Mendocino County Today: Monday 5/26/2025

Mostly Sunny | Floodgate Open | Driver Stabbed | Eileen Pronsolino | Local Events | Vote Paula | Hiker Rescued | Iceplant | Deputy Drunk | Noyo Harbor | Annexation Questions | ClassiCann Festival | Cubbison Case | Animal Thoughts | KZYXing | Cloverdale 1972 | Yesterday's Catch | Eureka Home | No Offers | Mind's Heart | Dem Dems | Rez Safe | Dear Wife | Hugh McElhenny | Giants Win | SF Coyotes | Animal Talk | Lead Stories | New World | Chauvin Judge | Sober Years | Big Debt | Your Mother | Biden Scandal | Disabled Vet

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STEPHEN DUNLAP (Fort Bragg): A mix of high & low clouds with a warmish 50F this Memorial Day morning on the coast. Clearing skies will give way to a breezy afternoon then low clouds return later tonight. Similar conditions tomorrow. After a 2 day day warm up cooler temps return for the rest of the week. Did someone say "monsoonal moisture" in the long range forecast? Someone did, stay tuned.

A FEW light rain showers are possible before sunrise this morning, primarily north of Cape Mendocino. Breezy winds in Lake County ease after sunrise. Breezy northwest winds likely along the coast this afternoon and evening. A warming trend begins this week, possibly bringing triple digit heat to the interior by late-week. (NWS)

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FLOODGATE IS OPEN!

There have been a lot of changes at The Floodgate in the last 9 decades! Stop by and see what's new! If the open sign is out, we are in!

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DRIVER REPORTEDLY STABBED IN UKIAH, suspect flees scene

by Matt LaFever

A chaotic scene reportedly erupted in Ukiah on Sunday night after a driver was allegedly stabbed near the 100 block of Laws Avenue and South State Street, triggering a rapid law enforcement response across the area.

Scanner traffic suggests the incident kicked off around 8:25 p.m. with reports of a stabbing involving a red sedan and a grey Toyota. Medical crews were staged and police rolled in Code 3, lights and sirens cutting through the evening.

By 8:33 p.m., one person was reportedly detained as officers began running names. A shirtless man was seen jumping a fence near Chavez Market, while another suspect reportedly bolted through a nearby car wash and into a residential neighborhood.

By 8:42 p.m., the incident was being treated as a possible fight or disturbing the peace. One minute later, officers reportedly had a suspect at gunpoint.

Authorities have not confirmed the number of people involved or the condition of the stabbing victim. Early reports suggest the suspect may have fled in a red sedan.

(mendofever.com)

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EVELYN EILEEN PRONSOLINO

Eileen was born December 6, 1930 in Crescent City to John and Dorothy Brown, she passed away on Thursday, May 8, 2025 in Cloverdale. Eileen’s family moved to Anderson Valley when she was 2 1/2 years old. She attended school in Boonville until her family relocated to Eureka where she graduated High School. She briefly studied at Eureka Business College before getting a job at Bank of America. Eileen met Angelo Pronsolino in December of 1945 when he told his friend he would marry Eileen. They married July 9, 1949 and were together until his passing in 2023. They had three children of which Eileen was proud of raising and being involved in their education and sports. In the early years she helped out on the ranch working in the orchards and fields. After the children were in their late teens she worked as a bank teller at First National Bank until 1986 and then in the tasting room at Greenwood Ridge Winery. Eileen was very involved in her community and will be remembered for her service which included the PTA, American Legion Auxiliary, ICW (Independent Career Women), Unity Club and the Anderson Valley Museum. She and Angelo loved to bowl and were in leagues in Ukiah for many years. Eileen loved to travel all over the world. She is survived by her daughter, Angela (George), sons David (Marilyn) and Gary (Cindy), sister MaryJane, brother George, ten grandchildren, 15 great grandchildren and 4 great great grandchildren. Eileen’s quote for entering the Pearly Gates: “Welcome Eileen, you’ve lived a pretty good life, with a few exceptions.” A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 1pm at the Pronsolino Ranch in Philo. Barbeque will be provided. Please bring your favorite side dish. Memorial contributions to Ukiah Hospice or the Boonville Fire Department are preferred.

(ukiahdailyjournal.com)

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LOCAL EVENTS

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PAULA SMITH

I’m Paula Smith and I’m running for the Gualala Community Center (GCC) board. When the GCC burnt down in February of 2023, Gualala lost its heart. I intend to bring it back. We need the hall, appropriate restrooms, kitchen and Pay N’ Take facilities so we can gather as a community again, to meet and socialize with one another, to do our civic duty by voting and become connected again. In December of 2024 I was asked to join the GCC Board to fill an unexpired term and was approved for the position without objection. I organized a tasty and fun pizza fundraiser at Two Fish thanks to Margaret and Hilla the owners. I have applied for a grant with PG&E which is pending and I have manned information/fundraising booths at the coastal safety fair, Art in the Redwoods and on PNT sale days to educate the community, increase GCC membership and raise donations to rebuild the center. In the past, I was successful as one of the Forum 4 in raising over $650,000 to keep RCMS afloat. I’ve worked on election campaigns for fire departments, schools and the library here in Mendonoma all of which won. I intend to be successful rebuilding the Gualala Community Center.

I’ll keep working to find funds and encourage people to join GCC. We can rebuild our heart by working together. Vote for me and join me in rebuilding the center.

Help me fill the hat.

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LOST COAST HIKER RESCUED AFTER FALL IN MENDOCINO COUNTY

by Matt LaFever

A hiker injured deep in Northern California’s Sinkyone Wilderness State Park was airlifted to safety Saturday after a coordinated rescue involving eight emergency agencies and a helicopter hoist operation, according to a press release from the Shelter Cove Fire Department.

The man fell roughly 10 feet after losing his footing on a marked trail about one mile north of Jones Creek, near the Mendocino-Humboldt County line, officials said. The fall, triggered by loose rock, left the hiker with a suspected broken leg and stranded in steep, rugged terrain, according to Shelter Cove Fire.

Sinkyone Wilderness State Park is a remote stretch of coastline in southern Humboldt and northern Mendocino counties, known for its steep cliffs, dense redwood forests, and limited access. It's part of the Lost Coast, one of California’s most undeveloped and difficult-to-reach coastal regions, where trails often require multi-day hikes and rescues are challenging due to the isolation.

At approximately 2:28 p.m. on May 24, Shelter Cove Fire responded to a mutual aid request and quickly determined a helicopter with hoist-rescue capabilities would be necessary due to the location and severity of the injuries. CAL FIRE Copter 603—a specially equipped Fire Hawk helicopter out of the Howard Forest Helitack Base in Willits—was dispatched, Shelter Cove Fire said.

A team of three Shelter Cove firefighters and a chief officer joined rescuers from Whale Gulch Volunteer Fire Company, California State Parks, CAL FIRE’s Thorn station, Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue, and City Ambulance to locate and stabilize the hiker. According to the Shelter Cove Fire press release, the patient was discovered in a steep, densely forested drainage.

CAL FIRE Copter 603 conducted a dynamic hoist operation, lowering two rescuers into the ravine and lifting the injured hiker to safety. He was then transferred to a REACH Air Medical Services helicopter for rapid transport to a regional hospital, the department said.

“This rescue was only possible due to the coordination and teamwork of eight different agencies,” said Shelter Cove Fire Chief Nick Pape in the release. “Even in some of the most remote and challenging areas of the state, we were able to deliver advanced rescue services and rapid medical transport through modern resources and highly trained mostly volunteer personnel.”

