Cartoons: Trump's White House

With all the White House leaks, you can color Trump livid. If you want to see transcripts of his January conversations with Mexican President Peña Nieto and Australian Prime Minister Turnbull, follow this link: Full transcripts of Trump’s calls with Mexico and Australia.

Meanwhile, for your entertainment, here are some cartoonists' comments on Trump and his administration.

***

David Fitzsimmons, The Week

***

Is this what the chaos in the White House looks like?

***

Drew Sheneman, The Week

***

And is this what a partisan compromise looks like?

***

Bob Englehart, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: White House anomalies

So far we've seen a number of events and actions coming from and related to the White House that just don't make sense and/or look fishy.

Trump's trips to Mar-a-Lago and their estimated cost are still an unknown, but they look pretty pricey. The sheriff of the local police department says his department has accrued $1.5 million in overtime costs and he thinks the Feds will reimburse him.

***

Bill Day, The Week

***

Cartoonist Tom Toles suggests that Trump's infrastruction plan includes privatizing national monuments. Seems plausible to me.

***

Tom Toles, The Week

***

Meanwhile the U.S.S. Carl Vinson may have made an illegal left turn, maybe not.

***

Nate Beeler, The Week

***

For sure, many Trump products for sale were not manufactured in the U.S.

***

Chan Lowe, The Week

***

In closing, here are some basic truths about the U.S. vs. Korea matter.

***

Drew Sheneman, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: beltway leaks

It took me a minute to 'catch' this first cartoon, but when I did there was a loud guffaw and continued chuckling.

***

Steve Kelley, The Week

***

Trump and his staff's connections with Russia clearly need investigating, but it's unlikely an almost all Republican congress will do it. Here's what the Bloomberg Editorial Board has to say about it: Investigate Trump's Russia Ties. The Editorial Board of the New York Times is a little more subdued: Time for Congress to Investigate Mr. Trump’s Ties to Russia. Somewhere behind their gated walls billionaires that are Democrats must be fuming.

***

David Fitzsimmons, The Week

***

Meanwhile, back at Trump's other mansion...

***

Walt Handelsman, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: draining the swamp

The newspaper called The Hill "has the largest circulation of any Capitol Hill publication, with more than 24,000 print readers (Wikipedia)." It has been labelled by some as conservative--see its Wikipedia Talk Page. At any rate it recently published an article about Trump's "now famous pledge to 'Drain the Swamp' of unethical practices in our nation’s capital." The article describes an existing tool for keeping the swamp clean that is little used, "America’s unknown government watchdogs in the Inspector General community."

By law, they are nonpartisan and apolitical and cannot be hired or fired without legislative checks and balances, or at least 2/3rds vote of their oversight board. They combine both investigative and auditing capabilities, and unlike law enforcement agencies who merely investigate crimes for potential prosecution(s); IGs also identify wasteful or unethical practices and make corrective action plans to assure that a policy or procedure didn’t somehow contribute to waste, fraud, or abuse.

... Currently, a shocking 11 out of the 36 Inspectors General appointees in the federal government remain vacant or in an interim status, some for over a thousand days due to a failure for the white house to appoint and/or the senate to confirm a nominee.

This is largely due to the IG community languishing in obscurity, since they have to remain apolitical and impartial, they get no media attention. This obscurity hinders public knowledge that Inspectors General have been trying to “Drain the Swamp” for [sic] throughout their respective existence.

The question today: Will Trump's swamp be any better?

***

Pat Bagley, The Week

***

Where is there room in our government for White Racists?

***

Drew Sheneman, The Week

***

In conclusion--

***

Chan Lowe, The Week

***

And so the war continues.

-- Marge

Cartoons: grope this

This week's batch of cartoons has three about politics and one about Samsung's flaming Galaxy Note 7.

Since the second presidential debate featured Donald's "locker room talk," be warned. Here's a transcript.

***

Bob Gorrell, The Week

***

As a woman, this is how I plan to handle Donald's loose talk. There's a word for his communication problems; it's 'logorrhoea,' or diarrhea of the mouth. I'm not saying anything about the accusations of sexual misconduct, enough has already been said.

***

John Deering, The Week

***

Making lemonade from a lemon... Here's a video about why the Samsung catches fire.

***

Jack Ohman, The Week

***

Funny, but I was thinking about this the other day.

***

Tom Toles, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: Fair and balanced?

Today I'm looking at Fox News, the U.S.'s Republican-dominated Congress, and the view that many voters have of this presidential election.

The dust appears to be settling at Fox News according to this article in The Week Magazine:

Roger Ailes is gone. So is Greta Van Susteren. Megyn Kelly is rumored to possibly be on the move. Gretchen Carlson settled her sexual harassment charges against Ailes for a cool $20 million. And then there's Gabriel Sherman's bombshell report for New York magazine about Ailes' 20-year reign at Fox News. All of this has spawned obsessive speculation about the future of America's No. 1 cable news channel.

But I doubt that "fair and balanced," which used to be the objective of responsible journalism, will ever describe this news channel--its brand of "conservative messaging" is/was too popular.

***

Scott Stantis, The Week

***

The U.S. Congress left the concept of fair and balanced behind some time ago. Now it's mostly Republican. See the Wikipedia entry for the 114th United States Congress for some good graphics showing the numbers of Republicans vs. Democrats. With Trump running as a Republican, Congress may find itself in a bind.

