Tommy Carcetti
Tommy Carcetti's JournalMAGAworld really brought this whole "Epstein's list" headache upon themselves.
How, exactly?
Because they started obsessing. Not about the case as a whole, but rather very specifically about a very specific list that they claim existed.
They believed that Epstein actually kept what amounted to a literal guest list for his private island, which would in turn infer that anyone on that list would have either have participated in any sexual activities on that island or at the very least would have had knowledge of such activities.
They obsessed about the list. Talked constantly about the list. Everything was all about the list.
And who would be on the list? Well, obviously, it would be Democrats who were on the list. Democrats and left leaning celebrities. After all, they were the only people capable of deviancy and debauchery, so it would make perfect sense that only they would be on the list.
Not Donald Trump, of course. Even though he had once gone on the record calling Epstein his friend and talked about how he liked "younger" women.
But Bill Clinton, who in the early 2000s (before Epstein's crimes were known) accepted Epstein's offer of a plane to use for travel for his foundation (which was still in its infancy and did not have a plane of its own)? Well, clearly he had to be on the "list." Because he was a Democrat, after all.
Eventually, social media took over, and far right figures claimed to release what they insisted was this "list." Like this guy, for example:
https://x.com/Markafc87/status/1743437933728903614
Of course, you had the Clintons. You had the Obamas. You had Joe Biden. All partying down at Epstein Island, they claimed.
You also had people like Tom Hanks, Drew Barrymore, Stephen Spielberg on this "list." Oh, and Seth Green--you know, Scotty Evil from the Austin Powers movies? He was on the list too!
List, list, list. It was all about the list.
That this "list" wasn't revealed during the first Trump presidency didn't seem to phase them. But when Biden took over, it became an obsession--Democrats were suppressing the "list"!
And it became a rallying cry for them. Once Trump got back into office, he was going to release this "list."
And the Trump campaign knew this was a big seller for the crowd. So they ran with it, and promised that, yes, they would release this list if Trump was elected.
Then Trump was elected, and the dog caught the car, so to speak.
The major problem being?
Well that there actually was no actual "list" at all.
There was an investigative file--depositions, interview transcripts, evidence. A big file. Huge. Thousands and thousands of pages, to be exact.
And within those thousands of pages there were plenty of names. The vast majority of those names probably being completely innocuous and incidental to Epstein's illicit activities.
And maybe just a few--an inconvenient few--who might have been not so innocent. Or at least embarrassing, if nothing more.
As in someone who had their photograph taken with Epstein on several occasions. Or called him his friend. Or talked about how he liked "younger" women.
But there was no actual "list". MAGA insisted for years there was a list and fantasized about the day that this list would be released, but sadly for them, this was impossible because there was no actual list. It was never that easy or straight forward. Thinking Epstein's crimes could all be rolled up into one tidy, simple "list" was always going to be a fantasy.
But now Trump (and by that virtue, Bondi, Patel and Bongino) are in a pickle. Because they promised a list, but there's no list to release.
They could make up a list--like all those geniuses on social media--but that would fall apart faster than a paper hat in a rainstorm.
So instead, they have to come out and do something that they absolutely hate to do: Tell the truth.
And the truth is that there is no actual singular "Epstein List" to speak of.
That's bad and angers the MAGA folk who for years insisted that there was a list and Trump was going to be the one to release it.
It's only compounded, however, by the fact that while there might be no list, there certainly is a file. And within that file, it could certainly be possible that there was at least a reference or two to Donald Trump that could be considered, well, less than flattering.
So all of a sudden, there's no list and the Epstein file is a now bad thing to focus on. Hence, Trump's freak out over social media. And MAGA's sudden ire at him.
All of this was an unforced error on MAGA's part, for years of fantasizing and building up the notion of a simple "Epstein List" that damns only Democrats and liberals, given that in the end, there was never such a list.
All I can say is...sucks for them.
I was on vacation while the whole Epstein thing exploded.
That being said, my assessment of the story is more or less unchanged.
