Cagle.com

Father Gets BBQ Gifts But No Grill

Ingrid Rice — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:50:56 +0000

FATHER GETS BBQ GIFTS BUT NO GRILL

by Ingrid Rice, Cagle.com

On Father's Day a father stands on a balcony facing his two children who present him with tongs, an apron labeled The Grill Father, a meat thermometer and a wrapped box. The children announce the items will allow BBQ cooking that day. The father replies that they do not have a grill. A caption below attributes the mismatch to social media marketing influence and obliviousness.

Child Questions Social Media Ban Alternatives

Ingrid Rice — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:50:25 +0000

CHILD QUESTIONS SOCIAL MEDIA BAN ALTERNATIVES

by Ingrid Rice, Cagle.com

A three-panel cartoon depicts a child on a smartphone questioning what to do all day if banned from social media. An adult holding a newspaper headlined 'NEW DIGITAL SAFETY ACT INTRODUCED' responds with suggestions to read a book, play a game or look up. The June 2026 image addresses proposed restrictions on youth digital access.

Men React To Trump Iran Claim

Ingrid Rice — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:49:38 +0000

MEN REACT TO TRUMP IRAN CLAIM

by Ingrid Rice, Cagle.com

Two figures stand at a railing and react to news of a Trump peace deal with Iran. The first points out an odd smell while the second attributes it to burning pants. The exchange occurs in two stacked panels with speech bubbles capturing the dialogue. The scene responds to recent claims about negotiations involving Iran. Publication occurred on June 26 2026.

Men Discuss Trump Canada Statehood Idea

Ingrid Rice — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:48:59 +0000

MEN DISCUSS TRUMP CANADA STATEHOOD IDEA

by Ingrid Rice, Cagle.com

On June 26 2026 two figures appear in a three-panel exchange. The left panel shows a man in a maple leaf shirt noting renewed talk of Canada as the 51st state. The middle panel features a second man calling the notion complete rubbish. The right panel continues the exchange with the second man counting Greenland Cuba Venezuela Gaza and Alberta as prior additions that would make Canada the 56th state.

Children Read FIFA Road Closure Signs

Ingrid Rice — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 17:20:04 +0000

CHILDREN READ FIFA ROAD CLOSURE SIGNS

by Ingrid Rice, Cagle.com

A cartoon shows two children seated beside road closure and detour signs tied to a FIFA event. One child asks what the acronym stands for while the other relays a frustrated, censored remark from a parent about finding alternate routes.

Woman and Child Fill Bucket from Cloud Pipe

Arcadio Esquivel — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:29:37 +0000

WOMAN AND CHILD FILL BUCKET FROM CLOUD PIPE

by Arcadio Esquivel, Cagle.com

Venezuelan Flag with Mourning Bow

Arcadio Esquivel — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 16:29:01 +0000

VENEZUELAN FLAG WITH MOURNING BOW

by Arcadio Esquivel, Cagle.com

Statue of Liberty MAGA Shirt Violin Sign

Jimmy Margulies — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:35:06 +0000

STATUE OF LIBERTY MAGA SHIRT VIOLIN SIGN

by Jimmy Margulies, Cagle.com

The image shows the Statue of Liberty wearing a red MAGA shirt and playing a violin while pointing to a sign that alters the famous immigration inscription to read boo-hoo for the tired and poor.

Politician Seeks Voting Laws to Retain Power

Monte Wolverton — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:25:13 +0000

POLITICIAN SEEKS VOTING LAWS TO RETAIN POWER

by Monte Wolverton, Cagle.com

Roberts Court Unlocks Racism Chains

Pat Bagley — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:01:43 +0000

ROBERTS COURT UNLOCKS RACISM CHAINS

by Pat Bagley, Cagle.com

A health care crook exposed a system costing taxpayers millions

Charles Sauer — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Jean Jethro Alexandre may have done a tremendous service for taxpayers and low-income Americans without health insurance.

Alexandre defrauded Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance companies for at least $58 million. He worked with nurse practitioners to write phony prescriptions and then claimed they were eligible for a rebate under Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act.

Created in 1992, it allows qualified entries — such as Disproportionate Share Hospitals (DSH) that provide a disproportionate amount of care to low-income and uninsured patients — to purchase pharmaceuticals at a discount while still being reimbursed by government programs and private insurances as if they had paid the full rate. Congress created the program soqualified entities could use the savings to provide more help to low-income and uninsured Americans who do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid.

