Covers: A Shot of Rhythm and Blues

A Shot of Rhythm and Blues was first recorded by Arthur Alexander in 1961. The Beatles covered it in their BBC performances.

Pompeo is terrible

Can’t wait until he’s gone!

Do Mike Pompeo's lavish dinner parties with wealthy CEOs, a former Major League Baseball commissioner, Reba McEntire, and a NASCAR driver sound like the kind of thing that should be paid for by a State Department emergency fund to you?https://t.co/NiBqbAjiqu
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) March 12, 2021

We knew that Pompeo’s notorious Madison Dinners cost taxpayers a lot. But now we know that they cost at least $40,000. https://t.co/cEf9Hqj63m
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 18, 2020

Watchdog finds Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's wife did not get written approval for majority of taxpayer-funded trips https://t.co/knJczRGkTx pic.twitter.com/7VIgRFg3E1
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 10, 2020

In true Trumpian fashion, Mike Pompeo appears to have used the State Department—and the taxpayer resources at his disposal as Secretary of State—for his personal and possible future political aspirations. https://t.co/cEf9HqAGUU
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 10, 2020

How to put this gently: I don’t give a flying fuck what the worst Secretary of State in modern American history thinks of the team replacing him and his. https://t.co/tcZ8YDq1IB
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) November 25, 2020

Pompeo, asked if State is engaging with Biden transition team, and at what point a delay might hurt national security preparedness, says: “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. ..We're ready. The world is watching what's taking place.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 10, 2020

We need Benghazi-style hearings to uncover all the ways @SecPompeo has been using State Department resources for political gain and to enrich his family. https://t.co/nzEdIiMm1L
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) October 29, 2020

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is investigating whether Secretary of State Mike Pompeo violated the Hatch Act by giving a speech to the RNC from Jerusalem.https://t.co/TA6UHktqBN
— Axios (@axios) October 26, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is under investigation for potentially violating a federal law that forbids federal employees from engaging in political activity while on duty or inside federal buildings over his address to the GOP convention in August https://t.co/Rj2Dnn4FV5
— CNN (@CNN) October 26, 2020

If Mike Pompeo releases Hillary Clinton’s emails, it will be a gross violation of his responsibilities. I’ve worked for nine Secretaries of State. None of them would have crossed this line into political expediency and indecency. @NYTimes https://t.co/TQbeQtKiAc
— Nicholas Burns (@RNicholasBurns) October 10, 2020

I don’t see how even the loosest reading of ethics rules would permit what’s being described here. Any conservatives wanna try to defend this? https://t.co/8xryiDUwQK
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) September 26, 2020

Mike Pompeo knows these taxpayer-funded Madison dinners are an ethics scandal. But he doesn't care. https://t.co/k5iKW8UumR
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) September 15, 2020

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is relaunching his extravagant, taxpayer-funded "Madison Dinners" during the pandemic, even as Congress scrutinizes his use of government resources to entertain CEOs, big-dollar Republican donors and television anchors https://t.co/rKxJ8Iu5MH pic.twitter.com/1VuczeQOFI
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) September 14, 2020

Pompeo got out of the Army as a Captain but thinks he should be treated like a General now. He uses GO housing at Ft. Myer, an Aide-de-Camp to service him…etc. — Pompeo’s wife assigned State Dept. work on secretary’s behalf using private email https://t.co/FSV486M3Fv
— Fred Wellman (@FPWellman) September 11, 2020

Remember how Mike Pompeo had Trump fire the State Department IG who was investigating him for a Saudi arms deal and lavish dinners at the taxpayers expense?

Well we do, and we are still investigating.https://t.co/Nl7L6Bu6oK
— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) September 2, 2020

Via ⁦@JacksonDiehl⁩ —> Mike Pompeo is the worst secretary of state in history https://t.co/rj4X1JTsUm
— Glenn Kessler (@GlennKesslerWP) August 31, 2020

Covers: Anna

As far as I can tell, Arthur Alexander is one of five artists covered by the Beatles and Rolling Stones:

Arthur Alexander

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Chuck Berry

Larry Williams

Buddy Holly

Alexander is the only songwriter whose songs were covered by the Beatles, Rollin Stones and Bob Dylan.

