June 2025 was a long month. It felt like 1/4 of a year instead of 1/12. It was action packed and consequential. I was semi-off the grid for 12 days, but I spent my share of time pondering the events of June 2025. This meandering post is my attempt to gather the threads of the month into a garment, preferably a light one. It’s fucking hot in New Orleans.
Today’s theme song contains a haunting refrain: Who calls the tune?
Who calls the tune? Citizens, not the wannabe dictator.
We begin by going Dickensian on your asses. It was the best of times and the worst of times for Team MAGA:
The worst: Voters hate the Big Ugly Bill because of its deleterious impact on their lives. If Medicaid is gutted many aspects of our health care system will collapse: Rural hospitals and many nursing homes are barely hanging on, the cuts to Medicaid will result in the closing of many facilities. The damage will be most severe in red states. Does Team MAGA care? All they care about are tax cuts for the top 1%. We’ve seen this movie before and know how it ends. It’s even worse than Lady In The Lake.
The Best: The Supreme Court’s decision on temporary restraining orders decided too much too fast. It’s an excellent example of judicial overreach. Yet many commentators insist on calling it a victory for Court conservatives. There’s nothing conservative about this ruling. Genuine judicial conservatism involves restraint and respect for precedent. This is another overbroad decision in the tradition of Citizen’s United, Dobbs, and the Immunity Impunity case.
Repeat after me: Don’t call them conservatives. Call them radicals, right-wingers, or reactionaries, anything but conservatives. A reminder that conservative is a positive word to most Americans, ain’t nothing positive about the current MAGA-fied Court.
Speaking of stale language that should be retired. MAGA Maggots are into calling their enemies Communists. It wasn’t accurate during the Cold War and it’s wildly inaccurate today. There are no Reds under the bed or elsewhere for that matter on the last day of June 2025.
In a word: Sheesh.
There’s some good political news. The Insult Comedian calls the tune in the GOP and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis is sick of his shit. He decided not to run for reelection thereby increasing the chances that a Democrat can win the seat. Thanks, TT.
In Minnesota, they buried assassinated state legislator, Melissa Hortman and her husband. The story faded from attention far too soon. It’s an example of where the MAGA movement is taking the country: right down the shitter or drain if you’re feeling polite.
In New Orleans, the hunt for the Jailbreak Ten is down to one. The ninth man was arrested a mere two miles from the jail in the Hollygrove neighborhood. In my lawyer days, I deal with many New Orleans criminals. They always stay close to home when on the run.
The lone escapee still at large has a tragic story. His mother, Kim Groves, was murdered in 1996 on the orders of dirty cop/drug kingpin, Len Davis. The kid never had a chance. Now he’s a convicted murderer on the lam. Many are convinced he’s fled the country, I doubt he’s even fled the parish.
Bobby Junior was in the Gret Stet of Louisiana this week. He attended some fakakta ceremony held by The Clownfish. It was a MAHA bill, not the chemtrails monstrosity. but if it’s a bad idea, Bobby Junior is down with it. He’s denying that he told Senator Bill Cassidy he wouldn’t fire the old VAX panel or fill the new VAX panel with nuts. He did both. Cassidy is too cowardly to call this lie a lie. He should follow the Tillis trend and step aside.
Here’s hoping that July won’t feel as long as June but with Trump in office there will be at least one daily outrage. Trolling is what they do best. Stand firm and don’t let the barrage of bullshit get you down.
Who calls the tune? Citizens, not the wannabe dictator.
The last word goes to Neil Finn with a pandemic era version of Last Day Of June: