A government shutdown and new revenue forecasts tomorrow. Two of 5 things to watch as Washington state lawmakers head into week 2 of second special session.

WSU researcher starts sperm bank: “”We are able to freeze and thaw well enough to make a whole generation of queens.”

The Freeway Blogger brings a little earth to the motorways of California.

Everybody panic! The NSA is tapping your face.

Uncertainty and worry for state employees as Washington State government shutdown looms (and special thanks to Rodney Fucking Tom for that).

Cool on the outside, Goldy is inwardly titillated by rumors of an NHL team for Seattle.

Better access to Sound Transit stations is in your future!

Thom: The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

White House: West Wing Week.

The New and Improved G.O.P. War on Women™:

• Sam Seder: GOP lawmaker on men’s brains and women’s brains
• Maddow: Virginia Voters show signs of backlash against GOP anti-abortion extremism.
• Alex Wagner: Misogynist House Republicans advance another anti-abortion bill.
• Why are Republicans so fixated on rape and abortion?.
• Maddow: Republicans of Wisconsin Push Extreme Anti-abortion Laws:
• Sharpton: Wisconsin GOP misogynists push new ultrasound law
• Ann Telnaes: More Republican expertise on the female body.
• Sam Seder: FAUX guest implies Plan B promotes pedophiles

Thom: Even more of the Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

John Oliver: Gaywatch…international edition.

John Fugelsang: He’s 83, single and worth $11billion…..

Young Turks: Ohio State Rep. Dan Ramos proposes a way to end Citizens United without going through Congress.

ONN: Week in Review.

Thom: More Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Maddow: Christmas in Texas and protection from the Gays.

Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Week in Review.

NSAy What?

• Ann Telnaes: Gathering metadata.
• Jonathan Mann: NSA is Listening
• Town Square: Is NSA mass surveillance Okay if Obama Does it?
• Young Turks: Record breaking hypocrisy at FAUX News
• Sam Seder: Sean Hannity’s hardcore flip-flopping on NSA surveillance
• Tap It: The NSA Slow Jam.
• Operation everyone talk like a terrorist all the time:
• Young Turks: Bill-O The Clown shows massive hypocrisy over NSA program
• Mark Fiore: United States of Surveillance.
• Ann Telnaes: Spying semantics.

Pap: America’s crumbling infrastructure.

Stephen: Wall Street Journal’s Dorothy Rabinowitz crazy op-ed (via Crooks and Liars).

White House: Celebrating Father’s Day.

Maddow: The GOP’s obsession with sodomy, voodoo, satanism, racism & bigotry.

Sharpton: Obama calls out Republican obstructionism

Issa Idiot:

• O’Donnell: ‘Car thief’ Darrell Issa’s IRS investigation is falling apart!.
• Thom: Is Darrell Issa a bad investigator, or just a big liar?
• Sharpton: ‘Car thief’ Darrell Issa flips on IRS employee interview transcripts

Jeb Bush on those “more fertile” immigrants.

John Oliver: On the media coverage of Edward Snowden.

Politico Playback: The week in late night.

Chris Hayes: Jan Brewer rips Arizona GOP apart over Medicaid expansion (via Crooks and Liars).

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

The “New and Improved” Republican War on Women™ moves to Wisconsin.

Over eight hours Thursday, Republican lawmakers passed not only the ultrasound bill but two other bills restricting access to abortion and contraception. One bans state health care plans from covering abortions and exempts religious groups from the state requirement to provide birth control insurance coverage. The other prohibits sex-selective abortions and imposes fines on physicians.

The ultrasound bill also requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of the clinic, which Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin says could force the closure of its Appleton-area clinic.

During a contentious floor session Wednesday, the Senate also passed the ultrasound bill after Republican leaders cut off debate. Gov. Scott Walker has said he will sign the bill into law. The other two abortion bills now head to the Senate, where leaders say they might not get to them until this fall, after the summer recess.
[…]

One of the amendments offered by Democrats that failed to pass would have specified that only an abdominal ultrasound could be required and not the more invasive vaginal probe.

Holy fuck, where do they dig up these troglodytes?