Alexandre’s mistake was using fake prescriptions to profit. If he had gotten a job as a hospital administrator, he could have legally profited from legitimate prescriptions that qualified for the government's discounts. This is because the law does not require hospitals to use their savings to provide care to the uninsured.

It's not surprising an analysis published in the New England Journal of Medicine found no evidence that hospitals invest their savings into safety net care. The New England Journal of Medicine analysis is just one of several studies showing the law is not working as intended. An Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)-funded study found that, “financial gains for [340B] hospitals have not been associated with clear evidence of expanded care or lower mortality among low-income patients.”

Rather than helping the uninsured, the law actually increases health care prices by incentivizing hospital concentration. This is because the law provides that any hospital system that owns one or more eligible hospitals can seek reimbursement for treatments administered at any facility owned by the hospital. This creates an incentive for larger hospitals to purchase smaller hospitals, community health care centers, and private practices in order to game the system to maximize their profits.

The result is patients have fewer community-based health care options. Instead, patients are pushed to seek care at more expensive facilities. This is one reason why the percentage of physicians who are part of a large hospital network grew from less than 30% in 2012 to approximately 47% in 2024. The fact government rebates are available at any facility that shares ownership with a qualified facility may also explain why research shows that just 38% of DSH hospitals, 29% of DSH child sites, and 26% of Section 340B contract pharmacies are located in medically underserved areas.

Further evidence the system is not working as intended is that between 2011 and 2019, the percentage of 340B contract pharmacies located in the lowest-income neighborhoods declined by 5.6%. In contrast, the share of 340B pharmacies located in the highest income neighborhoods increased by 5%.

Some members of Congress have expressed interest in fixing the situation, and the Jean Jethro Alexandre case has increased that number. Unfortunately, some may be focused on preventing future individual fraud cases instead of addressing the systemic legal graft encouraged by the program. For example, Virginia Rep. Morgan Griffith, a Republican who serves on the House Energy and Health Subcommittee, said the Alexandre case showed the need for Congress to continue “cracking down on harmful schemes like this one.”

Fortunately, Congress can stop both legal and illegal abuses simply by requiring hospitals use their savings to provide care for low-income and uninsured Americans. Congress may also wish to require that only facilities that are designated as qualified entities may participate in the program, regardless of whether they are part of a larger hospital system that also includes one or more qualified entities.

As outrageous as the Alexandre fraud case is, the amount it costs taxpayers is a drop in the bucket compared to the legal waste committed by large hospitals’ manipulation of the program. Thankfully, fixing Section 340B only requires a few simple changes.

The key is for Congress to remember the real problem comes not from people like Alexandre breaking the law, but from the law itself.

–

Copyright 2026 Charles Sauer, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Charles Sauer is the president of the Market Institute and the author of “Profit Motive” Sauer can be reached at charles@marketinstitute.org.

The endless cycle of police violence towards Black Americans

Elwood Watson — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Kohen Wiley, a one-year-old child from Mississippi, is dead because of a dispute about diapers.

Let that sink in for a moment.

His mother held the child up in the direction of the police officers who fatally shot him to ensure they could see him. She wanted them to show grace and deference to this newly arrived human life that was so innocent and vulnerable. Her efforts were in vain. The trigger-happy police officers fired anyway and one of them shot the young child in the ribcage while he was still in his mother’s arms. The officer's name has yet to be released.

The shooting occurred on Sunday, June 14, after police in Senatobia responded to a reported shoplifting at Walmart. According to authorities, police officers tried to block a vehicle connected to the call. They claimed the driver moved toward them, and then one officer fired into the car.

Kohen was pronounced dead at a hospital, and another adult driving the car was critically injured.

This lack of humanity in regard to a Black infant is shocking, yet routine. The usual suspects have wasted no time saturating social media with perverse justifications for comparing the child’s life with a box of diapers.

Social media users have contested the official version of events. Some bloggers claim that Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, had a receipt and was not shoplifting. Understandably, Kohen’s family and friends are demanding Walmart release its surveillance footage and police provide body camera footage.

Their skepticism is well founded. Too often, police narratives about Black people are viewed as authentic without evidence. The United States has a long and sinister history of official misconduct, from false testimonies to suppressed or forged evidence to coercion, which has upended and decimated Black Americans’ lives and livelihoods.

