Maine removes Trump from ballot.
after weeks of humiliating ineptitude, the Republicans manage to elect a new speaker, an individual named “Mike Johnson” who wasn’t on anybody’s list, and in fact isn’t even a member of Congress. He was delivering a pizza to the Capitol and seemed at least marginally competent — all the toppings were correct — so they made him speaker. Minutes after delivering a pizza to the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson is elected Speaker. Kent Nishimura / USA TODAY NETWORK So the Republicans are a pathetic joke. This should be good for the Democrats, but they have big problems of their own. The public is increasingly dissatisfied with the Biden administration, which has based its appeal to the voters on four major claims: 1. Inflation is no longer a problem. 2. The border is under control. 3. The president is fully capable, physically and mentally, of carrying out his duties for another full term. 4. The Moon is actually a giant spaceship controlled by an alien race of highly intelligent rutabagas. Polls show that the public is deeply skeptical of these claims, especially the first three. In fact the voters are skeptical of pretty much everything happening in Washington, and increasingly pessimistic about the future; it is a worrisome time in America. Fortunately, the international outlook is more promising, especially in the often-volatile Middle East, which lately has been unusually peacef.... Never mind.