Alexander recorded his song Anna in 1962 and the Beatles covered it in 1963 on their first album. Alexander is a great singer who was later forgotten and made a comeback right before he passed away in 1993. His records are R&B with a strong infusion of country. Anna even has a Latin influence common in songs from that era like “Spanish Harlem”.

The cover by Roger McGuinn on the Alexander tribute album is wonderful.

The latest bad Trump cult idea – secession

Actually, I would be fine splitting the country up. The blue states have 70% of the GDP and will do better without subsidizing poor red states. I admire Biden for thinking it’s possible but unity is a pipe dream. We have a large share of the country that doesn’t believe in facts. I don’t know how we can reach a consensus on anything if we can’t agree on facts.

I would never had said it before but maybe splitting up the country would be best at this point.

As MAGA World’s hopes for an election redo have slipped away, an equally improbable idea has begun to percolate among Donald Trump’s most bitterly disappointed followers: secession https://t.co/myK477oMh9
— POLITICO (@politico) December 21, 2020

The @TexasGOP is out with a statement in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, all but calling for secession:

“Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution.” pic.twitter.com/4bB3gk88t4
— Adam Kelsey (@adamkelsey) December 12, 2020

my latest, on how Trump's denial of the election results is radicalizing his supporters: https://t.co/rwyKdOSuCr
— Rosie Gray (@RosieGray) December 18, 2020

Some recent evidence of right-wing radicalization: QAnon. Hardcore election denialism. "Stop the Steal" marches. Talk of "martial law" and secession. None of this is normal. All of it needs to be covered in the context of a radicalized GOP… https://t.co/1Qu0Q6wVdi
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 21, 2020

Go ahead and secede, Red States. You'll give Dems a permanent electoral advantage and we'll now longer have to prop up your lousy economies. https://t.co/4cCcyNYxAO
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) December 21, 2020

Trump attacks the civil service

His order will politicize policy positions. It’s a terrible idea. I know; I worked for the federal government for almost 38 years. The less we had to deal with politics, the better.

Congress won’t block Trump’s order to strip civil service protections from many federal workers https://t.co/cyQU9kTzi5
— Post Politics (@postpolitics) December 21, 2020

Trump appointee resigns as a "matter of conscience" over executive order aimed at civil service https://t.co/mfeWG0c3F0 pic.twitter.com/S8hChzNpRI
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 27, 2020

The fact that the Trump administration hates the civil service so much shows why we need an apolitical civil service that can't be hijacked after each election.
And no, I am not actually a civil service employee. But I'm glad the civil service exists.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) October 24, 2020

At a fundraiser Thursday night, Trump said dealing with officials in his own government was more difficult than dealing with North Korea or Russia or China. Inside his years-long frustration with the civil service, by @reinlwapo @jdawsey1 @ToluseO: https://t.co/x7T42WiT6k
— FrancesSteadSellers (@FrancesSSellers) October 24, 2020

Trump issues order for tens of thousands of career federal employees to lose their civil service protections – The Washington Post w/Ericyoderwp https://t.co/7P8BbF2BiR
— Lisa Rein (@Reinlwapo) October 23, 2020

President Trump signed an executive order that could substantially expand his ability to hire and fire tens of thousands of federal workers during a second term, potentially allowing him to weed out what he sees as a “deep state” bureaucracy https://t.co/igalICWDWW
— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) October 22, 2020

This is not an empty threat: Trump can end the civil service system without Congress and absolutely will if he is back in office https://t.co/Xrhs0PZHVz https://t.co/h4igQVxyho
— Don Moynihan (@donmoyn) March 13, 2022

The full Four Seasons Total Landscaping story

Update: https://t.co/b20mGa2ksJ https://t.co/nE0VJ59tsH
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) December 21, 2020

Happy 2nd anniversary to the funniest thing that happened in the history of ever pic.twitter.com/nHyWOB9JV2
— Santiago Mayer (@santiagomayer_) November 7, 2022

OK, so you're all remembering what it's the 3rd Anniversary of today?

I thought this account would last two days! Three years later and almost 30K followers.

A YUGE thanks to all of you for sticking around and enjoying the fun.