First, there still is nothing that leads me to believe that there is some grand master "Epstein List" that contains names of people who conspired with Epstein for sex trafficking purposes or what not.
So as much as I hate to say it, Pam Bondi is probably technically correct in that respect.
The idea of an "Epstein List" is basically a myth perpetrated by mostly those on the right who want there to be some proof of massive amounts of Democratic politicians and left-leaning celebrities being in cohorts with Epstein and his worst offenses. There are dozens of fake "lists" floating online whose list of supposed "Epstein Island Visitors" contain entries as laughable as Seth Green, Meryl Streep, Miley Cyrus, Patton Oswalt, and Tom Hanks. Gullible right wing nut jobs ate up this bullshit like candy and propagated it as if there was the undisputed truth.
Bondi was basically placed between a rock and a hard place. Either she would have to come out and admit there was no actual "list" to speak of, or she could attempt to slap together some obviously transparent and idiotic "list" of her own that anyone with half a brain cell would be able to expose as fake. In the end, being risk adverse she chose the former and not the latter.
And the fact Bondi's very-reluctant admission shattered the far-right wing illusion of some massive list of Democrats and liberal celebrities who were conspiring with Epstein is the reason for the freakout by those on the right.
The concept of a "Epstein list" was basically a Ponzi scheme, inevitably destined to collapse. And it just did. So the right-wing is all upset.
So if there was no actual "list," what is there?
Well, there was a huge investigative file that looked into everything relating to Epstein's activities. And the thing about Epstein was that he was a huge narcissist who loved rubbing elbows with the rich, famous and powerful. So anyone he came in contact with could have found their names at various points in the file documents. This would include a lot of big names. Overwhelmingly, most of those peoples' names inclusion is 100% innocuous. There are probably a small few, however, who might not be.
So, just for example, back in the early 2000s--before Epstein's activities were known to the public--when the Clinton Foundation needed an airplane to travel to various countries and Epstein volunteered his plane, without the benefit of foresight they accepted it and that's something that could have brought in President Clinton's name to the entire file. Ultimately, it certainly is embarrassing, but not a shred of evidence of culpability in any crimes. But the right wing will insist otherwise simply because it fits their agenda. Nothing more and nothing less.
On the other hand, it appears that people like Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew might have a lot more involvement in Epstein's illicit activity, if the evidence turns out to be true. But even that hasn't been proven to support probable cause of a crime, let alone proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
So what to make of Donald Trump's freak out regarding the Epstein case?
Well, he certainly knew Epstein well enough to be photographed with him multiple times. And he once went on the record about how Epstein "liked them young," so an inference could be made that he at least may have had some knowledge about Epstein's sexual predilections.
Does that mean Trump was a culpable co-conspirator? I objectively cannot say and will not say. But I do think whatever mentions in the investigative files of Trump's name were certainly embarrassing enough to someone whose skin is as thin as Donald Trump to cause him to freak out. As a malignant narcissist Trump is very image sensitive, and the mere idea that he could be connected to Epstein--especially after the civil judgment in the Carroll case--would likely have caused him to freak out.
In the end, while the actions of Epstein were undoubtedly horrific and there stands a chance that at least some knew of his activities and may have even acted along with him, as a political scandal I still believe the Epstein story is fools gold, for both the left and right alike.
It will flare up every so often, as it did last week, but I don't see it as having any sort of lasting impact. People have way too short memories for that.
BREAKING NEWS: White House announces President Trump as recipient of the Noble Prize
The White House announced today that President Donald Trump has been awarded what it claims to be “the most prestigious peace prize ever, period.”
During a briefing in front of reporters, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that President Trump was the sole recipient of the 2025 Noble Prize for Peaceful Peaceability and Peace.
For the record, the Noble Prize for Peaceful Peaceability and Peace is not to be confused with the Nobel Peace Prize, the well-known medal named in honor of Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel. That award has been bestowed annually since 1901 to individuals who demonstrate outstanding contributions towards peace for humanity in efforts such as arms reduction, negotiated resolutions aimed at ending longstanding conflicts, and measures meant to reduce global poverty, disease and hunger.