Let’s say for the sake of argument Wiley had stolen one, two or 100 boxes of diapers, as well as bottles of milk and baby food and other items. Police officers had no right to shoot multiple bullets into her vehicle with the full knowledge there was a child inside. Clearly, this was an act of sadistic violence.

The killing of Black children is nothing new in the history of the United States. Black infants and toddlers have been shot out of their mothers’ arms, fed to alligators and other animals, murdered by white supremacists, used as target practice during race riots, killed while sitting in their parents’ laps, and shot during police raids while sleeping in their homes. Many were not even given the opportunity to be born because their mothers were lynched or physically assaulted and murdered by police.

Kohen Wiley is another addition to this gruesome historical list.

Black people never appear to be granted the benefit of the doubt so many privileged whites are in police confrontations. No other racial group in America has to expend as much intense energy navigating its interactions with law enforcement in an effort to prevent deadly encounters or loss of life than Black Americans. It is disgraceful the presumption of “guilty until proven innocent” many police officers appears to hold with regard to Black people does not conform to the notion of equal justice or color blindness in law.

If white people were routinely and randomly subjected to police violence at the rate that Black people are, there would be calls for congressional demonstrations and cries of protests so loud that a politician or police officer who ignored it would be committing political or career suicide. When will this become a reality for people of color?

The death of Black people at the hands of law enforcement has become so commonplace many are simultaneously outraged and psychologically numbed. Over the past few years, Black people have been front-row spectators of grainy and graphic footage of police officers engaged in horrifically violent behavior toward people of African descent. White denial, resistance, and other factors notwithstanding, Black people are human beings and deserve to be treated with as respect and dignity as any other group of people.

-

Copyright 2026 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate

Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.

The big cheese

Alexandra Paskhaver — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I used to be a big fan of cheese.

Now I’m an even bigger fan of cheese.

Lactose intolerance? That’s a problem for other people.

Cheese raises your mood and lowers your cholesterol. Or maybe it’s the other way around. But I need all the cholesterol I can get.

Recently my doctor informed me that I had low blood pressure and was underweight.

This is a free license to eat bricks of aged milk. Gotta make the walls of your arteries nice and hard, right?

I’m not the only person to admire cheese.

Andrew Jackson, president numero seven, was gifted a 1,400-pound wheel of cheese by a dairy farmer.

Old Hickory had eight years in the White House to eat the whole thing by himself, but in the democratic spirit of the age—and of his party—he decided to just… let it sit.

The cheese sat in the Entrance Hall of the White House for two years.

Sans refrigeration, mind you. Food safety hadn’t been invented yet. One can only wonder how visiting dignitaries were led through the hall.

“Now, ambassador, if you’d wedge yourself between the wall and the giant cheddar, you’ll be able to see the president. Ah, no, you won’t. Keep rounding… rounding…”

Maybe it was a political strategy to scare off opponents.

As it was, when Jackson judged that the cheese had flavored sufficiently, he threw open the doors.

On Washington’s Birthday in 1837, the public feasted, courtesy of the executive of the United States. The cheese was gone in two hours.

As journalist Benjamin Perley Poore remarked, “The air was redolent with cheese, the carpet was slippery with cheese, and nothing else was talked about at Washington.”

I bet I could have put it away in one hour. Just sayin’.

Imagine how much peace and goodwill could be spread if the president invited his fellow human beings—heck, even members of Congress—to a cheese dinner.

I personally would love to hack away at a nice gouda, firm mozzarella, or goat cheese.

Well, you don’t really hack at soft goat cheese. Unless you’re fighting someone for it. In that case, all violence is justified.

Plus, it’d be nice to get a break from all the fiery rhetoric coming from the Capitol and delight in something that brings so much joy to so many people (excepting those allergic to dairy).

I understand that with an obesity epidemic going on, it might not be politically expedient for the president to lob great hunks of cheese to an adoring public.

But I believe in individual responsibility. If you want to turn down a delicious meal, insult dairy farmers, and sour our relationship with France, it’s entirely up to you.

Despite all this, my doctor told me that I can’t subsist entirely on cheese.

Has anyone tried? I could be making inroads for medical science here.

Heck, if I could get paid to eat cheese, I’d be in Heaven.

Perhaps I’ll get to Heaven faster if I eat too much of the stuff… where I could eat even more!

There’s a tempting thought.

