I saw Kathleen Edwards last night at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA. Great show. I'm glad I finally was able to see her and her excellent band. #americana

On my personal authority as the Chairman of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, I have determined to defy the Governor’s order that our colors be at half staff through Sunday on behalf of Charlie J Kirk. 1/4

What each and every one of us in the U.S. can do in response to the latest from the Republican Fascist Supreme Court. https://heidi-says.ghost.io/stand-up-fight-the-roberts-court-live-the-constitution/

"It is clear to us that the assessed approaches are not feasible, and that further research into these techniques would not be an effective use of limited time and resources. It is vital that these ideas do not distract from the priority to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or from the […]

The streets of DC are roaring with the sound of freedom. Thousands are rising up against authoritarian rule, filling the capital with courage, rage, and hope. This is people power in action. Today, tomorrow, forever, we are all DC. ✊🔥 VC BenjaminJAlvarez on Twitter

Saw this amazing Sandwich Guy banner at the Free DC march today. #freedc #sandwichguy #washingtondc

About 70k people marched on the White House today. #freedc #nokings #indivisible #USpol

Almost time for the FreeDC March. #freedc #washingtondc

#rfkjr "wants to burn down the public-health apparatus and rebuild it in his image to push his anti-science beliefs. It’s not just his long record of anti-vax idiocy; Kennedy has proudly displayed his kook obsessions on a host of health-related topics, from cellphones cause cancer to processed […]

9 CDC Directors going back to 1977 speak out. What RFK Jr has done to our nation’s public health system "should alarm every American." It "is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced." www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...

They loaded up those planes with children - some as young as 10. I don’t believe they had a safe place to go in Guatemala. And the government did not care. This admin is the least compassionate of any in my lifetime.

RFK Jr. continues to falsely claim that vaccines cause autism, and this will likely be among the propaganda he spreads in September, when he says he will “reveal the causes of autism”. I wrote about my experience with encountering vaccine lies online and how I used science to find the truth.

‘Having had a ringside seat for so many years, Luttig has no doubts about how the chief justice is conducting himself in the current fraught moment. “John Roberts knows exactly what he is doing,” the judge said, “and he knows exactly the message he is sending to America.”’ 2/

Took a 16th Street bus to downtown DC today, then walked several blocks west. No sign of that hyped federal presence, perhaps because that area of town consists mostly of office buildings, with affluent and mostly white workers. #freedc #washingtondc

Excellent article by Susan Crawford about the DOE report trying to downplay the climate crisis: https://susanpcrawford.substack.com/p/sea-levels-are-rising-a-new-doe-report #climatecrisis

To sum up: A massively consequential public health policy cutting mRNA research was made on the fly—a decision guided by ideology and misinformation—rolled out by a dysfunctional HHS. Reporting takes time. Hope you’ll read it: www.msnbc.com/news/news-an...

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has made public the memo the DC Attorney General has sent to the DC Chief of Police advising her that “that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it.” DC AG Brian Schwalb is referring to Bondi’s […] [Original post on mastodon.social]

The butterflies are really enjoying our tree box this week. Here's a monarch focusing on Asclepia tuberosa (butterfly milkweek). #nativeplants #washingtondc

Washington DC folks: "Police have set up a checkpoint and appear to be stopping every single car on 14th st NW, between W+V, here in northwest DC. Some cars are being pulled over after being stopped. Some police are wearing “HSI police” vests (Homeland Security Investigations)" Can confirm […]

Can we please stop with the framing that we're “sliding into” or “creeping towards” a fascist autocracy or dictatorship? We're already there. #politics

Izzy and I went for a walk at lunchtime in crime-ridden Washington, DC today, hoping that Izzy could sniff out some of that criminality. Didn't see any crime, criminals, or federal agents. #dogsofmastodon #mondog

In Rejecting Bid to Unseal Grand Jury Testimony, Judge Paul Engelmeyer Accuses Todd Blanche of "Diversion" www.emptywheel.net/2025/08/11/i...

Want to know how bad our drought is? And why no one is allowed near any woodland in Nova Scotia until October 15, without getting a $25,000 fine? A few miles from here yesterday afternoon a combine harvester must have hit a stone which caused a spark and set the field on fire. They managed to […]

So according to this article: https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/meta-facebook-tech-copyright-privacy-whistleblower #Meta is scraping the media proxies of mstdn, masto and .coffee.. If this is true, this is very worriying and pisses me very much off No wonder our media loads so crappy if they are […]

"Embrace AI or get out" Welcome to the out club.

Izzy, our anxious rescue dog, had a good time with an enormous Bouvier des flandres yesterday, hanging out on our front porch. #rescuedog #dogsofmastodon

Tiger swallowtail enjoying the Monarda punctata in our tree box! August seems to be the month we get the most interest in the plants in our tree box, with butterflies, birds (especially goldfinches), and hummingbirds showing up, as well as lots of smaller pollinators. #nativeplants #bloomscrolling

This is Izzy's preferred way of telling me it's time to get off the computer and give her a tummy rub! #dogsofmastodon #rescuedogs #mondog

Good explanation of why John Roberts is the worst Chief Justice ever and how he has transformed the Constitution: https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/p/on-the-supreme-courts-constitutional

I saw a lot of buyouts eat away at the newsroom when I worked at the Washington Post (it turns out you can get tired of free cake when the reason to eat it is always yet another cast of colleagues leaving), but the names involved in the newest additions to the Post diaspora suggest a DOGE-level […]

Excellent summary of LinkedIn's change to allow hate speech aimed at transgender individuals: https://www.techdirt.com/2025/08/01/linkedin-joins-the-parade-of-cowards-quietly-strips-anti-trans-protections-to-appease-maga-mob/ I'll be closing my LinkedIn account in the near future because of this.

Apparently the Tesla Diner is engineered as well as the Cybertruck!! TMZ: Tesla Diner Los Angeles Outdoor Patio Covering Crashes Down on Woman's Head https://www.tmz.com/2025/07/28/woman-injured-by-falling-umbrella-tesla-diner-hollywood/ #tesla

RIP Tom Lehrer. https://variety.com/2025/music/news/tom-lehrer-dead-satirist-topical-singer-songwriter-1236471506/ I was a big fan as a kid growing up and memorized all his songs, including The Elements. My respect redoubled as an adult fan, from a new angle, when he relinquished his copyrights […]

We are seven months in, and the speed with which vital civic institutions are capitulating to authoritarian demands we once would have regarded as inconceivable in an established liberal democracy is jawdropping. I hadn't thought I was polyannaish about America, but it's really stunning.

These officers are unhinged and deranged and need to be held accountable. Locally first because we know this federal government won't prosecute criminals

I was lucky enough to see Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters Sunday night in Rockville, Maryland. Very impressive group. Platt writes great songs and sings the heck out of them and the Honeycutters are a very tight band. #Alt-Country #americana