New Jersey governor Chris Christie told a reporter that President Donald Trump made him order meatloaf when they ate a meal together at the White House this week.

It's hard to believe it, people, but yes. This is where we are. — Read the rest

Civil asset forfeiture is the bizarre American practice of seizing peoples' property without charging its owner: instead the property is charged with being the ill-gotten gains of a crime, and if the owner doesn't pay their property's legal bills, the police get to keep or sell the property.

Earlier this year, Chris Christie appointee David Wildstein pleaded guilty to ordering lane closings on the George Washington bridge in 2003 to punish a New Jersey mayor for not supporting Christie's gubernatorial bid. Wildstein is now a star witness against two other people in Christie's inner circle who've been charged with conspiring to close the bridge lanes. — Read the rest

New Jersey governor Chris Christie has vehemently denied knowing anything about his staff's scheme to punish a local mayor by ordering lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in 2013. But today, prosecutors in the trial against two former Christie staffers charged with closing the lanes said Christie knew about it all along. — Read the rest

New Jersey governor Chris Christie used to be a supporter of gun control measures. But he is running for president, and the only way he can get the Republication nomination is to win over conservatives who can't forgive him for shaking hands with President Obama a few years ago. — Read the rest

Here is New Jersey governor Chris Christie's explanation why trans children shouldn't be given the right to use the school restroom they feel most comfortable in:

"Life is confusing enough right now for our children. Think about those kids in Los Angeles who last week had their entire district closed because of a threat.

Republican presidential contender Chris Christie was told to leave a train's "quiet car" after people complained he was shouting into his cellphone, according to passenger Alexander Mann.

Mann told Gawker's Melissa Cronin that Christie seemed angry at his security detail, or something. — Read the rest

New Jersey governor Chris Christie's presidential favorability ratings have been falling since December 2014. He is faring so poorly that a Langer Research poll conducted for ABC News and The Washington Post released today didn't even bother to put Christie on a graph of the Republican candidates. — Read the rest

Chris Christie hopes to win the Republican nomination by being the biggest plain-speaking asshole of the pack. It's not working, though, because the absentee New Jersey governor can't rise above Mini Me status next to Donald Trump. In a desperate attempt to crawl out of his abysmal approval rating hole, the Bridgegate-tainted blowhard said as President he will hire FedEx to develop a system to track immigrants:

I'm going to have Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx, come work for the government for three months.

Greg Costikyan writes, "Newark public school students have occupied the office of Cami Anderson, the state-appointed superintendent of Newark's public school system, in protest against plans to privatize the entire city school system over the protest of the city's mayor and virtually its entire population."

Obstruction of justice. Intentional interference in interstate commerce. Securities fraud. And more.

"Bill" thought he'd found something amazing: a sex tape featuring New Jersey governor Chris Christie. He had the New York Times, Mother Jones, network TV news and Gawker running the story down. Alas, the truth was mundane: it's a 2000-era "Dick Nasty" porn flick, starring a fellow with an uncanny resemblance to the presidential hopeful. — Read the rest

A protestor outside a Chris Christie town hall meeting in Middletown, NJ (Matt Katz)

Carla is bemused by my obsession with the New Jersey Governor Christie Christie Bridgegate scandal. — Read the rest

Matthew says: "A massive traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge was caused by the closure of two toll booths for a 'traffic study,' but neither the head of the Port Authority was told about the closure. An investigation has revealed the closure was ordered by [close aides to] New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not endorsing Christie in his reelection campaign. — Read the rest

The Kool-Aid continues to flow, as Donald Trump's popularity surges to an all-time high of 51% in the latest Iowa poll — the largest lead ever recorded in the poll's history at this point in the race, according to NBC News. — Read the rest

After Donald Trump skipped the first GOP primary debate, he dropped in popularity by six points, according to a national Emerson poll conducted Aug.25–26. Although 50% of Republican voters polled said they still planned to vote for the four-time indicted former game show host (as opposed to 56% before the debate), his recent drop is "the lowest support to date" in the history of Emerson polls. — Read the rest

In a 9-0 vote, U.S. Supreme Court justices let Joseph Percoco, a former Andrew Cuomo aide convicted of accepting bribes, off the hook, at least for one of his crimes. The ruling "further limits the ability of federal prosecutors to pursue corruption cases," writes Reuters. — Read the rest

I said it at a driver hesitating to turn into the lane I occupied in slow traffic. First I waited and then politely waved him in. He just sat there, looking at me, and then this came out of my mouth, barely audible: "Go, numbnut." — Read the rest

Former Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon and GOP moneyman Elliot Broidy join a list of Trump pardon grantees that includes Paul Manafort and Roger Stone.

Here is the full list from the White House, which is reproduced below in full. — Read the rest

Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is upset that his campaign legal team, currently led by his flopsweating and hairdrippy personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, is comprised of "fools that are making him look bad," NBC news reports.

Excerpt:

Trump is worried that his campaign's legal team, which is being led by his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, is composed of "fools that are making him look bad," NBC News reported Monday.