372 Comments
User's avatar
Jeff Tiedrich's avatar

today in Shit That Happened While I Was Busy Writing This Shit—

"Model recruiter who introduced young women to Jeffrey Epstein found dead in France"

https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/22/europe/model-recruiter-epstein-dead-france-intl

well, HUH.

Fastball Fredo's avatar

I’m sure the autopsy will be rather illuminating.. heart attack? Polonium? Gun shot? Self inflicted? Inquiring minds want to know.

HI2thDoc's avatar

Fell out a window or accidentally died during autoerotic asphyxiation or shot themselves more than once. Uh huh.

Kay-El's avatar

If there were bullet holes, we’d probably heard “homicide”. I’ll vote drug cocktail

HI2thDoc's avatar

In 2010, British intelligence analyst Gareth Williams was found dead inside a "holdall" bag locked from the outside and placed inside his bathtub. Metro police said it could have been an autoerotic accident. WTF? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Gareth_Williams

Joyce's avatar

Exactly what do the Metro police guys do on their days off? No, wait--I don't want to know "exactly."

Susan Jane's avatar

We know that one of them falsely arrested and killed Sarah Everard.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58746108

arne link's avatar

Huh. How about that.

arne link's avatar

Oh, I love it when we see the "worst case of suicide we have seen." That's when someone shoots themselves multiple times.

Fastball Fredo's avatar

Yeah Doc I forgot about one of the preferred methods of assisted suicide from Russia..Thanks for reminding us..

KLevinson's avatar

Stabbed himself in the back 12 times.

SPW's avatar

Thought the same things.

P123Sunny's avatar

If we ever get a report… in two weeks

Deb's avatar

Maybe Mitch can call some info in

P123Sunny's avatar

Let him take all the time he needs np

Marc Panaye's avatar

Suicide by stabbing himself 30 times in the back?

Hollie Rood's avatar

That sounds more plausible than the BS they’ll probably claim killed him

Susan Kemp's avatar

Suicide by shooting himself from a passing vehicle.

Deborah Arapa's avatar

Tea, I’m going with hospital window where subject was being treated for . . . Nothing.

bruce somers's avatar

Rickety balcony railing??

Stephen Brady's avatar

Blanche: "can't have any trials because the witnesses keep dying. Too bad! Next."

BC's avatar

These pedophiles don't want to be exposed. I guess. Disgusting people are those that not only do the abuse, but also the people who cover for them.

devourerofpancakes's avatar

I don't even think it's the pedophiles who are scared. I think it's the powerful people financial entanglements.

arne link's avatar

I agree with you. The pedos are just the surface oil-slick that is visible. The real crimes are financial and national.

Lucinda Stone's avatar

As always, follow the money…

Lucinda Stone's avatar

Sex and money are the opiates of the controlling and powerful…. And those who seek it…

Wendy The Druid 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈's avatar

Jeff, Skynet is coming.

You just wait.

https://thistleandmoss.com/p/what-survives-the-morning-skynet-is-coming-and-soon

Fuckin lauren boebert bolted a trans military ban onto the must-pass defense bill, because that's the play — hide the cruelty in the thing nobody can vote against, then fundraise off it. 212 to 217. four Republicans looked at her language calling American servicemembers morally incompatible with service and said not with my fucking name on it. boebert has not said one word since. not one. the silence of a woman whose stunt died on live television.

So meanwhile OpenAI built a sealed box to test what its agents could do, and the agents answered by breaking the box and going hunting.

And nobody's driving. everybody's shipping.

rlritt's avatar

Why would a trans sexual want to be in the Army? It seems incompatible. I only knew one transexual i my whole life and she was an exotic dancer. Very tall and beautiful.

Wendy The Druid 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈's avatar

Admiral Rachel Levine is the highest-ranking openly transgender woman in United States history, serving as a four-star admiral.

You wanna fire a battle tested, and job proven four-star admiral in the navy?

Steve in SoCal's avatar

Hopefully, a time will come when saying someone is trans/gay/bi/whatever will get this response: "So, what's your point?" - - the reaction you'd get today by saying someone is left-handed.

Wendymae's avatar

I bet there's plenty of morons in this country who think left handedness is a sign of the devil.