On the other hand, there appears to be no public record of any Noble Prize being awarded to any individual before 2025.
Levitt bristled at the idea that the White House had somehow manufactured the award in the hopes of confusing the public into thinking that Trump had actually been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
“Noble means ‘good’ or ‘honorable,’” Leavitt told reporters. “As in peace being good and honorable. I don’t know how many of you all actually know that, but it’s just plain, basic English, okay? It has absolutely nothing to do with some silly, made-up Swedish word that you’d probably find on a coat rack at IKEA.”
Leavitt stressed that the Noble Prize was not simply made up for the benefit of Trump’s ego and as a means to assuage his frustration at not ever having been honored with its longstanding counterpart.
“Would the recipient of the 2013 Michigan Man of the Year lie to the public about winning a non-existent award?” Levitt asked. “I think both you and I know the answer to that question.”
Leavitt also denied that it was Trump himself who came up with the award, stating that “others” had been involved in awarding Trump the Noble Prize, but was immediately pressed by reporters to identify such persons.
“The kids—well, at least Don Jr. and Eric,” Leavitt responded. “Not sure about the rest. Um, Stevie Miller definitely had a hand in it. Oh, and Catturd! Catturd was absolutely a key player throughout the process.”
Leavitt described the Noble Prize itself as the “most magnificent and fashionable” of all the peace prizes.
Unlike the medal for the Nobel Prize—which is 6.6 centimeters in diameter and comprised of 18 carat gold—Leavitt said the Noble Prize is 6.6 inches in diameter, because “this is America and we don’t do metric.”
Additionally, the Noble Prize medal will be made of full 24 carat gold, as Leavitt said, “President Trump will accept no substitutes.”
Leavitt added that the Noble Prize comes with additional perks and benefits for the winner, including $10 billion (made payable either in U.S. dollars or Bitcoin), a lifetime membership to the Noble Cheese of the Month club, and a coupon for half-off the purchase price of the foreign airliner of his or her choice.
Leavitt said that Trump “absolutely” would be wearing his medal every chance he possibly gets, adding, “He earned it, so why shouldn't he?”
The White House press secretary was then asked exactly what basis Trump had actually earned the purported Noble Prize.
“President Trump has been solely responsible for negotiating a peaceful end of so, so many of the world’s deadliest armed conflicts raging today,” Leavitt answered. “Just to name a few off the top of my head, I’m talking about Israel-Iran. Israel-Palestine. Russia-Ukraine. India-Pakistan. Rwanda-Congo. United Kingdom-Northern Ireland. Japan-South Korea. And so, so many more. Thanks to President Trump, war is over and peace rules the land.”
At that point, some members of the media pointed out that nearly all of those wars or disputes Leavitt listed remained ongoing to date, the conflict between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland ended nearly 30 years ago, and that Japan and South Korea are close trading partners and not engaged in any current state of hostilities with one another.
“Yet,” Leavitt attempted to correct the press. “They’re not at war with each other yet. But you just wait and see. They will be at war with one another soon enough, we guarantee you that. And when that happens, President Trump will be the one who ends it.”
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BREAKING NEWS: Harvard cancer grant's loss is Idaho trade school's big gain
President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that he would be stripping billions of dollars in federal grants towards various Harvard University subsidized research programs and redistributing such funds toward trade schools has inevitably already produced a long line of both winners and losers.
One such loser would be a $180 million funded program for an experimental new therapy for patients with various gastroenterological cancers, already underway at several hospitals across the nation.
Initial results of such therapies have already shown significant promise in attacking the growth of these notoriously hard-to-treat cancers, but with federal funding for the program now cut, the future of treatments for even existing patients has now become uncertain.
“We really thought we were on the cusp of a breakthrough,” said Dr. William Schneider, M.D., a gastric oncologist in charge of administering the program at one Atlanta-area hospital. “I mean, we were this close. But I suppose that’s just the natural consequence of elections, and to every one person’s yin, there will inevitably be another person’s yang. My only hope is that whoever does benefit from this funding will in turn benefit society as a whole.”
