"Do you have some favorite neighbors where you live? I mean real neighbors, with whom you can talk and play, and ask for help if you need it? I hope so." -Mr. Fred Rogers

The justices declined the Republican administration's emergency request to overturn a ruling by U.S. District Judge April Perry that had blocked the deployment of troops. An appeals court also had refused to step in. https://to.pbs.org/4s9xBc4

“Catholic religious and others last week made a public appeal amid the cold outside a federal office building in Chicago: They wanted permission to bring Communion and pastoral care to immigration detainees on Christmas.” www.ncronline.org/news/catholi...

Also, Justice Kavanaugh sounds like he really, really wants a second try at his decision authorizing Kavanaugh Stops. He's now insisting that immigration enforcement should not be like EXACTLY WHAT IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT IS LIKE UNDER TRUMP'S THUGGERY.

BREAKING: The Supreme Court rejects the Trump administration’s request to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois at this time, over the dissenting votes of Justices Thomas, Alito, and Gorsuch. Background: www.lawdork.com/p/trump-admi...

From @parkermolloy.com at New Republic. newrepublic.com/article/2047... I'd go a bit further. The system needs no conspiracy to function. It just needs everyone to understand the direction things are going in. Bari Weiss was put there not to protect a legacy, but to align its politics differently.

"Kavanaugh Stop" went from a skeet on here to Bluesky meme to crosspollinating over on X to Brett Kavanaugh's burner account seeing it there to a whiny defensive footnote about it in a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. Juice.

"Her family has now been told she has been deported, despite US District Judge Brendan Hurson ruling Thursday that she could not be deported pending a hearing...attorneys said Monday that they have...confirm[ed] with the hospital she was born in Maryland." https://bit.ly/3MMdJvz

. TRUMP SOLD NUCLEAR SECRETS, 3 TIMES. - Jack Smith #JackSmith #Trump #IMPEACH .

I first thought this graf in the Atlantic piece defending Bari Weiss was parody, but the whole column is so misbegotten, I think now it might just be sincere. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/1...

Jay Bhattacharya is nothing special, he’s just a vessel and a tool the billionaires elevated (via money and putting him on TV and podcasts) because he helped them by lying about science. It’s useful for him to scream “censorship” falsely because it helps protect their ability to lie.

And now back to science: Billionaires also found during Covid that they could make scientists villains and divide the country (to get votes) by lying about public health and vaccines. Oligarchs also want to protect their ability to spread those lies.

There is a direct line between Mario Rubio now weaponizing the government against “censorship,” Jay Bhattacharya crying “censorship,” M Shellenberger lying on Substack about “censorship,” and the ongoing destruction of our public health, vaccine, and science infrastructure.

Another important point to note: the courts keep rejecting when the Trump admin says its immigration actions are unreviewable

Thinking about this decision, important context is that the militarization of immigration enforcement had already been happening at the US-Mexico border Trump tried to bring that into the US interior, but was rejected, for now

Khanna: You’ve got the DOJ releasing the names of survivors—which they are not allowed to do by law—but not releasing the FBI interview files with those same survivors. Those FBI interviews contain the names of other men: Wall Street tycoons and politicians…

"But the folks who left were hacks" not the point, the point is that many of them were not perceived that way and that was key to Heritage's power

We don't know who's funding the new Pence thing but we can make certain guesses, and there just isn't that kind of MAGA money. We don't know who will replace the people who left Heritage but they will be MAGA hacks without any perceived expertise or legitimacy.

No, people are not exaggerating the significance of what's going on at Heritage. We're talking massive capital flight, in every sense of the word. It will never be the same, and it will be less powerful.

Virginia's Senate Majority Leader told Bolts that the legislature will advance a constitutional amendment in January to let Virginians vote once they're released from prison. The state constitution currently strips people of their voting rights for life.

Sean Duffy on blue states: "What I can do is I can pull their money. That's the leverage I do have ... I guarantee you that the federal taxpayer is not going to fund their roads and bridges and their systems when they are putting illegals on the roads."

So much for “civility” in travel. 🤡

"I can't stop thinking about Rob Reiner and the tragic irony of the one day I ever spent with him." He worked to save kids, but couldn't save his son. My latest at @thebulwark.com, on politics, parenting, and lessons learned. www.thebulwark.com/p/rob-reiner...

. Denying aid to Colorado because you don’t like their governor is peak, dictatorship energy. .

My hottest take is that Weiss fucked up the story less out of direct political motivation than out of the pattern of incompetent management everywhere: insisting on changes to something at the last minute in order to demonstrate your authority and make it seem as if you have something to contribute.

The thing about that Graeme Wood article defending Weiss is that he *also* has never worked as a news editor, let alone a TV news editor. It’s bizarre contrarian dilettantism of a type the Atlantic is sadly prone to.

