Daughter who is a former certified lifeguard confirms this article 1000%.

So many good quotes in this post, but this may be the best summary: "The government has weaponized confusion." Refunds are starting to trickle out, but some companies have been intimidated out of claiming them. Others resent exemptions for the biggest, most-connected companies.

Now, THIS is a headline www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/u...

Two police officers who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot have sued to block Trump's slush fund. They raise APA claims and an ultra vires claim. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

"If a corrupt president wants to dip into the Treasury for literally any purpose whatsoever, all he has to do is sue the government, then settle with himself outside of court to create a payout fund for whatever purpose he might desire."

Remind me how Democrats were allegedly going to take away your hamburger because they're all vegan maniacs? www.politico.com/news/2026/05...

"The 21st-century tech industry has accomplished a lot of cool things, but among the most remarkable may be a trick of language: It managed to make the word “smart” feel repulsive and the word “dumb” sound appealing." 💯 💯💯 www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/m...

Show me you didn't read the book blurb without saying anything. #polisky

Despite the responsibility to oversee the nation’s transportation infrastructure, Sean Duffy has found time over the last seven months to film a five-part series about his family of 11 traveling across the country on what he calls The Great American Road Trip. buff.ly/RnUOUTV

Contrary to recent Dems-in-despair headlines, "the House still seems quite winnable for Democrats despite their significant recent setbacks in redistricting," per the UVA Center for Politics centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/...

the very dumbest people are destroying our country

My answer to the @MuckRack Daily trivia question: cerulean

The art of the bad-for-taxpayers deal www.nytimes.com/live/2026/05...

PSA to dog owners: PLEASE obey leash laws in parks. I just saw someone allow her dog to attack a watersnake that was sunning itself near a path. Another person nearly let her dog jump into a stream to chase a muskrat, until we pointed out "leash your dog" signs. Wildlife is not prey for your pet.

My latest @nytimes.com oped shows that the White House is dramatically understating the cost of the war in Iran. By my calculations—and I show my work—this war will cost the typical American family thousands, and it could cost them tens of thousands. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/05/08/o...

Zelensky has decided to allow Russia to have a parade in Moscow. This is top-level trolling.

MAGA=Make America Gag Again: Trump admn has given >180 facilities in 38 states and Puerto Rico, mostly coal power plants and medical sterilizers, a 2-year exemption from the latest Clean Air Act rules. >70 had recently faced formal EPA enforcement actions. www.propublica.org/article/clea...

We know to leave the building and call 911 if we smell a gas leak. But why don't we use more odors to signal danger? The answer says a lot about our complex sense of smell. Had fun and learned much writing this for Distillations Magazine #sciscky #envsky 🧪 🌎 www.sciencehistory.org/stories/maga...

My answer to the @MuckRack Daily trivia question: A lifetime supply of those Dominos cinnamon breadsticks

I’ll be damned. The Pulitzer board did it. Good on them

"Pope Leo on Friday named a formerly undocumented immigrant who was smuggled into the U.S. in a car trunk to be bishop of West Virginia" From fleeing violence to working construction and other jobs, Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala embodies the dignity of immigrant labor and the power of perseverance.

It's hard to be optimistic about the state of the planet these days, which is a great reason to read Scott Weidensaul's new book, "The Return of the Oystercatcher," and learn about bird conservation successes. My review for @undark: undark.org/2026/05/01/b... #birdsky #envsky 🌎🧪

Ugggghhhh, and my passport expires in late 2027. Someone please file a lawsuit against this.

My answer to the @MuckRack Daily trivia question:Muhammad Ali

For both Venezuela and Iran, the narrative spun here from centrists has been that fossil fuel companies are innocent lil seahorses bobbing along in the currents just tryin' to make an honest buck The reality is that they're powerful, aware, and they have clear ill intent

My answer to the @MuckRack Daily trivia question: Bellatrix Lestrange

The Trump admin. is considering dumping $500M in taxpayer money into Spirit Airlines. In exchange, the government would receive warrants allowing it to take up to a 90% stake in the company. @crampell.bsky.social asks why taxpayers should be stuck rescuing America’s most hated airline.

My answer to the @MuckRack Daily trivia question: Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin and the Santa Barbara oil spill

At an art museum, reading about a sculpture that was rejected by its commissioners because they didn’t like the male subject’s facial expression. Daughter: “What’s “belligerent?” Me: “Pete Hegseth.” Daughter: “Got it”

Iran is still sitting on a big stockpile of bomb-grade uranium. This new 60 Minutes segment explores how the US might remove it, cooperatively (as we've done elsewhere) or by force (much more difficult).

"Consumers don’t just tolerate small businesses – increasingly, they choose them as a reaction against big corporations. Small businesses fill a void that big businesses don’t. Big companies scale efficiency. Small businesses scale relevance." #shoplocal

My answer to the @MuckRack Daily trivia question: it's got to be wine

Here's preview of the end of the current US administration

JD Vance adds another notch to his kill belt.

Our Earth view from ISS 30 minutes ago

We just got the first numbers showing economic effects of the war in Iran. Headline inflation is up sharply, and there's more to come. Stay tuned.

"Think of Storytime with the Second Lady as Reading Rainbow, minus ... the star power of LeVar Burton, the cheerful presence of actual children, or the range of captivating books." Also, the Trump admn is defunding libraries and pushing book bans open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

The high ground "provides not just a tactical advantage, but perspective. It allow[s] leaders to see, to anticipate, and to act with clarity when others do not." Why leaders – in war, business and government – should find and hold the moral and ethical high ground open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...

Sheesh, New England #weather #aprilfool

David Haskell's new book, How Flowers Made Our World, is a great read anytime of year, but especially for spring. Highly recommended if you're into gardening, plants, Earth history and/or the weirdness of life 🌎 🧪

Hegseth is reveling in death AND making money on it. Doubly shameful.

"Streets of Minneapolis" picks up the baton from Peter Gabriel's "Biko," Dylan's "Hurricane" and "Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll," Arlo Guthrie's "Victor Jara," Springsteen's own "41 Shots," and any number of Woody Guthrie songs. Say their names.

My answer to the @MuckRack Daily trivia question:the Rolling Stones

More than 100 Jewish faculty and staff members at Harvard University have signed a letter condemning the Trump administration's latest lawsuit against the school, saying  the Justice Department "paints a portrait of a Harvard that we do not recognize."

Turn it up

GOP Senator admits Trump is the reason for TSA shutdown, long airport lines: "The Democrats have offered to open up everything but ICE. ... Thune submitted that to President Trump. The President said, 'No deals with the Democrats.' We could have had TSA paid by the end of the week."

As the Iran war fans "quagmire" fears, here's a crucial twist that Daniel Ellsberg flagged in a great essay on Vietnam, "The Quagmire Myth and the Stalemate Machine": The image erases US guilt and implies that we innocently wandered into this treacherous situation (1/3)

Good work, Times lawyers. Judge Rules Pentagon Restrictions on Press Are Unconstitutional www.nytimes.com/2026/03/20/b...

It must be spring -- here's the first Earth Day PR pitch referencing "The Lorax." Pro tip to publicists: This book was published 55 years ago. It's not an example of current thinking about sustainability, so just don't go there #badpr #EarthDay