Tomorrow USA

— UK voter Norman Prior quoted by the Manchester Evening News (archived) after attending a forum of candidates standing in Thursday's by-election in the constituency of Makerfield.

Thanks to Donald Trump, the United States is now held up as an international model of what not to be like. This offhanded comment by a UK voter is yet another example of how other countries wish to avoid becoming like us.

I was reading about Makerfield because it is apparently the center of the British political universe this week.

Andy Burnham, currently the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, is the Labour candidate in this by-election. If he's elected, he will almost certainly challenge Keir Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party. Because Labour has a huge majority in Parliament, Burnham would become prime minister if he wins the challenge.

POLITICO has a simple interactive guide showing the steps Andy Burnham must go through to become prime minister. It starts with Thursday's by-election in Makerfield.

How to become Britain’s next prime minister

A lot more on Burnham later this week. But for Americans who are not familiar with him, this is an extract from a 2025 profile of Andy Burnham in The New Statesman.

Since returning to Manchester in 2017, however, Burnham’s politics have taken a clear leftward turn to what we might call today’s “Burnhamism” or, as he prefers it, “Manchesterism”. [ ... ] Burnham describes his “Manchesterism” as neither Blue Labour nor soft left, Blairite nor Brownite, but a form of consensual, business-friendly socialism that seeks to retake public control of all essential services, from housing to transport, in order to make life “doable” for those trapped in the insecure world of Britain’s outsourced Serco economy. Such radical change is necessary, Burnham argues, to bring back the kind of social mobility he and his generation once enjoyed, whose foundation, he believes, was the public provision of life’s essentials. This leftist vision is now winning admiring glances from erstwhile colleagues in London, particularly when coupled with Manchester’s booming economy.

^^^ Thoughts and prayers!!! But save some of those MAGA tears for when full scale de-Trumpification takes place in 2029.

Those place names will be the first to go. And don't expect the ballroom or "Arc de Trump" to have long lifespans – if they're ever built.

^^^ Life is SO unfair to poor Dozy Donny.

I suppose capitulating falls under the category of ending. In fact, Trump lost a war that he started. SO MUCH LOSING!

A gift article from The Atlantic by Tom Nichols, a former professor at the US Naval War College...

Trump Celebrates While America Capitulates The peace deal with Tehran is an Iranian victory.

Trump and his team, in record time, just lost a war to a militarily mediocre—but nonetheless extremely dangerous—adversary. The details of the agreement remain unconfirmed, but the president, of course, is eager to spin the outcome as a victory. (Trump was in a hurry to sign the deal on his birthday; the Iranians, who now seem to be in charge of this whole business, instead said they will send someone to a meeting in Switzerland on Friday.) But even before we have the details, it is clear that Trump has failed to achieve every one of the goals he put forward for this war of choice, and now he is determined to sign, seal, and deliver America’s capitulation as quickly as possible. If defeat seems a strong word, consider what we do know about how this war will end. Iran has suffered significant damage from U.S. and Israeli military action. But as I and others warned at the outset, killing people and bombing things do not by themselves produce victory. The reality is that the war will close with the regime in Tehran intact and in the grip of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps; the Strait of Hormuz will remain under the threat of Iranian attacks; Iran will continue to possess significant drone and missile stocks; the regime will maintain the capability to be a state sponsor of terror; and many sanctions will be lifted and billions of dollars in unfrozen assets will flow to Iran. In other words, the Iranians have achieved their key strategic aims—regime survival above all—while the Americans have achieved none of their own. Indeed, the United States has perhaps done worse than gaining nothing. Iran, while temporarily weakened, is now an even more powerful political actor: The regime in Tehran stood up to a massive U.S. onslaught, survived, and then inflicted pain on various states in the Gulf as punishment for going along with Trump’s war. The Israelis, for their part, have been left out in the cold. It is difficult to shed any tears for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who unwisely encouraged Trump to attack Iran, but he, too, is feeling the sting of humiliation.

The Iranian régime is also getting a ton of money thanks to Trump.

