Bakes Spaghetti Casserole in the Kitchen

Ree Drummond is The Pioneer Woman.  I enjoy her TV show on The Food Network (one of the last shows on the network that I can say that about).  Kelsie is also a Ree Drummond fan and she e-mailed to explain I'm getting it all wrong.  "Casseroles!" she e-mailed.  "Winter is casserole weather!"  She is right.  A casserole cooked in the oven tends to warm up the kitchen.  So she e-mailed to highlight Ree's recipe for Baked Spaghetti:

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. salted butter, plus more for the baking dish

1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 lb. spaghetti

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 32-ounce jar marinara sauce

1 cup ricotta cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup fresh basil, torn

Directions

1 

Preheat the oven to 400˚. Butter a 9-by-13-inch or other 3-quart baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions, then drain and set aside. 

2

Melt the butter in the same pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef, 1 teaspoon salt, the garlic powder, onion powder and red pepper flakes. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 7 minutes. 

3

Stir the marinara sauce into the beef, bring to a simmer and cook about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, then stir in the cooked spaghetti and ricotta. Transfer the spaghetti mixture to the prepared baking dish. Scatter the mozzarella and parmesan on top and bake until the cheese is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Top with the basil.

News?  NPR's Morning Edition spoke with Lucinda Williams yesterday:

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Lucinda Williams has been recording music since the 1970s. If you rummage through her old stuff, as I like to do, you find her starting out by covering old blues tunes and then going on to her own songs.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "PASSIONATE KISSES")

WILLIAMS: (Singing) Passionate kisses from you.

INSKEEP: In the 1990s, Lucinda Williams rose to acclaim with songs like this, about a friend who died too young.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DRUNKEN ANGEL")

WILLIAMS: (Singing) Drunken angel, you're on the other side.

INSKEEP: There is a dark edge to Lucinda Williams' stories, mixed with signs of light. One of her albums was called "Happy Woman Blues." Another was "Sweet Old World." Her latest album title is more direct - "World's Gone Wrong."

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE")

WILLIAMS: (Singing) There's a heaviness to these days. A burden on the shoulder. I think we've lost our way.

INSKEEP: This is the music of a particular kind of bada**. Lucinda Williams is 72 and working despite her long, slow recovery from a stroke.

How are you doing these days?

WILLIAMS: I'm doing pretty good, actually. I still have to struggle when I walk.

INSKEEP: When you're talking, I'm immediately thinking, aren't you going on tour?

WILLIAMS: Yeah.

INSKEEP: How's that going to work?

WILLIAMS: Well, my tour manager, Travis, has my arm as I walk on stage and walk off the stage. But once I get up there, I'm OK. I can stand.

INSKEEP: Got it.

WILLIAMS: You know, sometimes I hold on to the mic stand just to balance myself.

INSKEEP: She is clutching that mic stand because she feels she has something to say about the state of the world.

WILLIAMS: I mean, I always wanted to be able to write great protest songs like Bob Dylan did. But they're hard to write. I've been trying to do that for years.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE")

WILLIAMS: (Singing) Something's got to give.

These songs were written during a particularly inflammatory period that the country was going through. And it was just pervasive. I mean, every day there was some crazy thing that the president said or made a decision about, and, you know, these songs just had to come out.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HOW MUCH DID YOU GET FOR YOUR SOUL")

WILLIAMS: (Singing) The devil is a master salesman. You weren't so hard to convince. He closed the deal as only he can and made you feel like a crown prince.

INSKEEP: Do you see yourself as presenting a dark view of the world?

WILLIAMS: No. I don't think so. I'm doing - here's the thing. I'm presenting what's going on, the reality of the world. But, I mean, I'm not choosing to be dark. We're living in dark times. I'm glad you asked that question, actually, because, like, this guy yesterday I was talking to said he was listening to the title song, "World's Gone Wrong," and he said, you know, he wasn't sure if he wanted to listen to it that much 'cause it might bring him down, but then he saw the silver lining in the song.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WORLD'S GONE WRONG")

WILLIAMS: (Singing) Come on, baby. We got to be strong. Dark days are getting long. Looking for comfort in a song. Everybody knows the world's gone wrong. Everybody knows the world's gone wrong.

INSKEEP: Lucinda Williams says her style of music has always challenged people.

WILLIAMS: Look, I had trouble getting a record deal because people kept telling me my songs are too dark. You know, the darkness is - that's what makes things interesting.