Shelter Cove Fire expressed gratitude to all involved agencies and emphasized that the successful outcome underscores the importance of interagency cooperation in responding to emergencies in California’s rugged backcountry.

(MendoFever.com)

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CHARGES FILED AGAINST MENDOCINO COUNTY DEPUTY for DUI in patrol car

by Matt LaFever

A Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputy accused of driving a patrol vehicle drunk to a Willits bar, crashing it into a guardrail, and then failing to report the damage, has officially been charged with multiple misdemeanors.

Deputy Marcis Robert McCarty was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on Sunday, May 25, and released less than an hour later. Also booked and released at the same time was co-defendant Davina Rose Gurley, who faces a single misdemeanor DUI charge stemming from the same night.

The Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office has filed three misdemeanor charges against McCarty: driving under the influence of alcohol, vandalism causing more than $400 in damage, and failing to stop and report a collision. Prosecutors allege that while intoxicated, McCarty was driving 20 miles per hour over the posted speed limit. That same night, he was also involved in an incident that resulted in $1,256.48 in damage to a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He then allegedly left the scene without notifying the owner or law enforcement.

Gurley is not accused of speeding, property damage, or fleeing the scene. Her sole charge is misdemeanor DUI.

The alleged misconduct occurred on April 25. Internal investigators flagged the incident the following morning, when a sheriff’s sergeant noticed significant damage to a patrol vehicle parked at the Willits substation.

According to Sheriff Matt Kendall, surveillance footage showed McCarty hitting a guardrail while off duty, continuing on to a local bar, staying the night, and then driving the damaged vehicle home the next morning.

McCarty did not report the crash or file the required damage report with the county. “He bought the ticket; he’s going to take the ride,” Sheriff Kendall said in prior coverage of the incident, describing the conduct as a “blatant violation” of department policy, which limits use of patrol vehicles to official duties and requires immediate reporting of any damage.

McCarty has been placed on paid administrative leave, and his peace officer powers have been suspended. He joined the department in June 2022 and had worked in both patrol and corrections. Sheriff Kendall said in earlier comments that there were no prior alcohol-related incidents involving McCarty but emphasized that accountability is essential in law enforcement. When reached for follow-up, Kendall declined to comment further, citing ongoing litigation.

McCarty and Gurley are scheduled to be arraigned on June 2 at 9 a.m. in Mendocino County Superior Court in Ukiah.

(mendofever.com)

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MULHEREN’S TAX SHARING AGREEMENT/UKIAH ANNEXATION ABOUT TO COLLAPSE OF ITS OWN WEIGHT

by Mark Scaramella

Last June the Supervisors approved a tax sharing agreement with the incorporated cities in the County, notably including Ukiah, that was prepared in secret ad hoc meetings between former Ukiah Councilperson Maureen Mulheren, several Ukiah City officials, and who knows who else? The vote was 4-1 with Supervisor John Haschak the lone dissenter, saying his colleagues were flying blind.

Supervisor Ted Williams, after first expressing some discomfort with the deal, was ultimately persuaded by Mulheren’s happy talk, despite acknowledging that there had been no public review, no agency or department analysis, and no idea what the financial impact of the deal might be. After the vote Mulheren thanked all but one of her easily duped colleagues “for your optimism.”

At the time it was not clear why Mulheren was so excited by the deal. She and her former Ukiah city officials offered only vague promises that the deal would magically ramp up development in the Ukiah Valley benefiting everybody.

Last month, Ukiah took advantage of the very Ukiah-friendly terms of Mulheren’s agreement by proposing to annex about 2600 parcels north and south of Ukiah, which would almost triple the size of Ukiah.

Last Tuesday, almost a year AFTER the agreement was approved, newly seated First District Supervisor Madeline Cline, from whose district most of the County parcels would be drawn, came back to the Board after being assigned to an ex post facto ad hoc committee with Supervisor Bernie Norvell, with a collection of background materials related to Ukiah’s Tax/Parcel Grab.

One of those materials, not previously made public, gives the public a glimpse of how flimsy and shallow Mulheren’s reasons for promoting the tax sharing agreement were. Mulheren’s grossly oversimplified view of the tax sharing agreement, after almost two years of secret meetings, was on full display in a chart prepared by Mulheren laughably entitled “cost benefit analysis.”

According to Mulheren’s “Cost-Benefits Analysis,” the County would somehow benefit by having less area to “service,” shifting housing production to cities in areas the County has been unable to develop, “minimizing” urban sprawl (even though Ukiah is proposing the exact opposite, urban sprawl being restricted in the 2600 parcels now by being under undevelopable county authority), and providing “enhanced long-term revenue growth.”

All these wonderful “benefits” would accrue for a “temporary revenue reduction in sales tax” (i.e., permanent loss for the County) “combined with reduced services.” Mulheren didn't even mention the loss of property taxes to the County for the 2600 parcels.

Not only did Mulheren not provide any numbers in her “cost-benefit analysis,” she didn’t even identify which services would be reduced or how.

Amazingly, despite this pathetic dearth of information, Supervisors Williams, McGourty, Gjerde and Mulheren voted for it. Haschak, as noted above, was the only no vote.

Last Tuesday, Cline invited various County officials to belatedly comment on Ukiah’s parcel grab proposal.

It quickly became obvious that there is no quantifiable “benefit” to the County at all. In fact, there are three separate and substantial layers of cost to the County: 1. The cost of trying to figure out what the impact on the County would be. 2. The cost of running the large annexation through a number of time-consuming bureaucratic hoops. 3. The substantial loss of sales and property tax revenue over time as the City takes larger and larger shares.

Just trying to figure out what would be involved in the annexation process would require a costly analysis itself. Who would/should pay for that?

There was some casual talk about asking the City to pay for the County’s analysis since the County is broke and will probably go broker if Ukiah’s proposal takes effect.

Apparently, none of Ms. Cline’s colleagues read the Ukiah City Council agenda item from last month which Supervisor Cline conveniently included in her collection of background materials:

“For over five years, the City has had and has acted upon a policy of coordinating growth, improving services, and ensuring thoughtful long-term planning in the Ukiah Valley. Those efforts have been successful not only in achieving these ends, but also in improving the City’s relationships with our sister agencies and our neighbors currently outside the City Limits. [i.e., Mendocino County and a bunch of special districts] Building on these successes, Staff have developed a proposed reorganization (the “Proposed Reorganization”) that encompasses territory around the City and aligns with existing urban-type development. Applications for amending the City's Sphere of Influence and for reorganization are subject to Mendocino LAFCo approval. [Not mentioning the County’s role at all.] Here, the City Council will consider providing direction to Staff to prepare applications for reorganization and sphere of influence update, to prezone those areas subject to the reorganization and make relevant amendments to the 2040 General Plan, and to conduct any required analyses, including any analyses required by CEQA, in support of the applications, prezoning, and General Plan Amendment, and to bring these documents to the Council for consideration.”

The City of Ukiah has already effectively volunteered to pay the cost of whatever analysis may be required, presumably including the County’s cost.

Next question: How much will the County’s analysis cost?

Nobody knows that either. Just estimating that cost is another cost.

Judging by remarks from Assessor Clerk Recorder Katrina Bartolomie and Auditor-Controller/Treasurer Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison, even that cost will be substantial.

In fact, if a majority of the Board wanted to retroactively kill the deal that shouldn’t have been approved in the first place, they could simply give the City a price tag — the sticker shock for that alone might send City officials back to the drawing board.

