Seriously, this feels like the political comms equivalent of a successful Queer Eye makeover.

She. Is. So. Brave.

Raskin: "It's not lost on anyone that shutting the government down allows them not swear in our new colleague, Ms Grijalva from Arizona, who would be the 218th signature to discharge the Epstein files and to put a vote on that on the House floor."

Trump Audibly Counting Non-White Generals

Dear @apnews.com The republicans control congress. Democrats did not vote down anything. If the GOP wanted to fund the government, they could have changed the rules to pass a CR with a simple majority like they did 11 days ago to approve 48 trump appointees at once. Fix your headline.

Starbucks says surveillance clears an employee who’d been accused of writing “Loser” on a cup when someone ordered Charlie Kirk’s “favorite drink.” The accusation was originally posted by a Republican party official. It forced the store to shut down for safety. blockclubchicago.org/2025/09/19/v...

If it's Tuesday, it must be Parenthetical. @middle8.bsky.social

If it's Tuesday, it must be Parenthetical. @middle8.bsky.social

My latest at First Draft. If you're like me, you've seen this kind of thing before and chalked it up to misdirected post-9/11 anti-Muslim sentiment. But as this MTG-wannabe reveals, even that version of bigotry was too charitable. first-draft.com/2025/06/09/u...

In this episode, we put the lie to the whole "if they would just do it legally" facade, but we also make room for a look at more than just "deportations."

My First Draft column this week offers an excuse to delve into some Springsteen nerdery in the light of Trump's recent tantrums. first-draft.com/2025/05/20/b...

This week's column at First Draft checks in on candidate Spanberger as she tried to triangulate her way around the issue of Virginia's anti-union laws on her path to the governor's mansion. Included: two good maps and two good Pernice Bros. songs.

My Tuesday evidence-based column -- Here's the scoop on how to tell the Biden Economy from the Trump Economy: One licked the relentless recession doomposters. The other one just bites. (Bluesky showing useful graph instead of pun-supporting photo of Joe w ice cream.) first-draft.com/2025/05/06/w...

The spud state is making the news for all the wrong reasons this year, but some folks are stepping up and doing the right thing. My Tuesday morning column offers the latest plus a little history on the side. first-draft.com/2025/04/29/i...

If people deny that Israel is for the Jews, they will be punished by our Antisemitism Task Force. And if they deny that it's for Jews so as to bring on the events of Revelations so Jews can be cast into Hell, they will be punished by our Anti-Christian Task Force. by Donald Trump and Kristi Noem

No deep dive for my Tuesday column this week, more of an attempt to skim and scathe across recent events. Remember, kids, it's not Imposter Syndrome if you're really not qualified.

I heard that on separate occasions Hegseth texted the Joint Chiefs his lunch order, four dad jokes, and a request for short-term financial assistance from a Nigerian prince, so it seems like reasonable Americans should be able to just call this a wash and move on.

This is one of the most important pieces of journalism any of us will read this year. Shows exactly how policy is made now - a scrabble of advisors trying to push an unreliable executive to pursue their agendas, at a moment’s notice www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

way too on point. Churchill put Mosley in prison for the duration of the war. Fascist quislings in waiting were a danger to the war effort. Sent the ex-King to be gov of Jamaica for similar reasons. None of this will end well.

@pitcherlist.com Red Sox fan and fantasy mgr enjoying checking PL daily as usual. Noticing a couple remarks dinging the STL offense, and it's early and I'm not used to it either, but the Cards are MLB #1 OBP (#3 OSP) so far. In a QS league, OBP kills so I check it. Anyway, thx for the great work!

Finally got around to watching The Old Man via Hulu. It was considerably better than expected based on the trailer from months ago that had turned me off. And not just because of the excellent surprise of hearing Joe Henry's voice at just the right time.

