of empty seats in the amphitheater in front of us.

It happened again near the end of the show, when he performed "Pink Houses," which includes the line, "Go to work in some high rise, and vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico."

MAGA supporters, no doubt disgusted that he sang "...Gulf of Mexico" instead of the MAGA-and-Trump-preferred "Gulf of America," got up and left, without staying for his final tunes and encores.

They probably think David Hearn is guilty too.

Mellencamp, a native Hoosier, still resides in Bloomington, Indiana, today.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, record-smashing 800 runner Jordan Grinnell.

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

  

The Schloss-Blog: Hey MSNBC - uh, NOW -

The Schloss-Blog is watching America go to Hell in a ... War Wagon.

Donald refuses to just walk away from the war he says we've won some one dozen times since its inception on Feb. 28, 2026. It's another 32 times all told that he has declared that we have ended the war or come close to doing that, suggesting Iran's total capitulation.

Twelve wins. Thirty-two virtual victories.

So how come our US Navy, and our troops are still languishing in the southeast side of the Strait that is not open?

Yet. Again.

***

Democrats, where are you? Trump has given so much ammunition and you have refused to use it. You keep waiting for him to f_ck up, and he does it all the time, yet his election-denier candidates keep winning primaries. Yes, he still carries weight in the Republican Party. And Republicans in Congress are afraid to try to stop his illicit activity. Instead, Democrats are counting on the courts to do it. 

They don't, not always, at least.

***

Trump's speech to a revamped White House Correspondents Dinner audience was a disaster, full of disgusting language, untruthful statements and made-up stories.

He insulted CNN's Kaitlin's Collins, who asks him questions he won't answer because he either doesn't know the answer or refuses to divulge it because it would expose his lies.

He referred to CNN's Jake Tapper as "Fake" Tapper. He still calls the NY Times the "Failing" NY Times.

He continues to refer his perceived political enemies to the DOJ for prosecution.

What a guy.

***

Did anyone notice, E.Jean Carroll got her money, $5.6 million, in her settlement with Trump for sexually assaulting her and defaming her. Trump tried so hard to avoid paying her. The judge he could no longer do that. It's an admission of guilt for him.

The $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund has been completely obliterated by a judge who referred the DOJ lawyers who represented the president for possible punitive action from the bar. The judge also eliminated the case's provision that Trump and family couldn't be prosecuted nor even audited by the IRS ever again.

Some 50 million Americans - 50 MILLION - have little to no access to news anymore as news deserts become more and more common, according to a study and analysis by Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. There are more than 200 counties across America where this condition exists.

The World Cup has come and gone. Are you paying more attention to soccer now because of the boost the sport got from the tournament? According to a study from pro-soccer-leaning For Soccer, 57% of people are saying they are. Hey, ask 'em again in a month. Two months.

LeBron is going to Philadelphia in one of the biggest, stupidest moves ever. He is chasing the ring, period. He needs two more to tie Jordan at 6 championships and he believes Philly, now with Jaylen Brown, is where to go get them. This move is all about LeBron, not about Philly. Good luck, LeBron. You got one title in LA in 8 years playing with a revolving door of superstars, including Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves and, of course, Luka. How'd that work out, LeBron? Don't be fooled, Philly. This isn't about you; it's about his ego.

ICE has been ordered by Trump to stop invasive, violent incidents with people whose cars they pull over on the streets, or chase, or just plain shoot into. No wait, Trump went TACO on that too.

Tire tracks from a Trump motorcade were visible on the Reflecting Pool when it was drained in the ongoing effort to frame someone for tearing up the pool. 

IT WAS TRUMP.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Olivia (how was the Benson Boone show?).

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show. By the way, looking good in that RFP T-shirt, Toby. 

Schloss-Blog: Strait Closed; Trump Slammed in Court; 2 Americans Dead; and the WNBA Suddenly Sucks

The Schloss-Blog is watching the U.S. presence in the Middle East go to Hell. The Strait of Hormuz is closed; The Strait Bab el-Mandeb (from the Red Sea) may be next; and Trump got body-slammed in federal court.

Two American soldiers were killed in Jordan when Iran, retaliating for strikes on essential civilian targets, hit the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a coalition base used by both U.S. and Jordanian forces. Another U.S. soldier was reported missing and four others were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals and have since been discharged, per NPR.