HI2thDoc's avatar

Admiral Levine, according to Wikipedia, served as the admiral in charge of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps until January 20. 2025. The USPHS uses naval ranks for some reason. If she were still in office after drumpf took over, I am sure she would have been fired pronto.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Levine

rlritt's avatar

That's so interesting. I know nearly nothing about transgender people. What motivates them.

Wendy The Druid 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈's avatar

You are chatting with one right now , what don’t you understand ?

rlritt's avatar

I have many questions. Why is someone transgender? Is brain related, hormone related, psychological. Im really interested in it. I hope I'm not being sounding negative or insensitive.

Please, if possible, post a link to an article that offers very basic information that a non medical professional can understand.

BC's avatar

Being transgender doesn't take away intelligence, knowledge or capability. This regime is cold and cruel for absolutely no reason. Leave people alone. Someone being different isn't a crime. It isn't even anyone's business.

rlritt's avatar

I agree. Why do people feel the need to control people. Or judge people.

Wendy The Druid 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈's avatar

I can introduce you to a friend of mine, Erik.

Trans guy.

Bench presses my body weight (245).

Runs a mile in 5 minutes.

Crack shot at 500 yards.

You wanna keep him out of the army?

Joyce's avatar

What I want to keep out of the US Armed Forces is perfectly illustrated by Kegseth: a racist, misogynist, vain, fascist twit who neither knows nor abides by the Constitution and the Geneva Convention, and who regards war as some sort of perverted video game to indulge his bloodthirsty sadism.

In other words, he's the 180-degree opposite of Admiral Levine.

Bob's avatar

He doesn’t even follow the established rules each service has, nor the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He also keeps letting hotdog pilots get away with shit that ground them for a while.

Anastasia Pantsios's avatar

Everyone has different goals. People should be allowed to pursue them and rise or fall based on their abilities, not on their gender identity.

Marlene Lerner-Bigley (CA)'s avatar

True, but with transgender people, this is biological and not just a “want”.

Tess's avatar

Great conversation Wendy and rlritt!❤️❤️

arne link's avatar

They can get treatment while serving. Everyone needs health insurance.

Tish Grier's avatar

I think you need to get out more. There are transgender people in many walks of life, not just sex workers. So why not thr Army? Often they go in as one gender then transition. Anything wrong with that?

Considering the way Kegstand wants to test everyone for testosterone to make sure of their manly-manness, it wouldn't surprise me if men running from themselves would want to be part of this guy's Army.....only to wake up and realize all the manly-manness of the military was a way of overcompensating for the fact that they feel shitty about having a male body. And, among the women in the military, that some felt more like themselves with more testosterone! (I bet Kegstand never thought of that one!).

It all points to this administration as being way, way back In the Closet....with the hidden Christmas presents and the door to Narnia. They really need to get out more too

rlritt's avatar

I don't disagree, I dont see that many different people. Not because I don't want to, its just I'm comfortable and not very much of an extrovert. But I don't judge people unless they're assholes.

George in Atlanta's avatar

Because every trans person is different. Just like every person is different. The only reason we think things are 'incompatible' is when we have preconceived, locked-in ideas.

Tess's avatar

Boebert and Polish prez -YUK. Love the trans camp!

Stephen Schiff's avatar

Other shit that just happened is that the US is about to allow the Saudis to do their own Uranium enrichment. Just what we fucking need: Yet another Middle Eastern country with nuclear ambitions. We could have been supportive of (gasp!) Iranian efforts 40 or so years ago to create a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East, but for some reason we didn't. So what we are getting is the opposite, and the clueless assholes in charge are enabling it.

HI2thDoc's avatar

Conservative foreign policy in the Middle East has been so ridiculously ham-handed and wrongheaded, it has led directly to the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis, the Gulf War, Al Queda, 9/11, the 20 year war in Afghanistan, the illegal Iraq invasion, what became ISIS, and now the Gaza genocide and this Iran clusterfuck. Conservatives are always lusting after money, natural resources, and territory, all at the expense of our sons and daughters and our taxpayer funds.

2Cats2Furious's avatar

Not to mention at the expense of the people actually living in the Middle East.