-

Copyright 2026 Alexandra Paskhaver, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Alexandra Paskhaver is a software engineer and writer. Both jobs require knowing where to stick semicolons, but she’s never quite; figured; it; out. Feel free to contact her at alexandra.paskhaver@gmail.com

President Trump, where's the beef?

Peter Roff — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Fourth of July isn’t just about fireworks, pomp, and parades. It’s about family, for whom no proper celebration is quite complete without a good, old-fashioned, backyard barbecue.

For a lot of families, that’s where things will hit the skids.

Unfortunately for us all, and despite the best efforts of President Donald Trump and his trade team, the price of beef in the United States is still astronomically high. It doesn’t matter whether the menu consists of burgers or beefsteaks. Americans are still paying significantly more for what they’ll be putting on the grill.

It’s a burden that falls hardest on middle- and working-class families already stretched by years of high inflation and printing money – hallmarks of Biden economics.

For Trump, though, beef price pressure isn’t merely an economic challenge, it’s a political one.

With the midterms just around the corner, undecided voters are watching their grocery bills. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found nearly half of Americans said the cost of living would be the most important factor in deciding their vote this November, with food costs ranking among voters' most pressing concerns.

New Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh understands this. In his debut press conference, Warsh acknowledged, “persistently high prices are a burden for the American people.”

Trump campaigned on restoring affordability. Bringing beef prices down is central to delivering on that promise.

Basic economics demonstrates the clearest way to bring down prices is to increase supply, which the U.S. can’t do without increasing imports.

Years of drought, worsened by anti-rancher policies of the Biden administration, have left the national cattle count at its lowest level in decades. This tight supply is driving up prices at the meat counter.

Worsening the crisis is the New World screwworm, a devastating parasitic fly that feeds upon open wounds commonly found on livestock. The Trump administration had to ban cattle imports from Mexico as a result. The crisis is escalating: the first U.S. case was confirmed in South Texas in early June, and additional cases have been identified since.

The screwworm isn’t the only thing screwing with American consumers, however.

Meatpacking companies are under investigation by Trump's Justice Department for criminal anticompetitive conduct and have been accused of manipulating markets to drive up prices and acting like a “cartel.”

Trump can immediately solve these problems by issuing an executive order to temporarily increase beef imports to help reduce price pressures at the grocery store. This can be done safely while supporting ranchers and helping consumers by reducing the cost of burgers and steaks.

Friendly, pro-Trump governments – primarily in South America, such as Paraguay – are willing to export their affordable beef while opening their markets to the prime cuts produced by American ranchers. Short-term increases in imports are essential to protecting American ranchers in the long-term. They will also ensure American families can afford hamburgers this summer and beyond.

The Trump administration must act now. Beef cannot just appear overnight, so any temporary rise in South American beef entering the U.S. must be approved quickly if we want any relief at the grocery store before the midterms. If not, Republicans jeopardize getting cooked in November and losing the ability to enact as much of the America First agenda as possible.

Americans shouldn’t have to question whether they can afford burgers or steaks to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday. Republicans don’t want record beef costs haunting their midterm dreams and bringing about a new wave of Democrat witch hunts against the Trump administration.

The solution is simple: grill up a deal to get more beef into our great nation, now.

-

Copyright 2026 Peter Roff distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Peter Roff is former U.S. News and World Report contributing editor and UPI senior political writer now affiliated with several DC-based public policy organizations. He writes for numerous publications and appears regularly on international television talking about U.S. politics. You can reach him at RoffColumns@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @TheRoffDraft.

Wallet Crunch: Top Ten Cartoons of the Week

Daryl Cagle — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Like Groundhog Day, affordability is the issue we keep waking up to.

A widely reprinted cartoon drawn by Dave Granlund this week focuses on the housing market, and how most of us can only afford to buy an outhouse. Another recession cartoon, drawn by Paul Duginski, features a couple feeling "American flag blue" as Independence Day approaches.

Our most popular cartoon of the week, drawn by Dave Whamond, features a U.S. soccer fan with a questionable grasp of the rules. World Cup fever has taken hold across America, but a refresher might be in order as the U.S. moves onto the next round.