In other words, Trump is going to be pissed, but he brought this on himself by striking civilian targets, killing Iranian citizens and falling back on his insistence that Iran had surrendered and lost the war, way back in ... dare we say, February.

In further retaliation, Iran has reportedly told the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who they support and supply, to be ready to close down another key waterway carrying oil, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. In other words, driving up oil and gas prices and further throwing the world economy into fits. 

Thank you, Donald Trump, for your lack of attention to this matter.

America, hold on to your wallets.

***

In the meantime, Trump got slammed in federal court when U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ruled that Trump's lawsuit, filed on behalf of Trump against Trump's own IRS, was a sham designed to allow Trump to set up his "anti-weaponization fund" and reward himself and his sons with protection against auditing by the IRS going forward.

Now the fund is going away and so is the "protection" Trump thought he was getting out of the lawsuit he filed against himself.

***

My question, going forward, is what are you Democrats doing about all this? Why aren't you taking the ball and running with it, letting America know, over and over again, about not just Trump's cheating ways but adding on his never "thinking about Americans' financial situations" and belief that "nobody gives a sh_t about housing."

Democrats appear to be settling in, letting Trump trip all over himself, continue to make errors in judgement that cause prices to keep on rising, let an unpopular war continue, which is now costing more American lives, and watching his ongoing focus on vanity projects to celebrate himself take priority over trying to provide relief for Americans and their pocketbooks in the face of Iran winning the war that Trump started.

Yes, let Trump continue to suffer in 37% or lower approval ratings (YouGov). But run with that messsage instead of just laying around. He's going to try to steal the midterms in which you Democrats should romp. 

Make sure America knows. Or Democracy dies.

***

Must say, been a WNBA fan since its inception.

Great athletes, great basketball players. Great shooters. They play defense. They share the ball. They box out on the boards. They hit the open "man." 

All the time.

Until now, that is.

Watching games this season has been depressing. They resemble WWE Wrestle Mania events. Fouls are plentiful and fierce, even dangerous. Just watch Alyssa Thomas lean into Caitlin Clark's vocal cords. 

Some women try to do their best Michael Jordan imitation, attemtping to dribble through the defense in its entirety and score on a LeBron-or-MJ-like move.

It's disgraceful and announcers on ESPN and ION cover up for them, praise such efforts and neglect to mention there was a) no box out, b) no hustle on defense, and/or c) no effort.

Because that's what it looks like. And the fans see it.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Jordan Grinnell.

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

The Best Don't Play Soocer; Mellencamp Sticks It to the Hoosier/MAGA Crowd

Wow, the Schloss-Blog goes to see John Mellencamp in concert (what a show, more to come on the politics of that), but the world goes to pot while we're at the show.

**Lindsay Graham dies (more to come);

**Trump launches attacks again on Iran (the cease-fire is over);

**The Strait of Hormuz is closed (again).

More to come on all that...

***

But first, the Schloss-Blog wants to know ... why don't the best athletes in the United States play soccer?

The structure of the sport leaves soccer seeking out the best athletes instead of the best athletes seeking out soccer. 

That embarrassing loss to Belgium in the Round of 16 proves it: we were outclassed, outsmarted and outplayed in the entirety of that game by a team that flexed its veteran muscles and played angry about Folarin Balogun being eligible for the game in a mysterious, unethical decision by FIFA and its president, Ginnai Infantino, and the pressure he succumbed to from Donald J. Trump. 

Nothing personal, Fo, but you shouldn't have played and Belgium knew it and was ticked off that Infantino caved to Trump and allowed him to play, reverseingthe suspension that automatically accompanies a Red Card.

***  

Why is the Schloss-Blog writing somewhat at length here about John Mellencamp's phenomenal performance Saturday night at the Credit 1 Amphitheater in Tinley Park, IL? 

No. 1, it was truly phenomenal. The Indiana man is 74 and kills it out there (still smokes - even snuck one in on stage). Has a book of hit songs that goes on forever. And performs them with perfection, backed by a truly marvelous band.