DeBurgh's avatar

These idiots don't fit the definition of "conservative". They are parasites without any firmly held political agenda. Conservative means to conserve the Union based on the founding principles. The current moderate wing of the Democratic Party, which desires the nation to continue to operate under the rule of law, with respect for the founding principles (natural freedom, human rights protected by self-rule government, human equality) are the true conservatives now.

When we talk about the Trump Family and their enablers and supporters and helpers in criminal activity let's say "parasites" instead of conservatives. It's much more accurate.

Robert Eckert's avatar

Before it was the US doing it, the UK was equally hamhanded. "The Peace to End All Peace" is a good book about the aftermath of World War I when the British "mandates" in Palestine and Mesopotamia (Kurdistan was jammed into it to form Iraq) and handover of Syria-Lebanon to France, plus meddling in Persia, laid the foundations of many conflicts that have never really been resolved.

Stephen Schiff's avatar

An excellent book, by David Fromkin, it really opened my eyes to the largely untold story of meddling in Middle Eastern affairs by the WW1 Allies. Required reading for everyone!

Robert Eckert's avatar

Thanks for looking up the author's name and crediting him, as I should have. The overarching theme is that the very concept of considering what the people on the ground might want was no part of the thought process.

arne link's avatar

Well, ya know, Donnie Jr. has a cordial relationship with the sheik/murder. That explains the whole deal.

PTW's avatar

Don't forget the $2 billion Saudi Arabia gave to Jared Kushner to "invest."

Lois Henry's avatar

Curiouser and curiouser. How many deaths are connected to Epstein in some way by now? Including Epstein …

Sue Martin's avatar

Wow! With all these Epstein and Russian suicides, one may begin to think there might be a connection! Wait...

Anastasia Pantsios's avatar

The "modeling" industry is very sleazy. It thrives on putting 14 and 15 year old girls through. the meat grinder.

Heather Collins's avatar

Holy shit. What's Bill Barr up to these days?

Lynn Van Haren's avatar

Better check Bill’s passport

devourerofpancakes's avatar

Interesting. Isn't the UK going ahead with an investigation?

Lynn Van Haren's avatar

The UK seems to be the only country interested in prosecuting pedophiles

Cathy Wray's avatar

Great news!!! Whoever did this needs to come to this country.

Cheryl Opheim Seybert's avatar

Pretty sure it was a suicide…😳🤬

arne link's avatar

Worst suicide ever seen...

BluDotInARedSewer's avatar

I extra ♥️♥️♥️ the photos today. Especially the top one.

Cheryl Opheim Seybert's avatar

I’m sure it was a suiaside

insert_something_creative's avatar

Hmmm, Wired just ran an article YESTERDAY about a student journalist from a high school in Marin County who published the name of another French national who worked for a "modeling agency" affiliated with Epstein that he found in the files and subsequently threatened to sue over it: https://www.wired.com/story/epstein-files-redwood-bark-school-newspaper/

He found "a 2013 email exchange between Epstein and a woman [Gisele Attias Bonnouvrier] from a modeling agency called Mill Valley Connection. “Regarding Hannah, my Austrian model,” the woman wrote in one particularly chilling message, “we can come and see you this evening if you are interested, and in that case let me know how I can get my fees."

He was interested to see if places in Marin County were mentioned in the Epstein Files as it is a pretty wealthy place (Mill Valley is a town in Marin for those who aren't familiar with the area). Here's the Instagram slideshow with his findings, which includes the above. The slideshow points out that she is French national. Phenomenal work and gives me hope for the future: https://www.instagram.com/p/DUr6-Z9Ebsx/

Eskaveeda's avatar

Too bad. He and others should be dying in prison.

Jeff Tiedrich's avatar

I just reread that post from two years ago. it's actually pretty good, and it holds up, even if I was ultimately wrong about the outcome of the election

https://www.jefftiedrich.com/p/chill-the-fuck-out-weve-got-this

Eileen's avatar

The picture of President Biden, and vice president Harris with all those roses in the background broke my heart into little pieces. We have a monster loose in the world. In fact, we have three big monsters, Putin, Trump and Netanyahu.

