Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race. He's endorsing Kamala Harris. I'm endorsing Kamala Harris. Anyone who wants a President who doesn't act like he just popped out of a Cracker Jack box should do the same. From his announcement: My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kam ..read more

I'll be watching and I hope some of you will join me. When it's over, we can discuss: Where can we go to find America? Updates with my comments below. Shorter version: It was a disappointing performance by Biden due to his low energy and weak, very low voice, but Trump was an energizer bunny of lies. [More...] The answer, of course, is: This is a pre-debate thread. See you in a few hours. Update: 9:25 pm: Is this a debate or the Wizard of Oz -- Trump keeps saying "If we only had a leader". As in, if we only had a leader there would be have been no war in Ukraine and no attack on Israel. Tru ..read more

Run Lola Run is back in theaters Friday, on the 25th anniversary of its 1999 release. It has been restored and upgraded to 4k. If you still go to movie theaters, this is one to see there. As director/writer Tom Tykwer says during a recent interview in the linked article, the reaction of people watching the film has been a "sheer joy to watch". A very basic plot summary from the article: In the film, Lola (Franka Potente) has 20 minutes to come up with enough money to get her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bliebtreu), out of debt with a gangster. The film portrays three attempts by Lola to find a s ..read more

I am not writing about the Israel-Hamas war, or as of yet, the protests on college campuses. But I know everyone has strong feelings about the protests. And many readers do want to discuss them. So here's an open thread for those of you who do want to discuss these topics. Keep in mind TalkLeft is not the government and what you consider free speech may differ from my interpretation of acceptable speech. And since this is my site, my interpretation prevails. [More...] As a related side-note, I still follow the Twitter feeds of several ISIS/Syria researchers, most of whom are now covering ISIS ..read more

When covering a trial, there is nothing better to read for accuracy than the court transcripts. In almost all federal trials, transcripts are guarded like hawks, because that's how court reporters make their money. By the page. In major trials, the major media companies form a consortium and pitch in together to share the cost. But they rarely share, due to the court reporter's right to charge for each copy. The Trump hush-money trial is not in federal court, and some state courts are better attuned to transparency with their citizens. So let's give thanks to the New York State Court system, w ..read more

Forget the $5 million the first Jean Carroll jury ordered Donald Trump to pay for defaming her. That's bupkis compared to Friday's verdict by jury # two which decided, after only 3 hours of deliberation, that Trump should pay Carroll a total of $83 million in damages: $18.3 mil in compensatory damages and $68 million in punitive damages. <p> Now here's the important thing for Trump: He can shed as many tears of a clown as he wants, but if he intends to appeal this verdict (and he appealed the first verdict), I would imagine he's going to put up a much heftier appeal bond in this caase th ..read more

I've joked a few times I wouldn't be surprised if Trump were to make Ivanka his running mate -- or appoint Don Jr.'s girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle to be Attorney General if he gets re-elected (because she would dismiss the federal indictments against him, relieving him of the need to spend years in court debating whether he has the power to pardon himself). But I missed the real mark: It's Eric's wife Lara Trump who Donald Trump is promoting for Co-Chair of the Republican Party. Can no one in this family get where they want to go on their own credentials and experience? Apparently not. Except ..read more

A New York Judge has rejected Donald Trump's request to delay his trial in the "Hush Money" - Stormy Daniels case. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He denies the charges. Prosecutors intend to prove that Trump resorted to business fraud as a means of concealing the true nature of the payments so as not to hurt his chances of winning the presidency in 2016. What a difference a year makes. When this Indictment was announced, it was a big deal. Now, it seems so hum-hum. Trump indicted? What else is new ..read more

Sad news. Singer and 60's icon Melanie (Safka) has passed away at age 76. She was one of a kind. Her voice was so rich, so unique and powerful. I loved listening to her albums, especially the ones with "Brand New Key" and Beautiful People. Her children posted the news on Facebook. They ask: ... that tonight (Jan. 24), at 10 p.m. CT, “each of you lights a candle in honor of Melanie. Raise, raise them high, high up again. Illuminate the darkness, and let us all be connected in remembrance of the extraordinary woman who was wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to so very many ..read more