Hope we can continue to bring Lawn and Order! pic.twitter.com/I2Qqf08LAN
— Four Seasons Total Landscaping (@TotalSeasons) November 7, 2023

Your reminder that there exists a Four Seasons Total Landscaping screenplay that was on last year’s @theblcklst. https://t.co/Nl0ftTt1eR
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) November 7, 2023

Trump keeps getting worse

I feel like people are underestimating the very real chance he will try something genuinely insane, even by Trump standards. https://t.co/MCI81ayZ1Y
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) December 21, 2020

President Trump has turned to a fringe group of advisers peddling increasingly dubious tactics to overturn the election results, creating a dire situation that sources say has led to new levels of uncertainty at how Trump will resist the end to his tenure https://t.co/9Cpfh3Eer2
— CNN (@CNN) December 21, 2020

NEW: With a month before @JoeBiden's inauguration, @realDonaldTrump is largely idle but increasingly out of touch with reality in a way that is causing even those loyalists to be alarmed over what could transpire during the month left in his presidency. https://t.co/G8LOyOni7d
— Andrew Feinberg (@AndrewFeinberg) December 21, 2020

"It's basically Sidney versus everybody … There is literally not one motherf—r in the president’s entire orbit — his staunchest group of supporters and allies — who doesn't think that Sidney Powell should be on that first rocket to Mars." https://t.co/fhnWOhib3d
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 21, 2020

Appointing Sidney Powell as special counsel, or to any governmental post with any authority whatsoever, would be wildly irresponsible and outright dangerous.

New from me for @CNN #CrossExam:https://t.co/59PNRwscir
— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) December 20, 2020

the former ceo of overstock says he was in the white house meeting with trump, sidney powell, flynn, meadows, cipollone, with giuliani and robert o’brien on the phone, where martial law and seizing voting machines etc were reportedly discussed pic.twitter.com/HyUJ5mbUIO
— Laura Rozen (@lrozen) December 21, 2020

Also apparently back in Trump's ear: Steve Bannon.
Bannon appeared on a livestream with conservative pastors last night & said: "As I strongly recommended to the President, we need a special counsel named immediately — a special prosecutor just on election fraud and voter fraud" https://t.co/PIQBGjPaTP
— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) December 21, 2020

Stop saying Trump and his supporters "actually believe" the election was stolen from him. They support overturning *legitimate* election results. They're angry because democracy *worked,* not because it failed.

(w/@AdamSerwer, @RosieGray & @RadioFreeTom)https://t.co/10qQZCHkrh pic.twitter.com/ZAJnwvKCGN
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) December 21, 2020

The notion that White House Counsel Pat Cipollone is working to undermine President Trump because he “wants him to lose” is a model in miniature of the kind of unmoored, conspiratorial thinking that Trump has invited into the Oval for this post-election period. https://t.co/5q7au20Sua
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 21, 2020

I was firmly in the camp that believed Trump's real coup died weeks ago and it's just been a big grift since then. But the reporting this weekend changed my mind — he really does think he will discover the cheat code to steal the election. https://t.co/pGPFRtwbac
— Amanda Marcotte (@AmandaMarcotte) December 21, 2020

A brief chronology:

Fri: Trump meets w/ Flynn, Powell, Rudy to discuss seizing voting machines

Sat: Trump talks to Tuberville about challenging election results Jan. 6

Sun: Powell returns to the WH

Mon: Trump meets w/ congressional allies pushing election challenges. https://t.co/gwIf9L3V6B
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 21, 2020

"Trump’s attacks on the rule of law by and large have failed…[But] Trump got away with a lot that was previously regarded as wrong and forbidden…Even when Trump has seemingly failed to get his way, he has still succeeded in doing enormous damage."https://t.co/VkEYWMDSTC
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) December 21, 2020

Trump called Charlie Kirk tonight and spoke via speakerphone to the TPUSA conference in West Palm. "The problem is we need a party that’s going to fight…we won this in a landslide, they know it, and we need backing from like the Justice Department."
— Kevin Liptak (@Kevinliptakcnn) December 21, 2020

The desire to treat the president as a bystander to his own campaign/presidency continues. If the president didn’t want her at the White House, there’s a way to deal with that. https://t.co/icb9KluBJA
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) December 21, 2020