This is C.I.'s "The Snapshot" for Friday:

Friday, June 25, 2026.  Jack Smith testifies to Congress about the investigations into Convicted Felon Donald Chump, ICE breaks more laws and resorts to tactic even the mafia would disown, Homeland Security sees the American people as a grave threat and much more.

Yesterday,  prosecutor Jack Smith testified before a House committee about his investigation into the crimes of Convicted Felon Donald Chump.  Hailey Fuchs and Kyle Cheney (POLITICO) notes:

Republicans finally had their moment to take on the man who tried to put President Donald Trump in jail. But they didn’t land any significant blows.

During Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing with Jack Smith, GOP members spent almost no time challenging the facts of the criminal case that the former special counsel brought against Trump: that he conspired to corrupt the results of the 2020 election and seize a second term he didn’t win.

The worst of the worst was US House Rep Jim Jordan who looks like a predator who hangs around the locker rooms of young men and boys to watch them undress.  Isaiah's February 21, 2024's  "Jim Jordan Has More Free Time"

Eye on the prize, Jim, eye on the prize.  Hailey Fuchs  (POLITICO) observes:

Jordan, a notable political showman and steadfast Trump ally, is seeking to portray Smith as hellbent on thwarting Trump’s electoral victory in 2024. Smith has said that politics played no part in his work investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and Trump’s handling of classified documents as part of the Biden Justice Department and insisted that he would have pursued the same case under the same conditions with a Democratic or Republican former president.

Smith has served in administrations under both parties.

Some say showman, some say drama queen.  

 

Some video coverage of the hearing.

 

 

 

 

 

Moving on to another topic, ICE gestapo now uses tactics that even the Italian mafia would repudiate.  Grasp just how low standards, ethics and morals have dropped in the second term of Chump El Gordo Fat Ass.  Laura Romero (ABC NEWS) reports:

A 5-year-old boy was taken into custody with his father by ICE agents in Minnesota on Tuesday in what some local officials say is the latest instance of heightened federal immigration enforcement in the state.

The family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who was detained on Tuesday as part of the federal government's ongoing immigration crackdown, has a pending asylum case but no order of deportation directing that they be removed from the United States, officials at Conejo Ramos' school said in a statement.

The 5-year-old was apprehended by immigration officials shortly after arriving home from preschool while his father was in their driveway, officials said. 

"Another adult living in the home was outside and begged the agents to let them take care of the small child, but was refused," officials from Conejo Ramos' school said. "Instead, the agent took the child out of the still-running vehicle, led him to the door, and directed him to knock -- asking to be let in to see if anyone else was home -- essentially using a 5-year-old as bait."

The father and child are both government custody, school officials said.

Please read Mike's "Jack Smith, HONEY DON'T and Miss Sassy JD Vance" to discover how JD Vance is lying to try to pretend what happened didn't happen by ignoring the fact that the child's relative asked ICE to hand the child over but ICE refused.

If you're not disgusted with ICE, you're not paying attention.  Doubt it? Owen Scott (INDEPENDENT) reports:

 

The arrest of the two teenagers was caught on camera by MPR News photojournalist Ben Hovland, who recorded the masked federal agents as they formed a perimeter around the youngsters.

“Do not cross this line,” one agent says, while sweeping his arms forward.

“Do not touch me, you have no right to touch me,” an angry demonstrator responds.

Fellow protestors can be heard blowing deafening whistles and heckling the ICE agents.

“You’re taking a little girl” one protestor screams, as the immigration officers try to distance the growing crowd from the car.

As the clash continued, the two teenagers were eventually put in the back of the federal agents’ vehicle before the door was slammed.

The reason for ICE detaining the two teenagers remains unknown, although Hovland told MPR that the pair were initially stopped when ICE agents allegedly rear-ended their silver SUV.

Those watching the gestapo target the kids after RUNNING INTO THEM after ICE USED ITS OWN VEHICLES AS A WEAPON.  Grasp that.  It's what happened.  ICE keeps claiming they're being rammed into but if you follow the actual reporting, time and time again, it's the gestapo that's slamming into cars.

Teenagers?  Five-year-olds?  Even at their most disgusting in Madison Garden, these flecks of human filth -- not even Dr Phil -- had the nerve to claim they'd be targeting children.  They knew Americans wouldn't go for that.  

