Jerome Powell: "This is about whether the Fed will be able to continue to set interest rates based on evidence and economic conditions—or whether instead monetary policy will be directed by political pressure or intimidation."

RIP, Bobby...may the four winds blow you safely home ⚡ youtu.be/Ce9E9sP4ZUo?...

This is one of those things that seems small but is really a massive canary in the coal mine. Pre-release numbers were sacrosanct. The people I knew with access in past admins treated them like nuclear secrets. Preventing leaks was a cornerstone of anti-corruption and good government. Gone

I know there are a lot of big stories. And I have long ago learned not to over-react to crazy things Trump says. But him telling the NYT that the only limitation on his power is his own conscience is profoundly disturbing. Because that is dictator territory. And because he has no conscience.

Holy fuck they actually did it

Everyone should ask why the Trump Administration keeps lying about this — why they are telling you to disbelieve your own eyes. An American citizen in a peaceful neighborhood gunned down by masked agents sent there to make people afraid. The Vice President’s lies are despicable.

The fact is that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than U.S. citizens, and are being scapegoated by the President to justify a host of harmful, wildly unpopular policy decisions, including ending ACA health insurance subsidies and cutting food assistance.

Right after Renée Good’s disgusting murder, a ICE goon was filmed kicking her memorial candles. Absolutely vile.

I’m still just floored by the fact that we justifiably must close our public schools to protect our kids from the federal government.

Here's the ICE agent "defending himself" by shooting into the driver's side window of a car that's pulling *away* from him. Put this photo on the front page of every newspaper in America.

The American people electing Trump after he staged a coup attempt 5 years ago was a nail in the coffin of our democracy. You can rationalize it all you want - But inflation! But wokeness! - but ultimately it was a societal suicide attempt and probably the dumbest collective voting decision ever made

I implore you to hit up CVS and get your flu shot. Please don’t game it with whatever else you heard. It’s real serious and we don’t gave any public health allies in the government now.

“.. Chavez came to power in 1999 when audited reserves were about 75 billion barrels of reserves. The year he died in 2013, they magically jumped to 300 billion unaudited.” 🇻🇪

they're doing it for gender, imo

amazing how the entire machine can pivot within 24 hours. no need to slowly upsell the argument; just issue new marching orders

I just want to say for the record that when the history books are written centuries from now, I believe the election of Donald Trump in a free and fair election in 2024 will go down as one of the most senseless and self-destructive own goals in human history

Thinking of this exchange from the tariff case argument. www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...

you cannot blockade a country and bomb its capital cities and capture its leader without being at war with it, is the thing

fwiw it’s been about six weeks since Trump pardoned the former president of Honduras who had been convicted of trafficking drugs into the US

Im seeing discussions about consultations with congress, authorizations of force etc. I have to say this transcends any of what I would call sub constitutional technicalities. The president has gone to war with a foreign power and, it seems, kidnapped a foreign head of state on the basis of nothing.

Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts. Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.

It seems inevitable to me that we're going to find out that the new values rolled out by CBS were developed with input from an LLM.

Loving the print ads in @theonion.com

I also love America and believe in its stated values. And I understand that this pronouncement lands very differently when it comes from an organization that has intentionally been overhauled in order to curry favor with a jingoistic proto-fascist who says his opponents hate the country.

#BirdButts The backside of a gull atop St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

MOM SAYS YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH ME

shel silverstein was a prophet

One of humanity’s best ideas ever was taking the darkest time of the year, as cold temperatures set in, and doing celebrations with lights, loved ones, generosity, and food. Various cultures independently came up with something along those lines, and others picked it up. Fantastic idea, people.

ICE has posted a video of Santa Claus arresting immigrants. Your government is hijacking a symbol of charity to spread fear and hate. it’s up to all of us to defeat these twisted fascists.

The 2025 Headline of the Year Nominees 🧵

In my excitement at finally seeing these Tibetan Snowcocks, I took neither a good photo nor a video! This was up at 17,000 ft with Gokyo Lake below and Everest somewhere in the background! #birdoftheday #winterbirds #birds #eastcoastkin #wildlife #nature #scape #bluesky #mountains #video #pheasant

I’m just going to tell the story. Back in 2000 I was volunteering for the Gore campaign when he came along with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Alfre Woodard and Dule Hill to a GOTV event here in MN. He ended up sitting down across from me stuffing his envelopes.

Statement from the Lear Family on the death of Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner. Rob Reiner described Norman Lear as his second father.

Rob Reiner made some great movies but he was also unafraid to speak the truth, and was one of the public voices who knew you don’t squander your platform, and only got louder about opposing evil fucks as he got older. Legend.

Rob Reiner was a good guy. He made a lot of movies about good guys, in worlds where not everyone was good and you didn’t have to be good. He made movies about people trying. He was angry, as many hopeful people are. He knew the world could be better and he wanted it to be. His death is devastating.

The cultural impact of Rob Reiner cannot be understated. Legend isn't big enough a word. It goes to 11. You can't handle the truth. As you wish. I'll have what she's having. I'm your number one fan. You guys wanna see a dead body? The very idea of a bucket list. The West Wing. All from his movies.

The Tasselled Wobbegong is a master of disguise that can eat a fish almost as big as itself in one gulp. It's classified as a shark, but when it lays on the sea floor it looks like a harmless rug if you manage to see it. But with powerful jaws and sharp teeth they are no fish to mess with.

This is North Korean Dear Leader nonsense about a guy who’s been convicted of 34 felonies: The spokesperson added, “this is yet another desperate attempt by the Left wing media to disparage President Trump with false allegations,” and said, “President Trump has never, or will ever, break the law.”

Happy Birthday (Observed) to the uncontested KING Jonathan The Tortoise, estimated to be 192 years old 192 MORE YEARS! 192 MORE YEARS!

Not like it would be justified if they were drug smugglers, but I think it hasn't gotten enough focus that a boat with 11 people onboard heading from Venezuela to Trinidad was almost certainly migrants. These were probably, at least for some of them, people fleeing Maduro. That's who they murdered.

Hannah Arendt died #OTD 1975.

“If you believe Noem, Bondi, Patel, or Hegseth—orTrump himself—are committed at the end of these four years to free and fair elections, and to a peaceful transfer to power to an opposition party that could investigate them…I have some Trump meme coins to sell you.” www.thebulwark.com/p/the-only-d...

This composition had eluded me for nearly a decade, but yesterday I was finally able to capture it. A train rolled through just as the Duquesne Incline was crossing over the tracks in #Pittsburgh, creating a picture perfect winter scene. It was worth the hours and hours I've waited over the years.

This is gibberish.

The best American flag is the battle flag of Tecumseh Sherman’s 23rd Corps, made from the tattered remains of Confederate banners.

They’re simultaneously arguing that soldiers have to follow all orders from the president, legal or not, but they get to ignore orders from a federal judge if they feel they’re not legal.

In March of 1945, the US Army issued this "fact sheet" to guide conversations with soldiers on the topic of fascism, paying particular attention to the ongoing threat that domestic fascist movements posed to the US. Their analysis of what a homegrown US fascism would look like is interesting.

The reality, of course, is that Miller and a significant portion of Trump’s base are the ones who failed to assimilate to America’s post-WWII culture of multi-racial democracy & religious pluralism…and they are now using their power to destroy that once dominant (and still popular) American culture.

You’ll be visited by three spirits. The three spirits: