Fuck-ups gonna fuck up.

It’s a special kind of pleasure to see a Russian investment and a MAGA endorsement backfire massively ☺️

What a relief and win for democracy in Europe that Orban conceded his defeat. I bet it’s going to be ugly with Fidesz in the opposition, and Tisza will have a tough time undoing years of Orban’s work. But Hungary is clearly a strong and stable democracy despite Orban’s best efforts to undermine it.

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨.𝗦. 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝘀? 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙩. 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮. 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙩. Orbán publicly concedes election in a landslide defeat. 1/4

With 90% reporting, Tisza is leading by 16 percentage points and projected to win 138 of 199 seats — above the 2/3rds majority. Crushing defeat for Orban.

Issuing a correction here: I posted the wrong Maron special couple of days ago. The one in question is "Panicked" on HBO. Anyway, direct quote: "Progressives have really got to figure out how to deal with this buzz-kill problem. ... You do realize we annoyed the average American into fascism."

My 2020 pandemic garden—early May. Kinda shocking to me now how beautiful it is. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Magyar’s supporters rallied again in Hungary. First results are expected soon, and polls from April 8 to 11 put Tisza at about 55 percent and Orban’s Fidesz at 38.

This has so quickly become conventional wisdom that the NYT doesn't even feel the need to attribute it. The original article attributes it to "extensive interviews." Hmmph. And this article makes it sound like Vance made his concerns public, which of course he didn't. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/u...

Really liking this concert video. (Membership/subscription required) @thefinnternet.bsky.social

90 minutes before polls close in Hungary more people have voted than on any previous election day at the closing of the polls. An all-time record high turnout is now guaranteed, it will likely be around or above 80%. Particularly many people are voting in cities and large towns, a bad omen for Orbán

'Steve Witkoff, Trump's favorite negotiator, boosts his business more than peace'

A couple of months ago, I lost my beloved outdoor cat. Mr Scruffy was a stray who adopted me over 10 years ago. R.I.P., Mr Scruffy McScruff. I realize now that he's gone that he did a great job controlling the chipmunks in the yard. He was a vicious hunter, and a good boy.

The difference is that Bouie/Krugman are people with interests which they found had policy implications and write from that perspective, while the other shmucks are guys who wanted to write about policy first and are indiscriminate about where they scare up ideas to work off.

Hormuz has that MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY "Heavy rainfall on Hormuz Island washes iron oxide rich soil into the sea, turning the coastline blood red." x.com/Rainmaker197...

Issuing a correction here: I posted the wrong Maron special couple of days ago. The one in question is "Panicked" on HBO. Anyway, direct quote: "Progressives have really got to figure out how to deal with this buzz-kill problem. ... You do realize we annoyed the average American into fascism."

Hi All, Just sent out my free weekend update. The big story this week was the Ukrainians speaking truthfully about the USA not being their (or Europe's) friend. In war seeing reality as opposed to what you desperately want to see, is a fundamental test. open.substack.com/pub/phillips...

Edinburgh O'Clock - 3 minutes to every hour. - we run fast so you don't miss your train. A new hourly image to brighten your day taken in #Scotland very often #Edinburgh and shared with love by Tom Duffin @tomduffinphotos.bsky.social. Please repost with your own caption.

What a photo.

Via Calgary's 'Sprawl' publication: "Kate Bowler wrote in the Globe & Mail last weekend. “Joy lives on the detours,” she wrote. “It lives in the places where we let ourselves be interrupted, where we choose delight over duty...”

It's very strong

Yes I did.

The fuck is a "Hasan Piker" anyway? Sounds like a middle-eastern fish.

Sunday's Chicago Tribune includes a story I wrote about the Marx Brothers' formative years living in Chicago. www.chicagotribune.com/2026/04/12/m...

Lol

This remains, IMO, one of the least noticed interesting stories of the Iran War. How are you going to blockade Iran when Russia is supplying it via the Caspian? www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Trump worries about "volatile, difficult, unpredictable people" having access to nuclear weapons.

The script says Iran does what I want. It’s right there in the script! I did my part, making demands in all caps, so why won’t Iran? Why are they acting like a country with interests and memory, one that has physical leverage? DAD? DAAAD?!? Oh, right, not this time. OK, I’ve got it. I’ll post more.

All This Shit™️ gets more embarrassing every day.

As we await Hungary's election both for the liberation of its people and as portent for our own, let us recall the role that ridicule, resistance and refusal has played. Yes, elections can be turning points but only if movements make them so.

That looks like volcanic lava, not people 👀

Le Centre de sécurité Sahaidachnyi , en partenariat avec le projet numérique Ukraine , a créé une série de fiches d’information qui démystifient les principaux mythes russes concernant la guerre russo-ukrainienne. sahasec.org/policy-brief...

En directGuerre au Moyen-Orient : JD Vance dit vouloir des «négociations positives» avec l'Iran en partant pour le Pakistan . Nous voila rassurés ...

Sheee-it!

We need to talk a bit about how utterly absurd the March heatwave was in the USA. This heatwave would have been impossible without a boost from climate change, but even with climate change it remains a deeply unlikely event. A thread looking at some of the numbers. 🧵

ONEST Explained: Who Legally Controls the Strait of Hormuz? What the Law Says and Why It Matters for U.S.-Iran Talks PLS READ THIS. www.onestnetwork.com/who-legally-...

I'm not even religious and I'm horrified. I'm an order muppet and this is clearly AGAINST THE RULES.

A Plea from Flea youtu.be/TmyjzvQv5bA

How about a version 2.0, you fucks? Better yet rebuild the thing from scratch.

On Sunday, Hungary will hold parliamentary elections. These elections loom large the world over. Viktor Orbán is a central figure in the international far right and his loss would be blow to familiar figures like JD Vance and Donald Trump, who are his pupils. snyder.substack.com/p/the-hungar...

Backbreaking Work. Newsday.com/matt

Ungarn….

When you are here to talk about what your genocidal bosses are up to.

Man who called it a "hoax" when Russia was accused of interfering in other countries' election openly and cheerfully interferes in other countries' elections

Imagine going to space and making it home only to find your achievement isn’t good enough - it needs to be faked with AI slop.