Eric Masten

Only the finest people

A sycophant is more than just a "yes-man." It refers to someone who acts excessively servile toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. They aren't just being nice, they are using excessive flattery, often insincerely, to get what they want, whether that's a promotion, social status or favor. Some characteristics: The motive is self-interest. They aren't praising you because they like you; they're doing it because you have something they want. The behavior is over the top fawning, or constant agreement (including when you're wrong). Common Synonyms: toady, flunky, bootlicker. Some parallels for movie buffs: Grima Wormtongue (the Stephen Miller of Lord of the Rings) is an advisor to King Theoden. He uses whispers and false flattery to control the King’s decisions, all while secretly serving Saruman. He is a classic example of a sycophant who uses his position to poison a leader's standing for his own benefit. Dolores Umbridge (the Kristi Noem of Harry Potter) is an example of a bureaucratic sycophant. She is terrifyingly sweet while she is around those she considers her superiors and she sucks up to authority to gain the power she needs to bully those "beneath" her.

Independent journalist Georgia Fort was also arrested by federal agents earlier for reporting on the church protest in Minneapolis. She was live streaming when agents arrived to take her into custody.

Anyone in DC have insights into why I just heard a jet flyover Capitol Hill?

The military is doing a series of flyovers over DC right now, just captured this video from Reagan National Airport.