Here are our top ten most reprinted cartoons of the week:

#1. Dave Whamond

#2. Dave Granlund

#3. Jeff Koterba

#4. Dave Granlund

#5. Paul Duginski

#6. Harley Schwadron

#7. Graeme MacKay

#8. Adam Zyglis

#9. John Darkow

#10. Harley Schwadron

–

Daryl Cagle is the publisher of Cagle.com and owner of CagleCartoons.com, a syndicate that distributes editorial cartoons and columns to over 500 subscribing newspapers. See Daryl’s blog at DarylCagle.com and watch his video podcast about editorial cartoons at Caglecast.com

America 250: Franklin’s first journey to London

Alexandra Paskhaver — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Editor’s note: Humor columnist Alexandra Paskhaver is also a big history buff, and is diving into the rich life of Benjamin Franklin for a series of columns tied to America’s 250th anniversary.

Benjamin Franklin would never set foot in England, the country that oppressed American colonists, levied terrible taxes, and had no sense of fashion or cuisine.

Would he?

Of course he would! This is 1724. George Washington hasn’t even been born yet!

Franklin wanted to establish a printing shop in Philadelphia, but he needed materials from London.

So off he went, but not before saying a tender farewell to Deborah Read, the daughter of the family he boarded with. Her mother thought it would be better for them to get married after Franklin returned and set up shop.

I mean, if it were me, I’d say, “Leap at the chance to marry Benjamin Franklin!”

But of course, Benjamin Franklin wasn’t Benjamin Franklin back then. Or maybe women had higher expectations.

On arriving in London with his friend James Ralph, Franklin expected to present a letter of recommendation and letters of credit from Sir William Keith, lieutenant-governor of Pennsylvania, to buy printing materials.

But there were no letters from Keith in the ship’s mailbag.

Ben had, in a word, been duped.

Franklin found employment at Palmer’s, a famous printing-house in Bartholomew Close, and ended up paying for pretty much everything for Ralph, who didn’t find money as a writer or an actor.

Ralph had left behind a wife and child in Philadelphia, and didn’t even write to them. In fact, he was rather keen on setting up in England and never going home.

Franklin, too, only wrote one letter to Miss Read. He reflected on this later as a “great errata of my life.”

In time, Ben wrote “A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain,” which he later considered “another erratum.”

But the pamphlet got him introduced to various members of English society, including a Dr. Mandeville, author of the “Fable of the Bees,” and a Dr. Pemberton, who promised to introduce Franklin to Sir Isaac Newton, “but this never happened,” reflected Franklin sadly.

Ralph soon made a female acquaintance and, desiring to support himself and her, took a job as a schoolmaster. He thought the post was beneath him, so before he took the job, he conveniently changed his name to… Benjamin Franklin.

The real Benjamin Franklin was not amused. But what could he do? Ralph wouldn’t pay him back his money, wouldn’t stop using his name, and wouldn’t stop writing terrible poetry, which he sent Franklin in bucketfuls.

Eventually, their friendship collapsed. Franklin was relieved. The lack of money was bad enough, but the poetry? That was truly abominable.

Franklin took a better-paying job at a printing house called Watt’s. It was famous for how much beer its employees drank. About 6 pints a day, by Ben’s count. For those who use the metric system, the conversion is: a lot.

Being more capable than alcoholics, Franklin was promoted. He was then fined for not buying beer. Poor fellow.

He made extra money by moving to cheaper and cheaper apartments.

He also made a friend, named Wygate.

Men, as opposed to women like the lady Reads, were quite impressed with Franklin from the start.

Wygate was especially thrilled Franklin could swim. And do underwater acrobatics.

Truly, the bravest part of Franklin’s swims was that he plunged into the Thames, which was where thousands of Londoners emptied their sewage and garbage.

As I’ve said, men are easily impressed.

Franklin even debated opening a swimming school in London, but a Mr. Denham persuaded him to come back to Philadelphia with him and work as a clerk in Denham’s store.

So in 1726, with the prospect of a job and seeing Miss Read again, Benjamin Franklin sailed home.

-

Copyright 2026 Alexandra Paskhaver, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Alexandra Paskhaver is a software engineer and writer. Both jobs require knowing where to stick semicolons, but she’s never quite; figured; it; out. Feel free to contact her at alexandra.paskhaver@gmail.com

Are we really ready for extraterrestrials? 

Danny Tyree — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Tyrades! by Danny Tyree

“Keep a-knockin’, but you can’t come in.” - Little Richard

Seemingly timed to coincide with the release of Steven Spielberg’s movie “Disclosure Day,” the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has ratified updated protocols governing how scientists evaluate, verify and announce evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence.

(Such evidence could include unmistakable electromagnetic messages, physical artifacts, actual face-to-whatever encounters with aliens … or a horoscope that is eerily spot-on.)