Beyond that, it was 20 miles from the Indiana border and it showed. The sold-out crowd  of 28,000 definitely included a sizeable number of Hoosiers who love Mellencamp's music but are not in love with Mellencamp's liberal leanings. And it showed.

In his opening song, "Lawless Times," a pop-tune throwback to the '50s, he disparages ICE and its illicit efforts.

MAGA attendees got up and left. Just left. Large pockets of empty seats suddenly showed up in the pavilion after he blended a lyric about ICE into the 2014 cult hit. It was his first song. Tickets in the pavilion were pricey. These people didn't care - they just left.

Mellencamp wasn't done. 

In an extended version of "Pink Houses," he belted out "... go to work is some high rise and vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico."

He paused. Looked out at the audience, the band holding the rhythm behind him ... and he asked, "You OK with the Gulf of Mexico?"

A smattering of boos in a crowd that was predominantly in favor of calling it that, rather than Trump's "Gulf of America." More MAGA loyalists got up and left.

From organizing "Farm Aid" with Neil Young and Willie Nelson, to the Gulf of Mexico (not America), Mellencamp has never been shy about expressing his liberal ways. Even ran a video during the show, a duet he did with The Boss, Bruce Springsteen, a song called "Wasted Days," a duet with one of Trump's biggest critics, who's not shy about expressing such on stage.

Take that MAGA.

***

As we enjoyed Mellencamp's performance, the Gulf (not Mexico, but Persian) was exploding again, with the accompanying gas and grocery price spikes that go with it

The US fired on some 140 Iranian targets in supposed response to Iran firing at a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz and having subsequently closed the Strait.

And it leaves us with oil tankers stranded. Gas prices spiking. An already sensitive world economy fracturing even further.

Welcome to Trump's ongoing War with Iran, the one that emphasizes his not thinking about Americans' financial situations and his feeling that "Nobody gives a sh_t about housing."

What a guy.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, John Mellencamp.

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

The Schloss-Blog: I've Got A Problem With Amazon, Facebook and the New York Times (Among Other Things)

Are you as ticked off as the Schloss-Blog is about ... amazon and/or Facebook and/or the New York Times?

The Schloss-Blog is ticked off, although I am basically a very happy (go lucky) guy.

But amazon has been slow with deliveries - have they been for you too, especially if you live in a Blue State, like me? Stuff that used to come the same day, now, regularly, comes in two days, sometime three. What's up with that?

***

And Meta (i.e., Facebook) has been a pain in the ass. To sign in, Facebook makes you jump through hoops, as you squirm to try to identify three fire hydrants, or buses, or bridges, or ... whatever, in extremely grainy, fuzzy pics, splattered across an array of nine. You do it again. And again. And again, before Facebook finally lets you sign on. Hey Facebook, hey Zuckerberg, if your buddy Trump doesn't give a sh_t about housing or people's financial situations, then nobody gives a sh_t about three fire hydrants either.

Apparently, Zuckerberg is working so hard on developing AI that he has forgotten about, well, everything else.

***

Do you have an electronic subscription to the NY Times, like I do? The Times, apparently, they are a changing, and unnecessarily too. They're making me (and you?) jump through hoops just to sign on. After entering I.D. and password, do you get the same f_ckin' a pop-up I do, redirecting you to yet another email that has a "code," and after retrieving it, you have to go back to where you came from and enter the f_ckin' code. 

Apparently though, what they want you to do is add people to your subscription. Such a bargain. Hey New York Times, who gives a sh_t? Just let me read what I just punched up.

***

Anyway, been watching Wimbledon? Why do tennis players, with an easy overhead awaiting a smash, hit directly at their opponents instead of into the open court?

Watched Tiafoe do it. And  Keys. And Anisimova. Hey, just put the ball away; why extend the point and give your opponent a hint of a chance?

Is it some psychological thing, showing you can overpower your opponent? Maybe. Doesn't work though.

***

Oh Davey Hearn, you've been a bad boy.

The 67-year-old former Olympic kayaker made a big mistake: he was hanging out at the damaged, algae-filled body of water we formerly called Washington, D.C.'s Reflecting Pool, where he picked up a small strip - hand-sized strip, of the painted-America Blue floor of the pool, a floor that came loose after Asshole Trump's motorcade drove over the whole f_ckin' thing, which no doubt caused the flooring to suffer a - wait for it - 350-foot, ultra-damaging gash.