Cline, who was assigned to an ad hoc committee with Supervisor Bernie Norvell to deal with Ukiah’s giant parcel grab last month, said she was bringing the question back to the Board because she wanted to know what County staff would have to do to process the proposal. She said this question should have been discussed before the Board approved the tax sharing agreement last year.

Supervisor Williams, having naively voted in favor the agreement last year, suddenly said he agreed with Cline.

Supervisor Haschak basically agreed saying, “If they [Ukiah] expect a benefit, then the city should pay to figure it out.”

For various reasons, all the County officials who spoke had significant problems with the agreement and Ukiah’s proposal.

Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Katrina Bartolomie said there were all kinds of complications with the proposal and the process including the preparation of detailed, complete and accurate descriptions of each parcel proposed to be annexed or not annexed. Plus there would have to be an election in each affected district (water, sewer, fire, etc.) with each parcel owner allowed to protest annexation. And that election would require an analysis to provide parcel owners with detailed information on which to base their votes.

Auditor Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector Chamise Cubbison told the Board that Ukiah’s proposal would be hard to implement with the County’s current property tax system. “It has some very challenging wording,” said Cubbison, such as the “effective date. What does that mean? It needs clarification,” since the agreement spans up to 15 or 20 years of transition. Cubbison said her office doesn’t go by parcels but by “Tax Rate Areas” and Ukiah’s proposal covers “dozens” of Tax Rate Areas because of the various special districts involved plus having to be recalculated each year. Cubbison added that they may have to contract with the County’s property tax computer software vendor to try configure it to make the revised tax calculations. There is no such provision now.

Sheriff Matt Kendall was even more blunt, saying that the agreement was made “by the beneficiaries [the cities], and not by those who will suffer the consequences” (the County). Kendall said his office would still have time-consuming responsibility for major crimes in the annexed areas, adding that the proposal was “biting off more than we can chew.” “Everyone should agree that this is a win-win,” concluded Kendall. “But at the moment it looks like a lose-lose.” “This has to be good for everyone,” said Kendall, “not just the beneficiaries.”

Williams, admitting that he was surprised by the size of Ukiah’s parcel grab, added, “There are some areas on the edges [of city limits], but this?”

Supervisor Norvell said he was for the agreement when he was on the Fort Bragg City Council, but now as a Supervisor he had to agree that “it is not a good deal for the County.”

At every turn until the final vote, Mulheren tried to insist that all these questions should be addressed in the ad hoc committee, not in public by the Board, offering to “share some information I have” and insisting that “we came up with a fair and reasonable deal for all.” But in the end even Mulheren voted with her colleagues to ask staff for a preliminary analysis of what would be involved for the County to even respond to Ukiah’s huge proposal.

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CLASSICANN MUSIC FESTIVAL

by Karen Rifkin

The second annual ClassiCann Music Festival was held on Saturday afternoon at the Plantshop, just outside Ukiah, just off Orr Springs Road.

Phillip Lenberg, Ukiah Symphony music director, and Rose Clubb, owner of the Plantshop, collaborated for this second edition featuring classical music ensembles comprised of innovative, Grammy-nominated musicians; farmers; food vendors; and the best weed in the world, making for a unique, sensory, mind-expanding experience.

After the completion of a full day of listening to world class musical groups—Classical Revolution, Mendocino Quintet, Musical Art Quintet featuring mezzo-soprano Melinda Becker, and all 12 musicians playing the Dvorak String Serenade—Rose felt mesmerized and transformed.

“I feel exhilarated; I’m still in it. It’s done, but I can still feel it, first-hand, the many show-stopping, breathtaking moments that occurred throughout the afternoon.

“I’m grateful to Phillip for bringing us a crowd cultured in the classics—it’s a unique experience for our cannabis dispensary. The intersection of creative artists and creative art spectators with cannabis is a recipe for an absolutely delightful afternoon.”

Phillip says the idea to bring music to the Plantshop originated with wanting to bring new audiences to classical music.

“This venue with its stage and lounge area makes it completely accessible for the audience.

“Last year was a proof of concept; we had an interesting turnout and reaction to the event. It was a positive experience for everyone—from us to the musicians to the those who came to check us out—so we decided to definitely do it again this year. It’s so nice that it happened in the same magical way that it did last year.”

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KEITH LOWERY:

Re: Julie Beardsley’s remarks about the Cubbison case:

I agree with you. As a former employee who worked with the executive office and directly with the former CEO Carmel Angelo I was able to see and experience first hand the delay tactics and lack of any type of compassion when an employee fell out of favor and was not part of the clique club.

I don’t know the current CEO but I do know she was trained by Angelo and the cover up and collusion of the employees in the DA’s office (in closing the DA himself started on Angelo’s watch.

CEO Antle inherited a budget mess that years of hiding money and in my opinion utilizing money from department that are not part of the general fund to cover general fund expenses in my view crosses a legal line because much of those funds are meant specifically for those programs that if the public actually knew how dollars from departments like Child Welfare would be redirected or in many cases specific directions from the CEO to find a creative way for uses of those dollars in general fund departments.

I mention this because the DA in my opinion was only encouraged and ultimately authorized by the CEO to spend money frivolously under the guise of training sessions.

The former CEO would demand that leadership submit applications to participate in a training at the Benbow Inn where it was just one big party and yes there was a trainer there but that was not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal was for the CEO to interact with leadership and determine who was loyal at any cost and who was not.

The current CEO has inherited a mess and continues to operate the only way she knows how. They are hoping to get Cubbison financially ruined before offering some type of minimal compensation with a Non-disclosure clause.

They don’t really have an interest in doing anything but a consistent stall tactic and cause Cubbison increasingly legal fees.

I hope Cubbison stays and that she wins and is reelected to her position as that the BOS return the two departments back to the way they were so that the public can receive the services that our tax dollars pay for.

I have seen this tactic first hand and unfortunately had to participate until a point where I could not continue to be part of what I felt was crossing a line when it came to funding, hiring and employee compensation. I had other issues as a County employee that I can’t discuss here but trust me the County does not have an individual employee's best interest at heart.

A basic principle I was taught from an early age was to do the right thing when nobody was looking.

Caring about doing the right thing apparently isn’t something that the CEO cares that much about because she and the yes people she is working with Including the BOS members are doing this right under the noses of the citizens of Mendocino County without much pushback and getting away with it….What are their consequences ?

They have unlimited legal resources and if they spend more than they are budgeted for they will just likely move dollars from one of the many Social Services programs like for example foster care dollars that are designated for children that have suffered abuse and neglect.

In my opinion much of what our Federal Government is boasting about finding waste, fraud and abuse and yet it is occurring right now with tax payer money all because the Country is taking the same playbook used by the top Federal employee (yes I mean the President) and drawing out litigation for as long as possible simply because they feel they have unlimited resources which is utilizing tax payer hard earned money.

Mendocino County: Settle With Cubbison, Demand The Resignation Of The DA And Admit The County was wrong.

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JADE TIPPETT (Fort Bragg)

I am only half inclined to agree with Ted about Sara Pierce's requirement that all communications and questions from Chamise Cubbison be submitted via email. and half not. The advantages of Pierce's requirement are that it generates a digital paper trail to document all communications between the parties. It also, as stated, gives the respondent time to consider and compose their response. On the disadvantage side, requiring written communications is a well known and centuries old tactic for sandbagging, delaying and undermining the person who requires the information. It works quite well with the tactic of taking all questions literally and answering them minimally, necessitating the requester to send follow-up inquiries and wait the additional turn-around time. I am not saying this is happening here, although it sounds like something of that nature is at play, given the accusations of "mean girls games" being played. If the Board wants to undermine Cubbison, this is how I would do if I were in their shoes. If the Board is genuinely committed to Cubbison's success, now that the criminal issue has been resolved, the Board needs to put parameters, response, and turn-around times on Pierce's scheme. In short, it sounds like the County Administration needs some adult supervision and accountability that the Board seems unable or uncommitted to provide.

