JUST IN: Two days after saying the U.S. would NOT renew sanctions waivers on Russian or Iranian oil, Bessent’s Treasury quietly extended a license allowing Russian oil transactions for another month.

Repubs defund/cripple public goods. Then blame Dems & their programs for the problems that result. Angry credible voters send Repubs into office to “fix” things. Where they cut/cripple more public goods. Lather-rinse-repeat. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

2 unignorable signs that we're hurtling toward disaster and misery (that the stock market remains determined to ignore) 1. Troop movements 2. The continuining shut down of the Strait of Hormuz (with the increasing likelihood that the Houthis could shut down the Red Sea

SCOOP: Before Trump posted an image of him as a Christ-like healer, he discussed the meme with his controversial housing finance chief Bill Pulte

INBOX: Amid rising tendons between Trump and Pope Leo, the administration has abruptly canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities to shelter and care for migrant children who enter the U.S. alone, ending a relationship dating back to the first arrivals of Cuban exiles in South Florida.

Good discussion: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Here is a brief history of the many authoritarians taken down by anti-corruption movements and an outline for how Democrats can become an anti-corruption party.

Yes where did people possibly get Jesus from?

25% of American adults said they did not read or listen to any book in the last year—not even part of one. www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Trump just posted this of him as Jesus. Straight up heresy.

Trump cannot win, but he refuses to lose. So he escalates and/or creates new conflicts hoping to change the game. Even a win prompts escalation b/c “see, it worked!” Eventually, this will overstretch the US and/or draw in foreign opposition. The worst is yet to come.

If Iran's military is destroyed, then why is Hormuz closed? Why are we sending in more US military? If Iran's leadership is dead, then why hasn't democracy appeared? Who was Vance negotiating with in Pakistan? If Iran's nuke capacity was obliterated, then why are we still calling it a threat?

Making tenure count, for MSNOW I wrote about my employer, The University of Iowa, creating a center for intellectual freedom. It's a reactionary project built on decades of conservative propaganda about higher ed.

Reagan’s OMB Director:

This won't kill this technology, it just makes pharma a sector dominated by European, Chinese and Indian corporations

How many years did Donald Trump spend bitching about the $1.7bn Obama released to Iran in the nuclear deal?

This is a fascinating and revealing examination of Pete Hegseth’s particular sect of Calvinist evangelicalism, by @joolia.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...

"We all have eyes to see, but our media can't dare speak to the reality. And so we endure as we do." An instructive thread from David Simon @audacityofdespair.bsky.social about why the press even today cannot tell the truth about Trump. Similar in some ways to my pressthink.org/2017/09/norm...

The FY 2027 NASA budget request hides its science cuts by omitting mission names instead of explicitly zeroing them out. We did the work and found 54 missions cancelled in this proposal. This is another extinction-level event for NASA science. Full list: planetary.org/save-nasa-science

We can have safe and secure elections in 2026 — if we work for it. The good news is the plan to defend the vote is already in action. Here are the highlights: bit.ly/41OHwrA

These leaks are a sign of real opposition at the core the Trump presidency. It's patriots signaling "Warning! Our president is dangerously incompetent!" And key players (and their allies) saying "Whoa, don't blame me for this disaster!" And the implosion is going to get worse as crises pile up.

Some thoughts on how we got to war with Iran, because even if the cause was mainly Trump getting high on his own Venezuela supply, and then getting played by Netanyahu, my sense is that this was also overdetermined from an institutional perspective in the DoD and State. 🧵

"Light Fossils" dinosaur light painting by artist Darren Pearson, known as Darius Twin, using a unique photography technique. The artwork is created using long-exposure photography, where the camera shutter remains open while the artist moves handheld lights to "draw" the figures in real-time.

We could do this with voter registration, but too many people are committed to voter disenfranchisement.

This is catastrophic.

I actually do think the Sino-Vietnamese war is the best analogue to the Iran war I've seen so far

This is a United States surrender. We surrendered a war we started.

I don't know if it is still true, but the old literature on the ending of wars found that starting a war and then losing was really bad for a leader's career especially in democracies. If Trump can stay in power, that might just provide a smidge more evidence that the US ain't a democracy.

Cracks are appearing the Trump cult:

Simon, you reminded me of this excellent tool: Drop a raindrop anywhere on the planet and follow it to the sea. River Runner Global share.google/BMQSfnYodflG...

Where is safer and where is more dangerous to go in Mexico? Cartel violence is very real but more in certain areas.Some cities in Mexico are among most dangerous in world but others are safer than many US cities. I rate security across Mexico's states↓ www.crashoutmedia.com/p/where-is-s...

Armageddon is terrible, but our only other option was diversity trainings at work.

The problem with Trump's threat to kill "a whole civilization" at 8pm tonight is that it's a coin flip. Would he nuke or carpet bomb Iran? Possibly. But he has also threatened, delayed, & reversed himself countless times. If no one trusts you, then you cannot make effective promises or threats.

I'm going to say this one last time: these are war crimes he is threatening. Plain and simple. If you're a member of the Intelligence Community or our Armed Forces, remember that your oath is to the Constitution and to Federal law. Not to this lunatic. Please stay safe.

This is explicitly genocidal

Don't think I've ever been as terrified in all the Trump security crises. As @pkrugman.bsky.social said, "It’s the most astonishing, awful thing that I’ve ever seen, and we’ve all seen a lot of awful things." Mainly as cope, and to teach it, I keep asking why. 1/ open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...

President Donald Trump made a series of false claims at his press conference about the war with Iran, during which his remarks strayed into other foreign policy issues.

This is my favorite climate change chart. Japanese monks, aristocrats, and emperors kept meticulous records of cherry blossom festivals for 1,200 years and accidentally built the world's longest climate dataset.

JPMORGAN: “.. Operation Epic Fury has now set a record for US Tomahawk missile deployment, surpassing the Iraq War in 2003 and exhausting four years of supply based on current production rates.” [Cembalest] #$RTX

In 2019, I wrote that war with Iran would be the "mother of all quagmires." Sadly Trump is now discovering that for himself. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/201...

Five days ago: "We don't need their oil...We haven't needed it, and we don't need it...We have plenty. We have so much." Today: "If were up to me, I'd take the oil. I'd keep the oil."

The War Is Turning Iran Into a Major World Power www.nytimes.com/2026/04/06/o...

It's time to call it. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/the-strate...

I said it back in early 2025 but Elon Musk seizing the Treasury's payment systems and the federal payroll systems from career bureaucrats was one of the most important steps in achieving Trump's coup against our Constitution and no one was paying attention

the rise of the incel and the rise of the strongman are two connected and mutually reinforcing responses to the evils of modernity. new post

Historians will marvel at this part of the Trump administration's National Security Strategy, published 4 months ago. www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...