And now he's been indicted for doing such. His lawyers have not only insisted upon his innocence (and that of several others who were arrested on similar charges) , but they've called out the administration for being completely devoid of evidence in an attempt to cover up the botched job it did in renovating the pool.

With the Iran negotiations going nowhere in the incapable hands of Jared Kushner and Steve Wit-less-koff, with Americans expressing no confidence in the president's ability to get a handle on an economy for which pricing and cost-of-living are out of control, with ICE picking up anybody who doesn't look like - wait for it -Vanilla Ice - Trump is focused on the damage he did to the Reflecting Pool and who he can blame it on.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Erin Schlossberg.

Hope you had a Happy 4th and Happy 250th America.

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

The Schloss-Blog: "Nobody Give A Shit About Housing."

The Schloss-Blog is noting that for every lower court ruling that goes against Trump, the Supreme Court comes along and hands him a reversal. 

Immigration? Lower courts ruled that TPS (Temporary Protected Status) could stand for migrants from Haiti, Syria and other countries. But the Supreme Court reversed it and that means Trump and his acolytes can deport whoever they want to from among 350,000 Haitians and 6,500 Syrians who are here under that status.

In other words, if you're not white, you're not wanted here. Getting Congress back in the midterms will slow it down. Getting the presidency back in 2028 will end it.

We are a racist country. Trump and the Republicans in Congress are proud of that.

***

Trump took what would've been a bill that would've hopefully made it easier to buy a house and said he ain't signing it - an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill - unless his restrict-the-vote SAVE ACT passes (which it won't). 

Trump has relentlessly bombed Republican senators for not passing the SAVE bill. Only Iran has suffered more from bombings and Trump is giving them a half-billion dollars to heal from that.

Trump's true heart is seen in his own words: "Nobody gives a sh_t about housing," which he supposedly told House Speaker Mike Johnson in a private meeting.

Right now though, the bipartisan housing bill sits on Trump's desk, awaiting his signature that is apparently never coming.

***

Are Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Hareem Jeffries (D-NY) doing enough to get the Democrats over the finish line in the upcoming midterm elections? Are they out of touch with progressives in their party?

Maybe and probably, respectively.

With Trump continually sliding in polling about his job performance, why haven't the Democratic leaders stepped up, condemned him in the strongest possible terms and made sure the rest of the party picked up the cry?

The Schloss-Blog has spoken out about this before: the Democrats have been too sedate, too sedentary to get voters riled up. They have a golden opportunity to do so, but their messaging and communication has been flaccid.

They seem to be just waiting on Trump to screw up (he has) and hoping that carries them across the midterm-election finish line.

Will it be enough? We'll see.

***

The United States is engaged in tripartite messaging about Iran: 

**Marco Rubio is telling the Gulf states we haven't sold them out with the MOU with Iran (yes, we did);

**Idiot Trump is telling everyone Iran has surrendered unconditionally (they haven't, but the U.S. has); 

**and J.D. Vance is telling everyone that the negotiations with Iran are going well (they're not and we're still shooting at each other, aren't we?).

***

Good night, Mra. Calabash. Here's to you, Jordan Grinnell.

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

The Schloss-Blog: MOU Is A Giant F_ck You to America. And Who Is David Carter Hearn?

Who is David Carter Hearn?

The 67-year old from Bethesda, Maryland, has been arrested for allegedly contaminating the Reflecting Pool in D.C., which has turned algae green and has it "American Flag Blue" paint peeling off, because the contractor who painted it fu_cked up.

Can't wait to see the Trump administration try to make these charges stick.

***

Meanwhile, the Schloss-Blog is reading the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran and the U,S. (i.e., Donald Trump) is giving away the farm.

Why'd we start the war anyway, back in February?

Before the war, Iran was able to freely export its oil. Now, it still can.

Before the war, Iran did not have acceSS to so much of its frozen, sanctioned assets. Now it doe$.

Before the war, the Strait of Hormuz was wide open, vessels passing freely. Now, they can again, at Iran's pleasure, which said it was closing it down.