***

RJ Matson, The Week

*** 

Meanwhile many voters feel betrayed.

***

Bob Englehart, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: this week's outtakes (hopefully)

Looking at some of the trends from this week's news and editorial views, we see Hollywood producing the presidential election; Judge Judy as Trump's nominee for the Supreme Court; Trump added to Mt. Rushmore; the right to privacy as a fiction (made up by whom?); and the U.S Constitution vs. a cocktail napkin.

The 2016 race and possibly election:

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

Marshall Ramsey, The Week

***

Bill Schorr, The Week

***

The DoJ vs. Apple:

***

David Fitzsimmons, The Week

***

Replacing Scalia:

***

Mike Luckovich, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: Trumped and terrorized

Seems to me Donald Trump's current popularity is due to his talent for saying out loud what many people in America feel but don't have the courage to say. Pretty sad, huh? Today's cartoons look at Trump and terrorism. Also sad is how we're being educated in the language of terrorism: radicalized (also look at the talk page) and suicide belt.

Remember when Trump said that, as President, he would build a wall between the US and Mexico and make Mexico pay for it?

***

Mike Luckovich, The Week

***

We've progressed from Trump the Petty and Petulant Isolationist to Trump the Terrorist.

***

Nate Beeler, The Week

***

Meanwhile, 'ISIS' (vs. 'ISIL' vs. 'Islamic State') gloats.

***

Walt Handelsman, The Week

***

Republicans, especially the Tea Party, have been radicalized for some time now.

***

Jack Ohman, The Week

***

Meanwhile, Earth bears our misdeeds.

***

Mike Keefe, The Week

***

I quote Thomas Paine (The Crisis):

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.

Terrorism is tyranny from within.


-- Marge

Cartoons: reap the whirlwind

This week there are rumors and dire predictions (of course) about Russian military activity in Syria; pleas for financial help with wildfire expenses; and Donald Trump.

The BBC asks and partially answers Who are these Russian fighters posting pics of themselves in Syria?

***

Scott Stantis, The Week

***

The Seattle Times tells us Ten things to know about the Washington wildfires, including how to help with fire-relief efforts. Meanwhile Congress returned from recess on Tuesday. Provocateur Ted Cruz promises another shutdown.

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

And D.Trump just keeps on doing his thing.

***

John Darkow, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: McKinley (again), Republicans, and Trump

Today we have some reactions to renaming Mount McKinley Denali; an on-target observation about Republicans; and the (currently) obligatory jab at D. Trump, who says he's a Republican.

***

Chan Lowe, The Week

***

Drew Sheneman, The Week

***

Mike Luckovich, The Week

***

RJ Matson, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: Amazon, Ashley Madison, and the fifth party

Big news this week from the New York Times is the exposé of Amazon's work culture.

***

Bob Gorell, The Week

***

In a followup article the Times reports:

Until the publication of the article, Amazon’s management practices had been a matter of quiet debate in Seattle. But after the article was published and Mr. Bezos’s letter was released, current and former Amazonians wrote on social media, technology websites and The Times website to compare experiences and debate the strengths and weaknesses of the culture. Some defended the culture as highly demanding but humane, while others described feeling pummeled by unrelenting demands, over-the-top competition, and a feeling they could never meet the standards that the company boasts are “unreasonably high.”

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

Ashley Madison data has been dumped. If you want to know if you’re in the Ashley Madison leak, there are sites where you can check. Read the article.

***

Paul Zenetti, The Week

***

And, of course, Donald Trump cartoons are now obligatory.

***

Bill Schorr, The Week

***

Those disenchanted with the current political scene are talking about starting third, fourth and fifth parties.

***

Tom Toles, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: more truth than fiction

Honestly, I tried not to include a cartoon with Donald Trump in it...but failed.

This is what the GOP looks like these days.

***

Bob Gorrell, The Week

***

It occurs to me Trump is performing one very valuable service: he's sidestepping the Koch Brothers' influence on the election. Does he really expect to be elected or is he just playing the system?

***

Pat Bagley, The Week

***

Here's what the next GOP debate may look like.

***

Nate Beeler, The Week

***

This is interesting, sad but interesting: Camel kills American owner at wildlife park in Mexico resort. One theory is the camel did it for a Coke.

***

Mike Luckovich, The Week

***

Disturbing as this next image is...

***

Adam Zyglis, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: mixed messages

Today's mix of cartoons includes a comment on Jon Stewart's departure from TV, one on mindless violence in theaters, and a perspective on the recent Republican debates.

Follow this link for a video of Jon Stewart’s final sign off for The Daily Show. He was one of the best for holding Fox News at bay. I'll miss that.

***

Steve Sack, The Week

***

CBS in Washington, DC, asks readers in a poll: Amid Recent Attacks, Do Movie Theaters Need More Security? Not many have answered yet so there's still time to have your say.

***

Steve Kelley, The Week

***

USA Today reports, "Thursday's Republican primary debate nabbed a huge 24 million viewers Thursday, ranking as the most-watched primary debate ever." I'm guessing Donald Trump was the reason.

***

Bill Day, The Week

***

-- Marge