The sole beneficiary of that $180 million sum turned out to be none other than the Upper Snake River Valley School for Automotive Detailing and Modification, located in Sugar City, Idaho roughly a half-hour from Idaho Falls.
“Wow, one hundred eighty million,” remarked USRVSADM President Jim Phillips upon hearing the news. “I’m just truly gobsmacked. All I can say is that if you’re driving down State Road 48 in Rigby in the near future and you notice an unusually high amount of low-riding cars with neon-fluorescent undercarriage lights, you’ll know your tax dollars are being put to good use.”
USRVSADM, which has been in business since 2022, provides its students with the opportunity to train and apprentice with local autobody mechanic and technicians in the installation of after-market parts on trucks, cars, vans, motorcycles and sport-utility vehicles. Its stated goal is to become “one of the top 10 schools of its kind in the Upper Mountain West” by the end of the next decade.
“When you hear a modified dual exhaust pipe from a car that sounds like a trumpet’s being blown three inches from your eardrum, you are hearing the music of USRVSADM’s best and finest at work,” Phillips said. “And thanks to President Trump, you’ll be hearing a whole lot more of those types of noises these days.”
While it was not clear where the bulk of the money would be directed, Phillips did provide some potential avenues based on the latest after-market trends.
“Wraps are huge these days,” Phillips noted. “We had one guy come in with a Cybertruck who wanted that ‘Fight, Fight, Fight’ picture of Trump in his assassination attempt covering his entire vehicle. We got it done for him within a week, but with the added money coming in, we could have him in and out in just a day. It will be truly a miracle of science to behold.”
Phillips did, however, express some sympathy for the cancer patients who would be missing out on the federal grant money.
“Listen, life has been known to deal some folks a bad hand of cards,” Phillips said. “And I hate it every bit as much as the next person does. All I can say for those people is that if they are ever in Eastern Idaho and they want something to distract themselves from their health problems, they know where to go to get a slamming body kit for that Honda Civic of theirs.”
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Jimmy Carter was unjustly shit on for years.
People would not forget his loss to Reagan, the challenges from within his own party, the hostage crisis, having to deal with the leftover economic stagflation from the Nixon years, etc.
He was made out to be the epitome of a failed, one-term presidency.
The public image on him softened a bit when people realized all the good he was doing in his post-presidency and what a remarkable human being he was. But even then, people tended to focus only on that, as opposed to re-evaluating a lot of the things he did as President.
As it turns out, Jimmy Carter did a lot of great things as President. His lasting legacy was far better than what his detractors claimed. There's the Camp David accords, of course. And the Department of Education. And a lot of positive environmental policy. And greater diversity in terms of race and gender than we had ever seen before.
Now, we are looking at another one-term Democratic President being similarly dragged through the mud and attacked, even though he did a tremendous job during his time in office. That we avoided a recession under his watch is nothing short of a miracle on his part, and people forget that too easily.
Unfortunately for Joe Biden, he will not likely have the same benefit of time that Jimmy Carter did--Carter was 56 years old when he left office, as opposed to Biden's 81.
But I can only hope that he lives long enough to see proper justice done to his legacy as President, as opposed to this disgusting hit job that exists at the current moment.
BREAKING NEWS: WHCA to bestow special award on entire membership for its role in breaking the news that Biden was old
In a stunning decision, the White House Correspondents Association—the leading organization of journalists and members of the press charged with covering the executive branch—announced today that all 900+ of its members would be jointly awarded its prestigious Excellence in Presidential News Coverage honors.
As justification for this unprecedented decision, WHCA President Eugene Daniels cited the press’s “unparalleled bravery in the face of overwhelming adversity” relating to its “shocking” June 2024 revelation that then-President Joe Biden was, in fact, 81 years old.
“The vast majority of American voters who went to the polls in 2020 had no idea whatsoever that Joe Biden was in reality a 78-year-old man,” Daniels explained. “Nor was the general public ever completely aware of President Biden’s age throughout the majority of his administration. Most people fully assumed Joe Biden was a strapping young 25-year-old man at the peak of his physical stamina and virility.”
