Burn, baby, burn! Trump, Epstein-gate, and the MAGA Conspiracy Universe

I wasn't going to do a post tonight, but today's news about Trump losing control of the Epstein cover-up conspiracy story is so incredible I just can't resist sharing.
And I'm calling it Epstein-gate because why not:

Feels like a tell.

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— Gerald Butts (@gmbutts.bsky.social) July 12, 2025 at 6:38 PM

There is only one way to read Trump’s post today about Epstein - basically a confession. He’s guilty, he knows he’s guilty, his cult isn’t culting on this, and he’s a cornered rat with no way out other than to plead with people not to care about child sex trafficking.

— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) July 12, 2025 at 5:26 PM

Not care about child sex trafficking? Its a core part of the entire MAGA Conspiracy Universe, as Steve M explains:

Saturday Funnies: More Elbows up, lots of funny stuff, plus TrumpWatch and Animal Crackers. And an earworm...

I know I usually do a funny post for Sunday, but this week I think we need it earlier! So, here we go:
The latest in Elbows Up!

Elbows Up...

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— DWguitarist (@daveguitarist.bsky.social) July 9, 2025 at 2:43 PM

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Something the US doesn't understand about Canada - it will be a generation before we trust them again in any matter trade or military. Electing a Democratic president or government won't change things, because we know none of them will play fair with us when push comes to shove. #cdnpoli #USpoli

— Stephen Lautens (@stephenlautens.bsky.social) July 6, 2025 at 10:46 AM

Headlines from Canada's right-wing news networks: Globe & Mail: "Canada must match the tax incentives in Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’." NO! CTV: "How Canada’s shift to the EU may provoke fallout with Trump." CTV & Global might as well merge w/ Rebel News. 🇨🇦 isn't the bad guy in this! ELBOWS UP!

— Edge O. Erin (@edgeoerin.com) July 10, 2025 at 8:00 AM

Just when we thought we were out, he pulls us back in

I'm sick and tired of talking about tariffs. 

Aren't you? 

But here we go again -  just when we started to think there might be some kind of progress toward some kind of agreement, Trump throws another spanner into the works.

Tariffs on, tariffs off, tariffs waaaay up, tariffs sharply down. America, your president is governing your country the way I would try to land a plane.

— Tabatha Southey 🇨🇦 (@tabathasouthey.bsky.social) July 7, 2025 at 4:45 PM

Congrats everyone, we now have 35% tariffs on Canada for no apparent reason

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— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) July 10, 2025 at 7:34 PM

Today's News: Choose Your Own Apocalypse!

Hunting down posts about the coming AI financials implosion helps take my mind off the tariff chaos/human rights tragedies/natural disasters/utter chaos everywhere else. It's like a Choose Your Own Apocalypse version of current events.

— Kristine Smith (@ksmithsf.bsky.social) July 9, 2025 at 8:31 AM

From newsrooms across the world, we are hearing "Oh, I give up!!!" 

As the United States descends into masked authoritarianism and people all over the world are dying from war, heatwaves, floods and hurricanes, I think the media have thrown their hands up into the air and decided just to cover silly stuff instead. 

Like this: 

Tyler Dawson / National Post

Mark Carney is on holidays. The government won't say where
While the secrecy around Carney's vacation plans isn't unusual in Canada, other nations' leaders regularly inform the public where they are Prime Minister Mark Carney is retreating this week for vacation, but the federal government isn’t saying where.
All that has been revealed is that Carney is staying somewhere in the National Capital Region.
“As he does so, he will remain in close coordination with his team and officials on several priorities, including ongoing negotiations on the economic and security relationship between Canada and the United States,” Carney’s spokespeople told reporters in an email...

..

Let's summarize this week's news: Carney winks sometimes, he's on holiday at some private island, & he can't flip pancakes.
Obviously he has worn out his welcome with Canadians...

— Cathie from Canada 🇨🇦 ✍🏻😷🏳️‍🌈 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@CathieCanada) July 9, 2025

Summertime and the readin' is easy! Good articles by Cole Bennett, Paul Wells, Ryan Broderick, Garrett Graff, Tom Scocca, and Paul Krugman, plus funny posts and TrumpWatch

Before doom befalls us on August 19, I wanted to recommend some interesting articles and comments - they aren't exactly a beach novel, but good reads all the same.

First, the more I read journalist Cole Bennett, the better I like his stuff -- his columns are both interesting and useful. His newsletters cover a range of daily news stories and I recently decided to subscribe to this substack because its a daily summary I can't find anywhere else. 