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MARK SCARAMELLA NOTES:

There’s another possibility: The Board and the CEO are angry at Cubbison for exposing how inept and incompetent they are and they are simply retaliating and punishing Cubbison for it, even if it ends up costing taxpayers millions of dollars, damaging the County’s reputation, and they end up looking worse.

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A READER WRITES: It's distressing to read that rodeos continue in these times, like that at Potter Valley noted in the AVA, but then these times are showcasing cruelty on all levels. This is from the East Bay Times:

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KZYX MOVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION

To the Editor:

Back when I was a KZYX Board member and John Coate was the GM, we knew that the key to the station’s survival was diversity, and by “diversity” I don’t mean the usual DEI bullshit, I mean more conservative voices. We tried recruiting more conservative hosts for public affairs shows, but none showed up. In the subsequent years, KZYX did a good job reaching out to Latinos and Native Americans — which was the right thing to do given the demographics of our county — but yet, no conservatives. No Republicans. Trump remained an anathema. The U.S. military remained an anathema. Christians remained an anathema. The rule of law, and law enforcement, remained an anathema. Corporate America remained an anathema.

KZYX politics reflected the politics of the “lib labs” of the Central Democratic Committee and the usual cabal of county and city government workers. No outreach to blue collar workers. No outreach to folks who weren’t college-educated.

“Cancel culture” and “woke politics” staged a takeover public media — not just NPR but also PBS. If you weren’t “progressive”, you were silenced. You were marginalized. KZYX marched right along with it.

Another thing: The demographics of KZYX’s audience got older and older. More and more grey hair. More balding men with ponytails. More hammer toes. More colonoscopies. More arthritis. More sciatica.

You get the point: Most NPR affiliates — not just KZYX — simply got old and arthritic (to borrow the metaphor)

I don’t know what the answer is. Kids don’t listen to the radio anymore. Maybe KZYX should build out a platform for local podcasts to go along with the radio station.

I do know one thing: KZYX’s current GM, Dina Polkinghorne is great. She fired the woke culture lunatic who was program manager, and she fired the lazy ass and cry baby who was the operations manager. She is moving the station to Philo, where no one lives, to Ukiah, our county seat. She’s building an endowment. She is building a great news department. Her production director and director of operations are brilliant.

Keep up the good work Dina. BTW, your current Board deserves much praise, too, especially for supporting you.

John Sakowicz

Ukiah

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CATCH OF THE DAY, Sunday, May 25, 2025

IVAN AGUILAR, 19, Ukiah. Marijuana for sale, loaded handgun-not registered owner, conspiracy.

DAVID CAMPBELL, 18, Arcata/Ukiah. DUI.

BILLY JOE CUNNINGHAM, 40, Willits. Controlled substance.

SERGIO GARCIA, 19, Oakland/Ukiah. Suspended license for refusing chemical drunk test.

KEATON GUERNE, 23, Guernville/Laytonville. DUI.

DAVINA GURLEY, 29, Covelo. DUI.

RICHARD HINOJOSA, 28, Point Arena. DUI, child endangerment.

MARTIN JOHNSTON, 62, Fort Bragg. Vandalism, “Pat/Receive money for adoption,” trespassing.

BENJAMIN KINNEY, Hidden Valley/Ukiah. Disorderly conduct-alcohol&drugs.

DEBORAH LAWRENCE, 59, Ukiah. Controlled substance with two or more priors, paraphernalia, probation revocation.

MARCIS MCCARTY, 31, Willits. DUI, misdemeanor hit&run with property damage, vandalism.

ROBERT MORENO, 45, Ukiah. Probation violation, resisting.

STACIE MOUNTS, 59, Fort Bragg. DUI, controlled substance, paraphernalia, suspended license, probation revocation.

VICTOR NAVARRO, 34, Williams/Fort Bragg. Criminal threats.

THOMAS THORSON, 40, Nice/Ukiah. Paraphernalia, probation violation, resisting.

JALAHN TRAVIS, 26, Ukiah. Petty theft with two or more priors, resisting. (Frequent flyer.)

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UKIAH BECKONS

Just sittin’ here on a public computer at the MLK Library in Washington, D.C. I have nothing further to do in the District of Columbia. I presently have no offers to go and do anything anywhere. I am free. That’s just the way it is, in this very curious American experiment with freedom and democracy. The Goddess goes ahead of me and prepares the way!

Craig Louis Stehr, [email protected]

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MIND’S HEART

Mind’s heart, it must
be that some
truth lies locked
in you.

Or else, lies, all
lies, and no man
true enough to know
the difference.

— Robert Creeley

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ON-LINE COMMENT OF THE DAY

Democrats in the House and Senate need to "stop having the spine of a gummy bear" and AOC is helping with that issue. With the likes of Sen. Schumer and his gang of 9 other Democrats who enabled Trump by passing the recent spending bill. It is time we elect "Democrats from the Democrat Wing of the Party" and primary any one Democrat who is a Trump enabler.

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YOU’RE WELCOME, DARLIN’

by Tommy Wayne Kramer

Now if you ask me, there isn’t a guy more loving and supportive of his dear wife than I am of the gal I call Trophy. You could ask her opinion, but at the moment she’s out running errands or whatever.

Just this morning I said “Darlin’ why should we invest all our money in a new washing machine when there’s a laundromat just down the road a piece and we can do our clothes there, just like back in college?”

See, in the short term we save money, and in the long run we’re all dead anyway, right? She could hardly argue the point, busy as she is.

Anyhoo, her first opportunity to prove me right (or wrong; I’m not one of those hard-headed guys who can’t acknowledge making a mistake) was today when she shouldered that bag and headed off in the rain down to Shop ‘n’ Wash. I should’ve drove her but we couldn’t find the keys to the car at that point although I’ll be beat if they weren’t in my pants pocket the whole time we were searching the house!

Meantime I’ll have me a beer to save her the trouble of fetching one when she gets back. Ain’t like she doesn’t do enough as is, if you ask me.

Example Two: Here she’s coming up the front steps and I’ll open the door for her before she can even find her key. Help her lift that doggone heavy bag, bring it on in and tell her “Now hon, you just set down, sit still, take a load off, and I’ll get me a beer.

“Y’all mind taking this empty one out to the recycle bin?”

Usually we have lunch at noon but I told her it was fine it she didn’t feel like getting it together until 12:30 or so. Whatever. I try to be flexible and easygoing.

Besides, that’ll give her time to sort through the socks and jockey shorts and set aside shirts that might need ironing later today. Then something struck me, and I tended to it, pronto.

“Now darlin’ wasn’t it last week you took that nasty spill down the stairs, and you still seem to be limping pretty good. Must hurt. Tell you what: I’ll be seeing my doctor come Thursday at our our Golf-n-Girls Club luncheon, and I’ll try to remember to ask him what he thinks ought to be recommended. You just remind me before I go.”

Now for all you readers doin’ me the favor of reading the weekly TWK column, you know today is Sunday. Special day for certain, but it’s also the only day of the week I have a bunch of my buddies come over to watch sports on the big TV.

Games usually runs from about noon til maybe nine in the evening, and it does give my darlin’ Trophy the opportunity to rest a bit. Not like I’d ever force her to watch the Boilermakers take on the Cornhuskers, but to be honest, this time of year I don’t know if it’s football or basketball, not that she’d be watching neither.

