After watching the Platner interview on Chris Hayes my gut response is he’s a disingenuous conman, shifty eyes

In a 1991 Sesame Street blooper reel, Robin Williams showed Elmo that a stick can be anything—especially if you’re Robin Williams. Love Elmo and Mr. ROBINS !

Margaret Chase Smith’s speech may be from a different era, but it is so insightful. It absolutely could have been written about the current state of politics and its detrimental impact on the Country and citizens.

This week’s ‘Noel’s Notes’ is out now, thanks for reading & sharing. Link to subscribe: open.substack.com/pub/noelcasl...

Judge Cannon has done everything possible to keep Volume II of the Jack Smith report buried. The 11th Circuit just stepped in. I've been tracking this one for months — here's where things stand. open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

!! Urgent warning for corporate media… from brave student journalist youtu.be/CPRN_UYUR1I?...

LARA TRUMP: Having a conflict just in front of the midterms isn't ideal TRUMP: You have a very short window

Its so stupid It’s all so stupid

This photo of Andy Kim in the moments before ICE gassed everyone at Delaney Hall is going into the history books. We need more of this from our electeds.

I didn’t know about the earliest origin of Memorial Day until I was a grown-ass man —because some folks didn’t want us to. 2021: Memorial Day organizers cut the mic of retired Lt Col Kemter as he discussed how formerly enslaved Americans exhumed remains of soldiers to give them proper burials. 🧵

This is a really good piece. It might piss you off, but it's a good read.

Memorial Day 2026 They didn't give their lives for an autocracy anntelnaes.substack.com/p/memorial-d...

Trump's AI videos blowing stuff up and the inane "kinetic" jargon aims to numb us to the reality that our government is murdering and maiming human beings from the Caribbean to Nigeria and beyond You won't be shocked to learn many aren't "bad people" My new column www.inquirer.com/columnists/a...

“Our geriatric, drug-addicted POTUS will indulge in posting AI-generated memes and cartoonish images of himself as a virile Commander-in-Chief consorting with muscular aliens (I’m not making this up) before finally surfacing at 4:30pm for a ‘Healthcare Affordability Event’.” open.substack.com/pub/no

And then there's this: The settlement gets sweeter for Team Trump In a newly-posted, one-page document, the Justice Dept details that it is now prohibited from pursuing tax claims against Trump or his family in the future Signed by Todd Blanche

@maddow.bsky.social The University of Nebraska Medical Center is internationally renowned for its first class services and top medical professionals, which served Nebraska well during COVID. UNMC will not bend to pressure from anyone!!

This is superb writing. It’s hard to read but it’s necessary. Noel is the small boy who shouts “the emperor has no clothes on!” However, unlike the fairy story not enough people are listening and amplifying, please share this to everyone. Be clear on what we’re dealing with here.

When the seasoned prosecutor leading the politically charged case against Brennan told senior Trump Justice Department officials that the evidence did not support charges, the message back was: "That’s not good enough,'" report @evanperez.bsky.social and Hannah Rabinowitz www.cnn.com/2026/05/08/p...

The through-line is so clearly evident!

The 40-minute version is here. It's pretty damning... or it would be if this were any other president. www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj6H...

No off-ramp. No answer. That's not a strategy. That's a disaster. Mark Kelly just delivered Pete Hegseth a BRUTAL reality check.

All else aside, “Gunfire of the Vanities” is a Pulitzer-worthy headline.

This is consistent with what I heard during an inexplicable day in Energy Law class where a CT energy regulator with a background in the CIA proceeded to regale us about how the CIA continuously and effectively ran around the DNI and its orders.

Sure, but a more engaged electorate wouldn't make finance reform so necessary. We keep wanting to pass laws to protect us from ourselves.

Sorry to be overly sincere for a second, but here's why we decided to persevere through all of the bullshit and take over InfoWars. There's just gotta be a line somewhere. Thank you @pablo.show for letting me talk so openly about this.

Unconfirmed IRGC Navy transmission: “The Strait of Hormuz is still closed. We will open it by the order of our leader Imam Khamenei, not by the tweets of some idiot.” Gee…wonder who they’re talking about…? 🤣

"It's her who's unacceptable" -- Trump in a new interview today attacked Italian Prime Minster Giorgia Meloni for criticizing his attacks on the Pope

The bloody Orange Buffoon has totally lost touch with reality!

I’m not sure it has broken through to the general public that the president is a megalomaniac crazy person. Hopefully posts like this help.

DUI hire Hegseth is the epitome of someone who would have been a fragging target in Nam!

All of our wars seem to be about supporting Russian oil exports. See my essay “Oligarchic Corridor” for thoughts

This totally undermines the good order and discipline of the military; DUI hire Hegseth is turning our military into a rogue force that is not to be trusted!

@radiofreetom.bsky.social I am very interested in your take re the firing of Gen. Randy George. I personally think it is a terrible event. What say you on what such a move bodes for our military overall?

Perfect day for fighting tyranny in Madrid. 😎 Over to you, USA! 💪 #NoTyrants #NoKings #DemocratsAbroad

On #NoKings day, my piece just before the 2024 election about George Washington - and how Trump was everything he feared and despised. (gift) www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc...

h/t to @adammockler.com for pointing out this gem from 2016.

“Trump celebrates Robert Mueller's death” by Ann Telnaes on Bluesky and Open Windows. “Melania, you must be very proud.” Please support Editorial Cartoonists, whenever possible directly, whose work is shown on Bluesky. This #EditorialCartoon was found on Open Windows.

This is just lovely!

You could say that Rock n Roll was born 111 years ago today in Arkansas, but probably not where you'd think. Before there was a Chuck Berry or Little Richard, there was those who wanted to be like her. Rosetta Nubin better known as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the godmother of Rock was born on this day

“I think we’ve won” — Trump

Putting the fiscal cost of the Iran war in context. $200 billion > $194.9 billion, which means that Trump is planning on spending more on the Iran war than he took in with his tariffs which raised tons of revenue. I wasn't sure this could be right, so I drew a graph, and it is.

“I Wargamed Iran for Obama. This Is the Worst-Case Scenario” Absolute must-read on the 5 lessons from wargaming that former US official ⁦‪Ilan Goldenberg‬⁩ learned that Trump hasn’t.

Trump: "Bc of the fact we have had such Military Success, we no longer 'need,' or desire, the NATO Countries’ assistance — WE NEVER DID! Likewise, Japan, Australia, or South Korea. In fact, speaking as President of US, by far the Most Powerful Country Anywhere, WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!"

“The poltroons and their puffy-lipped, pusillanimous arm candies will dance in the warm tropical breeze and laugh amongst their fellow one-percenters, as much of America decides how to navigate the storms they have unleashed.” open.substack.com/pub/noelcasl...

Yes, this Trump quote is real. Here it is in a clip from @atrupar.com: bsky.app/profile/atru...

I am leaving the Washington Post to join a new journalistic venture backed by Politico founder Robert Allbritton that will be both the hometown publication the D.C. region sorely needs and a scrappy and fearless national news organization. I hope you'll join us.