That false perception radically changed after events unfolded in Summer 2024, to which Daniels fully credits the media.
“After a subpar debate performance by President Biden, our journalists immediately sprung to work to uncover the shocking truth that the sitting Commander-in-Chief was in fact a wizened senior citizen whose gait and speech patterns were fairly appropriate for a person of his age,” Daniels said. “They were then able to disseminate this previously obscured fact to the public with a single-minded level of obsession paralleled only perhaps by Swifties debating as to which of Taylor’s Eras reigns supreme.”
Daniels believes members of the Biden administration had engaged in a “cover-up” regarding the President’s true age “on a level not seen since the days of Watergate.”
“The implications of obscuring Joe Biden’s age ran deep and put the American people in needless jeopardy,” Daniels explained. “For what would happen if President Biden were to walk by a tree with a cat trapped in its branches, and yet he would be unable to so adeptly climb up its trunk and free it from its arboreal captor? What would happen if Air Force One were to suffer an unexpected mechanical breakdown, requiring the President to instead jog across the nation from appearance to appearance? Only then would the public suddenly realize that its President was lacking the age-related fitness required for his most essential duties in office.”
Daniels bristled against accusations of false equivalence, soundly rejecting the argument that members of the media may have felt pressured to play up concerns about Biden’s age as a means to avoid claims of left-wing bias when it came to raising similar questions about now-President Donald Trump’s mental acuity and qualifications to hold office.
“Yes, Donald Trump is in fact a convicted felon who--while in office--was impeached an unprecedented two times,” Daniels said. “He also has been found civilly liable for fraud, defamation and sexual assault, as well as being criminally charged for schemes ranging from refusing to return highly classified materials to attempting to subvert the electoral process and encouraging a violent insurrection against the US Capitol. And we all heard him repeat blatant falsehoods about Haitian immigrants supposedly eating people’s pets in Ohio, as well as his bizarre musings about the size of golfing legend Arnold Palmer’s manhood. But the bottom line about Donald Trump is that we already knew all of those things and have fully accepted them as being part of the greater mosaic of his total being. Whereas virtually nobody knew that Joe Biden was both a grandfather and a card-carrying member of the AARP.”
“Also, someone who is 78 is younger than someone who is 81,” Daniels added. “I mean, come on. That’s just basic arithmetic.”
Daniels credits his fellow journalists for uncovering “perhaps the single greatest act of White House obfuscation we have seen in at least the past century, if not longer.”
“Did you hear all that, Donald?” Daniels quickly remarked, seemingly to no one. “Please don’t hurt us, okay?”
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"Disappeared"
"Disappeared" is a fascinating verb.
When used literally ("That stain just disappeared" ), it takes on an almost magical, supernatural sense.
When used figuratively or metaphorically ("He was tired and disappeared off to bed for a while" ), it's far more mundane.
But when it's used in the passive sense--"He was disappeared," "She was disappeared," "They disappeared him"--it suddenly becomes one of the most bone-chilling words in the entire English language.
BREAKING NEWS: FBI unveils new Bonginomobile protection vehicle for agency's deputy director
Fresh off announcing that he will be receiving a 20-agent team of around-the-clock personal bodyguards, the FBI announced today that it will be awarding its Deputy Director Dan Bongino with yet another on-the-job perk: his very own company car.
The agency stated that Deputy Director Bongino will soon be provided with what has been dubbed the “Bonginomobile,” a heavily modified Rezvani Hercules 6x6 armored and reinforced truck for the FBI’s second-in-command officer.
Persons within the agency state that the Bonginomobile will serve a multitude of functions in both protective and crime-fighting capabilities.
“For someone who has always been so defensive about his own personal image, it’s just as important that the deputy director be allowed to be as offensive as possible,” one senior FBI official stated. “The Bonginomobile has been exclusively designed for that very purpose.”
Bongino--a former New York police officer and Secret Service agent turned vocal Trump-supporting broadcaster--was appointed to the FBI Deputy Director position post in February by President Trump.
