Here’s another “Popcorn in Bed” videos hosted by a young Canadian-American woman named Cassie, watching and commenting on a classic movie for the first time.   She watches this one alone.  When I saw she was going to watch “As Good as It Gets,” I wanted to see her reaction at the end, and decided to just jump through it.  But what I almost immediately realized is that because the film is such an extremely funny, blunt, edgy, even at times dark rollercoaster ride filled with unexpected turns, it fit overwhelmingly into a joy (even more than most of the others, fun as they are) for the very reason watching these videos do what they do best – showing her utterly bewildered reactions at almost every moment…as well as me getting to re-watch so much of such a great film.  So, I watched the whole thing.
​

We have yet another clip from the Australia version of The Voice, which keeps having especially fun performances.  And this is a young woman singing a completely different arrangement of Boy George’s massive hit “Karma Chameleon” -- made all the more interesting (and the whole reason I’m posting this) because one of the judge’s is…Boy George.  There’s a lot in here that’s fun and funny and interesting, with even a few surprises.  Including – as she says in a “background” introduction, wondering whether Boy George will even recognize the song.  Along with the “behind-the-scene” comments at the end.  And I will add that I’ve seen a bunch of videos of this Australian version, many on which Boy George is a judge, and -- contrasted with his onstage outlandish image -- I’ve been so impressed and surprised how thoughtful, kind, and involved he comes across (as well as talkative…).  And that will be clear here.

Yesterday, the White House social media account posted a video online along with a note that read --
​​

 
Yes, really.  

But it’s even worse than this.  And  yes, that’s possible.  Someone did a bit of research and found that “The Freedom Fuel Network" is made up of just 25 gas stations and was registered on June 23, 2026 to Corporation Trust Company, an entity which (and I’m sure this will shock you) "Trump has used himself before.”

Oh, so many thoughts come rushing to mind.  Very few of them polite. All of them under the heading of “Are they insane???”
 
First of all, someone actually thought of this as an idea.
 
Second, someone actually thought it was an idea worth mentioning to others, rather than laughing and thinking, “I should send this to The Onion.”
 
Third, someone actually thought this was a good idea.
 
And fourth, enough people actually thought this was an idea seriously worth going forward with and truly making public as a real thing.
 
I have no idea if that first person was Trump.  While it seems like it, so on brand, whoever it was, a) didn’t get fired, and b) at some point, at the very least, Trump had to sign off on it.
 
Okay, and fifth, Trump has dementia, which is degenerative.
 
Fine, what’s past is past.  It’s out there in the open.  The damage is done.  So, let’s start a new list to deal with – whatever you want to call it -- this thing.
 
1. The national average price of gas before Trump's Iran War was $2.98.  Dd no one in the room point this out or at least make clear that that’s 49-cents a gallon more than this “really exciting news!!”, which makes the really exciting news a whole lot less exciting.  In fact, when you try to convince people that gas that’s 49-cents higher than before Trump’s war in Iran began is a really exciting thing -- it highlights how high gas had skyrocketed because of that war.  All the worse when Trump ran on the promise to bring down the price of gas. 
 
2. When President Biden left office, the national average price of gas was $3.12.  Did no one check that.  Touting with excitement that gas when Joe Biden left office was 35-cents lower than right now in Trump’s administration seems one of the worst things Trump would even want people to know. – other than the national average price of gas when Barack Obama left office was $2.31.
 
3. Just 25 stations??!!  How on earth did anyone in that room – and I include Trump – think that virtually any Americans would be excited that this gambit would “put more money in your pocket”??  Who in the world is “your” supposed to be??  (Never mind that buying gas actually takes money from your pocket.  It puts money in the pocket of the gas station owner.  If they meant that this leaves more money in your wallet than you’ve been paying for the past four months of much-higher prices, okay, but that’s not a great selling argument.)  More to the point, was no one in the room aware that there are, in fact, 50 states?  So – at best – the American public would grasp that it is literally impossible for half the country to not even have just one of these “Freedom Network” gas stations.  By the way, there are about 190,000 gas stations in the country, the crackerjack Trump team is 189,975 gas stations short.  Freedom!