Meanwhile—and again, these are the terms that so far have been leaked to the press, mostly from the Iranians—Iran claims that it will not only get some $12 billion up front, but get another $12 billion within 60 days. Down the line, the Iranians are claiming that they will get a $300 billion fund for reconstruction. (U.S. officials have insisted to reporters that any release of funds will be performance-based, a fuzzy condition that raises more questions and could invite the Iranians to dig in and haggle if the Americans balk at delivering the money.) The war leaves Iran battered, but more powerful and with more cash at its disposal, while it leaves America weaker, with important stocks of weapons depleted, and with its consumers paying the price for the war at the gas pump. [ ... ] Had Trump toppled the regime in Tehran, he would have had the thanks of most of the world—and congratulations from even his most dedicated critics. Instead, the United States has been defeated, and this evening found Trump out on the lawn waiting for the rain to clear so he could begin his party.

Yep, Sunday was Trump's birthday but it was Iran which had more to celebrate. Trump is helping to make Iran great again.

^^^ If he can sleep through wars, maybe the prediction markets will be taking bets on whether Dozing Donny will fall asleep at the MMA birthday extravaganza at the White House.

Speaking of our sleepy octogenarian caudillo, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted this design for the proposed Trump $250 bill.

Given Donald Trump's record as a sex offender and his longtime association with pedo Jeffrey Epstein, it seems fitting that the headliner at his UFC birthday bash will be somebody who has been accused of various sex crimes.

Alex Pereira, a prominent mixed martial arts fighter set to headline the U.S. president's 80th birthday UFC event at the White House, is facing allegations of abuse from two women — and it isn't the first time. Court records reviewed by CBC News, including depositions, allege the 38-year-old Brazilian UFC fighter engaged in misconduct including assault, forcible confinement, coercive sexual encounters and stalking. The allegations, which Pereira denies, were first reported by Maike Backhaus for German broadcaster ARD/WDR. And they come as Donald Trump's administration continues to deal with fallout from the partial release of the Epstein files. Epstein survivors and lawmakers have accused the administration of a coverup and not believing the women who say they were trafficked and abused by the sexual predator who was once a close friend of Trump. The ongoing case was filed in the domestic violence division of the Miami courts in July 2025 by a German MMA presenter known publicly as Merle Christine, who was in a relationship with Pereira for roughly a year.

Of course Trump likes people like this.

At the White House news conference in early May where Donald Trump announced his birthday bouts, Pereira thanked the president for the opportunity to be fighting for the "special event." Trump then praised the martial artist, calling him "one of the greatest punches in the history of the business." After shaking Pereira's hand, Trump said, "He has a large hand. That's a powerful hand."

Trump is impressed by anybody who doesn't have tiny bruised hands.

Only one in six Americans believe the MMA fight at the White House is appropriate – regardless of thje past histories of the participants.

Trump's name has apparently been removed from the Kennedy Center. But we can't say for sure because a tarp was placed in front of the Center so the public could not see workers chiseling off Trump's name. The tarp has been left standing because Trump wants to delay the worldwide humiliation of everybody seeing the building properly cleansed of his name.

The tarp wasn't necessary in the first place. It doesn't protect passersby from falling letters. The area is cordoned off anyway.

Trump is again showing everybody how stupid he is. The tarp will only draw more attention to Trump's removed name and for a longer period of time.

Somebody could try to use a drone to peek above the uncovered top. Another possibility is that an insider at the Center opposed to Trump could take and leak a photo.

Expect the White House to fabricate an implausible excuse for keeping the tarp up. I was going to make up a couple of examples – but they are probably not goofy enough for the Trump White House.

Buyers' remorse is afflicting MAGA voters.

An MS NOW reporter spoke with 3-time Trump voters in Ohio who have soured on The Orange One.

Ohio went for Trump all three times but Republican candidates are struggling there this year.

In the latest Fox News Poll for US senator from Ohio, Democratic former Senator Sherrod Brown is leading incumbent Republican Jon Husted by 53% to 45%.

Fox News Poll: Democratic unity, Republican crossovers shape Ohio Senate race

We mentioned yesterday how the US Senate race in Ohio has been moved from Leans Republican to Toss-Up by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

That Fox News poll also shows Trump 15 points under water with Ohio voters.

