THIS IS ALL I GOT is “an intimately reported story that possesses the narrative urgency of great fiction, fueled both by authentic rage at the brutality of American governing systems–the lack of a safety net for the most vulnerable–and by a novelist’s attunement to character, dialogue, and place.”

"They estimated 64,260 deaths due to traumatic injury during this period, about 41% higher than the official Palestinian Health Ministry count. The study said 59.1% were women, children and people over the age of 65. It did not provide an estimate of Palestinian combatants among the dead."

NEWS: Amid the climate crisis, California has preserved a costly tax loophole for fossil fuel giants as the state faced deficits & cuts to wildfire preparedness — including cuts to LA’’s fire department.

Incarcerated people make up a third of CA’s firefighting force, earning “between $2.90 and $5 a day … slightly more when actively fighting a fire.” When compared to professionals: 4x more likely to be injured. 8x more likely to suffer from smoke inhalation. www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-...

Jimmy Carter, a visionary on ending fossil fuels, put solar panels on the White House. Big Oil-backed Ronald Reagan ousted Carter in 1980 and ripped them out Tonight, as Carter lies in in state in the Capitol, a climate-fueled wildfire is destroying Reagan's former hometown of Pacific Palisades

Musk’s wealth in 2012: $2 Billion Musk’s wealth in 2024: $447 Billion Bezos’s wealth in 2012: $18 Billion Bezos’s wealth in 2024: $249 Billion Zuckerberg’s wealth in 2012: $44 Billion Zuckerberg’s wealth in 2024: $224 Billion Minimum wage in 2012: $7.25 Minimum wage in 2024: $7.25

“Dissidents are born out of this choice: either assert their authentic selves or accept the authoritarian’s mafioso bargain, safety and protection…. “a blend of boldness and despair in the same mind and the same person.”” @galbeckerman.bsky.social wrote exactly what I’ve needed for 2025.

Went to Sunset Blvd. last night for my 50th (belated), to find that in this 2024 production, washed-up, forgotten Norma Desmond is now... 40.

Rest in Power Nikki Giovanni. Here is her iconic conversation with James Baldwin in full. www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4OP...

"Officers were ordered to take Mangione alive."

It’s a weird day for me on this site as an ardent supporter of trans rights — and Jesse Singal’s cousin.

That Emma Goldman aphorism about revolution? THIS IS IT.

Cosign.

Undoubtedly the soundtrack to my new book.

You can't understand vociferous Christian support for Israel unless you understand its role in the last days. Preparing the Kingdom for Jesus drives education policy. Climate change events prove the end is nigh. I cannot emphasize enough how much end-times thinking is driving US politics.

For obvious reasons, it’s the perfect day to watch @brettstory.bsky.social’s UNION, a character-driven, suspenseful David and Goliath film about NY workers organizing at Amazon. Streaming through Tuesday only. Up for a Gotham award. See if it changes how you shop.

Texas’ maternal mortality committee will skip over analyzing deaths from 2022 and 2023. Those just so happen to be the first two years after the state passed a total abortion ban. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

When I started reporting on the Christian Right 25 years ago, this rhetoric existed at the fringes. Now it's in charge of the US Dept. of Defense.

I've been waiting for this one.

I just delivered my draft of AMERICAN PROPHECY: ONE FAMILY, TWO NATIONS, AND A WORLD ON FIRE. It's the story of an influential Christian nationalist pastor, his leftist kids, and how we have ended up at this moment in history. A marathon ending (for now) in a sprint, and feeling worth it.

Nothing quite like silencing Jews for our views on Israel and Palestine, especially when Germany does it.

I've been thinking a lot in the wake of the election about this remarkable @nybooks.com essay by Marilynne Robinson, about what Democrats and liberals miss when we disregard veterans and military families in the political discourse. A missing piece in so much *what happened* hand-wringing.

This weekend I moderated a conversation with Lana Wilson about her nuanced and humane film AFTER TILLER. It's a model of a different way to tell stories about abortion and the people committed to providing it -- and it made me want to go to medical school. You can watch it for free on Tubi.

Instantly regret not choosing the handle Frau Blüchsky.