Revised protocols were deemed necessary because old standards of verification (“Well, where’s the last place you REMEMBER spotting a suspicious signal?”) and dissemination (“Just as soon as somebody returns the DVD to Blockbuster Video, you’ll see the big announcement”) were found wanting.

Rigorous independent verification is mandated so no eager beaver jumps the gun and so those scamps at the United Nations don’t get stuck with a bunch of unusable banners. (“From the river to Alpha Centauri…”)

2026 is also plagued by nonstop internet rumors, AI-generated misinformation and deepfake photography. People are jaded and resistant to things that should jar them out of their comfort zone. (“Dang ol’ CGI sonogram. I ain’t payin’ child support for no dadgum baby bumps in the 15 women I was seeing nearly nine months ago.”)

The updated protocols also reflect the reality that we don’t live in the kinder, gentler world that Pres. George H.W. Bush envisioned. Doxxing and political violence are rampant. If a group of scientists put their names and faces out there declaring the existence of aliens, the crazies will have a field day. (“We’re burning your house down because you’re in cahoots with the Russians.” “We’re burning your house down because this is blasphemy.” “We’re burning your house down because, well, it’s Taco Tuesday.”)

IAA feels that any authentication of alien life would be a “transformative event” for humanity, thus requiring a rigorous framework for verification, transparency and global risk communication.

But would mankind really freak out, or would it be a case of “the more things change, the more they stay the same”?

I mean, gamblers still gonna gamble. (“Twenty bucks says the little green men stop at the Crab Nebula Buc-ee’s on their way here.”)

And conspiracy theorists gonna conspiracy theorize. (“I don’t care if you have 18 eyes and wings. I think you’ve also got a Kenyan birth certificate.”)

And certain motorists will still drive at half the posted speed limit in the passing lane as they flee the city.

Church ladies won’t miss a beat, either. (“I don’t know what silicon-based lifeforms eat, but my grandmother’s deviled eggs and pecan pie should be good enough for any newcomers.”)

The revised protocols reaffirm that no response should be sent to an extraterrestrial intelligence without broad international consultation. This is ostensibly to prevent targeting ourselves for invasion, but my sources assure me that it’s really because the IAA members are at loggerheads over which of three responses to give: “Is your refrigerator running?,” “Wassuuuuppp?” or the OnlyFans-inspired “We’ve been so lonely here in the universe; how much would you charge to wave your tentacles in a seductive fashion?”

Maybe we’re all alone. Or maybe we’ll someday have First Contact.

If the latter, it’s reassuring to know we have the IAA to translate the pivotal question we must pose.

“Is that a death-ray on your flying saucer, or are you just happy to see us?”

Yikes…a mob of angry readers.

“Take us to your editor!”

-

Copyright 2026 Danny Tyree, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Danny Tyree welcomes email responses at tyreetyrades@aol.com and visits to his Facebook fan page “Tyree’s Tyrades.”

A call to donate blood amid a critical shortage

Tom Purcell — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

His neck and underarms were swollen. His skin itched, particularly on his arms. Sleeping at night was impossible.

His symptoms started when he was 50. Though he had been fit and healthy all his life, he had contracted chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or CLL, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow — the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made, according to mayoclinic.org.

CLL affects a group of white blood cells called lymphocytes, which help the body fight infection. It produces abnormal, ineffective lymphocytes. The abnormal cells may eventually crowd out the healthy cells, killing the patient.

His first chemotherapy treatment eased his symptoms quickly. He was symptom-free for almost one year. But the abnormal cells continued to multiply.

His second chemo treatment staved them off for five more months — but the challenge with chemo is that the body quickly becomes resistant to it. Doctors have to apply different chemo blends to overcome resistance.

For the next few years, the different blends worked well — until November 2012, when his leukemia transformed from a chronic disease to a more aggressive form, acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML.

AML multiplies abnormal cells at an aggressive rate, posing a real concern for the patient.

But he still had hope.

All he needed was the right chemo treatment to stabilize the illness. Then he could receive a bone marrow transplant from a donor. That procedure would “help re-establish healthy stem cells by replacing unhealthy bone marrow with leukemia-free stem cells that would regenerate healthy bone marrow,” according to mayoclinic.org.

He had a donor lined up and took a heavy dosage of chemo, but he did not stabilize. He lined up another donor and was almost ready for the transplant, but his body failed to stabilize again.