I’ll surprise her by announcing I found the car keys so she go on out to Redwood Valley and pick up the pizzas I ordered with her Visa card. And with six large pizzas there’s sure to be leftovers a-plenty tomorrow, though she doesn’t much dig the anchovies and jalapeños. No biggie. I mean, it’s not like she couldn’t have ordered her own. I try to be fair.

Then it turns out The Sooners and Ducks played last week, and the only thing on the screen for me and my pals is Championship Bowling. Oof. I sure wish she’d have told me!

Turns out Kip forgot to bring the beer (a likely story) so I asked my sweet little dearie if she’d mind going out to get us some, which she agreed upon without much argument at all. I reminded her that the Kwikee Mart out on East Perkins is having a sale on Old Milwaukee, if it’s no problem going the extra distance. And I said to keep the receipt so I can reimburse her my share.

We all hung around the house with parched tongues til she got back, but not one of any of ‘em had a single unkind thing to say about the 15 minute delay. Every one of these guys is a prince if you ask me.

And I suppose the wife looks forward to these Sunday get-togethers quite a lot since she takes a break from making dinner and all the dishes and stuff. I know it does me a world of good to see her just resting all comfy in bed by six o’clock or so.

Good thing she’s getting her rest. She’ll be needing it come tomorrow morning when we have to get down to SFO by 5 a.m. for my monthly trek to Vegas with the golf and poker guys.

I feel bad that she’ll have to do the driving, but there’s just no way I won’t have me one king-size hangover tomorrow morning.

There were three short laughs of equal timbre and they formed one sustained laugh. The tone was a well-defined irony with considerable bite. The one, which was three, occured as a response to an argumentative hyperbole. Actually, the argument excluded exaggeration but I enjoy the way the words, argumentative hyperbole, fit in my mouth. There had been a dispute over diction, specifically, a matter of pronunciation. The dispute was never settled — no conclusion, capitulation, compromise or agreement; however, the dispute, in the active voice, ceased.

There were three short laughs of equal timbre, accompanied by the indefinable, irritating drone of a radio broadcast from Boise, Idaho. This dashboard Muzak was immediately turned-off.

There were three short laughs of equal timbre, followed by a complaint of pain in the lower neck. The nagging pain in the lower neck became white knuckles, became a paralyzed left side, became a disoriented mind became verbal incoherence became blindness became bodily functions (i.e., the movement of all internal solids, liquids & gases), monitored, manipulated, controlled by plastic & gum tubing, by pressure gauges, kymographs, vacuum pumps, oxygen cylinders, syringes, became restlessness-shackled, first in taut-white-canvas, then chemically, until resistance became mime, wordless gesture— the lifting of a right hand, thumb & index finger grasping the image of a burning Camel cigarette, the image of a ripe Georgia peach, the image of a double-shot of Tanqueray gin on-the-rocks,

became fever,

became erratic-rasp clogged with blood mucus

chunks of erroding lungs,

became stillness,

silence

became sibilations,

became cold,

white

& stiff.

The sardonic humorist rode shotgun through the Nevada desert. There were three short laughs of equal timbre. His pain did not respond to massage. He slouched, listing slightly to the left.

Later, he became an estimate on a National Funeral Arrangement Sheet. He became the deceased on a Death Certificate, the deceased on an Authorization And Receipt For Delivery Of Cremated Remains, the Deceased on a Permit For Disposition Of Human Remains. He became the occupant of a flat-top casket.. He became ash. He became the contents of one Certified Mail envelope. He became scattered became an obituary a Death Notice became Title Of Case, Probate became #50459

the decedent.

There are seriously broken pipes in the bathroom and I do not have access to a pipe threader. I have severely severed my left index finger with a large French knife. My housemate has painted the kitchen trim orange. There were three short laughs of equal timbre. How do you, Reader, pronounce Stucky’s ?

(Parenthetically, this particular S-T-U-C-K-Y’S is one of a truck-stop restaurant chain located in the Nevada Great Basin Desert between Battle Mountain and the Humbolt Sink (“…an area of interior drainage where streams lose their identity beneath the ground instead of contributing their waters to the sea…” — that is, the area ignores both East

& West,

& flows-into

itself.)

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ROBBIE RAY MOVES TO 7-0 WITH 6 STRONG INNINGS, SAM HUFF HOMERS AS GIANTS BEAT NATIONALS 3-2

Robbie Ray pitched six strong innings to improve to 7-0, Sam Huff homered and the San Francisco Giants hung on to beat the Nationals 3-2 on Sunday and take two of three at Washington.

Ray allowed a run on three hits and struck out seven without a walk, lowering his ERA to 2.56.

Washington's CJ Abrams led off the ninth with a double off of closer Ryan Walker. James Wood drove Abrams in with a one-out double to make it 3-2, but Walker retired the next two batters to earn his 10th save.

The AL Cy Young Award winner in 2021 with Toronto, Ray became the second Giants pitcher in the past 30 years to start a season 7-0 after Kevin Gausman did it in 2021. The Giants are 10-1 in Ray's starts.

Washington's Michael Soroka (1-2) went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits.

Leading off the second, Huff hit a shot to left that bounced off the top of the wall and into the Giants bullpen to make it 2-0. Mike Yastrzemski followed with a triple off the center field fence and scored on a grounder by Heliot Ramos.

Nasim Nuñez singled, went to second on a groundout, stole third and scored on a wild pitch to pull the Nationals within 3-1 in the third.

Ray retired 12 of his final 13 batters.

Key moment

With one out and the tying run on second in the ninth, Walker fanned Nathaniel Lowe and got Alex Call on a fly to right.

Up next

Giants RHP Logan Birdsong (2-0, 1.91 ERA) pitches when the Giants open a three-game series at Detroit on Monday. Nationals LHP Mitchell Parker (4-3, 4.39 ERA) starts the first of a three-game series at Seattle on Tuesday.

(AP)

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THE COYOTES OF SAN FRANCISCO

by Heather Knight & Loren Elliot

They walk along busy San Francisco streets. In Chinatown plazas. Across the paths of Muni buses.

One was found dozing in a laundromat.

Coyotes can sometimes be seen roaming in cities around the country, including Chicago and New York. But in San Francisco, they have become ubiquitous, and the tension between humans and coyotes is growing.

Some people adore them, and coyote mania has seeped into the city’s quirky culture. Others despise them and have called for their eradication, especially after one lunged at children and killed small dogs. Many people simply wonder where they all came from in the first place.

Dozens of coyotes live in San Francisco, with small packs controlling specific territories like mob families. Golden Gate Park is home to two clans, with the 19th Avenue thoroughfare apparently serving as their dividing line. Other coyotes lay claim to parks, canyons, hills and golf courses that dot the urban landscape.

Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, said a coyote had settled into the backyard of his mansion and lounged on his patio furniture. Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback, was filming a John Deere commercial in the city last year when he spotted a woman walking with her child and dog, unaware that a coyote was trailing them.

“I screamed, ‘Yo, there is a coyote!’” Mr. Purdy recalled later on ESPN. “That thing went running off.”

How Did They Return?

It was not always like this.

Coyotes are native to California and were widespread in San Francisco in the early 1900s, but local residents considered them a part of the Wild West that needed to be removed. They vanished after a government-sponsored campaign that encouraged residents to poison or shoot the animals.

More than 75 years passed before coyotes re-emerged in the city in the early 2000s. It is unclear how or why they returned, but blood samples point to a fascinating theory.