I miss the camaraderie and sense of mission that comes from working alongside journalists who have talent and integrity. But I'm grateful beyond words that I'm no longer in the same professional community as the Nuzzis and Weisses of the world.

The Olivia Nuzzi story and the Bari Weiss at CBS story are the same story, which is that the upper echelons of legacy media are absolutely rife with people who worship power and don't feel burdened by any sense of responsibility to their profession or the public.

Vote blue no matter who

The closure of Russian airports began early today with Kaluga ordered to stop allowing flights at 4pm Moscow time.

Media in Russia report a giant eel attacked a Russian on holiday in Egypt. The Moray eel bit its victim in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada. The tourist is in hospital. Local workers bagged up the eel, perhaps to ensure he received a flork?

Kremenchuk in Poltava region has been hit this afternoon. An air raid alarm was sounded around 2.30pm and at some point in the next hour the city was hit, which the Mayor has now confirmed but released only this photo, supposedly above the impact site.

This video grabbed my attention. Shot in Kyiv this morning, it seems a little surreal. A killer drone emerging from a flock of birds. The juxtaposition of grace, beauty and grace with terror and attempted murder. #RussiaIsATerroristState

2/2 The south of Odesa region was also hit. Residential buildings and garages were struck. A roof of one house was on fire and 122 homes were damaged in all according to the regional council. There appear to be no military targets at all. #RussiaIsATerroristState

1/2 You will know the pounding of Odesa continued last night with a civilian ship (pic1) among objects targeted. The dry cargo vessel was flying the flag of Lebanon. A warehouse was also hit in the port area and energy, transport and industrial facilities were all targeted.

The series was originally only available for those inside the UK. Some abroad have trouble downloading BBC programmes, but if you cannot listen via this link, just search "Two Nottingham Lads" into your podcast provider. bsky.app/profile/twmc...

I recently heard @paulkenyontv.bsky.social's 4-part podcast "Two Nottingham Lads" the story of the coincidence that @cossackgundi.bsky.social & his interrogator, Graham Phillips, named a Russian asset by a UK court, are from the same UK region It's available worldwide www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

3/3 More photos from the devastated apartment building in Kyiv's Sviatoshynskyi district. More attack drones are still flying in Kyiv region right now.

2/3 In the Sviatoshynskyi area of Kyiv, the roof of this multi-storey building was hit by a drone, with witnesses saying the UAV bounced off a tree first. #StopRussia

1/3 More from Kyiv now. Inside the Ukrainian capital, the Sviatoshynskyi district was worst hit. There are 5 injuries, including a child. Three of them are in hospital and two are seriously ill.

May I just say how appalled I am that my own country, and so many other 'big' nations, have still failed to say and declare #RussiaIsATerroristState That includes Biden, Boris and Scholz, and the current leaders Macron, Starmer + well, of course trumpty dumpty.

Now to Kyiv, and another person killed by Russia just outside the capital. An elderly woman died here in Vyshhorod, just north of Kyiv city, when this 2-storey home was destroyed. Three other people, the youngest 16, were injured. Private houses were also damaged in Obukhiv.

More on the consequences of the aerial attacks soon, but here's the updated table of losses. First, note the 2 aircraft in Lipetsk which Ukraine does deem destroyed. 1,420 more Russian personnel dead/dying. Casualty figures in December are at the highest levels for 8 months.

Centre-west Ukraine is worst affected by power cuts with virtually all supplies lost in Khmelnytskyi, Rivne & Ternopil' In total 13 of Ukraine's oblasts (regions) affected. Here's an approximation of drone/missile flight paths. The 3 Kindzhals (green) aimed for the Starokon airbase

The person killed in Khmelnytskyi region was a 72 year old man. He died in the town of Shepetivka, though probably from falling debris landing on his property (pic1). In the regional capital a hospital was damaged as well as energy equipment and other houses.

Kyiv was strongly attacked. The air raid only ended at 9am. But equally bad were assaults on Khmelnytskyi & Zhytomyr regions, with a death in both. In Zhytomyr, the victim was a 4 year old child, another innocent life that will never be fulfilled. 3 others are injured here⬇️

2/2 Ukraine's authorities say all 3 Kindzhal aeroballistic missiles fired by Russia failed to reach their targets, but don't claim it was due to EW. 21 locations were hit and officials say debris caused damage in a further 8 places.

1/2 Those reading me last night will have known of the incessant flow of attack drones from Russia. In total 635 flew into Ukraine, and they were followed by 38 missiles (3 ballistic) Air defence managed to stop: 34/35 Cruise missiles *0/3 Ballistic 587/635 UAVs (92%)