'As NPR’s Steven Inskeep put it: “[the] president has launched a trade war against the world, believes he can force the EU & China to meet his terms, is determined to annex Canada & Greenland, but is powerless before the sovereign might of El Salvador. Is that it?”' open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

For this Tuesday column, I leave the rolling atrocities for just a minute and take a local excuse (rock on, @abigailspanberger.com) to talk about how we talk about the minimum wage. First thing you ask: Do you even minimum wage, bro?

The Pampered Idiot, by Leonardo Alenza y Nieto, 1807–45, 📸 by @b_smialowski

This is a concession by the U.S. government that its “arrangement” with El Salvador is irrevocable. To me this has to be grounds to argue that the arrangement itself is unconstitutional under the Fifth and Eighth Amendments

In honor of the brief Sec. Noem mention, I'll put it this way: Check out my column or the dog gets it.

JUST IN: Three days after a judge awarded $6.6 million to whistleblowers fired for reporting him to the FBI for allegedly using his office to protect a prominent real estate developer in exchange for helping him cheat on his state senator wife, Ken Paxton announces he is running for US Senate.

I bet @nytpitchbot.bsky.social could do something with this.

In my 30-second bonus post: DJT continues to cope with his own insecurities by compromising long-held standards for top Pentagon leadership. Meritocracy for thee, special exceptions and waivers for me, as it were. He wins, we lose. Also, there's a Phish tune.

Top 5 lost April Fool ideas: 5) President Trump: Conquer Greenland! 4) President Trump, Elon Musk Create Shadow "Agency" Named After A Bitcoin Named After A Dog Meme 3) President Trump Finds Way To Anger Canada 2) President Trump: The Gulf Of Mexico Is Now The Gulf Of America 1) President Trump

My column: Where does the Trump/Musk anti-South Africa agenda intersect with a family's four-generation metaphor for the decline of U.S. conservatism? With this ambassador-to-be -- pioneer of media whining, nephew of William F. Buckley, Jr., and father of a J6 convict.

This is as fundamental a post as you will see this week.

In which I note that the Commonwealth's first governor was a lot of things, but one thing he definitely wasn't? A fan of executive overreach. Would that we could watch him give Trump what for.

The latest post by the new Tuesday morning guy Parenthetical. @middle8.bsky.social

My latest at First Draft. Yes, the more soulless half of Smirk 'n Jerk is mentioned, but this is the wrong lead photo. Blame Wordpress. The real lead photo is more entertaining.

Saturday evening current intake: Severance, s2 ep8 Duke/Louisville (on mute) Popcorn Pikesville rye Assorted interweb You?

My X-Files rewatch has reached the back half of season 11 (2018). This episode's opening includes Scully checking the news on her phone. It doesn't help that he kinda knew better once upon a time.

My First Draft colleague Parenthetical with an original take on what’s going on in the world. @middle8.bsky.social

Huh.

Thanks, @adrastosno.bsky.social.

Contagiousness is measured by the basic reproduction number, R₀. For context, the flu has an R₀ of 1.3. Ebola has an R₀ of 1.8. Measles has exhibited an R₀ as high as 18.

Has any other nation tried to hard to honor a bunch of traitors who murdered thousands? We are so messed up. But that doesn't mean there's not room for a chuckle or two ...

Oh my gosh they Hallelujah’ed Personal Jesus

PSA: Trump and minions should be judged not by what they get away with, but by what they TRY to get away with.

Excuse me, sir? Yes, I'm sorry but could you please point me toward the nascent white nationalist state?

(It’s me, I’m that Parenthetical, so please browse over if you’re so inclined.)

Hey Siri, write a headline pairing two words that have never appeared side by side before.

"Buy Greenland!" "Freeze all the federal grants!" "Clear out Gaza!" We've reached the "Alexa, what is the 'Can't we inject ourselves with bleach?' equivalent" era of public policy.

@pscannyc.bsky.social Is this the chat for people whose bourbon and rye consumption is likely to increase year over year even more than it had already started to increase year over year?