Before the war, Iran could collect a "toll" at the Strait if it wanted to. Now, it can again, if it wants to.

Before the war, Iran's radical regime was intact. Now, it is again.

Before the war, Iran had its enriched uranium. Now, it still does.

Trump went to war, only to give it all back, as the MOU details.

Trump went to war, dragged in by Israel. Now, he has essentially abandoned them. Israel is not party to this "deal."

Trump sucks.

***

Oh yeah, Trump always criticized Biden for using an electronic pen.

Now, he just used one on the MOU.

*** 

Speaking of the New York Knicks and the star guarsd who gave up so much to accomplish .. everything, the Schloss-Blog is just wondering, in the wake of that, in the wake of Jalen Brunson giving up $100 million+ to help piece the team together, wondering...

...what Steph Curry thinks;

...what LeBron James thinks;

...what Devin Booker thinks;

...what Kevin Durant thinks;

...what Joel Embiid thinks;

...what Paul George thinks;

...what Russell Westbrook thinks;

...what Nicola Jokic thinks;

...what Pat Riley thinks;

...what Thom Thibodeau thinks;

...what HoF coach Pat Ambrose thinks;

...what Steve Kerr thinks;

...what Draymond Green thinks;

***

Agai though, the war is over, right? Or is it?

Israel is still fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, which could be a dealbreaker.

In any event, a deal to make a deal is all this memorandum is about. None of the US/Israeli goals were accomplished. 

Just to reiterate:

**Iran still has its missiles;

**Iran's terrorist proxies are still its terrorist proxies;

**There was regime change in Iran. The hardline Republican Guard is still in charge;

** Iran's navy was partially destroyed. Partially;

**Nuclear enrichment: Iran still has its enriched uranium and doesn't appear ready to give it up.

Meanwhile, Iran is going to get billions in relief with the unfreezing of many of its sanctioned assets; It will also be able to sell oil without having to try to sneak through the US Navy blockade, which has now been lifted.

Way to go, Donald. Thank you for your lack of attention to this matter.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, David Carter Hearn.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll radio show (at radio free phoenix dot com).

Just Wondering...

The Schloss-Blog is just wondering, in the wake of the Knicks title, in the wake of Jalen Brunson giving up $100 million+ to help piece the team together, wondering...

...what Steph Curry thinks;

...what LeBron James thinks;

...what Devin Booker thinks;

...what Kevin Durant thinks;

...what Joel Embiid thinks;

...what Paul George thinks;

...what Russell Westbrook thinks;

...what Nicola Jokic thinks;

...what Pat Riley thinks;

...what Thom Thibodeau thinks;

...what HoF coach Pat Ambrose thinks;

...what Steve Kerr thinks;

...what Draymond Green thinks;

***

The war is over. Or is it?

Israel is still fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, which could be a dealbreaker.

In any event, a deal to make a deal is all this memorandum is about. None of the US/Israeli goals were accomplished:

**Iran still has its missiles;

**Iran's terrorist proxies are still its terrorist proxies;

**There was regime change in Iran. The hardline Republican Guard is still in charge;

** Iran's navy was partially destroyed. Partially;

**Nuclear enrichment: Iran still has its enriched uranium and doesn't appear ready to give it up.

Meanwhile, Iran is going to get billions in relief with the unfreezing of many of its sanctioned assets; It will also be able to sell oil without having to try to sneak through the US Navy blockade, which has now been lifted.

Way to go, Donald. Thank you for your lack of attention to this matter.

***

This Is The End

This is the end, the Schloss-Blog notes, beautiful friend, this is the end,, my only friend, the end,

The Doors nailed it, didn't they. 

Meant to signify "...an epic, stream-of-consciousness, exploration of death, the loss of innocence, and the subconscious," the song aptly sums up where the United States is, where Donald Trump is, in his incessant reciting that the Iran War is almost over, virtually over, close to being over.

But it's not. It's supposed to be over today, but is it?

Hello Election Day, 2026, and Republicans running to hold Congress will find out if sticking with Trump or parting with him on this war, this slush fund and/or the ballroom will be rewarded by the voting public or whether they'll be sacked and will yield control of Congress to the do-nothing Democrats..