4. Okay, I left out one thing.  It's not just that the "FIRST" Freedom Fuel Network station has "LANDED" in Philadelphia -- but, as it happens, all 25 gas stations in the network are in the Greater Philadelphia area!  So...yeah, America! Across this great nation of 340 million strong, put all that Freedom Fuel money you'll save into your pockets!  When you drive through Philly.  And stop at one of the patriotic 25 Freedom Fuel stations!  While supplies last.  Fun Fact:  there are 1,100 gas stations in the Greater Philadelphia area.  Freedom!
 
5. Thinking that paying a lower price – even if in all those other 189,975 gas stations (outside of the greater Philadelphia area) and even if was at the exact same price as when Trump’s war of choice in Iran began, rather than being a half-dollar more per gallon -- would excite Americans about a huge supposed-savings they were about to make, it ignores the reality that Americans know they have already been paying hugely more for gas the past four months, money that’s gone, lost, out of their pocket forever, and so they aren’t “saving” anything.  And that total which Americans have already paid extra for gas since Trump's Iran War began is about $40 MILLION.  Gone, lost, out of their pocket forever.
 
6. Question:  So, this “Freedom Fuel Network” of 25 gas stations -- who is part of this?  Is it just Trump grifting?  Or is the federal government in the gas station business now in some way??  Because, if so, I'd like find out if I should check the "Oh, my, God, it's socialism and communism!!!!!" box.

Freedom!
 
As someone wrote very wisely from experience on social media --
 
This is Trump’s entire con in a nutshell:
 
Try to fix a problem that isn’t a problem.
 
Make it a problem.
 
Deny you made it a problem.
 
“Fix” the problem with propaganda instead of a solution.
 
Make the problem worse.
 
*
 
And by the way, describing this as Trump “in a nutshell” is about as perfect a phrase for Trump and his administration as it gets.

This idea is totally ludicrous.  And someone actually thought that it made sense.  This is Trump gold sneakers on steroids.  This is Trump Water, Trump Steaks, Trump Air rolled into one.  At best, Trump agreed to it.  At worst,  it was his idea, and everyone around him fell in line and fell on their swords, and said, “Yes, sir!  Great idea, sir!  We’ll do it, sir!”  Which is all that most of those incompetents in his circle are qualified to do.  What they’re there to do.

It’s what got us the destroyed East Wing of the White House.  The destroyed Reflecting Pool.  The disaster of the “Freedom 250” anniversary celebration of America.  The ongoing disaster of Trump’s Iran War.  And so much more.

Freedom 250.  Freedom Fuel.  Freedom Fuel Network.  It’s time for MAGOPs to dig back into their bag of Freedom slogans and bring back Freedom Fries.

​Freedom!
 
Slap the name on it and see who salutes.

The only way this makes any sense is if what they meant was "Free?  Dumb!"

It turns out that Freedom under Trump is very expensive.

Once again, we’re out and about with Jiminy Glick.  This time, his guest is Bill Maher, who we’ve posted with Jiminy previously.  But this one is pretty different.  Unlike before, they’re not on Maher’s “home field”, promoting his book on his own show.  But more in the world of Jiminy...

In what has been for most of the coverage a convoluted issue, I have some very basic, starting thoughts on the latest accusation against Graham Platner, the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate from Maine.

1. I have no idea what the truth is, but I think that any such accusation by any woman against anyone should be taken seriously and investigated.

2. As a local election, the public in Maine alone will decide whether or not to vote for him, if he decides to stay in the race.

3.  Whatever the discussion, whatever the opinions, I don’t want to hear one word of “outrage” by MAGOPS about it.  We will, of course, this is the MAGOP.  But I don’t want to hear it.  Nor should anyone.  A woman testified under oath that Trump raped her, and he was adjudicated twice by a jury, and MAGOPs were perfectly okay with that and voted for him to be president.  A woman testified under oath that Brett Kavanaugh raped her, and MAGOPs were perfectly okay with that and not only supported his nomination to a lifetime seat on the Supreme Court but their senators voted to confirm him.  And a dozen women claimed Trump sexually assaulted them – and MAGOPs as a united party dismissed them all out of hand, and voted twice for Trump to be president.  So, any “outrage” by MAGOPs – no matter what the outcome of the situation is with Graham Platner – is meaningless and just empty, outlandish hypocrisy in its purest form.  In fact, the only impact MAGOP “outrage” here has is to draw attention to the fact that a woman testified under oath that Trump raped her, for which he was twice adjudicated by a jury.  And that a woman testified under oath that Brett Kavanaugh raped her, and MAGOP senators voted to confirm him to the Supreme Court.  And 12 women publicly stated that Trump sexually assaulted them, and MAGOPs voted for him to be president, twice.  So, as the expression goes – sit this one out.  This is for others to deal with.  MAGOPs are disqualified on the issue and lost their right to that long ago, and lost it repeatedly.