At that point, his doctors pulled out all the stops. They applied the most aggressive blends of chemo they had. But the AML resisted and got stronger.

Don Krieger passed away 13 years ago. He was my childhood friend — the big brother I, an only boy with five sisters, never had.

He was one of the funniest, most cheerful people you could ever meet. And all who knew him marveled at the grace and humor with which he fought that disease.

I write about him now because we can all do something to help people like him.

First, we can consider becoming bone marrow donors to help heal others like Don (go to marrow.org).

Second, we can donate blood on a regular basis. Patients like Don need blood transfusions almost daily, but there is a critical blood shortage right now.

Earlier this year, the American Red Cross reported that the national blood supply was down 35% — partly the result of extreme winter weather, which caused the cancellation of more than 400 blood drives.

Also, as America experienced its worst flu season in nearly 20 years, thousands of potential donors were sidelined.

Now we are in the midst of vacation season, when donors are typically few and far between — but we can buck that trend by visiting RedCrossBlood.org to schedule an appointment.

The least I can do to honor Don’s sizable memory is donate a little blood.

-

Copyright 2026 Tom Purcell, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

See Tom Purcell’s syndicated column, humor books and funny videos featuring his dog, Thurber, at TomPurcell.com. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.

Donald Trump's green new deal

Dick Polman — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

An inevitable press briefing a few days from now:

(Trump is hydraulically lowered into his seat.)

“Mr. President, are you planning to drain the Reflecting Pool and start over? There are reports - ”

“Quiet, Piggy! I know you’ve been down there stealing patriotic paint chips. Maybe we oughta cuff you. And gimme a smile for a change. You’re a terrible reporter by the way, like the rest of the Fake News, which keeps saying very terroristically that my beautiful pool restoration is a ‘met-a-phor’ for something about me. That’s a big word, a lotta people don’t know it. I bet Hussein Obama uses it.

“But that word has nothing to do with me because the real news, which of course you won’t report, is that in truth I love the algae!

“I love it very strongly. This is my Green New Deal - you didn’t know that, did you? - it’s a new marketing campaign the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. And look at Marco and JD over there, nodding so strongly. They love it too.

“Some very fine people, big strapping men with tears in their eyes, came up to me today when I was resting my eyes not sleeping, and they said, ‘Sir, we think that MAGA really stands for Make Algae Grow Again,’ which is why starting now I’m selling lawn signs with that very strong slogan for only $99 apiece, and I promise to send all proceeds to a charity I’ll choose in maybe two weeks.

“The lunatic Dumb-o-crats who hate America don’t realize it was always my concept of a plan to make the pool green. Real Americans are saying to me, ‘Sir, it’s so brilliant the way you keep playing three-dimensional checkers,’ or whatever it’s called. Truth is I’ve always loved the color green. The money I’m making on this job is very green. I always kick my golf ball onto the green. Hitler’s Wehrmacht wore green. Vladimir’s troops wear green.

“And lots of fish are green - the radical left never tells you that - and my fish’ll love the algae I’m growing. Sick deranged ‘scientists’ keep saying that algae can be dangerous for fish to eat, but we’re gonna look into those people. And we don’t need to worry about what the birds might do, because they’re all somewhere else getting killed by the windmills.

“Despite what the haters say, I knew all along exactly what I was doing. Nobody knows more about water than I do. To grow my algae, I decreed that the beautiful pool project would begin at the hottest time of the year - the best time for blue-green algae to flourish - and I decreed that the cement would be painted a patriotic American blue, to make sure that the water got heated to the maximum temp for more algae growth very strongly - “

(Pause for brief nap.)

“So, uh, yeah, the algae. I love the algae. What I don’t love is the vandals. ICE oughta look into the vandals who’ve shown up dead of night with barrels of hydrogen peroxide to ruin my American blue paint job. Nobody knows more about hydrogen peroxide than I do. It’s supposed to be used at low concentrations to lighten women’s hair, turn ‘em into beautiful blondes with a rating of 10. Nobody has dated more peroxide 10s than me.

“The disgraceful vandalism is a scandal the likes of which we’ve never seen, but we’re gonna monetize it by selling Trump Paint Chips for 50 bucks apiece. Get ‘em while they last, limited supply, a blue chip that’s better than a blue-chip stock - that’s great messaging for real Americans, you’re welcome.

