Spoiling the Barrel

President Joe Biden will likely miss a Ukraine summit next month because it conflicts with a campaign fundraiser in California he’s set to attend alongside George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and other stars.--Bloomberg

***

"Married at First Sight" is in its 15th season.

**

Congress’s Inflation Reduction Act allocated $3 billion to the Environmental Protection Agency, which gave $50 million to a group called the Climate Justice Alliance. That alliance busies itself with a lot more than the environment, including the liberation of Palestine and the dismantling of capitalism. $50 million.

***

What was DeNiro doing at the NY court? Whose idea was that?

***


Spoiling the Barrel

Kansas City Chief punter Harrison Butker followed his graduation speech at Benedictine College with a new graduation speech at The Culinary College, this time extolling the virtues of apple pie before a stunned audience.

Butker called the apple pie "logically American," connected through history with George Washington's cutting down the apple tree and Johnny Appleseed's evangelical and fortuitous CO2-capturing apple tree orchards.

Many in the audience gave Butker the razzberries.

Students from citrus states called out objections and many stood and turned their backs to the dias during the speech. Some students threw blueberries at the speaker. Fundamentalist students objected to the extolling of a fruit that, through Adam and Eve, caused the downfall of man and their banishment from Eden.

Protest signs reading "Just Deserts" appeared, the misspelling causing outrage as some obscure, subtle comment on the Middle East.

A Palestinian banner was raised in defense of the watermelon which was felt to be their national fruit.

A schism among apple pie supporters developed over the value of a la mode.

Several students symbolically overcooked a quiche in protest.

At the end of the speech and graduation, the crowd retreated to the picnic area where a disappointing time was had by all.