San Francisco is surrounded on three sides by water, so one might assume that the coyotes returned through the fourth side, by way of the southern hills that run down the spine of the peninsula toward Silicon Valley.

But scientists found that the DNA of the first arrivals did not match that of coyotes to the south. Instead, it matched the DNA of coyotes found to the north, beyond the strait and bay that separate the city from Marin County.

“Did they walk over the Golden Gate Bridge?” asked Christine Wilkinson, a carnivore ecologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “That’s my top theory.”

Once the first coyotes returned to the city, she said, they probably howled to attract others to follow.

“Coyotes will be where they want to be,” Dr. Wilkinson said.

Their numbers in the city reached about 100, or roughly two per square mile, several years ago and have held steady since. People began to notice them more often during the pandemic lockdown, and suddenly, it seemed as though the coyotes were everywhere.

The animals are depicted in several murals around the city. The San Francisco Standard, a local news site, included coyotes alongside Stephen Curry and Mark Zuckerberg in its new list of the city’s power players.

Janet Kessler, a self-taught advocate known as “the Coyote Lady,” regularly gives talks about the animals to packed audiences at local libraries, and she is convinced that most San Franciscans are awed by the creatures.

“I talk to a lot of people in the parks,” she said, “and 95 percent are thrilled at seeing the coyotes.”

But the coyotes’ encroachment on city living has angered some residents.

At a summer camp held near a coyote den in Golden Gate Park last year, an animal bit a 5-year-old on her backside, forcing her to get stitches. In response, federal agents shot three coyotes in one family there.

Elsewhere, some neighbors were furious when athletic fields and a dog park temporarily closed because coyotes were roaming on them.

But the most outrage came from people at Crissy Field, a popular bayside beach and park, who made up to 10 reports a day of a very aggressive coyote.

On an unusually warm night in October, a small crew of scientists and federal agents stood at San Francisco’s northern edge, straining to find their target.

The Golden Gate Bridge stood to their left. Alcatraz to their right. Carrying a .22 rifle with a silencer and peering through thermal scopes and binoculars, the agents eyed raccoons foraging in the marsh, geese migrating across the bay and barn owls flying over Crissy Field.

The team’s mark, however, remained elusive. They were after a male coyote, a yearling who had grown far too bold. He had killed at least three small dogs and lunged at children on a school outing.

The hunters were determined to make this night his last, but the apex predator had other ideas.

Generally speaking, the problem, scientists say, is not the coyotes of San Francisco. It is the humans.

Fishermen leave bait on piers, and picnickers leave scraps in parks. Trash cans spill over with detritus that the coyotes relish. Over time, the coyotes have come to associate humans with food.

Another problem, scientists say, is that people let their small dogs off leash even in known coyote territory.

Christopher Schell, an assistant professor and urban ecologist who runs a lab studying city-dwelling carnivores at the University of California, Berkeley, said that San Francisco would be far worse off without coyotes.

“They keep the rest of the ecosystem in check,” he said.

Without them, rats and the diseases they carry would surge, Dr. Schell said. They also help control the feral cat population, protecting birds, reptiles and insects.

But coexisting can be difficult. San Francisco’s Animal Care and Control was besieged with calls about the dangerous encounters with the problematic Crissy Field animal.

That coyote still haunts Michelle Sheppard, a longtime city resident and nurse at the University of California, San Francisco.

She was walking Poseidon, her eight-pound puppy, in late September. She let him roam free at the beach, where off-leash dogs are allowed, but made sure he was close by.

“All of a sudden I hear a yelp. I turned around, and a coyote had him in his mouth,” she recalled.

“I was screaming like a crazy lady,” she said. “‘A coyote just took my dog!’”

She dashed after the coyote and finally caught up to him. It was far too late. Poseidon died soon after.

‘It’s Not the Coyote’s Fault’

Back on that October night, the hunters’ goal was to kill the dangerous coyote and then preserve his brain to determine whether he had suffered from any diseases that might have explained his aggression. Killing small dogs was considered normal behavior for coyotes, but when this animal lunged at children, local and federal agencies agreed he must be shot.

After searching for two nights, they finally found him in their scopes.

A federal agent hoisted a rifle, aimed for the coyote’s heart and fired. The bullet struck his lung.

The coyote darted off, wounded.

The team looked for him for hours until they detected heat amid trees in a nearby forest. He had finally died, a year and a half after he was born in a thicket at the Presidio Golf Course. (Wildlife specialists determined his age by observing his behavior and later studying his teeth, and his family is the only known pack in the Presidio.)

Phoebe Parker-Shames, a wildlife ecologist for the Presidio Trust who joined the hunters both nights, said she saw the killing as a failure of the public to be good stewards of the land and of the government to better educate people about living with coyotes.

Many residents overreact to the normal behavior of “escorting” — steering humans away from dens with pups inside. Debates have become heated on social media.

Since the October killing, reports of aggressive interactions between coyotes and dogs at Crissy Field have waned.

Dr. Parker-Shames and other Presidio workers gathered at the beach for a memorial service for the coyote. She read a poem. A gardener sang an old country song called “Coyotes,” in which the chorus consists of coyotes yipping. The group spread flowers.

Dr. Parker-Shames intended to send the coyote’s body to a lab for a necropsy, but coordination with the lab has been delayed because of President Trump’s firings of federal workers in the National Park Service.

The corpse remains in a plastic bag in a basement freezer. She removed the body on a recent day to pick whiskers and an ear snip for research.

“It was hard for all of us because it’s not the coyote’s fault,” she said, wiping away tears.

She placed the body back in the freezer. “Night, night,” she whispered.

Coyotes sometimes compensate for death by reproducing more the following year, Dr. Parker-Shames explained.

Seven new pups were born at the Presidio golf course last month, all siblings of the slain coyote.

(NY Times)

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ANTHROMORPH OF THE WEEK, an on-line coyote story:

I lived in Southern California, North of San Diego, for 25 years. One early summer evening I went out for a run on a trail that started about half-a-block from the house. About three minutes into the run I came up on a pack of six coyotes. I stopped running and started quietly talking to them. I said: “You're such lovely creatures. You're truly beautiful. And I'm not afraid of you. I know you're looking for bunnies for your dinner. And I want to get on with my run so I can have my dinner when I'm finished. So why don't you just let me pass by?” One by one the coyotes left the trail and headed into the brush, while one, who I presumed was the alpha male stood his ground, briefly, and we stared at one another for a minute or so. Then I said: “I'm going to start running now and I know you're going to let me go,” and I began to run, he looked me straight in the eyes one more time before leaving the trail. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life. Whenever I tell the story to people I get tears in my eyes. We share this planet with magnificent, beautiful, intelligent animals who deserve our respect and admiration for what makes them so special. I often wish there were more of them and less of us… humans.

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LEAD STORIES, MONDAY'S NYT

Trump’s Vision: One World, Three Powers?

For Trump, Civil Rights Protections Should Help White Men

Members Only: A New Trump Club, Ned’s Club and the Enduring Old Guard

Russia Intensifies Attacks on Ukraine as U.S. Steps Back

Trump Rebukes Putin, Calls Escalation of Attacks ‘Absolutely Crazy’

NATO Wants a Cordial Summit, but Trump or Zelensky Could Disrupt It

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JUDGE IN DEREK CHAUVIN CASE BREAKS SILENCE, CALLS OUT ‘DEFUND POLICE’ CROWD FOR COMPLICATING TRIAL

by Shane Galvin

The judge in Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s claimed that “defund the police” “idiots” made it difficult to carry out the trial — but insists he gave the man convicted of killing George Floyd a fair shake.

In his first interview since the high-profile trial, retired Judge Peter Cahill, 66, gave insight into his attempts to manage the media circus and specifically called out the Minneapolis city council for making the situation worse through toxic politics, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

“It did not help that people were saying ‘defund the police’ — all these idiots on the Minneapolis City Council,” Cahill told the outlet.

Cahill further called out the Minneapolis City Council for announcing a record pre-trial $27 million settlement to Floyd’s family as the jury was preparing for their duties back in 2021.

The retired jurist had a glib response for critics who suggested the judge should have consented to the defense’s calls for a change of venue for the trial.

“What, are we going to change the venue to Mars?,” he told the outlet.

Later in the interview he defended his decision to have the trial broadcast live to millions over live stream.

Due to COVID-era social distancing policies, only 6 people were permitted to be in the court room, which he believed was contrary to the US Constitution’s guarantee to a public trial.

“The six seats were designated for family members. So is that a public trial?,” Cahill asked in the interview.

The 66-year-old further expressed frustration with politicians who were adding fuel to the fire, including then-President Joe Biden who commented publicly about the jury reaching the “right verdict” and Rep. Maxine Waters who urged protesters to be confrontational.

Cahill stated that he was “pissed off” by a New York Times report that outlined the terms of a potential 10-year plea deal for Chauvin before the trial even started, the Star Tribune reported.

The judge also said he had a “bias” towards police officers, which is something he consciously attempted to put aside during the Chauvin trial.

“Part of my training is to check my bias. And to be honest, I think I have a pro-police bias… that I have to be careful not to act on,” the retired judge said, adding contextually that his brother is a police officer in Wisconsin.

Despite taking aim at several left-wing groups, Cahill said he “hated extremists” and “crazies” “on both sides” and also took aim at the right-wing.

“The far right, you know, their daily bread is revisionist history. But in this particular instance, it’s a lack of trust in the judicial system as a whole, and the jury system, and that’s concerning,” Cahill told the Star Tribune.

“I think what concerns me most about the revisionist history is the lack of confidence in the judicial process – not even the system or the judges, the judicial process,” he said.

“We had 12 jurors from a variety of backgrounds who gave it good consideration. And I bet if you interviewed them, they’d say they don’t regret their decision,” the judge contended.

Though confident in how he handled the controversial case, Cahill revealed that he changed the frame of his glasses so he’s less likely to be recognized.

“I changed my look so I don’t look like that Chauvin judge,” he told the outlet.

The jurist also revealed that he received a warm letter from fellow retired judge Lance Ito, who famously oversaw the OJ Simpson trial, which wished him “peace and wisdom,” the outlet reported.

(New York Post)

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TRUMP DONORS FURIOUS AT ‘BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL’ as ultimate market signal flashes RED on national debt

by Katelyn Caralle

Trump insiders are worried that investors are spooked with the House version of the massive tax and budget bill that passed last week.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act will drastically increase federal government debt between 3 and 5 trillion over next 10 years – and market experts warn that a massive bond crisis is impending.

The national debt currently stands at 36.2 trillion. Just the yearly interest payment on that massive debt is higher than total defense spending as proportionate to the U.S. GDP.

Chamath Palihapitiya, a big donor of President Donald Trump, said in a Friday episode of the All-In Podcast that Republicans in Congress are flubbing the promised tax and budget overhaul and warns the final version will likely hurt the middle class.

He also said that energy and health care prices are likely to increase – hurting middle class Americans the most.

The scariest part, insiders cautioned on the podcast, is that if investors stop buying bonds it signals they don't have confidence in the U.S. government to pay off its debts, which is even a bigger concern than if the stock market crashes.

Once the federal government borrows for the spending detailed in their bill, they will need to issue more bonds, which will send the bond price tumbling further since demand is already so weak. This means higher interest rates for all Americans

Since bonds are usually considered the safest investment options, a lack of investor confidence in these purchases could signal a massive crash in the U.S. economy.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed overnight Wednesday to Thursday by a single vote.

But the House version includes a slew of government spending that goes directly in contrast to Trump's promised DOGE efforts to reduce the national debt and make massive cuts over the last several months.

To fund ongoing expenses on the federal level, the Treasury will sell bonds to investors.

South African entrepreneur and investor David Friedberg explained how the bond market sell of on Thursday is indicative of massive incoming issues.

If the bond market is not healthy, the Treasury will need to increase bond yields, which would raise interest rates for everyone on things like home loans and mortgages and business loans.

Friedberg said that the interest on U.S. debt 'gets away from you and you can't fix it.'

'That's what the market is telling us – that the current bill that is being passed out of the House is showing such an extraordinarily high deficit that the market does not want to buy the debt from the government, rates are now climbing and that creates a massive problem for the government,' he warned on Friday's All-In podcast episode.

The House stayed overnight on Capitol Hill this week to pass the lower chamber's version of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). The late-night mark-ups over the last few weeks led to some viral moments where multiple members were shown sleeping through sessions.

The four panel members of the conservative economic, tech and politics All-In Podcast tore into the bill, claiming that the negotiated version leaves much to be desired.

AI and crypto czar David Sacks said that he thinks it would hurt Republicans in the 2026 midterms if they didn't pass the bill – but he also isn't convinced that it's good as it stands.

'Will this bill be bad for the Republicans prospects in the midterms? I guess what I would say to that is I don't expect how you expect to do well in the midterms if Republicans preside over the largest tax increase in decades,' Sacks said.

'If we don't make those tax cuts permanent, then you will accomplish what Joe Biden could not, which is raise taxes on the American people.'

Then Trump donor and Canadian-American venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya said in a Friday episode of their podcast: 'Traditional Republicans and traditional Democrats [are] circling the wagon and putting on a platter a set of things that I think will be hurtful to average Americans.'

He excoriated the BBB by claiming: 'You're going to see energy prices spike, you're gutting the number of electrons that will be available for things like AI. You're going to increase Medicare prices. And the math is wrong.'

'This thing is an albatross,' Palihapitiya insisted. 'And I think, unfortunately for President Trump's agenda and for a MAGA movement, this is the worst of all conditions. The financial markets will punish us.'

Trump's Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology David Sacks in the podcast gave more leeway to the bill.

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) and crypto currency czar still slammed the House for not getting in the final version a provision that codified the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts into law.

Republicans have only a three-vote majority in the House, meaning they have very little wiggle room when it comes to getting controversial pieces of Trump's agenda shoved through the lower chamber.

Sacks said of the bill: 'Do I wish it cut spending more? Yes.'

'I mean, do I wish that it made all the DOGE cuts permanent through recision? Yeah, absolutely,' he continued. 'I think it's outrageous that there were enough House Republicans who didn't want to back up DOGE that it wasn't enacted.'

The House passed in a 215-214 vote is a major milestone for the White House and Republicans in Congress who have spent the entirety of the new administration crafting the measure's specifics.

House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the bill on Sunday.

He called on Senate Republicans to fall in line and said passing the bill in the upper chamber is a 'critically important thing to do.'

'It does not mean that we're going to spend more money,' he insisted on Fox News Sunday. 'We're extending the debt ceiling to show to creditors, the bond markets, the stock market, that the Congress is serious about this.'

'President Trump is dialed in 100 percent. He is a visionary leader. He does not want to spend more money. And he has the same concern about the national debt that Rand Paul and I do.'

But several Republicans in the Senate say they are not happy with the bill as it stands.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been a vocal critic of the bill and said on Fox News Sunday the cuts are 'wimpy and anemic.'

'But I still would support the bill even with wimpy and anemic cuts if they weren't going to explode the debt,' he added.

Previously Paul said he was a 'no' on the House bill unless it removes the $4 trillion debt limit hike.

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THE BIDEN SCANDAL GOES WELL BEYOND THE AGING COVER-UP

The former president’s stubbornness and narcissism led to disastrous Trump victory.

by Jeet Heer

Democrats have long needed an honest reckoning with Joe Biden’s failed presidency, which ended with his humiliating decision to abandon his reelection bid at nearly the last possible moment in July 2024—which in turn led to a hobbled campaign by Kamala Harris, and Donald Trump’s return to the White House. A disaster on that scale calls for at least some self-reflection. When dealing with a collective entity such as a political party, the minimum demand should be a thoroughgoing autopsy.

Yet, for a variety of reasons, Democrats have largely avoided even cursory introspection. The sheer awfulness of Donald Trump is one factor for the lack of internal critique,—or more accurately, a convenient easy excuse. The forthcoming publication on May 20 of the book Original Sin by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson is igniting the debate that many Democratic insiders have been trying to tamp down. The book documents Joe Biden’s deteriorating cognitive capacity and health during his presidency and alleges a cover-up by Biden’s inner circle.

Speaking on Tuesday to reporters about whether Biden should even have sought reelection given public perception about his aging, former secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg said, “We’re also not in a position to wallow in hindsight. We’ve got to get ready for some fundamental tests for the future of the country and this party.”

Given the necessity of fighting Trump, there’s a temptation to say that the party doesn’t have time for potentially divisive internal wrangling. But there is a more self-interested reason for wanting not to “wallow in hindsight.” As Tapper and Thompson document, all too many high officials and political strategists, many of whom are still guiding the party, were implicated in Biden’s scandalous coverup. Writing in The Nation, Norman Solomon rightly decried the pervasive “careerism” that implicated all wings of the party, centrists and progressives alike.

The problem with Buttigieg’s refusal to “wallow in hindsight” is that for many voters the failure of the Biden presidency isn’t something that can easily be relegated to the past but remains a reason to distrust the Democratic Party. In particular, the allegation of a cover-up casts a long shadow. A poll conducted by NBC in March showed Democrats were at a historical low point in public esteem, with only 27 percent of Americans having a favorable opinion of the party. In contrast to Buttigieg’s head-in-the-sand attitude, Representative Ro Khanna was more realistic when he posted on Wednesday, “To rebuild trust, Democrats must be honest. In light of the facts that have come out, Joe Biden should not have run for re-election, and we should have had an open primary.”

In an excerpt of their book in The New Yorker, Tapper and Thompson paint a dire picture of Biden’s incapacity as president:

The real issue wasn’t his age, per se. It was the clear limitations of his abilities, which got worse throughout his Presidency. What the public saw of his functioning was concerning. What was going on in private was worse. While Biden on a day-in, day-out basis could certainly make decisions and assert wisdom and act as President, there were several significant issues that complicated his Presidency: a limit to the hours in which he could reliably function and an increasing number of moments when he seemed to freeze up, lose his train of thought, forget the names of top aides, or momentarily not remember friends he’d known for decades. Not to mention impairments to his ability to communicate—ones unrelated to his lifelong stutter.

But the Biden scandal goes beyond his catastrophic decision to run again in 2024. Reviewing Original Sin in The Washington Post, Alex Shepherd of The New Republic notes:

“…there is evidence that Biden’s cognitive decline began all the way back in 2015, after the death of his son Beau, and that he required extensive help to conduct straightforward interviews during the 2020 election (he was often helped by being able to use a teleprompter, since so much of campaigning was done remotely during the Covid pandemic). The most troubling suggestion in Tapper and Thompson’s book is that Biden’s real original sin wasn’t running for re-election—it was running for the presidency in the first place.

If Biden’s decision to run in 2020 was a mistake, the scandal of his presidency encompasses a much wider group of leaders. After all, Biden was faltering in the early primaries when, in a bid to stop Bernie Sanders’s surging campaign, Democratic Party establishment leaders coalesced around Biden as the candidate with the best chance to prevent the left from gaining the nomination. This led to Representative James Clyburn’s pivotal endorsement of Biden before the South Carolina primary, as well as the decision by Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar to drop out of the race in favor of Biden. Behind the scenes, former president Barack Obama reportedly herded party support in Biden’s direction.

Biden was always a lackluster campaigner. It took the party elite to win him the nomination. His victory in the subsequent general election was also aided by outside factors, notably the Covid disaster (which allowed Biden to do the kind of remote campaigning he preferred) and Trump’s historic unpopularity. If Biden won the 2020 nomination because of the party elite, then his failures belong not just to him alone—or to his inner circle.

After his 2020 victory, Biden’s cognitive decline intersected with his more unpleasant personal traits. The fact that he required the assistance of the party elite to win the nomination did not make Biden a more humble man. Quite the reverse. Biden seems to have seen his victory as a personal vindication against the doubters he thought always underestimated him.

A stubborn and arrogant unwillingness to listen to critics characterized Biden’s presidency. On foreign policy, he refused to budge from his bear-hug strategy of embracing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden’s mental blinkers were so strong he was incapable of even seeing conflicting evidence. NBC News reported a telling detail in an account of a private meeting Biden had in April 2024 with Arab and Muslim Americans: “A doctor who attended was taken aback when she showed Biden prints of photos of malnourished children and women in Gaza—to which Biden responded that he had seen those images before. The problem, the doctor said, was that she had printed the photos from her own iPhone.”

Writing in The American Prospect, veteran political strategist Stan Greenberg offered a compelling account of how Biden’s arrogance sabotaged Kamala Harris’s campaign. Greenberg notes that prior to dropping out Biden didn’t want to acknowledge persistent economic problems but preferred to tout his achievements. According to Greenberg, “Biden’s deep personal insecurity and paranoia produced a preposterous campaign based on his accomplishments, in what was really a change election.”

After dropping out, Biden continued to interject himself into the campaign in harmful ways, aided by the fact that his former campaign staff was now running the Harris campaign. As Greenberg recounts:

Biden did grudgingly drop out—but not until July 21st. The short remaining time led Harris to keep Biden’s campaign largely intact. Before her debate with Trump, he called her and insisted there be “No daylight, kid.”

Biden felt Harris had underutilized him and did everything possible to be part of the story at the close. That led him to join a campaign call during Harris’s closing speech on the Ellipse to observe that “the only garbage I see floating there is his supporters.” Using actual garbage trucks, Trump was able to fuse Biden and Harris and tie them to Hillary Clinton calling Trump voters “deplorables.”…

The campaign wrote an economic speech saying, “As president of the United States, it will be my intention to build on the foundation of this progress,” making it easier to brand Harris with “Bidenomics.”

As I saw, the Biden staff didn’t mind her sliding away from the “cost of living.” Biden would not utter the words because he thought it was criticism of the economy.

Greenberg’s focus on Biden’s arrogant economic message is an important supplement to the Tapper and Thompson account of Biden’s cognitive decline. Biden’s visible aging was a big political problem—and likely the primary driver of his unpopularity. But it wasn’t the only problem. Out of personal arrogance, perhaps made worse by his cognitive decline, Biden was unable to listen to critics of his domestic and foreign policy. And by insisting that there be “no daylight” between himself and Harris, Biden wrapped an anchor around the neck of his vice president.

While Biden had some genuine domestic achievements, particularly in his first two years, his larger presidency left a blighted record. Democrats won’t be able to win back the public unless they start talking frankly about what went wrong—and how party elites were implicated in the disaster. And until those elites are replaced.

(TheNation)

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