Happy Fourth. On this day, I like to revisit Frederick Douglass’ “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July,” and in particular, this video NPR produced a few years back of portions of the speech being read by Douglass’ descendants. youtu.be/NBe5qbnkqoM?...

July 4, 1418 S.R. Boromir sets out from Minas Tirith to seek Imladris. According to a dream, this near-mythical place holds "the sword that was broken" and the key to defeat Sauron. #LOTR

Huh. "traveled to Beijing and met with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng just days after McConnell’s hospitalization. "Photos circulating in Chinese media show Chao sitting across from Zheng on June 17, reportedly discussing efforts to strengthen China–U.S. relations."

One of those photos that's a sucker punch to the gut. This is exactly what Trump wants.

1/ At some point this weekend someone is going to state a completely wild claim at the table like it’s settled fact. Here’s how to handle it without starting a food fight and without just sitting there nodding along. #DV1 #ProudBlue #Voices4Victory #USDemocracy

They going to try J6 again?

ICYMI: The decision to ban social media could have unintended consequences for LGBTQIA+ young people, who often use social media to find community, support and safety.

Right?! Half of the country is in a cult and the other half has PTSD 😵‍💫

Saturday (7/4) News: For July 4th, “Trump Pardons Violators of the Clean Air Act and a Major Donor”; At Mt. Rushmore, Trump “read a half-baked red scare speech straight out of 1950”; "Brutal heat cancels Fourth of July events"; Climate Change Endangers Jamestown bluevirginia.us/2026/07/satu...

In case you missed it. Among other things, Trump solicited donations for America 250 but provided bank info for those donations for Freedom 250, his private entity. Oh, and the blatant selling of access, including to foreign entities. And more. huffman.house.gov/media-center...

1/ Fog Data Science and Venntel built a business selling your phone's location: buy the pings, package them by address, sell "everyone who visited here" to cops with no warrant needed. That's geofencing. It's legal, and it's huge. 🧵 #DV1 #ProudBlue #Voices4Victory #USDemocracy

"Conservatives wasted no time signalling their next targets. "Blue states with boys on girls' podiums ... you're next," declared Kristen Waggoner, president of the Alliance Defending Freedom. The Trump administration has already initiated legal proceedings against California, Maine and Minnesota."

The Trump admin went too far going after trans people for even Judge Reed O'Connor. Great writeup by @chrisgeidner.bsky.social www.lawdork.com/p/ftc-wpath-...

Absolutely gutted to hear about Victoria Cruz. I had the honor of receiving an award from the Brooklyn borough president in 2020 alongside her. When so many of our trans siblings rarely get to old age, I felt so privileged to be able to know her. Rest in power. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/03/n...

I had a lot of older clients who were exceptionally alone after their partners passed because their entire social circles died during the height of the epidemic. There's effectively a missing generation of gay and bisexual men and trans women that never got to grow old.

Woo hoo!!!!

Damn I need a cigarette after this sentence.

Is it true, as rumored, that Vance is literally the stupidest currently sitting official in the U.S. government? How did he even get a law degree?

July 4, 1418 S.R. Boromir sets out from Minas Tirith to seek Imladris. According to a dream, this near-mythical place holds "the sword that was broken" and the key to defeat Sauron. #LOTR

Fact Cambodia is the most bombed country in history. 2,756,941 tons of bombs were dropped by the united states on Cambodia. To put 2,756,941 tons into perspective, the Allies dropped just over 2 million tons of bombs during all of World War II. gsp.yale.edu/sites/defaul...

Patriots don’t sell US out to Putin!

Yes. Its been like that for decades going all the way back to people like smedley butler in the 1930s. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley...

A former beauty queen who says Donald Trump groped her at a 1993 pageant has leveled a new claim at the president's first wife, alleging Ivana Trump helped funnel young women into Jeffrey Epstein's orbit.

The Emperor, stark naked, Still must be placated www.rawstory.com/trump-dement...

Glad we passed our moratorium before a single one of these things got built here, but watersheds don't understand political boundaries and there are a number upstream from us.

Chief judge Boasberg and Chief Judge Reed O'Connor spoke and defused the situation. The emergency TRO was denied as moot. The other pending motion in DC is still ongoing and the hearing will be next week on July 9th.

Same here. 👍 🇺🇸

Recent European heat wave killed more than 2,000 people in France www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

#trumptrash pissing all over the Nations Capital.

WHY JACK SMITH IS MY CAPTAIN AMERICA open.substack.com/pub/ifloz/p/...

#BadPastor #NotADragPerformer #NoTransIndividualsInvolved

If you live in the DC metro area, this is what you're hearing - and will hear over the next day - whether you like it or not bluevirginia.us/2026/07/frid... h/t @wtopnews.bsky.social

The fucking LIES that these people spin. Texas ROUTINELY asks people to conserve energy during major heat waves. But when Mamdani does it they cry "OOHHH SOCIALISM HAS FAILED!" www.joemygod.com/2026/07/ging...

Schrödinger's Lemon: Harmeet Dhillon's Team Treats "Organized Protest Activity" as a Crime emptywheel.net/2026/07/03/s...

After rewarding insurrectionists, Trump contemplating rewarding polluters. www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-w...

Republican literally suggests we cover the Statue of Liberty. www.joemygod.com/2026/07/gop-...

🧊 REFOULEMENT 😲 The complaint alleges that Ghana is “facilitating removals to unsafe countries.”

Those closest to Ken Paxton know he’s unfit for office. James Talarico’s #CupOfJoe is full of facts about his opponent for the U.S. senate in Texas. TX, you know what you need to do! Elect jamestalarico.com!

Stay (& pardon pledged) to R AG charged by grand jury w/ intimidation. IDK merits, but contrasts w/ treatment meted out elsewhere to protestors, journalists, a guy who touched a torn piece of plastic & another who threw a sandwich (later acquitted). www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Plenty of fireworks in this article talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo...

“Government has introduced so many loopholes that it's practically written an instruction manual on how to get away with conversion abuse,” says @transactualuk.bsky.social 

'If the UK Government acts now there is a chance to secure a sustainable and enduring future for higher education and research – one that reflects the full value of the sector to individuals and communities, to public life, social wellbeing, and to economic growth and resilience.'

Twenty state park beaches in Iowa have had swimming not recommended notices posted at least once since the Iowa Department of Natural Resources began monitoring the beaches for bacteria and harmful algal blooms at the end of May, Cami Koons reports. iowacapitaldispatch.com/2026/07/03/s...

OK, so, now DEFENDING THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS (w/ a side of factual error): "[T]he Salem Witch Trials weren't organized enough," said Knowles.... "So you had these random judges kind of burning these ladies....I don't know if they were guilty or not... 1/2 www.rawstory.com/jen-psaki-st...

I know I’m a broken record on this but @smooth53.bsky.social did it exactly right. Always #NameAndBlame Republicans. Never use the word Congress. Always blame it on Republicans. Say their name. #DV1 #ProudBlue #Voices4Victory #USDemocracy

Resonating with voters of all stripes. "Researchers found that among 31 Virginia localities with existing, approved or proposed datacenters, 80% had non-disclosure agreements with the companies behind the projects, the Virginia Mercury reported." #BlueVirginia www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...