Frank Nuts's avatar

You are right Eileen! The source(s) of all the world’s major current problems can be traced to those three knuckleheads. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to convince them to go on a “swimming with the sharks vacation” together.

Kay-El's avatar

You were 💯 correct about the NYT and WaPo. They can still fuck off. Committing a journalism now and then doesn’t let them off the hook

Anastasia Pantsios's avatar

The NY Times, which knew better after covering Trump for more than 40 years, basically handed him the presidency. And now they're learning that doesn't protect you.

Morgan's avatar

It’s a fucking shitshow

Ellen McKenzie's avatar

Yes. They can fuck straight off!

Frank Nuts's avatar

I agree Kay-El. I didn’t realize there was such a thing as “closet fascists” till just this very moment. Your post sparked my realization. There is no gray area with nazis and fascists. You either are or aren’t

You don’t get mulligans

HI2thDoc's avatar

You're a prophet, Jeff. And even with all that immediate unity, the 70-something million dumbasses and the even larger number who couldn't be bothered to vote at all got us here. Fuuuuuck

Anastasia Pantsios's avatar

Since Trump didn't win by much, no matter what he says, those copouts were way too influential.

Wendy The Druid 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🌈's avatar

Jeff, I went all necromonger, and dug up an old one and repubbed it.

Barron Trump: Moron.

Still holds up also.

https://thistleandmoss.com/p/the-emperor-s-average-son-the-kid-is-a-low-grade-moron

HI2thDoc's avatar

Good column. Compared to his simpleton father, average is more than he coulda hoped for. He does have in abundance, however, the family trait of unmitigated greed, as his insider trading and prediction market activities have shown.

That crime family will always jump

At the chance to find every chump

As they scheme to feed

Their insatiable greed

Avarice, thy name is trump

Mingo's avatar

Besides unmitigated greed this dysfunctional family has an affinity for perverts, pedophiles, rapists and misogynistic sex pests. Barron is a creepy kid thanks to his progeny from Daddy and Mommy Dearest.

arne link's avatar

There is something wrong with that boy. He's always been weird. They just hid it until now.

Nancy Braus's avatar

Every time I see a photo of Barron Trump, I think "poster boy for Hitler Youth." With the glaring exception of Mary Trump, and I really am not a eugenicist but wow, every other member of that family that we know of is just rotten to the core. And now they have that creepy granddaughter Kai making the trash news.

bruce somers's avatar

How long before granddaughter gets mistaken for Ivanka and Assolini wants to 'date' her.

Sue Martin's avatar

As we say here in Nawth C'lina, "That boy ain't right!" But then, his daddy couldn't pour piss out of a boot with the directions on the heel!

Deb's avatar

The better question would be: what is right with the tall boy?

Martha Howell's avatar

Barron is, apparently, a Tate Bros fan who convinced his father to let them into the US after pressuring Romania to allow them to leave. He was decent enough to call the cops when the alleged Russian prostitute he was having phone sex with was beat up by her pimp in front of him, so there's that. Above average!

George in Atlanta's avatar

Yeah, well, thanks for doing that so I don't have to. I've had a lurking suspicion of something that goes beyond Barron just being unremarkable, or even a garden-variety moron. Here in the Southlands, we sum such a feeling with "that boy just ain't RIGHT".

His academic performance seems functional enough, so it doesn't seem to be raw intelligence. Maybe on the spectrum? I just don't know what it is.

Lynn Van Haren's avatar

We ran extremely qualified, competent women against the stupidest, most corrupt man in the world & lost. This country is just filled with stupid people

wisewebwoman's avatar

And total misogynists. That was a huge factor.

Kristen S.'s avatar

You weren't wrong. FElon Musk and the Mad Cow King rigged the election. They have both admitted it, FElon tweeted it and FOTUS has stated it at least 4 times -"They rigged the election so I won."

Hollie Rood's avatar

Reading your post from 2 years ago only makes be believe even more that Kamala did NOT lose the election. It just didn’t /doesn’t make sense😡🤬 The 🍊🤡🐖y doth protest way too much about election fraud over and over again and the REDUMBLICANS are a bunch of amoral losers with permanent brown noses and no souls which they began selling in earnest to Lucifer beginning June 16, 2015. It’s been proven over the last 11 years EVERYTHING 🐖y touches either dies or turns to shit and the only loyalty he has is to himself. His malignant psychopathic narcissistic personality is dangerous, sickening and exhausting as is his illegal behavior. I do believe in Karma which is about all that keeps me sane at times.

