This is obviously a huge structural deal -- GOP can cheat and gerrymander and Democrats can't. Democrats have to get better at changing their own state rules to counter what the GOP has been doing for decades.

Me, over the weekend: "The one key takeaway for Democrats right now: In every state where the filing deadline has not passed, make sure to get someone on the ballot in Every. Single. Contest." goodpoliticsbadpolitics.substack.com/p/10-midterm...

*ISRAEL SAYS AGREES TO DIRECT TALKS WITH LEBANON

Geniuely curious where all the Gaza war voices have gone; anyone seen evidence of them re-directing now towards Iran?

I see the Left is big mad they can't get a protest the size of No Kings.

QATAR'S INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS STRATEGIC WATER RESERVES SUFFICIENT FOR FOUR MONTHS, FOOD SECURITY RESERVES FOR 18 MONTHS

Basically all of the bad economic news this term is because the president deliberately decided to do something moronic. He is much more personally responsible for this than most presidents are for the downturns in their administration.

My Republican colleagues should vote YES on the war powers resolution tomorrow! Anonymous quotes like these won't stop this reckless war of choice:

Alrighty, my partisan post about Iran, which belongs over here rather than X. This will be a thread, since it has multiple parts. First, this is a dumb war; not just from a Democratic position, but from an American one.

Authorities in Dubai confirm that sounds heard in various areas across the city were the result of air defence interception operations. The relevant Dubai teams continue to closely monitor the situation and are taking all necessary measures to ensure public safety.-Dubai Media Office

This is not our war. Left or right, liberal or conservative, there is no spin to justify this except that Trump is embarrassed by his failed Iran policy over the past decade.

Appears wave is over, hit the wall for today. Thanks for everyone’s time today. I’m going to rack out for a bit, but I’ll be back in the morning to keep passing updates. We’re still likely looking at days to weeks of this, and hopefully the end state is a free Iran.

Someone needs to tell Democratic leadership that war with Iran is not just a bad idea, but the public wants them to stop it.

ICE raids around our schools are throwing attendance levels into chaos and making it impossible to guarantee education for all our kids. ICE's clear unprofessionalism means they must be Congressionally barred from operating near such places. www.cbsnews.com/news/new-jer...

where are we at with getting ICE away from schools in the DHS shutdown?

NY FED: Consumers pay 90% of tariffs. CBO: Consumers pay *95%* of tariffs. www.crfb.org/papers/cbos-...

Free speech something something

We now have data from Trump's first full year in office. Let's review the performance of Trump and the two parties since 1989 and a new age of globalization began. However you cut the data Trump continues to have worst jobs record of last six Presidents. 1/

The whole COVID-era "Keep the schools open" crowd seems VERY quiet when ICE raids cause student walkouts and mass absenteeism.

Last night, I joined the the Upper Darby School Board voted 8-0 calling on Congress to restore the protections of sensitive locations, like schools, from ICE raids. It isn't enough to trust DHS to go back to the status quo; schools must be safe from ICE. go.boarddocs.com/pa/udar/Boar...

This is about as inspiring as going on a low carb diet. www.axios.com/2026/02/08/c...

We're working on a resolution at Upper Darby School Board calling for Congress to ban ICE at schools and other sensitive places. If you've got good contacts to share this message, please let me know! We do not have much time to signal how important this is to our communities.

Upper Darby school board is pushing for a resolution to demand Congress legislate ICE can't come to our schools. Our students carried out a large, peaceful protest yesterday -- with admin backing. ICE raids are hurting attendence, spreading fear, and distracting schools. 6abc.com/post/upper-d...

This is incredibly short-sighted, btw -- the MENA team was great and provided insights you couldn't find anywhere else.

From the American Conservative -- not one of these bullshit claims is true. Americans will not work hard, low wage jobs; immigrants do not overwhelm services but contribute to them; and national cohesion is undermined by right-wing racists trying to build a caste system.

exactly. this is not difficult. as.ft.com/r/58ed1b23-d...

A public school superintendent in Minnesota said federal immigration agents have detained four young students over the last two weeks, including a 5-year-old who was allegedly "used as bait."

The Board of Peace is Trump's knock-off UN as he cuts off funding for peacekeepers. In Gaza, it'll probably be used to wipe away decades of UN attempts at mediating the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump’s Board of Peace logo is basically the UN logo, except dipped in gold and edited so the world only includes America.

Why does the Board of Peace logo look like it's from a 1995 CD-ROM game about how you need to learn geography to save the planet?

An Israeli strike killed three Palestinian journalists in central Gaza yesterday. Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists in recent history, with over 200 journalists killed since October 7. Yesterday was one of the deadliest days since the ceasefire, with 11 Palestinians killed.

Trump's *left* hand -- not the one that is usually disfigured -- now has a large bruise and is discolored These pictures are from today in Davos and are via Chip Somodevilla (Getty) and Fabrice Coffrini (AFP)

Notably, the crime rate in the White House is the highest since 1900 too. www.axios.com/2026/01/22/m...

Dems who vote to fund DHS at this point should be primaried. There is no upside to this vote for us on any level.

An official admits to 2,000 deaths, while sources confirm: 12,000 were killed in two nights by the Revolutionary Guard and Basij militia. France and Britain summon Tehran's ambassadors www.independentarabia.com/node/640282/...

53% of Americans think the ICE agent should face criminal charges for shooting and killing Renee Nicole Good.

Spit take. 🤡

There’s a big story everyone is missing—but this article hits on it. We aren’t just seeing public health dismantled bc we’ve been taken over by conspiracy theorists and lunatics. What we’re really seeing is the giant, predatory, underegulated wellness industry come to Washington.

This something Dems who bed wet over Medicare for All or taxing the rich need to see. Our party should lead, not follow. End Clintonian poll chasing.

This is completely fucking unacceptable. Shut this terrorist government down until it stops brutalizing its own citizens.

A member of our Upper Darby community died in ICE custody, reportedly of failed medical attention as he experienced withdrawal. Nobody should be dying over immigration status. 6abc.com/post/family-...

I think it is probably a bad idea to put clearly unhinged, angry psychopaths in federal law enforcement positions.

As a school board member of a diverse district, this is something I'm constantly worried about; we have been lucky Trump hasn't targeted PA yet, but I am not counting on that luck, and am constantly asking our district team to be ready for a moment like this.

NEW: Second video shows ICE shooting in Minneapolis. A woman, a U.S. citizen, was killed

I've seen a lot of people say "refreshing to see Trump so honest about Venezuela's oil" as a criticism and I don't think they realize that sentiment is going to make old school imperialism more common.

Israel says it will suspend several humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders, in 2026 for failing its new vetting rules for groups working in Gaza. Some international organizations have said that Israel’s rules are arbitrary and could endanger staff.

The second Emirati withdrawal (the last in 2019), with the same intent -- reframe the mission, reduce the risks to the Emirati homeland, maintain the strategy (STC proxy state).

So this is a more interesting question than a lot of people give it credit for "Yemen" is a signifier whose meaning has shifted a lot over the last 200 years. Even today, some Southern separatists no longer want to refer to themselves as "South Yemen," but "South Arabia" 1/x

Not sure how great BlueSky is for this effort, but I second Nick's expertise in this field.

Saudi-Emirati competition stems from differing imperatives: it's the inevitable outflow of geopolitics. There is only so much power in the world, and those who seek it will bump into one another regardless of their intentions. In the battle for proxies, pushes must become shoves in Yemen.