Besides its fully ballistic composite armor body shell, the Bonginomobile will also feature a rear tack dispenser, electrified door handles, magnetic deadbolts, blinding lights, gas masks, hypothermia kit, hidden radiator, and Kevlar-wrapped fuel tank.
But perhaps the most notable feature of the Bonginomobile might be the eight-foot-tall bulletproof glass turret fully encapsulating the truck’s bed where Bongino himself will be able to stand and surveil the situation around him without any fear of attack or assault.
When pressed, the FBI insisted the need for the Bonginomobile was “1000% justified.”
“Deputy Director Bongino faces any number of serious threats to his personal safety on a daily basis,” FBI press secretary Christina Pullen remarked. “Terrorist cells. Organized crime. Hostile foreign government agents. Members of the mainstream media. Social media commentators. Singer-songwriters—I can go on and on listing the types of people who would wish to inflict the worst type of harm on this dedicated, America-loving civil servant.”
Besides its heavy defensive reinforcements, the Bonginomobile will also be fully weaponized in case of any attack against its notable occupant. The truck is designed to hold six sub-mounted M2HB Browning machine guns and one top-mounted PRSL-1 rocket propelled grenade launcher for anti-tank purposes.
Additionally, while not currently a feature of the Bonginomobile, the vehicle can also be adapted to carry a battery of up to four SLAMRAAM short range surface-to-air missiles for threat deterrence.
The FBI envisions Bongino utilizing his vehicle for any number of uses.
“Transportation to and from critical crime scenes, public parades, midnight runs to Walgreens, what have you,” Pullen listed. “The bottom line is that this is going to be Dan’s toy to play with, and he’s going to be allowed to do as he sees fit.”
One particular novel plan for use of the Bonginomobile is that Bongino himself will travel around the country in the vehicle to personally patrol streets against what he believes to be the most critical threats against the nation’s safety.
“Pretty soon, Dan’s going to be cruising down your street in your town and he’s going to be standing tall inside that glass tower, making sure that the worst of society does nothing to ruin your day,” Pullen said. “Criminal gangs trafficking fentanyl, human smugglers, illegal aliens being illegal, deep staters threatening the rights of our brave January 6th hostages—all of you thugs out there better watch out for Dan and his Bonginomobile.”
And the estimated price tag for the Bonginomobile? A cool $80 million, sources say.
“About the cost of one F-35 Lightning II fighter jet,” Pullen noted. “The base model jet, mind you. Not the ones with all the bells-and-whistles. That would just be way over the top, right?”
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BREAKING NEWS: Massive trade war erupts between United States and Great Britain
Following up on high profile trade disputes with Canada, Mexico and China, President Donald Trump has now set his sights on his next target for tariffs: Great Britain.
Yesterday, Trump announced that he planned to enact tariffs on a large variety of British imports, specifically aluminum, vitamins, bananas, herbs, vases, scones, mobile phones, potatoes, tomatoes, and garage doors.
Push back across the Atlantic was swift, with UK Minister of State for Trade Policy Douglas Alexander announcing that Great Britain in turn would be placing tariffs on what he deemed "niche" items, including aluminum, vitamins, bananas, herbs, vases, scones, mobile phones, potatoes, tomatoes and garage doors.
This move left Alexander's American counterpart rather puzzled.
"Frankly, it's like they responded with putting tariffs on what sounds like completely different items," US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnik said in comments to the press. "Yes, we were expecting some sort of pushback, but more along the lines of a tit-for-tat. We were prepared for a reciprocal response, not this random scattershot attack on vastly unrelated goods."
Alexander replied that he found Lutnik's statements to be "patronizing" but added the British government's decision of how to target its tariffs against the United States were made in the "privacy" of its own chambers.
Despite the high level of tension between the two countries, British Prime Minister Kier Starmer remained optimistic for a resolution.
"Let's call the whole thing off," Starmer said.
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BREAKING NEWS: Lonely, ornery man makes first ever friend in his 78 year life; two then proceed to terrorize nation.
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