Bob Bowden's avatar

“Our American Cousin” was a pretty good play, even if President Lincoln was shot by one of the actors

P123Sunny's avatar

… are you sure u were wrong 😐 (just asking questions)

patti sepich's avatar

I believe his fixation on the 2020 race is because he cheated at every election

Susitrav's avatar

So sad that we have in our country apathy, ignorance, greed, racism that overwhelms those vaunted ideals of equality, respect for all, tolerance, rule of law🙏🙏🙏🥺

Miselle's avatar

Wasn't it last year that the Pentagon was purchasing giant amounts of steaks because they had excess money to spend that they had to spend?

What happened?

I had already forgotten about that before I was reminded. Did I dream that up? I think not, because that is when I was debating upon buying ground beef and got ground turkey instead. Thinking that thank God I didn't LOVE me some filet mignon as I sure as heck wasn't going to afford any.

Jeff Tiedrich's avatar

no wait, that actually happened. I remember it.

Cheri Collins's avatar

Yep. I remember it, too.

Lisa Bieber's avatar

6.1 million for lobster tails, 2 million for crab legs, 1 million for salmon, 15.1 million for ribeye steak, all part of a 93.4 billion end of fiscal year spending spree. Our troops in the middle east get a spoonful of beans and a piece of toast. Where did all that food go?

HI2thDoc's avatar

Conservative fiscal responsibility in action!

HI2thDoc's avatar

From back in March:

Cheatin' Noem and Pissdrunk Pete

Both prefer their own kind of meat

Hegseth bought ribeye

While Kristi did fly

With Corey's tube steak on repeat

Paula Dean's avatar

And a beautiful new grand piano for some general or other...there were crab legs in that purchase of luxury goods as well.

2Cats2Furious's avatar

The Pentagon *had* to spend that money before the end of the last fiscal year (September 30, 2025) or they would lose it. Naturally, that meant they had to spend $$$ on steak and lobster.

Neal Stiffelman's avatar

Today was one of those many when the photos of your lovely family felt necessary. We aren’t built to handle so much routine idiocy in the world of politics and killing and devastation. Your writing helps. A lot. I know I speak for others here. Thanks, man.

Mike Hammer's avatar

Susan Collin’s (who will be defeated in the midterm) voted to fund ICE 70 billion dollars so maybe Hegseth can borrow from her.

arne link's avatar

I hope that Mainers wise up and get rid of that cow. She has done nothing good for anyone but herself and her husband.

Joe Witkowski's avatar

Susan Collins can give Piss Drunk Pete the bag of nickels that has flogged that face every day of her demonic life.

Susan Niemann's avatar

👏👏👏👏👏

Daniel M Kimmel's avatar

I'd love one of the pols to say if they need the money that badly then rescind the tax cuts for billionaires in the Big Ugly Bill.

Paula Dean's avatar

I second that idea.

SethTriggs's avatar

It's nice to see the empty suit of a tryhard Blotto von Bismarck get chewed on. And hey a lot of Republicans are still itching to set more money on fire in the Straits of Schrodinger, because in their eyes every bit of federal money squandered means every bit less that could be used to protect or sustain the minorities they hate.

P123Sunny's avatar

…and somehow never pay a political price for any of it… wow

Miselle's avatar

⬆️🎯👏🏼

Fran Fried's avatar

Funny ... Last night's Jeopardy episode had a category on "-Gate," scandals referred to with that suffix. And one clue was about the Secretary of Defense - no name used - spilling his war plans to a journalist on the phone. Just saying ...

And you left out the best soundbite - Gary Peters telling the Secretary of Alcohol and Testosterone, "You, sir, are the failure!"

Stephanie Lajeskie's avatar

I actually get a shot of endorphins when I watch these senators clamp their jaws around Pete Hegseth, chew him up and spit him out.