Remember that the next time some stupid weirdo like Rashida Tlaib choose to tell you not to vote for Kamala because there's no difference.  There's a huge difference and Tlaib owes the country, the party and Kamala an apology -- as do Tlaib's supporters.  You gambled on our future and you weren't the only ones at risk.  You tossed the dice and the country and everyone in it lost.  Grasp that.  

Teenagers and five-year-olds are targeted now.  And it's Donald Chump's fault, yes, it is.  But it's also those who saw Donald running against Kamala and decided, "Hey, it doesn't make a difference.  Don't vote for Kamala."  You delusions of purity have destroyed our country and you need to own that.  Until you do, we don't need to hear from you. 

Because of your actions REUTERS reports, "U.S. immigration authorities detained at least four children including a 5-year-old from the same Minneapolis-area school district this month, school district officials said at a press conference. The report comes amid concerns over the scope and tactics of federal law enforcement officers as part of U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, which has seen 3,000 officers deployed to Minnesota's largest city."  They quote the district superintendent Zena Stenvik asking, "Why detain a 5-year-old? You cannot tell me that this child is going to be classified as a violent criminal."

This next one we noted yesterday but we need to note it again.  If I arrest you and imprison you, I am responsible for you.  For you and your safety.  But people keep dying in ICE custody.  Elizabeth Wolfe, Danya Gainor (CNN) report:

Earlier this month, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a Cuban migrant had died at a Texas detention camp after experiencing “medical distress,” giving little detail of what led up to his final moments.

Now, a medical examiner ruled that the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos was a homicide, the Associated Press reported Wednesday – a revelation that is likely to heighten scrutiny of the facility after three of its detainees have died in recent weeks.

[. . .]

But a witness told AP last week that Lunas Campos was handcuffed during the incident as at least five guards held him down. The witness said one guard put an arm around his neck and squeezed until he was unconscious.

The autopsy report notes witnesses saw Lunas Campos “become unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement,” but does not provide more detail, AP reported. It did, however, point to evidence of injuries to his neck, head and torso associated with physical restraint.

The gestapo that is ICE is out of control.  There is no real oversight.  People need to be prosecuted -- not just fired, prosecuted. They are unhinged, they are untrained and they are unsafe.  Doubt it?  James Powel (USA TODAY) reports:

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent entered a Thai restaurant in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his handgun drawn while claiming to look for a "kid," the restaurant's owners said.

Footage from Eastside Thai taken Jan. 19 shows a federal agent step out of a vehicle, draw the gun and enter the restaurant after a person is seen running past the restaurant's front door.

Elle Lee, one of the restaurant's owners, told Storyful that the agent was "shouting at us" as he entered. Kou Lee, the restaurant's other owner, said in a Facebook post that "the ICE agent accused us of hiding the kid."

Why are ICE agents running into buildings with guns drawn?  I'm not understanding that.  The trash was not shot at but he wants to enter an eatery waving a gun?  And, as the video demonstrates, the kid he was chasing ran past the eatery, didn't stop, ran right past it.  Then a few seconds later, Fatty ICE parks his car in the middle of the road, in front of the door that never opened, and lumbers in as he pulls his gun.  Do they not do eye checks for these people?  Look my vision's bad, but I'm not trying to be ICE.  They gave Fatty ICE a gun.  And his vision is so bad that driving in the same direction the kid is running, Fatty Ice can't see that the kid didn't stop and go in the eatery but continued running down the sidewalk?

If they're not doing eye exams that might explain some of the shootings.

This is all nonsense and it's illegal nonsense and it's hurting people.  It needs to stop.  Billal Rahman (NEWSWEEK) reports:

A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official told Newsweek that the use of Border Patrol agents in interior immigration enforcement could lead to further serious injuries or deaths among U.S. citizens and migrants.

Darius Reeves, who previously served as field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Baltimore, told Newsweek that the tactics now being used in cities such as Minneapolis are poorly suited for the interior of the country and increase the risk of dangerous encounters.

“It’s going to get worse,” Reeves told Newsweek in a phone interview. “I think there are going to be a lot more people hurt.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Border Patrol, said

Said what? 

We don't quote them.  We don't quote known liars.  WIth their pattern of lying at this point, JUDY JUSTICE's Judge Judy would throw them out of her court.  It's a shame other courts don't have as much honor as an arbitrator working on a TV set.

