Loose Ends (244)

• Trump continues to hold a solid lead over Biden in the key swing states the latest RCP Poll averages. Let’s just look at Arizona and Nevada today:

• Whatever they are pumping Biden with every morning is wearing off by the afternoon:

NEW: Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass steps in to answer a question for President Biden as he looks confused with a frozen face.

Reporter: "Mr. President. Do you need a strong State of the Union Address to win re-election?"

Bass: "He is going to win re-election anyway."

*Crowd… pic.twitter.com/2VhGGDnnwM

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 21, 2024

And today:

81-year-old Joe Biden holds hands with 83-year-old Nancy Pelosi as they make their way to bingo… I mean Marine One.

Biden was elected to the Senate in 1972. Pelosi became a representative in 1987.

Your country is being ran by the elderly who would be in nursing homes if it… pic.twitter.com/FEpZ8cxTPQ

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 22, 2024

Chaser—a curious factoid:

• The Associated Press (AP) continues to beclown itself:

Expect another round of newsroom layoffs at AP any day now.

• Here’s a big surprise (/sarc):

California budget crisis worse than Newsom projected, as state watchdog warns deficit could reach record $73B

California’s budget crisis is projected to expand more than previously thought and could hit a record deficit of $73 billion, according to a new report from the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO).

The LAO laid out the grim forecast in a Tuesday report that cautions that a $24 billion “erosion in revenues” corresponds to a $15 billion increase in the state’s budget problem. Due to this, the budget deficit, which last month was estimated to hit $58 billion, could now go as high as $73 billion.