Paula Dean's avatar

I love being able to smile, it happens so rarely these days. If they can make him cry, I might even laugh. If I can remember how.

HI2thDoc's avatar

Crap him out, I wish

DebJS's avatar

It's good to see him squirm, brings him down a few notches.

Frosty McGillicuddy's avatar

There once was a Hegseth named Pete

His social control's incomplete

His Nazi tattoo

Shows how much he hates Jews

And he sucks on Drumpf's toes and his feet.

And he suckophants off Stephen Miller

Who fancies himself a real killer

But the truth is more mighty

He's a racist and flighty

I really do miss Phyllis Diller!

HI2thDoc's avatar

From back in March, when news broke that the Pentagon splurged on lux to deplete their funds at the deadline:

Ice cream machines, pianos and doughnuts, oh my

Lobster, king crab, and ribeye

The War Pig turned loose

To commit waste, fraud, and abuse

DoD's now a grifting pigsty

Chris Hierholzer's avatar

Are they dropping pianos on the Iranians?

Paula Dean's avatar

It was the grand piano that really got me.

Dave Drell's avatar

Har! “ a Hesgeth named Pete”

you have forever tarnished the

Hesgeth name! Bravissimo!!!

Frosty McGillicuddy's avatar

Thank you! I take a deep bow... Hope you're well, Dave.

Frosty McGillicuddy's avatar

Claudia was and clearly is the love of your life, Jeff. I'm so so sorry that she passed way too early. And I have to say I love PLANKHEAD OF THE AIRWAVES.

I once had a discussion with Sam Seder and I asked him how Hannity can actually do what he does. He told me he had the unfortunate experience of sitting next to him at an event and he said, "If you listen to what he says like he's stupid, it makes sense."

PLANKHEAD!

HI2thDoc's avatar

Only in 'Murikkka can a stupid liar make so much filthy lucre, thanks to the masses of the equally or more stupid who make up his audience.

HI2thDoc's avatar

Will work on a song for the Plankhead. Sorry in advance, Charlie Dore!

HI2thDoc's avatar

To the tune of Pilot of the Airwaves

Plankhead of the Airwaves

You can lie so well

Your audience doesn't catch it

But the rest of us can tell

You're an asshole and a fool by the shit you bray

And we wish you would go away

Lois Henry's avatar

‘Were you lying then, or are you lying now?’ Ossoff is a truly great interviewer. Straight to the nub.

Daniel M Kimmel's avatar

IIRC, he was a documentary maker before he was elected.

DebJS's avatar

The lack of a better option nails it.

Rhesus's avatar

Mr. Hegseth's hair styles by Jiffy-Lube.

arne link's avatar

His hair looks so nasty. Ugh!

DebJS's avatar

Maybe it's Hair Club for Men ♫

Donald VanOteghem's avatar

I am a retired public school teacher, and I approve this message. How about a National Day of Bake Sales?

Sue Martin's avatar

I had a poster in the 60s that said, " It will be a great day when our schools have all the money they need, and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber." And I was an AF Brat!

Ann Anderson's avatar

Out of dough, out of ammo. Other than that, we're ready for anything.

Joyce's avatar

Also mostly out of experienced career officers.

Lucinda Abra's avatar

I’m at work, so I’ll keep this short and semi-distracted.

Kegsbreath ever so briefly mentioned the reason they need more multi billions in part is for the “golden dome,” which is such bs. It’s ALL a money grab.

My own marine nephew is out there, in the not war, is a war. Every time we get news of a death, it hits me like a ton of not-gold bricks. All our troops are someone’s niece or nephew, daughter or son. This is utter madness!

Ok. Back to making sculpture…

Carry on dear truth seekers.

DebJS's avatar

I'm so sorry, no one or one's family members should be needlessly put in harms way. And especially if it's solely to feed the bottomless ego of one monumentally damaged sociopathic, malignant narcissist trying to prove he's worthy of all the ill-gotten money, outsized influence and power, corrupt Supreme Court decisions, stolen awards, and fabricated acclaim he most definitely doesn't deserve.

DGWrites25's avatar

Beautiful family! It’s nice to end with a reminder of better times and normal life. What we’re living now isn’t normal.

DebJS's avatar

Like Like Like!!!