*** 

As an aside, as of June 9th, per CNN, Trump has claimed, 38 times, that the war with Iran is over and an agreement has been reached that will have Iran yield its weaponry, its support for terrorist proxies, its enriched uranium and will reopen the Strait.

THIRTY-EIGHT times. Has obviously added a couple since then. Blames those "tricky, dishonest" Iranians when it doesn't happen.

Iran is denying this and appears it will never surrender outright, as seen in its shooting down of a U.S. military helicopter, without any overt retaliation from Trump and the United States, because Trump WANTS OUT OF THE WAR and can't find a way to get there while he maintains his blockade of the Strait and Israel maintains its war with Hezbollah.

He keeps insisting on what will be a complete surrender from Iran, and it ain't gonna' happen.

***

Democrats, Trump and the Republicans have handed you gold for campaign material. What are you doing with it? Here's the rundown:

Trump "loves the inflation" that is crippling so many American households.

Trump "doesn't think about Americans financial situations," as they live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to pay for gas, groceries, medications, healthcare, et. al.

Trump said, campaigned on, "Prices will come down." How's that working out? Inflation hit 4.2% last month, its highest mark in years.

Trump blames Biden for everything. Everything. But Trump's been president - again - for almost a year-and-a-half. He owns this. He knows it. The American people know it.

***

Elon Musk is a trillionaire. A freakin' trillionaire. 

Won't be watching the freakin' UFC cage matches at the White House. Disgraceful.

*** 

I'd be remiss if I didn't say how proud we are of our daughter and how lucky we are to have such great friends and relatives who repeatedly told us of the faith they have in her.

With that, good night Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Erin.

More Sunday night on my Radio Free Phoenix rock 'n' roll show. Maybe the war will be over by then. Yeah, right.

The Schloss-Blog: It's $1.776 (Billion) All Over Again

Schloss-Blog looking at $1.776 billion in slush-fund money that the Trump says it will not seek.

To spend on junkies and losers who attacked the Capital on that infamous Jan. 6 day.

Only in America, Trump's America, do convicted criminals get a windfall, slush-fund fortune. And while the administration is saying the fund is dead - for now - the president is being more sneaky about it, more undeniably deniable.

Trump is saying, "I'd have to ask the lawyers, I don't know," when it comes to the fund.

In other words, it ain't dead yet. Like zombies, it's still around. For now.

And when it gets paid out, the Democrats will gripe, they'll complain, they'll declare the injustice of it all.

And then watch it get paid out, unable to stop it, while their appeals possibly wither in court.

***

Congrats, Golden Tempo.

The Kentucky Derby winner outdueled Commandment and Renegade down the stretch at Saratoga, coming from way behind, to win the Belmont Stakes.

Didn't make for much of a quinella or Trifecta, if you're a betting person, but it made for an exciting race at a sold-out Saratoga, hosting the race for a final time, in all likelihood, as Belmont itself completes renovation. 

***

Beyond the firing the Scott Pelley at CBS' "60 Minutes," the network's top brass is apparently worried about its image and the damage done to it by the work of Bari Weiss, who's now running the news operation at the so-called Tiffany network. 

Is her job in jeopardy, for doing what the owner Ellisons likely wanted? Which is take down the credibility of  a program that Donald Trump hates so much that he sued the network over it and got them to cough up $16 million to settle it.

***

The last Baby Boomer will turn 65 in 2030.

Yes, the dominant generation for so long is now watching as Millennials and Gen Z take over, with their mandate to feel that everything would be handed to them and they don't have to work that hard.

Is the nation subsequently in trouble?

Well, yeah, Trump is president, right?

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Jessica Beverly (feel better).

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

Throwing a Dart, But Things Could Be Worse

The Schloss-Blog wants to know, what were you thinking about, Jaxson Dart?

Introducing Donald Trump. At his rally.

This is Nu Yawk, baybee, not Mississippi.

You clearly ruffled some feathers among your teammates, in the Giants front office and likely in league offices too.

So, here's a tip: with many Giants fans publicly announcing they are canceling season-ticket orders, if you want to be popular with your teammates and the fans, no going gaga over an unpopular political figure.

Like Trump.

His approval ratings are at all-time lows and yours will be too, unless ... 