Among other horrible effects of these inhumane bulls, rape victims in Wisconsin will get a little bit extra rape, thanks to Gov. Walker and the esteemed G.O.P. men of the Wisconsin legislature.

Your move, women of Wisconsin….

* I updated the title to reflect the fact that an ultrasound is not medically necessary before the vast majority of abortions. Hence a bill requiring a medically unnecessary transvaginal ultrasound is, essentially, rape. The lawmakers who voted for this bill are rapists.

The Washington state government is headed for a shutdown if a budget is not passed by the end of the month.

Wouldn’t a shutdown make Rodney Tom the Newt Gingrich of Washington State?

Please join us this evening for, yet, another “special session” of the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out plethora of other DL meetings over the next week. Tonight there are also meetings of the Tri-Cities and Vancouver, WA chapters. On Wednesday, the Bellingham chapter meets.
On Friday, Washington’s newest chapter, the Centralia chapter of Drinking Liberally, meets. Finally, next Monday, the Yakima chapters meet.

With 205 chapters of Living Liberally, including seventeen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

Zina Saunders: Hell rejects Margaret Thatcher.

John Fugelsang presents: ‘The Deeply Embarrasing Senator of the Week Award’.

Michele Quits:

• Stephen on Michele Bachmann’s greatest hits.
• Katrina vanden Heuvel: Good bye and good riddance
• Dave Rubin: Michele says goodbye.

Sam Seder: Mitt Romney thinks Hurricane Sandy was to blame.

Bill Maher with some new rules.

The Rob Ford crack-smoking video leaked.

Thom: Why California will be the new face of Obamacare.

Lawrence O’Donnell: The ‘rape’ men of the GOP.

Sam Seder: GW Bush uses Vets to relieve himself of guilt.

John Fugelsang: People who supported NSA Condoleezza Rice can’t criticize NSA Susan Rice:

Ann Telnaes: The military version of zero tolerance.

Surveillance Nation:

• Stephen on NSA surveillance.
• Liberal Viewer: FAUX News espionage act hypocrisy.

Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Scandal! State of America.

Young Turks: When God saved Boehner.

Jonathan Mann: Ode to the NY Times legal force.

Kimmel: This week in unnecessary censorship.

Sam Seder: GOP Senator blames hormones for military sexual assaults.

Maddow: GOP’s & FAUX News’ History of Fake ‘Obama Smoking Guns’

• Part I.
• Part II.

Stephen on Superman.

Thom: Why are “We the People” subsidizing the Tea Party:

Sharpton: GOP tells ‘car thief’ Darrell Issa to ‘cool it’.

Mental Floss: 31 Strange Medical Conditions.

The week in Chris Christie:

• Jon on Gov. Chris Christie.
• Sam Seder: Christie spends $12 Million to protect his reelection
• Young Turks: Christies big fat election.

Bill Maher: Pot is the new gay marriage.

O’Donnell: Incompetent Rudy Giuliani was an ‘unwitting accomplice’ of Al-Qaeda.

White House: West Wing Week.

ONN: Week in Review.

Jon says goodbye.

Young Turks: Is Roger Ailes insane?

Maddow: Not much for GOP to build on in outreach to women voters.

Ann Telnaes: More sexist nonsense from Republicans.

John Fugelsang and Dan Savage: Interrupting Michelle Obama.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

With summer on full display, please join us this evening to quench your physiological and political thirsts at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Here is Wall Street Journal editorial board member Dorothy Rabinowitz going off on the evils of bicycles and the evil bicycle sharing program recently launched in NYC. Note…this is NOT parody.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out another DL meeting over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. The Lakewood chapter meets on Wednesday. And on Thursday, the Spokane and Tacoma chapters meet.

With 204 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

Ann Telnaes: Justice Scalia limbers up for the busy June court schedule.

Taking Food out of the Mouths of the Poor:

• John Fugelsang: The revoltingly fake Christian of the week.
• Thom: Are Republicans heartless or just very bad at economics?

White House: West Wing Week.

Alex Wagner: Sen. Ted Cruz & the new generation of GOP flamethrowers.

Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: The Bromance is back.

Katrina vanden Heuvel: Why can’t Obama go Bulworth?:

Mark Fiore: The Re-Obamulator.