Donald Trump threatens 30-day reign of destruction on the way out of office | Analysis https://t.co/2mjilqi9Cg pic.twitter.com/wo9OSgAtkl
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 22, 2020

🚨 🚨 Trump thinks everyone around him is weak, stupid or disloyal — and increasingly seeks comfort only in people who egg him on to overturn the election results. We cannot stress enough how unnerved officials r by the conversations unfolding inside WH.

https://t.co/eM7XgEieTY
— Jim VandeHei (@JimVandeHei) December 22, 2020

Trump loyalists harboring martial law fantasies don’t know their history https://t.co/S3EGz0f9PO
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 22, 2020

Trump coup attempt: Trump leaned on 31 different state and local officials to steal the election for him. https://t.co/FllRtxdbO0
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 22, 2020

The murmur just below the surface at the Pentagon. Will @realDonaldTrump turn to the military in his fight to overturn the election?https://t.co/2vwocrI7w2
— Barbara Starr (@barbarastarrcnn) December 22, 2020

Joni Ernst’s hypocrisy

Joni Ernst sparks backlash for getting COVID vaccine after spreading conspiracy https://t.co/vQFId4fMIQ
— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) December 21, 2020

How it started: How it’s going: pic.twitter.com/9yFXKyYNuR
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) December 21, 2020

Anyone claiming that #COVID restrictions, including masks, aren’t needed, should NOT be amongst the first to get the vaccine. #disparities #inequalities https://t.co/d3X5c1HrOY via @DMRegister
— Megan L. Srinivas, MD MPH (@YourlocalIDdoc) December 21, 2020

Reporters should never quote Ernst again on anything without noting somewhere in their story that she lied about covid and spread conspiracy theories about it even though she likely didn’t believe them and therefore shouldn’t be trusted on whatever she’s currently lying about https://t.co/C45PEpgunS
— Matt Negrin, HOST OF HARDBALL AT 7PM ON MSNBC (@MattNegrin) December 21, 2020

The problem with this is that it was clear who Joni Ernst was and how little she cared about ordinary Iowans last month. They sent her back to the senate for another six year term anyway. https://t.co/EqCurzeISD
— Daniel Gilmore (@gilmored85) December 21, 2020

Armed far-right mob in Oregon

VIDEO: Arrests made following protests at Oregon State Capitol https://t.co/hLnAjyHRID
— Statesman Journal (@Salem_Statesman) December 22, 2020

Heavily armed far-right mob floods Oregon capitol https://t.co/JEsAJjqpxO pic.twitter.com/W6hVd37cat
— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) December 21, 2020

State troopers declare a 'Reopen Oregon' protest at the Capitol an unlawful assemblyhttps://t.co/DabwrgAb5V pic.twitter.com/3CthA376zC
— KATU News (@KATUNews) December 21, 2020

after arrests at the capitol, a mass text goes out to all Oregon chapters of this group founded by Ammon Bundy. in Idaho, it's linked to protests of health districts/officials. In Oregon, local militias are backing businesses that defy public health restrictions. pic.twitter.com/MZZj9B1tsT
— Emily Cureton (@emilycureton) December 21, 2020

Oregon's legislature isn't open to the public today, and as a result, please enjoy this absolutely bananas thread about the protest where righties discover to their horror that maybe the policemans are not their friends. https://t.co/abFzgg522J
— 𝕁𝕚𝕞𝕤𝕜𝕚 🩸+🖐=🐘 (@Jimski) December 21, 2020

Salem Police said the streets and grounds around the Oregon Capitol are closed as authorities handle a protest deemed an unlawful assembly:https://t.co/DabwrgAb5V https://t.co/61fVQryVoH
— KATU News (@KATUNews) December 21, 2020

This ant-lockdown protestor intimidated and assaulted journalists, after this video he tackled this reporter pic.twitter.com/gwYAyJD1iF
— Sergio Olmos (@MrOlmos) December 21, 2020

Frank Zappa

Born on this date in 1940 in Baltimore

Zappa led the Mothers of Invention and had a long solo career. I saw the Mothers twice – in 1969 and on Mother’s Day in 1970. My favorite Mothers album is We’re Only in It for the Money which combines expert musicianship with sharp satire. I am not that familiar with his solo career. A new film about him has just been released.