...Unless you light up the opposition and deliver a playoff-worthy season for the Giants.

This is Nu Yawk, baybee. Behave like it. On and off the field.

***

Seven days ago, May 24, Trump said the deal with Iran was "largely negotiated."

Here we are seven days later, it is still "largely negotiated." The Strait is still closed, the blockade is still on and the U.S. and Iran are still trading potshots across the Persian Gulf. The U.S, is hitting, or says it is hitting Iranian missile bunkers. Iran is hitting U.S. bases in the area, actually wounding Americans.

Trump says he doesn't care and that the U.S. has plenty of time. Guess who doesn't: Americans who need food and healthcare, (Obamacare), funding for which has been drastically cut.

And is being spent on the billions needed to wear down U.S, missile stores.

Brilliant, Donald, brilliant. Just keep taking your time. You're only interested in influencing the stock market with false news (i.e., fake news) that the war may be ending.

***

Hey Kendrick Lamar, Vanessa Williams, pay attention: Drake is No. 1 all-time in No. 1 hit songs by a male artist, surpassing ... Michael Jackson.

***

There is not going to be a Trump-Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Judge Christopher Cooper pronounced that only Congress, by law, can change the name.

Everything else Trump has said about the name change is a lie, as performing artists, among the world's best, have cancelled appearance after appearance.

***

Trump's slush fund has been halted for the moment, the one he was going to use to pay the criminals he had already pardoned in the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol.

The weaponization fund was ruled by Judge Leonie Brinkema to be, basically, essentially, what plaintiff Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called a "Jaw-dropping act of presidential corruption."

Let's see if Trump continues anyway. He just might defy the court order anyway.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Olivia Guenther.

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

 

Silence of Iran ... and Bye Bye Barney Frank

Trump has grown so frustrated, the Schloss-Blog has observed, that he keeps threatening but then goes TACO on bombing Iran back to the Stone Age.

He wants a total surrender from Iran that he apparently will never get. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, on both ends, and gas prices at the pump in the U.S. remain hovering just under $5 on this holiday weekend.

What a celebration!

***

WAIT: News Flash: Trump, Iran hint at a peace deal in the works. But, is it long last? Does it open the Strait, end uranium enrichment, kill the regime and guaranty anything that Trump wants?

Still waiting on all of that.

*** 

OK< back to reality.

The one place where Trump has gotten a surrender is from his MAGA base. They believe in him, believe every lies he tell, no matter what, and would do whatever he tells them to do, no matter what (see 6, January).   

And the other place would be from Democrats, who simply believe in complaining about Trump's grift and policies and are counting on Trump's gross unpopularity with the American public to carry the day for them in the midterm elections this November.

That better work for them, because their own unpopularity with the American public is just as problematic. Americans don't trust them nor know what they stand for any more than they do Trump and the lying, scheming 'Trumpettes' in Congress and in Trump's Cabinet.

You would think. But after Trump told the media, "I don't think about Americans' financial situations," at a time when Americans' financial situations are perilous and they're struggling to make ends meet, you would think Democrats would pick up that fumble and run it over the goal line in the form of ad after ad after ad all the way to November. Yes, Trump puts outright winning the war with Iran and directing all funds and resources toward that ahead of finances and healthcare for the American people.

Now, the Dems say they are prepping ads to leverage this and further destroy Trump's credibility, especially in toss-up states, in toss-up midterm races and to influence those especially independent voters they may have lost in 2024. That's true in a state like Arizona, where the governor's seat is on the docket and both houses of the state legislature are held by the Republicans. And by whisper-thin margins. 

Or in Georgia, where Jon Ossoff is battling to maintain his Senate seat and even a Republican-turned-Democrat, Geoff Duncan, disgusted with Trump and his party, is seeking the governor's chair. 

And in Ohio, where Democrat Sherrod Brown is running to grab a Senate seat after losing his there in 2024.

And even though Trump-backed candidates have done well in some primaries, especially against perceived Trump opponents, it's the general elections in November that will test them.

Especially in Texas, where Trump is backing scandal-ridden AG Ken Paxton instead of incumbent John Cornyn, to the dismay  and disbelief or Cornyn's Senate colleagues, who feel that if Paxton gets the nod, the seat becomes even more vulnerable. And if nothing else, Republicans will have to spend, spend and spend some more in bright red Texas to win that race, pouring in resources that they could spend in races in other states.