“And by the time I finish this answer to your question, my true patriots will be pumping algae into their backyard pools. It’s called sol-i-dar-it-y, a big beautiful word bigger than met-a-phor. And for July 4, I’m hereby announcing the first annual algae endurance swim, broadcast live from the Reflecting Pool, with inaugural breaststrokes from Bobby Kennedy Jr. He thinks a pint of algae is a great energy drink and I’ve ordered the FDA to agree.

“Excuse me, darling, I did answer your question. I’m done for today. Anyone know how to work this hydraulic lift? Forget it. Marco and JD, carry me outta here.”

-

Copyright 2026 Dick Polman, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Dick Polman, a veteran national political columnist based in Philadelphia and a Writer in Residence at the University of Pennsylvania, writes the Subject to Change newsletter. Email him at dickpolman7@gmail.com

The enduring resilience of Michelle Obama

Elwood Watson — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The abhorrent comments directed at former First Lady Michelle Obama by UFC fighter Josh Hokit are part of a troubling pattern endured by Black women in America for generations.

The disgusting comments made by Hokit were not simply about politics. They reflected a long-standing pattern in which accomplished Black women are denounced as less feminine, less refined, or less worthy of respect than their white counterparts. From elected officials and businesswomen to educators and community activists, Black women have routinely endured vile attacks that expand well beyond policy disagreements and often land in the category of personal degradation and denigration.

What is particularly disturbing is such an offensive comment was made in such a public setting, with the White House in the background. Regardless of whether you concur or disagree with her politically is not the issue. The level of civil discourse in society has plummeted in our current political climate, and retrograde situations such as this further contribute to the destruction of such a standard.

Politically motivated conspiracy theories about Obama started during her husband’s presidency and have repeatedly been debunked. Transphobic bullies continue to post photos of the former first lady sinisterly distorted to make her features appear more masculine. Others claim former President Obama is gay, and that their children, Malia and Sasha Obama, now 27 and 25, were conceived by surrogate parents. The nonsense is par for the course in the frequently mentally challenged and debased right-wing blogosphere.

Equally outrageous is that almost a decade after leaving the White House, both Barack and Michelle Obama continue to face enormous hostility and resentment from their political detractors. Unlike previous first ladies, Obama evokes rabid passions among her supporters and detractors alike. There appears to be no middle ground. Her proponents see her as intelligent, classy, elegant, no-nonsense, charismatic, and socially conscious. Her opponents denounce her as arrogant, aloof, unpatriotic, racially bigoted, and anti-American.

Things for Michelle Obama reached a fever pitch in the 2008 presidential campaign, when she stated for the first time in her adult life she was really proud of America. Although many reasonable people totally understood what she meant, including former First Lady Laura Bush, other Republicans wasted no time in perversely exploiting a sincere statement, misconstruing it to imply Obama was an anti-American who harbored Black nationalist sentiments.

Truth be told, on more than a few far-right wing websites, the rhetoric used to describe both Michelle Obama and her husband is often so inflammatory and intolerant that some website moderators suspend activity until they can get things under control. I will not repeat such incendiary rhetoric here, especially since they're largely a work of fiction.

Some people argue there have been other first ladies, such as Hillary Clinton and Nancy Reagan, who have undergone critical and hostile scrutiny. Although true, neither were subjected to acerbic racial overtones. They were criticized for certain excesses, but never were the attacks, especially in the case of Nancy Reagan, so racially charged or personal.

Race has undoubtedly been a factor in such treatment. However, like many strong, radiant, and viable Black women before her, Michelle Obama has managed to admirably shrug off such criticism and resentment and focus on the goals that are important to her. In essence, while her critics have continually gone low, she has perennially taken the high road.

Despite pockets of naysayers, the reality is Michele Obama has numerous admirers across the political spectrum. Many individuals see her diverse, flexible, and sincere personality as refreshing.

The truth is that many of her most strident, bigoted critics, who would rather have seen the Obamas cooking and cleaning in the White House rather than residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue as they did for eight years, have been unable to successfully demonize either of them.

Michelle Obama will remain true to herself and to her constituencies. She is indeed one classy, resilient, and intelligent former first lady. And clearly, the nation’s first Black first lady still lives rent-free in the minds of Donald Trump and his MAGA supporters.

-

Copyright 2026 Elwood Watson, distributed by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate

Elwood Watson is a professor of history, Black studies, and gender and sexuality studies at East Tennessee State University. He is also an author and public speaker.