Here are a couple of examples:
Cole Bennett / Cole.notcole

Tuesday Night
MILITIAS TAKEN DOWN, AMAZON UNDER INVESTIGATION, CANADIAN BOOZE TAKEOVER, GAZA CAMPS, MORE TARIFFS......
Domestic Terror Plot Foiled in Quebec...
Trump’s 50% Copper Tariff Could Backfire...
Amazon’s “Fair Pricing” Policy Under Investigation...
Alcohol Sales Deal Reached “Mostly”...
Israel Planning Internment-Style Camps in Gaza...

And his commentaries focus on larger issues:

How the Left in Canada Can Stay United—And Actually Win
...The left fractures over strategy, party loyalty, and personality politics. The Green Party calls the Liberals sellouts. The NDP calls the Liberals fake progressives. Liberals roll their eyes at both. And while we argue over who’s more left, the right is laser-focused on winning.
But here’s the bottom line:
If the left actually wants to help people, it has to win.
...We’ve got to stop treating political parties like sports teams. If you support:
-Public healthcare
-Climate action
-Reconciliation
-Disability justice
-Affordable housing
-Protecting 2SLGBTQ+ rights
…then you’re on the same side. The fight isn’t between the Liberals, NDP, and Greens. It’s against the Conservative Party, and figures like Pierre Poilievre, Danielle Smith, and Doug Ford, who are actively trying to dismantle progress....

Today's News: Canadian hostages in ICE custody; ICE plays soldier in LA; plus Canada's right to clean water and What's Opera, Doc?

Apparently there are about 55 Canadians in ICE-Gestapo jails. 

Here's one of them:

Reports that a Canadian citizen who has resided in the US since age 10 was abducted at a green card interview. Her husband is begging ICE to let him fly her back to Canada and they refuse to release her.

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— Nathan Kalman-Lamb ("Marxist-Islamist") (@nkalamb.bsky.social) July 7, 2025 at 7:18 AM

55 Canadians in ICE custody. GIVE US BACK THEM ALL, NOW!!!!!!! ❤️🍁🇨🇦TEAM CANADA FOREVER🇨🇦🍁❤️ ❤️🍁🇨🇦VIVE LE CANADA 🇨🇦🍁❤️

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— 🍁🇨🇦Team Canada Forever🇨🇦🍁 (@teamcanadaforever.bsky.social) June 28, 2025 at 8:52 PM

Sunday Funday: It's all hat and no cattle for Stampede Week!

Prime Ministers and PM wannabees always go to the Calgary Stampede.
And the Conservative ones always seem to figure out some way to embarrass themselves -- usually, its something to do with their cowboy hats.
The only time The Beaverton ever ranked Stephen Harper as Number One was when they did an article in 2023 ranking Canadian politicians for looking stupid in cowboy hats:

The Beaverton writes:

The dumbest of them all. We uploaded a vertical photo so you could take in the entirety of Stephen’s leather daddy look. If the country ever needed any proof that Harper, despite being an Alberta MP, was actually a nerd from the Toronto suburbs, this photo gave it to them. 

Poilievre is continuing now in that Conservative tradition. 

For July 4, the Statue of Liberty as metaphor "You can't be forever blessed"

I have never seen the Statue of Liberty in person and now I never will, because going to New York is not going to be happening anymore. 

But for Americans, Lady Liberty exerts a powerful force of symbol and aspiration. Now, as the United States sinks deeper into anti-democratic authoritarianism every day, I have collected a number of cartoons using the Statue to illustrate America's angst and despair. So it seems appropriate, on this July 4 of Trump 47, to post them tonight:

Some good reads: from Paul Wells, David Legree, Adam Olsen, Stephen Marche, Jim Coyle plus a Poilievre catchup and a vanishing Lego Homer

Just to entertain everybody while we wait for the apocalypse, here are some recent articles I liked: 

From Paul Wells' Substack:

I wrote about a national competition for Canadian portrait art that’s been going for 20 years, about the new book that tells its story, and about top-down versus bottom-up cultural policy. Story features spectacular illustrations.

- Paul Wells

Read on Substack

From David Legree at IPolitics:

New from me: An exclusive interview with David Suzuki, who talked about reaching the conclusion that humanity has failed in the fight against climate change, and why communities should start preparing for more destructive natural disasters #cdnpoli #cdnenviro www.ipolitics.ca/2025/07/02/i...