Where they're badly needed.

So, what's the real cost of this war, for Trump, for Americans? For starters. whatever the dollar cost, it depicts Trump's insensitivity toward Americans' finances and their healthcare needs while spending it all on his "little skirmish" with Iran, supposedly $29 billion and counting, the Pentagon tells us. However, the Brown University Costs of War Project is keeping a "running" estimate," which it says is based on the Pentagon's own reported figures.

Which just might put it at ... wait for it ... $90 billion, and counting.

However you cut it, real financial impact to Americans is estimated at about $350 per household, and climbing, or some $45 billion additional in fuel costs alone.

***

So, how are you feeling about the war and meeting the objectives of regime change?

No, I mean, restricting Iran's nuclear enrichment program, leading towards ... a nuclear bomb (OMG), which we're told, the Iranians will put on a plane and drop on the U.S.

No, wait, we mean reopening the Strait of Hormuz. It was open when the 'war' that is not a 'war' began. In February. 

These floating objectives keep shifting in primacy for the Trump administration.

Maybe that's why, as we said at the top, he keeps going #TACO on bombing Iran back to the Stone Age. The only age he's bombing at is how own (79), and the American people are highly disapproving.

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Erin Mercado.

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

Let's go Knicks.

And R.I.P., Barney Frank.

Schloss-Blog: Who Won In Beijing? Not the U.S., Not Trump.

While the Schloss-Blog notes that President Trump says we're still on a cease-fire in Iran, we're wondering who won the "peace-fire" in Beijing?

The cease-fire in Iran is laughable: The U.S. and Iranian forces regularly exchange missile fire and the Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded on both ends. 

Same thing with Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon - the cease-fire that isn't. But that doesn't affect the price of gas you put in your car, right?

Or does it?

The only thing you know is that inflation is at ... wait for it ...3.8% right now and inflation, to you, is the economy. Even though the U.S, economy is doing well by most standard measures (consumer spending, employment), you measure the economy by your wallet - how much money do I have left after I pay my bills?

Because when it comes to money, the U.S. consumer has said distinctly since the pandemic, I wanna' spend it! Two years of being holed up thanks to the pandemic has put Americans on a nonstop spending spree that shows little sign of slowing down.

But we're paying for it. Consumer credit-card debt was $1.25 trillion in the first quarter of this year, or $6,500 per cardholder.

How are you doing carrying $6,500 of credit-card debt apiece? No wonder those "consolidation" services advertise so much - most of us need them (wait until you see their terms though).

However, not to worry - it's the households that cumulatively make up the top 10% of earners that account for almost half (49%) of all that spending. 

That's not you, right? Right? Except for the debt part, right?

***

Meanwhile, Trump says the cease-fire with Iran is on "life support," but so is the murder conviction of James Murdaugh, the high-profile Soutb Carolina attorney who was convicted in 2023 of killing his wife and son.

He says a stranger walked in and did it. The South Carolina Supreme Court said never mind about that - the SC Supremes said that the county clerk improperly tampered with the jury by making inappropriate, anti-Murdaugh statements, directed at them.

Bingo, new trial, and prosecutors say they will bring the charges again.

And will gag the county clerk.

***

Closing notes:

As the ongoing war with Iran continues to impact Americans' wallets, especially because of its impact on the price of gas and inflation in general, don't worry, Trump is on it.

"I don't think about Americans' financial situations," he told a gaggle of reporters before leaving for China ... wait for it ... to accomplish absolutely nothing.

I guess on the list of goals for this war we started, impact to Americans' wallets come in last. behind regime change, freedom for the Iranian people, the end of uranium enrichment and THEN, the wallets of everyday Americans.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced that. In his dual role as National Security Advisor, he told the media that the goal of the war with Iran is now to restore it "back to the way it was" before Trump started the war.

In other words, we started the war just to start a war and now we would like to please go back to how it was before we started the war.

So far, it's only cost 13 American lives and 170 or so Iranian children's lives.

Please!

***

Good night, Mrs. Calabash. Here's to you, Betsy Petrie.

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