John Oliver returns with a searing and bitingly funny review of Trump’s tenuous grip on reality.
Where does Trump get his news? Oliver explains it.
How do you distinguish between facts and alternative facts? Oliver explains.
There is a deeply serious side to all this. When Trump gets his news from a TV talk show host who believes the Sandy Hook Massacre was a staged fraud, the nation is in deep trouble. Not funny.
Our reader Susan Schwartz sent this link to a delightful song about Kellyanne Conway’s “alternative facts.”
The song is from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s fabulous fantastical musical CATS.
Andy Borowitz writes a humor column for “The New Yorker.”
In this post, he writes about Betsy DeVos and her shaky grasp of math.
Whoever knew the name of the Secretary of Education? Whoever cared what the Secretary of Education said or did?
DeVos is a lightning rod. She won’t operate under the radar. We are watching.
I received an announcement from Jennifer Berkshire, aka EduShyster, that she is changing the name of her blog. It seemed she got too many complaints that the word “shyster” has anti-Semitic overtones, and in this new era, where so much hatefulness has been let loose into the climate, she decided to drop the name.
http://haveyouheardblog.com/why-im-saying-farewell-to-edushyster/
In the future, the blog will be Have You Heard, and we can be sure that it will be as informed and as witty as in the past.
I can’t help but add, as a Jew, that I was never offended by the name of the blog and always enlightened by what I read. Keep writing, Jennifer, under any name or title you want. There are many who love you and are grateful for your humor and smarts.
The Onion is usually first with the news. Judge for yourself whether it’s real or fake.
At her first meeting with Department of Education staff, she rolled out her ambitious plans.
http://www.theonion.com/infographic/how-devos-plans-change-department-education-55259
Here are the first major initiatives. Open the link to read the rest of the plan.
“Modify Title IX to allow invisible hand of the market to sort out any student rape cases that may arise
“Identify at-risk students and do nothing whatsoever
“Ensure that all students, regardless of background, receive the opportunity to bask in the shining light of Christ
“Let low-income parents choose which one of their children gets to go to school.”
A few days ago, Kellyanne Conway noted that the media had failed to report the Bowling Green Massacre. Almost immediately, sharp observers pointed out that there was no Bowling Green Massacre. Conway said she made a mistake.
Too late. Creative people are writing and singing tributes to the heroes of Bowling Green.
Here is one, and another, and another.
Best of all is this sign, a tribute to the victims.
We will have to look for laughs wherever we can find them. Americans are creative people!
Melissa McCarthy is one of the funniest actresses of our time. If you don’t know her, rent a movie called “The Heat,” in which she co-stars with Sandra Bullock.
On Saturday Night Live, she played White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Enjoy!
Melissa McCarthy crashed SNL to play press secretary Sean Spicer, slam reporters, and swallow gum – Vox
You will enjoy these videos. The Netherlands did it first: they created a video and said if America is first, we should be second! Then other countries did their response, and the results are hilarious!
Enjoy!
A teacher in Pennsylvania named Kate Fritz created the GoFundMe campaign to buy Senator Pat Toomey’s vote, hoping she could persuade him to vote NO on DeVos by raising as much money as DeVos has given him ($55,800). Tonight her campaign was featured on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.
Kate has nearly met her goal (although she raised it to $60,100, probably after discovering another DeVos PAC).
In two days, 3380 people have donated $55,655.
Suppose Kate raises $70,000? Will DeVos match it? Will Toomey switch his vote?
More important, should we crowdsource the purchase The votes of other senators? Would we get into a bidding war with the DeVos family?
Trump is busily alienating every ally our nation has.
It has been widely reported that he had a “tough” conversation with the Australian prime minister and hung up 35 minutes before the call was scheduled to end.
Tweeters have been explaining why he hung up, and some of their comments are very funny.
Diane Ravitch's blog 