Comment on Mike's Blog Round Up

Expect Colorado’s upcoming state tax refund to be the last big one for a while. Forecasts by legislative economists released on Thursday predict a softening of economic conditions, tighter budget forecasts and recent changes to state law. Together, those are expected to decrease state refunds due under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, from recent historic highs. Projections put TABOR refunds for individual filers at between $181 and $571 this upcoming tax season, depending on household income.

With a government shutdown looming in less than two weeks and the 2024 Presidential election in November, GOP Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise is springing into action by going after (checks notes) "wokeness." That sounds about right since House Republicans just defeated their own funding bill yesterday. Maybe, just maybe, that's because Donald has been calling for a shutdown for a couple of weeks now.

Miss Sassy is a Maine Coon from Springfield, Ohio, reported missing by her owner Anna Kilgore. Turns out though, even after rumor-spreading by JD Vance she was found alive and well in her owner's basement. Mrs Kilgore has since apologized to her Haitian neighbors and posted on Facebook. No such apology from JD Vance, however. Source: Daily Beast JD Vance’s insinuation that pets are being swiped and eaten by Haitian immigrants has hit yet another embarrassing snag. Vance’s campaign, responding to scrutiny over the hoax, shared a police report with the Wall Street Journal this week that detailed a Springfield, Ohio, resident’s claim that her cat mysteriously vanished in August.

Rep. Lauren Boebert tried to be witty with Diddy but came very bland, so let's give her a hand. The Colorado carpetbagger joined Real America's Voice and tried to be gadgety with her wordplay, but she fell flat. If Boebert thinks America will ever forget the video of her sexcapades at Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice the Musical she has another think coming.

Lawyers, Guns and Money: John Roberts' rationalizations to give cover for Trump. Emptywheel: How Kamala Harris dodged the "two truths" problem. Horizons: The story J. D. Vance doesn't want you to hear about small towns like Springfield, Ohio. annieasksyou…: Please call your senators about possible mail-in voting delays. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: House Republican agendas and Project 2025 would increase poverty and hardship (among other things). This installment by Batocchio.

Ukraine struck the supposedly unassailable ammunition depot by besting air defenses with a reported 100-drone assault. The resulting explosion/s could be felt hundreds of kilometres away and created an earthquake measuring 2.8. An estimated 30,000 tons of munitions were stored there, including missiles for the S300 and s400 missile defense systems.