Young Turks: Note to Republicans—it ISN’T “packing the court” when you are filling vacancies.

Pap: Exposing the climate criminals.

The FAUX View of Bread-winning and the Place of Women in the Household:

• FAUX men FREAK OUT over female breadwinners.
• Young Turks: FAUX proudly doesn’t understand women or science.
• Sam Seder: FAUX’s Neanderthals express their view on the place of women
• One Minute News: The week in unnecessary misogyny

ONN: Week in review.

Liberal Viewer: Should schools suspend students for non-violent willful defiance?.

Mental Floss: 49 hoaxes people actually believed.

Young Turks: Who lies more…Republicans or Democrats?

Thom: Empirical proof that Republicans lie.

Bye, Bye, Bachmann:

• Sam Seder: Michele Bachman’s retirement is all too telling!
• TPM: The Day in Michelle (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Young Turks: All the reasons Michele isn’t leaving.
• Michele Bachmann retires from Congress.
• John FugelsangPlease don’t leave me, Michele Bachmann:
• Thom: Crazy alert with a Tea Party temptress.
• Maddow: Michele Bachmann’s Lengthy Catalog of Ridiculous Gaffes & Errors, Part I
• Maddow: Michele Bachmann’s Lengthy Catalog of Ridiculous Gaffes & Errors, Part II
• Sharpton: Teabaggers whose stars burned out.
• Young Turks: An ode To Michele Bachmann & her totally straight husband.
• Sam Seder: Without Michele, Who will be the craziest member of Congress
• Lawrence O’Donnell: ‘Fearless’ Tea bagger Michele Bachmann surrenders!.

Ann Telnaes: Congress takes a vacation.

Amy Tan performs at the White House.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Maverick McCain goes Rogue:

• Sam Seder: McCain skips Sunday talk shows to hang out with terrorists.
• Chris Hayes: Sen. John McCain sneaked into Syria to meet with kidnappers

Maddow: A flashback to 1997.

Young Turks: Who’s trying to poison the President?

Christian Nutjob “historian” David Barton: “You Can’t Drink Starbucks and Be Biblically Right” (via Slog).

Ann Telnaes: Eric Holder’s strange remorse.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Tesla and electric cars—why Republicans are dead wrong to bet against Obama.

Pap: Barriers must be lifted for American voters.

David Schuster: Letterman rips GOP Senator a new one.

Obamacare:

• Sam Seder: Good news for Obamacare.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: Tea Party town hall in Cincinnati unveils ‘stupid hysterics’ on IRS, ‘ObamaCare’
• Maddow: CNN Poll on Obamacare is widely misrepresented
• Sam Seder: Obamacare opposition isn’t what you think it is.

Obama speaks on college affordability.

Young Turks: Bill-O the Clown and Alex Jones have a cat fight.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Republicans using ‘scandals’ to avoid positive economic news.

Town Square: Will we ever end the war on terror?

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Start your summer right left! Please join us tonight for an evening of politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out another nearby DL meeting over the next week. The Tri-Cities chapter also meets tonight. And next Monday, the Aberdeen, Yakima, South Bellevue and Olympia chapters meet.

With 204 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

In 2010, King County Council member Reagan Dunn was a conflicted man. Driven by his Inner Socialist, he huffed and puffed and took his ball and went home after the King County council considered sequestration cuts that would hit the Sheriff’s office. At the same time, his Inner Teabagger adamantly opposed new taxes, or even putting a tax measure on the ballot to let the voters decide.

In other words, “gimme my Gov’ment funded security, but keep your bloody hands off my money!”

Well now, thanks to sequestration cuts, Mr. Dunn’s inner Socialist has reared its ugly little head again:

“This airport is critically important to King County and the region,” said Dunn. “Congress must act and guarantee that the Renton Municipal Airport and others like it have the needed funding to operate fully and continue contributing to the local economy.”

Dunn joined his comrades, Council member Julia Patterson and King County Sheriff John Urquhart, in writing a letter to Congress stressing the importance of Big Government sponsored airport infrastructure, and its value to the local economy.