And one other reason MAGOPs should sit out voicing any hypocritical “outrage”.  The Maine Democratic Party has called on Graham Platner to drop out of the race.  Numerous Democratic senators have withdrawn their endorsements.  And it appears that the Democratic Party overall is putting pressure on Platner to quit the race.  The same as Democrats did when accusations were made against Rep. Eric Swalwell who had been leading in his race to be the Democratic nominee for governor of California.  Contrast that with the zero number of MAGOP officials and national MAGOP party itself who called on Trump to resign as the party’s nominee when he had been literally adjudicated twice for what the judge said was the equivalence of rape.  And the zero MAGOP senators who voted against confirming Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, despite a woman testifying under oath that he had raped her.  Zero.  Nada.  None.  So, again, sit this one out, MAGOPs.  Save your “outrage” for a rainy day.  Your “outrage” only shines an eye-pummeling, bright light on your profound hypocrisy regularly supporting sexual abuse.

My opinion doesn’t matter here.  But I suspect that Graham Platner will drop out. He’s lost many endorsements already, and this might be one scandal too many, especially since the accusation here is more detailed than most.  I don’t know the truth, though, and this is no more than a guess.  So, for all I know, he’ll stay in the race. 

But if he does drop out, it’s not clear to me how Maine would select a replacement candidate.  But since it’s still four months before the General Election the Maine Democratic Party has at least some wiggle room.  But it’s an uphill situation.  That said, not knowing who the candidate would be -- let alone the process, the most likely options seeming to be a "pop-up" convention in a couple weeks or a statewide caucus -- there is also the question on how unpopular incumbent Susan Collins is.  And for all we know, enough Mainers would be happy to vote for any respectable Democrat rather than Collins.

So, if Graham Platner does drop out, the Maine Senate race can’t be written off – though it’s on life support.  And conventional wisdom has been that without Maine, Democrats won't be able to flip the four seats they need to take control of the Senate.  So, MAGOPs are likely celebrating.  But – I’m not sure if the conventional wisdom is true.

I think Democrats will flip North Carolina with the state’s popular, one-time governor Roy Cooper.  Ohio is tight, rated a toss-up, however Sherrod Brown has a strong chance to flip the seat, bringing a great deal of credibility as a “former” three-time senator in this anti-incumbent year -- especially when his incumbent opponent was never elected, but only appointed to his seat, and is tied to his party leader with a 34% approval.  And right now, James Talarico is actually tied in Red Texas (and polls show his supporters are far more “extremely motivated” than his MAGOP opponent.).  Further, in Red Iowa, Democrat Josh Turek very surprisingly has a lead in the polls.  So, that’s the four they need.  But even if one of those falls through, lest it be overlooked, Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska is down by just two points in a July poll – though up by five points in a different poll taken in June, running against a MAGOP incumbent Dan Sullivan who has one of the lowest approvals in the Senate, just 39%.  And the race made even more difficult for him with an Independent candidate also on the ballot named...Dan Sullivan!  Which together makes five highly possible flips.

So, even without Maine, Democrats still have a serious possibility to take control of the Senate.  They need to hold all their own seats, the most at-risk being Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia, but he’s up by 13 points in a July Fox poll.  And holding Michigan could be tight, with Sen. Gary Peters retiring, but right now, before their primary, the leading Democrat has a solid lead against the MAGOP nominee.

And at this point, who knows what will happen in Maine?  But unexpectedly, Democrats have a path to win the Senate regardless of what occurs there.

Democrats have a record that that consideration doesn’t always hold much weight.  (Add in them pushing out Sen. Al Franken for using bad judgement when taking a raunchy joke-photo years before he was in the Senate.  And for that matter, putting pressure on President Biden to drop out when he showed cognitive decline.)  Whether they do take control of the Senate – whatever happens in Maine, when Graham Platner drops out…or doesn’t – the future will hold.

For now, I just hope MAGOPs stay out of crying “outrage” over something they don’t care about.  But they won’t.  Their fake morality is too ingrained.  So, my next hope is that the Klieg light of hypocrisy shines back on them.

​What Graham Platner and Democrats in Maine do is now on them.  And them alone.