Paul Ryan, who has always planned to privatize and gut Medicare, now says Donald Trump is on board. You can hear Ryan say he's already talking about it with Trump this Fox News interview.

He says overhauling Medicare is more of a priority than social security (which he says he has not discussed with Trump.)

If Republicans in Congress attempt to gut Medicare, there will be riots instead of protests. Starving Grandma is acceptable to no one.

Donald Trump remains true to his shallow roots. He's just moved from Celebrity Apprentice to Dynasty in naming his transition team. He's put his three adult offspring and a son in law in charge of picking who will run our country.

The list has 16 names, which means 25% of them are Trump's family members. [More...]

ISIS has released Issue 3 of Rumiyah Magazine, in English. (no link due to not wanting to promote its readership).

It begins with a transcript of IS leader al Baghadi's recent speech. Then there is an article called "Just Terror Tactics" that praises the use of vehicle attacks, particularly with large trucks like those you can rent from Hertz and U-Haul.

It has a two big photos of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and states it is an "excellent target."

The article also contains instructions for what kind of truck you need, and suggests ways to get one. It then goes into what you need to prepare for the attack, how to make sure ISIS gets the credit and how to maximize the body count, none of which I will repeat. The reason for increasing the body count is interesting though: the article says a higher body count may "increase the
possibility of attaining shahadah" which in turn, is the "best of departures" from this world. [More..]

David Remmick in the New Yorker has an excellent article on Donald Trump's win, calling it nothing short of an American Tragedy. He is correct, for all the reasons he states. (Also See Remmick's long article a few weeks ago in the New Yorker on his last interview with Leonard Cohen.)

Protests continued around the country last night. Thousands marched down the 16th St. Mall in Denver. [More...]

Leonard Cohen has died.

[More...]

Rudy Giuliani campaigns for the job of Attorney General on TV. He's not in favor of prosecuting Clinton or pardoning her. (She doesn't need a pardon, she committed no crime. How about talking about Rudy and FBI leaks)?

Neither Rudy nor Christie should be AG. [More...]

Did any of you wake up today and say, "This must be a nightmare, this can't be happening?" I sure did.

Late Night Show Hosts react to Trump. I'm sure everyone has their favorite, and you all know mine, and he did not disappoint.

Even his pitch at the end asking everyone to be nice to each other, including those who voted differently than we did, did not call for unity with political opponents on political issues, which I very much appreciated. He kept it human, devoid of politics. (Keep in mind, he's British and has only lived here a few years, he can't vote.)

On legalizing marijuana, James and Reggie are at their best.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Thousands are in the streets protesting Donald Trump.

Thousands of protesters swarmed the streets of several major cities Wednesday to voice their opposition to Donald Trump, who less than 24 hours earlier stunned the world in a upset victory to become the 45th person elected president of the United States.

Chanting "Not my president" and "F--- Trump," the scene outside Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago felt like a grand uprising — one where minority groups who have felt targeted by Donald Trump over the past eighteen months hoped to send a direct message to the president-elect.

[More...]

The day before the election the German Bonne Express wrote, Please, Not the Horror Clown. Today, an article appears referring to Trump as the sociopath in the White House

The nightmare has come true. Donald Trump is the new president of USA . The Americans have chosen a demagogue, sexist and racist the most powerful man in the world. At the White House soon sits a self-proclaimed savior with sociopathic traits. Unpredictable, brushed on riot. With an abundance of power without equal.

[More...]

The ACLU says Donald Trump is a one-man constitutional crisis and it is ready to fight him in court.

In the event of a Trump presidency, we have undertaken a constitutional analysis of his most controversial policy proposals. These include his pledges to deport over 11 million undocumented immigrants, to ban Muslims from entering the United States, to surveil American Muslims and their houses of worship, to torture again, and to revise libel laws. We have found them all wanting, to say the least. According to our analysis, Trump’s proposals taken together would violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Eighth Amendments to the Constitution.

ACLU lawyers have prepared this legal analysis of his positions. [More...]

Who really won this election?

The politics of fear. If you are Muslim, Gay, foreign born, female, African American or Hispanic, fear is in your future for the next four years.

If you are old, sick or dependent on social security and Medicare, fear is in your future for the next four years should you live so long. [More...]

The AP has declared Donald Trump the winner.

The Washington Post reports Hillary has phoned Trump and conceded:

Shortly after Wisconsin was called for Donald Trump, putting him over the 270 threshold needed to win the White House, Clinton called him to concede the election, The Washington Post has confirmed.

Absolutely vile.