But wait, there's more!

That same Fox News poll, reporting on the race for governor of Ohio, shows Democrat Amy Acton one point ahead of Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy was a candidate for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024 and was briefly the co-leader of DOGE before being pushed out by Apartheid Elon Musk. Acton leads Ramaswamy 50% to 49%.

Thanks to Trump, the reflecting pool is filling up with algae.

Thin layers of algae floated on the World War II Memorial side of the pool Friday morning, even after workers were seen cleaning out algae from the bottom of the pool Wednesday. The reflecting pool construction project started in April and work was completed last week as part of President Donald Trump’s sprawling plan to spruce up the capital ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The president has characterized the century-old pool as “filthy” and “dirty,” claiming that the pool would look “far more beautiful, more beautiful than it did in 1922” upon renovation.

Early voting in the New York Primary begins today (Saturday) and concludes on Sunday June 21st. Use the link contained in the article up top to find your early voting site in the state.

This primary is for state and federal officials; some local judges are also on the ballot. On the statewide Democratic side, most incumbents such as Gov. Kathy Hochul and Atty. Gen. Tish James are running unopposed in the primary. In New York State, unopposed contests are not on the primary ballot.

Much of the attention in this primary is focused on races for US House. My own rep is running unopposed. But if you live in NY-12 in Manhattan, I recommend Alex Bores. He's relatively young and wants to rein in MAGA tech broligarchs.

Alex Bores for Congress

Democrats need a net gain of 4 seats in order to flip the US Senate. According to the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, Dems will control the chamber if they win the 4 seats now rated as Toss-Ups. This news comes in the wake of the Center's prediction unit (called Sabato's Crystal Ball after Prof. Larry Sabato) upgrading the chances of Democrats in three close races.

Democrats’ odds of taking control of the Senate just got even better, with The Center for Politics Sabato’s Crystal Ball flipping three races blue. According to the new ratings, North Carolina’s open Senate race is now projected to flip into Democrats’ hands, with the contest now rated “Lean Democratic.”  And the Senate contests in Alaska and Ohio—states that President Donald Trump carried by 13 points and 11 points, respectively—are now rated “toss-ups.” “As we reassess the Senate playing field with a little less than five months to go until the November election, three Senate ratings move in Democrats’ favor today, and there are now enough toss-up races to give Democrats a clearer path to winning the Senate majority,” Sabato’s Crystal Ball wrote. Republicans are on shaky ground in all three of those states because Democrats not only nominated strong challengers who have won statewide races before, but Trump’s popularity is now underwater—even in states that he carried in 2016, 2020, and 2024.  Apparently, even die-hard Republicans in red states aren’t fans of Trump saying that “I love the inflation” and that he doesn’t care about Americans’ financial situations.

Trump proclaiming "I love inflation!" certainly deflates Republican chances of holding on to the Senate.

Here is the revised Senate map from Sabato’s Crystal Ball.

^^^ The states in yellow are toss-ups. Democrats need to win all 4 for Senate control. The ones in orange are leaning Republican. Those 2 are within reach. It would be nice to end up with 53 seats.

People are understandably paying attention to the price of gas. But a figure that's even more concerning is the dwindling supply of oil. What's going on in Cushing, Oklahoma is a warning of things to come.

Cushing, Oklahoma, dubs itself the pipeline crossroads of the world. The tagline is emblazoned on a giant roadside sign fashioned out of pipes on the corner of Main Street and South Stiles Road. It has a valve and everything. [ ... ] Cushing is the hub of America’s energy market. It literally provides the oil plumbing for the United States. It’s where America’s benchmark West Texas Intermediate oil is priced and warehoused. From there, it’s piped to refineries around the country. In normal times, Cushing stores around 40 million barrels of oil with capacity of up to 75 million. These are not normal times. Cushing’s current inventory is 21.6 million barrels, according to the US Energy Information Administration. That’s dangerously close to operational stress levels, the tipping point at which Cushing struggles to supply all of its customers with the oil they demand. When Cushing’s reserves get below 20 million, they effectively hit empty, scraping the bottom of the barrel of what is largely unusable sludge.