Wait…isn’t this a job for local governments? Aren’t they in a better position to understand the local needs? Or, better yet, can’t the Free Market fix this along with everything else it has on it’s To Do list? Surely the sequestration cuts will lead to a booming economy sowing magic beans that sprout into new private sector infrastructure to fill the void left by Shrinking Government, right?

Apparently not. Reagan wants his Big Government funded infrastructure. But don’t count out Reagan inner Teabagger just yet—we have yet to learn how Mr. Dunn wants the Feds to fund the Renton air traffic controllers….

Sam Seder speaks with Katherine Harris about scandals.

The IRS/Tea Party Scandal:

• O’Donnell: The Republican ‘ignorance-fueled war’ on the IRS and Pres. Obama.
• Stephen: Boehner and the IRS/Tea Party scandal.
• Mark Fiore: Money for Nothin’.
• Jon asks, “What the hell happened?!?”
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The Real I.R.S. scandal. Part 1.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The Real I.R.S. scandal. Part 2.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Conceited Sen Ted Cruz vs. the Republican Party he ‘does Not trust’.

White House: West Wing Week.

Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Happy Memorial Day.

Thom with some more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

The Daily Show catches up with Dylan Ratigan (via TalkingPointsMemo).

Obama’s War on War:

• ONN: Obama aims to limit civilian casualties with switch to Taser drones.
• Stephen: Obama’s Flying Deathbot Program.
• Maddow: End of war. Part 1
• Maddow: End of war. Part 2
• Sam Seder: Obama calls for repeal of AUMF

Jon does Bill-O the Clown.:

Young Turks: Jon pwns O’Reilly

Thom: The G.O.P. punks ABC News.

John Fugelsang: Barack Obama — Worst. Socialist. Ever.

Obama honors Carol King.

Young Turks: AZ Athiest lawmaker addresses House with his own prayer.

I5 Bridge Collapse:

• A bridge collapsed in Washington
• One Minute News: Collapse.
• Officials weigh-in
• A guy who ended up in the drink speaks.
• Maddow: Bridges and infrastructure
• Young Turks: Bridge collapse.

Young Turks: Historic ban overturned.

Alyona: Saluteghazi!!!

Sam Seder: Glenn Beck sees “false flag” atheist conspiracy in Blitzer question.

Thom with The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Transparent President:

• Jon: Priorties USA
• Ann Telnaes: The once transparent President.

Sharpton: The G.O.P.’s rebranding FAIL, as outreach extended to white supremacists!.

Mental Floss: 50 Common Misquotations.

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very, Very Ugly.

Jon on Peggy Noonan (via Political Wire).

The Republican War on Women™:

• Ann Telnaes: Anti-Women Trash.
• Thom: Why some G.O.P. men should experience labor.

Thom: How electric cars save human lives.

John Fugelsang: Anthony Weiner is running for Mayor. Gentlemen, start your puns!

Maddow: Foolhardy budget cuts cripple government.

The Onion Week in Review.

Ann Telnaes: What the G.O.P. and the White House are NOT focused on.

Virginia is for Haters:

• Maddow: Social conservative extremists fill Virginia G.O.P. slate.
• The Virginia “Dream Team”

Bashir agrees with Ted Cruz on one thing.

Maddow: The GOP’s ‘Guantanamo closure’ road-block: .

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Please join us tonight for an evening of politics over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally.

This week we will, of course, talk about scandals and conspiracies. You know…like Alex Jones’ theory that a government “weather weapon” caused the Oklahoma Tornado. (No doubt, ordered by Obama himself, with targeting by the IRS, as a way to distract from BENGHAAAAZZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!11!!!1!!!)



And, NIXON….

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out another nearby DL meeting over the next week. The Tri-Cities chapter also meets tonight. On Wednesday, the Burien and Bellingham chapters meet. And on Thursday the Woodinville chapter meets.

With 204 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

Stephen takes on Heritage Foundation’s racist immigration study (via Crooks and Liars).

Viewpoint: Creationism in schools and the G.O.P. War on Science.

Chris Hayes: Dysfunctional House Republicans ignore remarkable shrinking deficit.