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— Davis Legree (@davislegree.bsky.social) July 2, 2025 at 12:55 PM

Talking about Canada Day

Some good articles and posts tonight about Canada and our Canada Day:  

Paul Hunter / CBC News

He made the decision on impulse, but it sparked a movement. Mike Myers on elbows up
'We can love Americans and not want to be Americans,' actor tells CBC's Paul Hunter
For all in Canada who happened to be watching Saturday Night Live, that March night was an unforgettable moment.
Mike Myers, the one-time SNLer who'd performed in the opening skit as a chainsaw-wielding Elon Musk, stood onstage with the rest of the cast at the end of the show as they all waved goodnight.
Then he did it.
As millions watched, the Toronto-born Myers opened his jacket to reveal a black T-shirt underneath bearing that red-and-white maple leaf flag and the phrase "CANADA IS NOT FOR SALE."
He then flexed his arm in the air, pointed at it and mouthed the words "elbows up," an old-time hockey term meant to signify punishing one's opponent. It happened as U.S. President Donald Trump's antagonistic threats to annex Canada were reaching their apex.
"It was just, 'Leave us alone,'" Myers told CBC News, explaining the shirt. "We love Americans. But we can love Americans and not want to be Americans, you know what I mean?"
The message was Myers's salute to everyone watching back home. Revealing it on live television was a spur-of-the-moment decision, he tells CBC News in his first on-camera interview about that night. He says he had no idea it would catch fire — let alone spark a wave of Canadian patriotism not seen in decades...

Today's News: Celebrating Canada Day, and making a silk purse

It only feels like its been a decade since July 1 2024, doesn't it? Time for some celebration:

      

Sunday Funday: Laughing at Trump wanting a Nobel Peace Prize, a beaver shows us how to cut down a tree; other jokes and funny posts, and Animal Crackers

Nobel Peace Prize? For Trump? Oh my:

 Donald Trump wanting a Nobel Peace Prize is like Jeffrey Dahmer wanting a Vegetarian of the Year award.

- The Mouthy Renegade Writer

Read on Substack

Yeah, this is the way I feel too:

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Pride Month wrap-up: happiness and history

There were some great photos from Saskatoon's Pride Parade last weekend:

(All photos by Sherri Solomko)

Sherri Solomko / SaskToday.ca

Pride not prejudice theme of 2025 Saskatoon Pride Parade
Saskatoon's Pride Parade marked it's 24th year of celebrating community, identity and achievements....
The downtown parade capped off Pride Week events in Saskatoon and showcased a powerful display of unity, diversity and visibility.
This year’s event marked the 24th year of the parade, held in conjunction with other Pride events in the Bridge City. More than 150 parade entries kept hundreds along the parade route entertained with a joyful display of floats, costumes, music and walkers.

Today in Elbows Up! Comments and posts about Quebec, sports MVPs, the ICE gestapo, Canadian deal-making, Carney diplomacy, American rallies, and a new book

Canada hasn't had to do as much "Elbows Up!" cheering lately as we did last winter -- we are rapidly getting used to the new reality of not travelling to the US, not buying US products, and laughing at the Orange Buffoon as often as we can.

But I think July may be challenging -- Carney is finished with the G7 and NATO meetings, he has made agreements with European countries for trade and defense. Trump's tariff deadlines are approaching, though who knows whether anything Trump says actually means anything now.
I have been seeing a few posts and comments relating to Elbows Up so I thought I would share them.

First - even in Quebec!

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Some comments on the passing scene: the US is destroying university research; NATO is buttering up Trump; Carney is winning military hearts & minds; and Americans are fighting ICE gestapo

I'm seeing random stuff all over tonight, so here's a few of my comments on the passing scene. 

First, the destruction of academic and scientific research in the United States continues. I just do not understand why they are so angry and what they think will happen now:

Journalists keep asking me, baffled, “What’s the Trump administration really trying to do to the science agencies?” So I say “They are trying to destroy them. Cut off their funding, ruin their facilities, harass their staff into leaving.” It’s not reform, and it never was. It’s destruction.

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— Derek Lowe (@dereklowe.bsky.social) June 24, 2025 at 4:34 PM

One thing to emphasize strongly is that funding to science is like oxygen to the brain. Temporarily restricting oxygen flow for ten minutes (while you figure your shit out) is going to have the same outcome as shutting oxygen off permanently. We are close to the ten minute mark.

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— Harmit Malik (@harmitmalik.bsky.social) June 25, 2025 at 9:46 AM

This administration's goal is to destroy US science and to do it quickly *40% cut for NIH funding * 50% cut in National Science Foundation funding * Virtual elimination of funding for climate and environmental research * Attacks on elite universities Science is so woke www.npr.org/2025/04/18/n...

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— Laurie Loves Data (@laurelann.bsky.social) June 21, 2025 at 5:02 AM

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