So the US is just 1.61 million barrels from being down to "unusable sludge".

The New York Times published a chart showing the rapidly dwindling global supply of oil.

This is the most rapid drop of the past seven years. The supply got lower for a while in 2023 due to the effects of sanctions on Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine. But the decline was slower and markets eventually adjusted. With Trump's Iran war, there's no end in sight and much more oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz than is exported by Russia.

So what is Trump doing about all this? Every week, sometimes more than once a week, he oscillates from threatening to destroy Iranian civilization to proclaiming a new peace deal. While I've not been counting, it seems like there's been close to three dozen such abrupt shifts.

As for energy sources, Trump is again championing the moribund coal industry. He's putting a QAnon conspiracy nut in charge of a new coal project.

‘This is not normal’: Trump leans on MAGA organizer to revive coal

Even if something miraculously came of this (SPOILER: it won't), it would be way too late to help with the current crisis.

Randy Rainbow musically follows up on the Stable Genius. His insertion of a commercial for his sponsor is indicated by a change in headgear.

Randy probably deserves credit for creating the word Mussoliniest.

^^^ We are within striking distance of 52 different instances of Trump being photographed sleeping in public. So a complete deck of Dozing Donny playing cards is theoretically possible by the end of the year.

It's not just that he's sleeping, he is having trouble walking. After falling asleep at the only NBA finals game the Knicks lost, he couldn't walk in a straight line at the airport.

Cardiologist questions Trump's health after JFK zig-zag walk

You read correctly. Trump now says that he LOVES inflation.

The current inflation caused by Trump Tariffs and the Trump Iran war are clearly of his own making. And since Trump feels he can do no wrong, what's not for him to love about it?

A new report released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that America’s annual inflation rate had reached its highest levels in three years. Later, in the Oval Office, a reporter asked Trump whether the new inflation numbers concerned him. The president presented his own pathetic spin. “No, I love it. The numbers were great. You know what I really love? I love the inflation,” Trump said.

Now there's even more inflation for Trump to love.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) represents inflation at the wholesale level. If Trump loves inflation, the wholesale inflation figures probably give him orgasms.

PPI wholesale inflation hit 6.5% in May, highest since 2022

A periodic reminder that Capitol Hill Republicans could rein in Trump in a heartbeat. But they don't because they are more concerned with their political careers than they are with democracy and the economic well being of Americans.

Inflation Trumpflation continues to surge. Much of it is related to the undeclared Trump Iran war.

Soaring gasoline prices, triggered by the U.S. war with Iran, have pushed inflation to its highest level in more than three years. A report from the Labor Department Wednesday showed consumer prices in May were up 4.2% from a year ago. That's the biggest annual increase since April of 2023. Prices rose 0.5% between April and May, with higher energy costs accounting for more than 60% of that monthly increase. Gas prices have jumped by well over a dollar a gallon since the war began, strangling shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical pathway for much of the world's oil supply.

Food prices too.

Grocery prices showed little change during the month, rising just 0.1%. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, "core inflation" was 2.9% for the 12 months ending in May, a slightly larger annual increase than the previous month.

Trump said he would end inflation on Day 1. it is now 506 days since Day 1 and things have only gotten worse under Trump. It began with the Trump Tariffs last year. Trump referred to the introduction of the tariffs as "liberation day". The only thing Trump liberated was your money from your pocket. The tariffs were ruled illegal, but nobody has gotten a refund from Trump for his illegal tax.

The May inflation spike for TL;DR fans...

^^^ Trump has more in common with the screwworm than with a virus. MAGA is a parasite which is sucking the lifeblood out of America.

As for the invertebrate screwworms, Trump and Elon Musk's DOGE cut funding to the government program which was monitoring and responding to the potential for screwworm infestations. With Trump and Musk, "government efficiency" means finding easier ways to channel resources to White House ballrooms and more tax breaks for billionaires.

Trump gets a taxpayer funded UFC birthday extravaganza on White House grounds while the rest of us get screwed by MAGA billionaires.