DOJ Scandal:

• Mark Fiore: DOJ spying on the AP.
• Ann Telnaes: DOJ seizes AP phone records.
• Viewpoint: DOJ’s LEGALLY Accessing AP Journalists’ Phones?

Robert Reich: The hollowing out of government.

Jon on 2016, 2016, 2016.

Ricin-laced letters: sent to Spokane Judge and Post Office.

Sam Seder: GOP Hispanic outreach director resigns, registers democrat.

Liberal Viewer: Can minorities be racist?

BENGHAZZZZZZZZZZZIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!1!11!!!:

• CBS News: Republicans lied about White House Benghazi E-mails (via Crooks and Liars).
• Sharpton: Vicious Republicans must apologize to Amb. Susan Rice after email dump.
• Sam Seder: Dumb-as-a-car-thief Darrell Issa unsure where Benghazi is!
• Jon considers Cheney and Rummy:
• Young Turks: Republicans doctored leaked emails
• Sam Seder: “Biggest scandal EVAR!” “Where is it?”.
• Ann Telnaes: What’s behind the Benghazi investigation?
• Stephen: How dare you cast aspersions on a man’s asparagus (via Crooks and Liars).
• Holder to Issa: “You are shameful!”
• Sam Seder: “Lies!” “Cover-up”, says Dick Cheney.
• Red State Update: Obama Bonanza Benghazi Bandwagon
• Thom’s memo to Bush Administration leftovers on FAUX News: Shut Up!

Stephen does Rep. Gwen Moore.

Bashir: Is Darrell Issa qualified for “oversight” role?!?

Maddow: Republicans fall dead silent in face of historic Obama 2013 deficit success.

Thom: The real, G.O.P., scandal.

Sam Seder: Do these “scandals” weaken Obama?

Greenman: Weather Channel covers Dark Snow Project.

Stephen on 3-D gun makers.

New rules for pot distribution.

The Great IRS (non)Scandal:

• Sam Seder: Michele Bachmann freaks out, says 2012 election a sham!?!
• Young Turks: Should someone go to jail?
• Stephen: Hams and the IRS.
• Ann TelnaesBoehner wants ACCOUNTABILITY!
• Maddow: Will Republicans permanently damage the authority of the IRS?
• Lawrence O’Donnell: G.O.P. acting stupid over I.R.S. “scandal”.
• Sam Seder: Glenn Beck feels so persecuted!
• Young Turks: “Inappropriate, but not illegal”.
• Susie Sampson’s Teaparty Report: IRS…we were right!
• Sam Seder: The REAL IRS scandal.
• Maher reads “outrageous” questions asked by IRS (via Crooks and Liars).

Lawrence O’Donnell: Conservative editors warn Republicans.

Maddow: Investigators narrow cause for West, TX plant explosion.

White House: West Wing Week.

Roy Zimmerman: Oh frack, “The Faucet’s on Fire:

Sam Seder: Umbrellagate!!!!!11!!1!

Thom: The Good, The Bad, and The Very Very Ugly.

Elizabeth Warren and the student debt crusade.

Sharpton: Insane House G.O.P. tries to repeal Obamacare for the 38th time.

Same Sex Marriage in MN:

• Sam Seder: Marriage equality for Minnesota!
• Young Turks: Minnesota becomes 12th state to legalize gay marriage.

David Schuster: Meghan McCain calls out G.O.P. hypocrisy.

Maddow: Media not unscathed by scandals.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

It’s Tuesday. And that means the Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally meets for an evening of politics over a pint.

We meet every Tuesday evening at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm. Some people show up earlier than that for Dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Check out one of the other DL meetings over the next week. Tonight the Tri-Cities chapter also meets. The Longview, Lakewood, and South Seattle chapters meet this Wednesday. And for Thursday, the Spokane and Tacoma chapters meet. Next Monday, the Aberdeen, Yakima and Olympia chapters meet.

With 204 chapters of Living Liberally, including sixteen in Washington state, four in Oregon, and two more in Idaho, chances are excellent there’s a chapter meeting near you.

From Think Progress:

Issa: Obama Covered Up Benghazi Terrorism By Calling It An ‘Act Of Terror’

That’s even stupid for a car thief!