Again, if you're not bothered, you're not paying attention.  Robert Davis (RAW STORY) reports:

America faces significant threats to our nation's infrastructure from hostile actors like Russia, China, and others. But a leaked security threats assessment from President Donald Trump's administration says the greatest threat America faces is within its own borders, according to a new report.

Each year since 2020, the Department of Homeland Security has published a Homeland Threat Assessment, a report that describes the specific threats America faces. A lot of the usual suspects are present: crime, drug gangs, illegal immigration, and so on. But a new crop of characters appeared in this year's report, which has not yet been made public, according to independent journalist Ken Klippenstein.

Klippenstein received a leaked copy of the report, which now focuses on terrorism stemming from “class-based or economic grievances.”

"The phrase could as much refer to an angry MAGA Midwesterner as it could any Mamdani-supporting urban dweller," Klippenstein wrote in a new Substack essay. "But the focus is clear: the main threat to the 'homeland,' DHS thinks, is the American people."

So ICE acts like that towards American citizens because DHS sees us as a threat?

I don't know what to tell the MAGA dupes.  He's not released the Epstein files and still you can't wait to stick your nose in the back of his s**t stained pants.  Now you learn that he lumps you in with us on the left as a threat to the country and you're apparently just going to stick your tongue out to lick the back of his s**t stained pants.  I used to argue with Gore Vidal over this issue repeatedly.  He was convinced that if every right wing American knew that the FBI was breaking this or that, they'd all be up in arms and he just had to speak and write to reach them.  No one spoke wrote more than him -- and he certainly did both better than I ever could.  But it didn't change a lot. Nate Hentoff didn't change a lot either.  They may have both aided in the birth and growth of the Libertarian Party but outside of that?  Not really. Big hair Naomi Wolf tried to self-style her as someone concerned about our rights.  I told Michael Ratner in real time, "Don't trust her, she's a liar and a turncoat."  He believed her for awhile.  But she always shows her true colors so he lived long enough to see she was a fraud.  That said, had he made it to the 2020s, he wouldn't have just been disappointed, he would have been enraged/  Naomi's been a grifter all her life. 

Let's wind down with this from US House Rep Jasmine Crockett's office:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (TX-30) introduced the “Transparency Requirements for Aircraft Carriers to Know Immigration Conduct and Enforcement Act,” or the TRACK ICE Act.  

 

Reports show that ICE has been abusing Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) privacy programs, such as FAA’s Limiting Aircraft Data Displayed (LADD) Program, to avoid disclosing their flight operations. This leaves families in the dark of their loved ones’ whereabouts and loosens accountability for safe and lawful deportation practices. 

This legislation ensures that any entity under contract with DHS, ICE, or CBP to transport, detain, or deport individuals can no longer hide behind privacy loopholes. 

 

“For far too long, the federal government has operated immigration flights without full transparency. These ghost flights are tearing families apart, leaving loved ones in the dark, and giving immigration agencies free rein to act without oversight, transparency, and justice. It is Congress’s job to ensure they aren't operating above the law,” said Congresswoman Crockett.  

 

The TRACK ICE Act:   

• Requires comprehensive data to be released within 72 hours of any immigration enforcement flights. 

• Prohibits aircraft operators from hiding their tracking data while on federal missions. 

• Require disclosure of the condition and restraints used on detained individuals. 

 

Robyn Barnard, senior director in the Refugee and Immigrant Rights team at Human Rights First, said "In this first year of the Trump administration, we have witnessed a detention and deportation machine operating at a scale we have never seen before and enabled by the opaque ICE enforcement flight network. Our ICE Flight Monitor project has tracked thousands of these flights transferring people far from their loved ones and counsel, even to countries that are not their own, and at times in violation of court orders. This government refuses to be transparent in its use of taxpayer dollars or its treatment of human beings. We are deeply grateful for the leadership of Congresswoman Crockett in introducing the TRACK ICE Act to shine a light on a system that is not only cruel, but increasingly lawless, and to ensure there is accountability for the injustices it has caused." 

 

The TRACK ICE Act is endorsed by Human Rights First, Detention Watch Network, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Vera Institute of Justice, National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Advocates for Human Rights, African Communities Together, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Witness at the Border, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, African Human Rights Coalition, Oasis Legal Services, Refugee Council USA, Climate Refugees, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef), and Church World Service. 

 

Click HERE to read the full text of the bill.  

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